Something fishy in Rochester, MN

Pescara

I was invited to join the official dinner of the meeting I was speaking at, but my host found the room to chilly and suggested we go elsewhere. We'd seen Pescara across the street from Michael's, so off we went.

Located in the trendiest Doubletree I'd ever seen (I would have guessed it was a W Hotel), we had a wait a bit for a seating for our group of five, but were soon at a table.

As you might guess from the name, fish is the speciality. There was a great selection of market fresh fish (though I hesitate to get fish in the Midwest!). I decided to start off with an apple salad (though the oyster option looked good). For a main course, I went with one of the recommendations, paella. And a good choice it was. Not an overwhelming serving, there were just enough treats (mussels, shrimp) and a tasty, though not too spicy sauce.

I wish I could catalog the four other meals my colleagues had, but there was only one: Mushroom risotto! Yes, our table had one paella and four risotto (to be honest, it was my second choice). The risotto received good reviews as did the other sides and appetizers at the table (grilled asparagus, ahi tuna).

The decor was very 21st century, glass, chrome, basic greenery, ambient lighting. Quiet a change from Michael's. So, I'm sure in thirty years, if Pescara is still there and I were to return, and if it doesn't change, it will be that, oh so 2010 kinda place!

Meal: Dinner
Rating: ****
Date: 28 April 2010
Address: 150 S. Broadway Ave., Rochester, MN 55904
Website: http://www.pescarafresh.com/

Gibson @ Martini's

Martini's at the The Kahler Grand Hotel

With a name like that, didn't I just have to stop in? The Kahler Grand Hotel is a classic old hotel in Rochester, clearly the grande dame of the city. Martini's, the bar, had lovely seating outside onto a little plaza, but it was a bit chilly to sit outside, so I strolled in. I was expecting a dark, quiet, old fashioned place. But instead, Martini's sort of flowed into a more "family-style" restaurant and little market  in the hotel. Hmmm.

The bar was by the window and well lit. I sat at the bar and took a look at the extensive martini (and other cocktail) offerings (mostly out of curiosity) and ordered up a Gibson (sometimes you feel like three little onions). The bartender mixed a good martini (shaken not stirred) and made just the right amount of conversation.

Not what I was expecting, but nice.

Meal: Drink
Rating: ***
Date: 28 April 2010
Address: 20 SW Second Avenue Rochester, MN 55902
Website: http://www.thekahlerhotel.com/martinis/

That 70s Place: Michael's

Michael's Fine Dining

Well, the website made Michael's look like a good, basic steakhouse. My colleague picked it out and since we were communicating by text, it wasn't easy to make deep, thorough decisions.

There was something about Michael's as we stepped in that gave me deja vu, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. We were led to our booth with the large leather seats. Our helpful waitress soon appeared and told us we had to get the onion rings (so we did). Menu was a selection of steaks and chops, pasta, chicken, but also with a Greek twist.



After some thought, I went with the pork chop. The entree came with a side salad and vegetable (asparagus with hollandaise). Very basic salad and tasty asparagus. The pork chop was good, but not great. For dessert, we split the raspberry bread pudding (again at the  suggestion of our waitress).

As we left, my colleague hit it on the head; it was the 1970s! Michael's reminded us of a place out of the 70s (not that there's anything wrong with that!). Michael's was probably a great and trendy (in a 70s sorta way) in its time, but it was stuck in the 70s. Plastic menus, iceberg lettuce (not a wedge!), a certain style of oil painting on the walls ... well, you know. Not bad by any means. but just well, what it was.

Meal: Dinner
Rating: **
Date: 27 April 2010
Address: 15 S. Broadway, Rochester, MN 55904
Website: http://www.michaelsfinedining.com/

Make mine a Newt burger

2010-04-27 14.46.03.jpg
Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Newt's

I took the airport shuttle from the Rochester, MN airport (RST) to downtown. Usually an airport shuttle is a pretty vanilla and boring experience. The driver on this ride, however, was a regular tourguide and surely worth the $11.50 fare. He pointed out all the sights along the way (the water towers that marked the edges of town, the Mayo Clinic incinerator, and gave interesting factoids - "Rochester has 138 hotels and motels within the city limits". Once in town, he pointed out some eating places and gave recommendations. Newt's, he said, had the best burgers in town.

So, well, I had to go! Located up a flight of stairs (above what seemed to be a sister establishment, City Cafe), Newt's had a good local feel. I was told to take a seat anywhere and as soon as I sat down, a basket of popcorn appeared.

I had to have a burger, of course, and there were plenty of variations to choose from. I wanted something simple though, so I got the basic burger (medium) with lettuce, onion and a side of fries.

The burger was hand-formed, nicely sized and done just as ordered. The fries were good (and actually too many of them!). The only criticism is that ketchup was provided in little cups; I go heavy on the ketchup, so had to ask for extra (which delayed eating!).

Friendly service, good prices, great burger!

Meal: Lunch
Rating: *****
Date: 27 April 2010
Address: 216 1st Avenue Southwest, Rochester, MN 55902
Website: http://www.cccrmg.com/newts.htm