OT: Rochester restaurants (was Eastman House gum prints)
Chris wrote: > Etienne, how fortunate you were to live here and go there for so many > years. Plus there are some great restaurants here :)--like Black and > Blue Steak and Crab. Yes, having access to that collection was a transportive experience, particularly on the terms of the time. I always feel rushed when someone stays with me, feeling that they must have something better to do that I'm keeping them from. I'm afraid that Black and Blue postdates me -- at least, I didn't know it (I moved away in 1994). Judging by the address, it must be in Pittsford Plaza (may have a new name now) or the one across the street. Those plazas had no noteworthy restaurants in the '70s/'80s/early '90s. Italian food is one of the specialties of the region. One of my favorites was Proietti's, in Webster (just across the Irondequoit Bay, to the east and north of the city). Jine's, near the east end of Park Avenue (GEH neighborhood) was always a really, really good Greek family restaurant/diner. They made the best pastitsio I have ever had, but I see it is not on the on-line menu. Maybe if you ask.... Maria's Mexican restaurant (also in Webster) was fantastic. (There was a second location in the never-really-caught-on Village Gate on Goodman just above University, but I think that's probably gone by now.) I recall when Jesse used to serve to-die-for margaritas in pitchers. They were still to die for last I knew, but his lawyers put an end to pitchers. The Red Osier, out in Stafford (about 35 miles west and a bit south), was perhaps the area's best "traditional" (prime rib/steak/seafood) restaurant -- where you'd take someone for a really special evening. The Grill at Strathallan, on East Avenue, was the most highly-rated restaurant within the city for a long time. Alas, one of my very favorites is no longer there. The Dickens, on Atlantic Avenue (or was in University? either way, GEH neighborhood) had legendary lobster bisque on Wednesdays and Fridays. In 1996 or 1997, I drove up from Ithaca (where I was living at the time) just for a bowl of bisque, only to find it had been razed to make way for (as I recall) a huge senior-living complex. Perhaps the cruelist disappointment of my life! If you need a florist, Arena's on East Ave. was always head and shoulders the best in the area. Oh, yeah -- I remember when Wegmans was an almost inconsequential food market! Best of luck with your research! etienne
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