Restaurant Review: Rochester
After spending eight long years in New England, I finally took the plunge and returned to Western New York a month ago by moving to Rochester. During my New England stint, I developed a genuine addiction to Dunkin Donuts, a persistent craving for anadama bread, and a genuine snobbery about the correct construction of lobster rolls, and now I’m feeling a strong urge to unearth my roots within the Western New York food scene. Since I’ve already eaten an impressive number of Wegmans bagels in the last month, it’s time to widen my horizons and discover the greater Rochester food culture. Fresh off of three years in Portland, Maine, a notoriously foodie city, I have had a sense that the mission to locate new favorite restaurants might be an uphill battle, but I will not be deterred.
For my initial foray into the unknown Rochester food scene, my sister and the editor joined me for drinks and appetizers at a downtown brewery and then a full meal at a small American bistro on Park Ave. Despite studiously leveling my expectations, leaning heavily on my years of practice honed by living in a small town with three decent restaurants to its name, I couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed. My overall takeaway: there might still be gems to be found in Rochester, but flashy marketing can easily disguise incredibly mediocre offerings.
Stop One: Appetizers at Nine Spot Brewing
We stumbled upon Nine Spot Brewing after its unpretentious atmosphere caught our attention during a neighborhood stroll. When we found ourselves too ravenous to make it to our 6:30 reservation at the Classic Kitchen, the nearby brewery was first on our minds as a lowkey waystation to drop in on before our designated mealtime.
My immediate impression was positive. The atmosphere was warm, saturated with color and topped with various New York State memorabilia on the walls. Very suitable as the first stop in our Rochester Pride Food Mission. The service was quick and friendly, and the beer selection was broad, if light on IPAs for my taste. We ordered the onion dip and the hot dog special, both of which were exactly what you would want and expect. The entire menu was streamlined and made sense.
The delivery system for the snacks on small cutting boards was a nice touch. We all ordered the session IPA, a sippable IPA if I’ve ever had one. Topped off with a couple of rounds of Trivial Pursuit courtesy of the stacked shelf of board games, we all agreed that a return visit was in our future.
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Food: 4/5
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Stop Two: Dinner
While we started strong with our first stop, unfortunately that was where our positive momentum took a hit. Our first twenty minutes at the Classic Kitchen were spent huddled against the wall waiting for a table, despite our reservation. There was no designated waiting area, which somehow meant we ended up cramped against the wall, trying not to impede foot traffic. This gave us front row seats to watch a couple briskly walk past us to be seated immediately, while we remained ignored, burrowing into the drywall to allow the waitstaff room to maneuver.
At least once we were seated, we were served with an apologetic promptness. We all opted to start the meal with a cocktail. Mine was a sparkling wine with mint, and it tasted like a cheap, sweet wine served over ice. It also looked like a cheap, sweet wine served with a small, ineffectual sprig of mint tossed in as an afterthought. Another cocktail was similarly served in a wine glass and tasted like diluted tequila on ice. The final cocktail was the clear frontrunner, a lemon drop-esque option that was ultimately forgettable.
The drinks were followed by a well-dressed caprese salad and plate of thick polenta fries sparsely covered in pesto sauce. They were serviceable. For our main meal, we shared a bolognese that needed salt that the table tragically did not have on hand. The highlight, as we all agreed, was the sweet potato gnocchi. [I feel it’s important to note that it was actually better as leftovers after receiving more salt and red pepper flakes. I could easily have imagined eating a similar dish from the frozen section of Trader Joe’s, but hell, I like Trader Joe’s just fine.]
Our meal ended with us desperately prompting the waiter to offer us dessert. We opted for a creme brulee, and received our final letdown of the night. For anyone who needs to know, cold chocolate pudding with a crunchy sugar topping is not a creme brulee. The addition of orange flavoring was also not a welcome addition.
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
Food: 2.5/5
Overall Verdict
I enjoyed Nine Spot, and I think it was exactly as advertised. Conversely, I thought that owners of the Classic Kitchen clearly had experience dining at excellent bistros and wanted to replicate those experiences without any of the hard work that goes into actually making it happen. I love Chili’s and the Cheesecake Factory. I would probably have equally enjoyed going to either of those places and had just as good food and atmosphere for a much cheaper price and probably twice the portion size.
Don’t lie about creme brulee.
This review of Rochester’s food scene really misses the mark for me. It starts off with a nostalgic ramble about the reviewer’s past food experiences, setting a pretentious tone that doesn’t do much to endear readers. The critique seems more like a personal vendetta against anything that doesn’t meet the reviewer’s highfalutin New England standards, rather than a fair assessment of Rochester’s offerings.
The praise for Nine Spot Brewing feels half-hearted, almost as if the reviewer is begrudgingly admitting that something in Rochester can be of value. Yet, the transition to bashing the Classic Kitchen reeks of snobbery. The reviewer nitpicks every detail, from the waiting experience to the cocktails, without giving much thought to the challenges restaurants face or considering that one night’s experience might not be reflective of the overall quality.
Moreover, the comparison to chain restaurants like Chili’s and the Cheesecake Factory at the end is a low blow, suggesting a lack of appreciation for the efforts of local dining establishments trying to offer something unique. It’s as if the reviewer expects Michelin-star quality on every plate, regardless of the setting or the price point.
What bothers me most is the lack of constructive criticism. It’s easy to tear down and mock, but where are the suggestions for improvement? Where is the understanding that not every dish will be a home run, especially in a city that’s not known as a culinary capital? This review could have been an opportunity to highlight Rochester’s potential and encourage growth, but instead, it reads like a cynical take-down, offering little value to those genuinely interested in exploring the city’s food scene.
I feel that your comment is missing the mark actually. You didn’t seem to realize that this article is literally titled “Day One”. This is not a “review of Rochester’s food scene” as you say. It’s a review of two restaurants, one that the author liked and one that they didn’t like. I think you are too quickly reading very deeply into what is just a step on this person’s journey. And if you come out so defensive and nasty in a comment on something this person posted for free online, presumably for fun, do you think they will be encouraged to keep sharing their thoughts?