I had a wonderful meal at Redd while visiting Rochester for work! I sat at the bar and enjoyed the…read morehospitality and great service from the bartenders, who make great cocktails as well. My martini was perfectly mixed and ice cold! The food was phenomenal as well. I enjoyed the lobster risotto appetizer, chicken thigh with polenta and a delicious and complex mole sauce, and butterscotch pot de crème for dessert. The bar was bustling when I arrived, but quieted towards the end of the evening. The restaurant has high ceilings and an upscale but comfortable feel. I'd absolutely return to Redd if I'm ever in Rochester again!

I finally had the opportunity to eat out at REDD for a friend's birthday a couple of weeks ago…read moreafter years of trying to come. I really have to say - for the most part, the wait was worth it. First and foremost, I have to call out their drink menu - while ultimately we came to enjoy a nice dinner, their cocktails were by far the biggest star of the show, with our entrees trailing very closely behind. If you like to partake in alcoholic beverages, I can say without a doubt these are the best cocktails I've had in Rochester, let alone all of Western NY, and this is even put up against drinks from the likes of Cure, Bitter Honey, and Avvino. I don't know if the bartender is just using higher quality spirits as a result of REDD being an upscale restaurant, but the "Burn after Reading", "Wise Guy", and Manhattan are some of the smoothest, most delicious, multi-noted drinks I've had in my entire life. If I don't come back for the food, I will absolutely be back for the drinks, because my goodness, abso-freaking-lutely phenomenal. My friends and I still talk about them now even weeks later. For our entrees we had the NY strip steak, grilled chicken, and a poached salmon, and every single piece of protein was cooked just perfectly. The steak was a beautiful warm medium rare, the chicken was glistening with succulent juiciness, and the poached salmon which I had for my main is one of the softest pieces of fish I've had in my life. It beautifully flaked away on a bed of potato puree and extremely well herbed and seasoned home fry-like potatoes that were ever-so-slightly just-undercooked intentionally to act as a perfect foil to the gorgeously soft puree and salmon itself. If I were to knock anything at all, the winter squash, turnip, and green vegetable medley that came with the chicken and steak was unfortunately far too undercooked for my liking, almost to the point of being completely raw, and while I appreciate letting vegetables sing and respect the beauty of raw, fresh vegetables, I was hoping for a little bit more of chef-y flair, seasoning, or even cooking of them. Besides that, the wait staff was simply top tier and were extremely inviting throughout the entire evening. We felt taken care of and checked up on often and they were the utmost professional. The only thing that was a true negative was the desserts -- if there's one thing I would NEVER order at REDD again, unfortunately our dessert missed the mark entirely. My best guess is due to lack of a pastry chef, but our chocolate tart was muddy and flavorless, not even tasting of chocolate, and the two homemade ice creams we tried - chocolate, and oatmeal followed in suit. We ultimately wrapped up at REDD but then ran down to Char Steak & Grill at the Strathallan for what ended up being a phenomenal dessert experience there. But overall, I have to say - I will definitely be back! The entrees were awesome, the cocktails were life-changing, and the ambience and wait staff were without fault. Thank you for a wonderful experience, REDD, and see you again soon!