Located inSoutheast Minnesota, the town of Rochester is home to the world-renowned Mayo Clinic and is the third-largest city in the state, with a population of more than 120,000 people. If you live here or are visiting, you’ll find yourself in a place rich in culture, historic buildings, natural parks, and most importantly, plenty of fine dining restaurants where you can sit down, relax, and enjoy a great meal. Here are five to put on your list.
Prescott’s Grill
Prescott’s Grill is a fine dining restaurant in Rochester with an elegant setting, master-chef-prepared meals, and a wide selection of highly rated wines.Prescott’s thoughtful menu changes seasonally but always incorporates the highest-quality ingredients.
Current offerings include starters such as escargot and artichokes, shrimp and pesto flatbread, and a seasonal cheeseboard. The soup selection features the Chef’s Choice soup of the day, as well as Christopher Rohe’s famous tomato basil soup. Salads change seasonally, but you can expect exotic options such as a pear and walnut salad with blue cheese as well as classics like a Caesar. The seasonal pasta dish might be butternut ravioli, while the entrees could include a crab-stuffed chicken breast with cream sauce and vegetable rice or a breaded pork chop stuffed with spinach andfontina cheese with potato purée.
Prescott’s Grill is located at 1201 South Broadway Avenue, #80, in the Crossroads Shopping Mall and is open from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday.
Pescara
Pescara is an upscale seafood restaurant in downtown Rochester. If you’re dining with a group and someone doesn’t love seafood, don’t worry — the menu includes plenty of other meat and vegetarian items, as well.
Pescara’s small plates include fresh oysters on the half-shell served with mignonette, co*cktail sauce, and lemon. Or try the warm triple cream brie with arugula, fig mostarda, and grilled baguette. For your soup, you can’t go wrong with the lobster bisque, and for a salad, try the Pescara chopped salad with grilled chicken, shell pasta, and fresh vegetables. Entrees include an upscale take on classic fish and chips with battered market white fish served with Pescara coleslaw, French fries, and tartar sauce. The wild mushroom risotto has arborio rice, white wine, vegetable stock, fresh herbs, and white truffle oil.
Pescara is located in the DoubleTree Hotel at 150 Broadway Ave South. It’s open Monday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m to 9 p.m., Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Pittsburgh Blue Steakhouse
The Pittsburgh Blue Steakhouse has three locations, including one in downtown Rochester at the new Hilton Hotel. The steakhouse offers hand-cut, dry-aged steaks as well as fresh seafood and burgers. You can also enjoy expertly crafted co*cktailsand daily happy hours before dinner.
Appetizers for sharing include sea scallop Benedict with bacon, hollandaise, and brioche bread and the jumbo shrimp co*cktail with co*cktail sauce and fresh horseradish. Entrees include the seafood Cobb salad with king crab, shrimp, avocado, chopped bacon, boiled egg, and a vinaigrette dressing. Or keep it simple with a classic burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, and a side of parmesan fries.
You can choose from a selection of filet mignons, including a mushroom-capped filet and a blue cheese filet. Or you might go straight for one of the Pittsburgh Blue Proprietary Steaks, including the aged choice sirloin, the cowboyrib-eye, or the porterhouse.
Find the steakhouse at 10 East Center Street. It’s open Monday through Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m. and on Sunday from 4 to 9 p.m.
The Half Barrel
The Half Barrel offers a casual yet fine dining experience with fulfilling American cuisine. It also has a full bar, where whiskey lovers can indulge in extensive flights and a selection of more than 400 whiskeys.
The Half Barrel’s appetizers include cheese curds, pork nachos, bruschetta, and bourbon wings. Pizza lovers might like to try a topped flatbread such as the goat cheese with marinated tomatoes, spinach, mozzarella, goat cheese, and balsamic. If you love some heat in your food, try the barrel proof burger with ghost pepper cheddar, fried jalapeños, chipotle aioli, lettuce, and tomato. For a completely vegan option, enjoy a Beyond Burger with dairy-free bun and tofu mayo. The steak and blue penne has a bleu cheese sauce with chili flakes, spinach, and sirloin tips.
The Half Barrel is located at 3041st AvenueSouthwest, in Rochester’s downtown district. It’s open Tuesday through Thursday from 3 until 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 3 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Cameo at the Castle
Cameo at the Castle is part of the locally owned Early Bird Hospitality Group that includes Cafe Relish. It offers New American cuisine with global influences while staying true to its Midwest roots. You’ll find fresh multicourse seasonal meals with optional wine pairings in a chef-driven setting.
Cameo at the Castle has a decently sized menu with starters such as PEI mussels and Korean popcorn chicken and soups and salads like a vegan black bean soup and a beet salad with goat cheese and a honey lavender vinaigrette. Sandwiches are served with fries or a side salad, and you’ll find a lamb merguez burger as well as a pork loin bahn mi sandwich. For a main entree, the sweet potato coconut curry might entice you with mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, basmati rice, and peanut crumble.
Cameo is located at 121 North Broadway Avenue in a historic armory building in downtown Rochester. It’s open for dinner Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m.
With these great fine dining restaurants in Rochester, you might just have to try them all. Have you been to one yet? Which was your favorite? At Tom Kadlec Kia, we’d love to hear which one you recommend. Drop us a line and let us know, or tell us which restaurant you’re most excited to check out.
Tags: Fine Dining, local, Restaurants
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