Skip to content

Best of Rochester

Well, the one or two people that actually read this site probably received my email about the “Best of Rochester” a couple years ago. I noticed at Noodles the other day that they had been voted the Best New Restaurant, obviously I had to investigate. Luckily the Rochester Magazine (division of the Rochester Post-Bulletin) is a free site. The Roch P-B is not free (far from it, $60 a year just for online access!). Another rant for another day.

Anyhoo, I’ve got the list. I present some of my “favorite” picks. I swear I am not making any of these up. I don’t necessarily disagree with the picks, they may very well be the “Best of Rochester”. However:

A: It’s a sad commentary on the current state of restaurants in the supposed “best small city to live in”.

B: I just have to disagree on principal with picks such as Red Lobster as Best Seafood.

My snarky little comments are in italics.

Rochester Magazine Readers’ Choice:
Best of Restaurants

Best Appetizers: Applebee’s

Runner-up: TGI Friday’s

Two chains start off the list. Tons of originality there.

Best Bar: Brothers Bar & Grill

Here’s how the little description reads:

There’s no pool tables or jukebox and only five televisions,

Wow, sweet can I go?

and the bar is tucked into a nondescript strip mall and sandwiched between the Consignment Closet and Electrolux Vacuum Sales.

The atmosphere just oozes out of this place.

So it must be the friendly, know-your-name atmosphere that makes Brothers Rochester’s favorite bar.

Sounds like a great idea for a TV show…. oh wait…

And it continues on from there…

Coming this year: live music. Get out those dancing shoes.

Stop it! It’s too much! Live Music? I might go into meltdown.

Best Beer Selection: Whistle Binkies

This one I agree with… Whistle Binkies has been a great addition. Over 100 beers, pretty cheap prices. But I don’t drink beer… Next!

I’m not even going to comment on these next few…

Best Breakfast: Perkins

Best Buffet: Golden Corral Grill & Buffet

Best Coffee: Caribou (Runner Up: Starbucks)

Best Deli: Panera

Best Desserts: Bakers Square Restaurant & Pies

Best Health Food: Subway

Best Ice Cream: Dairy Queen

Make it stop!

Best Late Night Dining: Perkins

One of two places open past 10. The other? Denny’s

Best Restaurant For Kids: McDonald’s

Apparently the play-balls are washed once a week.

Best Soup: Panera

Best Steak: Outback

And my all time favorite…

Best Seafood:Red Lobster (Runner-up: Canadian Honker, not even close to a seafood restaurant)

Most absurd category: (The pick one chain restaurant we don’t have category)#xdThe One Restaurant Rochester Needs Immediately: Chili’s Grill & Bar

With Olive Garden out of the way, Rochesterites have a new restaurant in their sights! Order more baby back ribs!

The result that makes me think everyone that voted is slightly confused…
Best Indian Restaurant:India Garden (at the time of the writing, the only Indian restaurant in town) The runner up is: Cheng Mai Thailand Yep, not finding another Indian restaurant to vote for, we’ll just vote for a Thai restaurant… same side of the globe I guess…

Well, I’m afraid the madness will never end. At least Minneapolis is only an hour and fifteen minutes away…

{ 1 } Comments

  1. Codi | 4/10/2003 at 10:54 am | Permalink

    Come on AJ, don’t you think you’re being a little harsh? So maybe there is not a huge variety of custom, cute little restaurants, but please, the human race is made up of such creatures of habit that when one does go out to eat, it’s usually to a place frequently visited. When the wait staff knows what your “usual” is, it’s time to search for a new restaurant. However, there is comfort in knowing exactly what you’re going to get to eat, no matter what time or what day of the week you’re going to an eating establishment. And for those days when you want to be wild and crazy and eat something exotic, drive into the city 🙂