I am always on the hunt for new restaurants in Rochester, and I was actually pretty excited about Rare when it first opened. I'll be honest, though, the low rating here made me nervous when I read the reviews. We decided to chance it last night, and I can say without a single hesitation that it was the right decision.
First, the ambiance is beautiful. It is a very lovely dining space - it is smaller, but it feels intimate, not cramped. Someone had previously complained about the bar being loud. I did not find this to be our perception, but asked for a table in the adjacent room anyway, and they were more than happy to accommodate.
Our waitress was exceptional. Warm, prompt, helpful, attentive but not pushy.
The food was quite possibly the best I have had at restaurants of this type. We shared the baked Taleggio, pork belly, onion soup for starters, and we found everything to be delicious. The onion soup was a little bit rich for me after half a bowl or so, and we both felt it could have used a tiny bit more broth to dilute the concentration, but this is me being picky. It was easily the best onion soup I've had from any restaurant. The Taleggio was the top favorite, though. That was one of the best appetizers I've ever had in my life.
For entrees, we had the filet bolognese, as well as bone in rib-eye, with the Mac and cheese (seafood on the side, which they were more than happy to accommodate), and the creamed spinach.
Everything was outstanding. The steak was perfect, the Mac and cheese was creamy and rich, the spinach was exactly what I had hoped for. 10/10. Easily one of the best steaks I've had from a restaurant. We visited Redd about a year or two ago, and left disappointed - this meal was 100x better. And we left with enough food for another 2 meals, easily. No one is complaining.
We finished with crème brûlée, and again, just perfect texture, consistency, and flavor. If I were to nitpick, I'd say the sugared layer was a wee bit too thick in places, but it didn't stop us from inhaling it.
I will end with this. During our dinner, we were sat next to a group of women. When it came time for them to order, they asked for the short ribs, to which the waitress responded that unfortunately they did not have the short ribs available that night. Now, I don't know this woman's story, and I am hoping that she was just having the worst day of her entire life, or was going through something horrific, and all she wanted was one short rib and it was the straw that broke the camel's back. I really do. Because she became *incredibly* rude to the staff, and actually stood up and stormed out of the dining room for a few minutes in a huff.
When she returned, the manager came to talk to her, apologized profusely and explained that the order of short ribs they received that day had been inedible. I can only assume they meant they received spoiled meat, so obviously they couldn't serve it. This did little to pacify her. She continue to be sharp and snappy.
The manger left for a few minutes and returned again, informing the woman that he had sent a staff member to the adjacent restaurant upstairs and found out that they were serendipitously running short ribs as a special that evening, and he was going to procure some from them for her.
Say what you will, but that level of customer service is far beyond what is even "above and beyond."
Is this restaurant pricey? Yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely. In service, experience, and food, you get what you pay for here. Don't let the low reviews here scare you off - Rare 3001 is absolutely worth a visit. read more