🇫🇷 Rochester‘s French Dining Benchmark

🇫🇷 Rochester‘s French Dining Benchmark｜Roux: A Gustatory Journey from Snails to Lavender In the world of French cuisine in Rochester, Roux is an unavoidable name, often crowned with the title of "the best French restaurant in Rochester." This is more than just a label; it carries significant expectations. With these in mind, I embarked on a deep tasting, aiming to verify if this praise holds true. The result? A refined adventure filled with classics, surprises, and a touch of personal taste. ✨ 🐌 The Undisputed Opening: Escargots (Garlic Butter Snails) A successfully executed classic dish is the touchstone of a restaurant‘s skill. Roux‘s Escargots undoubtedly deliver a perfect score. The snails are bathed in an aromatic garlic-parsley butter sauce, tender and free of any earthy taste, each one like a capsule of concentrated French countryside flavor. The accompanying garlic bread croutons are crispy and delicious, perfect for soaking up every drop of the sauce—a flawless palate-awakening prelude. This dish is a classic and delicious, deserving of its five stars. 👍 🍯 Challenge and Rescue: Potted Chicken & Foie Mousse As someone with a(moderate) acceptance of foie gras, this dish was a gentle challenge. The mousse texture is incredibly smooth, with the richness of foie gras intertwined with the mildness of chicken, resulting in an intense flavor. For me, it was slightly heavy, but the restaurant cleverly "rescued" it with the tangy sweetness of black currant jelly and the wheaty aroma of warm baguette. The bright acidity of the jelly cuts through the richness perfectly, and spread on the crispy baguette, it creates a balanced, layered experience. This is a delicacy that requires the right approach. 🦆 The Crowd-Pleasing Star: Duck Leg Confit If one dish represents Roux‘s popularity, it‘s the Duck Leg Confit. This main course, highly recommended by many, lives up to its reputation. The duck leg, prepared using traditional confit method, has skin seared to a golden crisp, while the meat inside achieves (astonishing) tenderness, falling off the bone. The masterstroke is the accompanying cranberry sauce. Its lively tartness and slight sweetness perfectly balance the duck‘s richness, making every bite flavorful and not greasy. No exaggeration, a must-order here—the extra 💕 signifies its transcendent status in my heart. 🍅 Rustic Poetry: Slow Ratatouille This "Ratatouille" movie-inspired country dish showcases another side of French cuisine—simplicity and warmth. Various vegetables are slow-cooked until tender and flavorful, with the acidity of tomatoes, sweetness of bell peppers, silkiness of eggplant, and fragrance of herbs all melding together. It‘s not a soup but richer than a stew; a friend aptly described it as "like a chewable borscht." Amidst a table of meats, this ratatouille is a refreshing, comforting presence. I really liked it! 🦞 The Hidden Surprise & Minor Letdown: Lobster Roll & Fries Unlocked from the secret menu, the Lobster Roll had soft bread and sweet, fresh lobster meat—quality was there. But perhaps due to high expectations, while tasty, it lacked a memorable(distinctive feature), feeling somewhat standard. In contrast, the side of fries was a bit disappointing, overseasoned to the point of masking the potato‘s natural flavor, a small flaw in the evening. 🍸 The Dreamy Finale: The Lavender Cocktail (The Frenchie) The meal‘s climax ended with an immensely creative cocktail. The Frenchie is more than a drink; it‘s like a piece of art. An elegant lavender aroma permeates the glass, and the crowning touch is the small scoop of lavender ice cream on top. As the ice cream slowly melts, the drink softens, creating a interplay of temperatures where floral and alcoholic notes weave together, resulting in an extremely unique and enchanting flavor. The sensory delight from this cocktail provided a romantic punctuation to the entire evening. 📍 Address: 688 Park Ave, Rochester, NY 14607 #RochesterFood#RochesterEats#Rochester#StudentEats#VibeDining#FrenchCuisine#DuckConfit#SecretMenu#FoodReview#RomanticDate