Cure — Restaurant in City of Rochester

TL;DR: Excellent small French bistro, get reservations, expect to spend ~$50-60 per person, entirely worth it.

I am not a "fan" of French cuisine. I'm not not a fan, either. I am aware of it, I understand the basic principles, I took French in high school (but my teenagers criticize my accent). I have nothing against it, but wouldn't seek it out.

With that out of the way, I will say this cute little place was probably the best representation of French cuisine a person can expect outside of NYC or Montreal (and I guess France). There is also an extremely interesting mixed drink menu.

We had reservations and judging by the crowd at 8pm, you had better call or check on their website first. Customers were wearing everything from dress shirts to a dressed-up t-shirt. The atmosphere is small bistro, not so much noise you can't hold a conversation, a great place for an intimate meal. The whole place seats maybe 40.

The wait staff was extremely knowledgeable and was able to answer questions about both food and drink. They set expectations right from the start. Our server explained many of their dishes were prepared with the intent of sharing, and that everything is from scratch and comes out as it is ready. He listed specials in great detail and included price, something I notice not many places do.

We ordered 4 dishes to share, plus a side of grilled bread from Flour City bakery next door ($3, worth it for the butter alone).

First to come out were our fried anchovies. These came with a sauce and were crispy. The sauce really handled the salty nature of anchovies.

Next, roasted brie with chilled cooked fingerling potatoes. This was creamy, indulgent, deliciousness. It was incredible. We thought the potatoes instead of bread was a little strange at first, but when we tried it, we were converts. Think about the most perfect baked potato with sour cream you've ever had - this was ten times better. My wife would have licked the inside of the pot were it not for manners.

Grilled asparagus was perfectly seasoned, cooked to where it was just barely not fork soft (butter knife was an easy cut), and drizzled in egg yolks for an indulgent flair.

Brandade is a dish that sounds terrible - a paste made out of cod? I couldn't have been more wrong. It was fresh like the best whitefish, filling, perfectly balanced, and so good on the baguettes that came with it.

Our grilled bread and butter came out maybe five minutes after we would have liked, but it was a perfect fill-in-the-gaps dish, using up any leftover sauces and oils from the other dishes as we went along.

For drinks, my wife had a velvet collar, which she loved. I had iced tea, which they bring in from Java's, and was also great.

The entire meal left us filled but not bloated. Unfortunately, that didn't leave room for the desserts, which sounded great. We will catch them next time.

We are absolutely adding this to our date...

A surprising delight! We stumbled upon CURE from a recommendation from another restaurant to grab a drink while waiting to possibly be seated. What a fortuitous event! The warm and charming atmosphere of this not-so-fancy French cafe and the endearing conversation with the lively hostess convinced us to stay and eat here instead. We were not disappointed and in fact, delighted and surprised with the excellent flavors of the three options we ordered.

Upon being seated at a cozy table for two, I ordered a French 75 infused with their own carbonated tonics and my husband ordered their tasty non-alcoholic proprietary concoction that he thoroughly enjoyed. The menu is split into smaller sharing plates and larger shared plates. Since so many options enticed us, our waiter recommended three of our larger options and said they would be enough for the two of us for dinner.

The roasted root veggie salad had us wishing for some fresh bread (made right next door at Flower City!) to sop up the remains of the flavorful dressing. The hot veggies layered on the arugula warmed them just enough without making them soggy. The Brussel Sprouts caught our eye and though we had expected crisp and crunchy, we enjoyed this soft, warmed and charred version - again, the dressing was bread-worthy! Our last was the most intriguing and unusual - duck breast in a crepe. We are always seeking unique ways to serve duck and thought this was a good one. Definitely! Two crepes were expertly wrapped, stuffed to the brim with shredded duck and an abundance of sautéed spinach, sitting in a tangy, semi-sweet, light sauce, begging to be spooned overtop. We eagerly complied and filled our bellies until the last bite.

We left just enough room for a tasty sweet option to share for our final course aptly named ‘dessert french toast’ with crème fraiche and blueberry syrup soaking the fresh bread from the bakery next door. Thank you to the proprietor who stopped by our table to inquire about our experience and engage in a pleasant conversation about his restaurant entrepreneurship. (Thanks for dessert!)

We highly recommend this lovely restaurant with its design-worthy, cozy atmosphere, intriguing light fixtures, generous proportions and delicious food. Don’t miss a visit to the restroom to see the walls full of ‘cures’ and a peak at the compact kitchen busily...

One of the best restaurants in the area, Cure will delight although it may not be cheap. Plates can range from smaller to larger based on price, you’ll find. It’s all fair though and the flavors are truly excellent, very considered. Each dish uses sustainable ingredients from local purveyors, adding to the charm. The area is funky, edging a farmers market parking lot, and you can dine right in said parking lot at 4 quaint outdoor picnic tables or inside at crowded smaller tables (not great for COVID).

Service is sharp, friendly, smart, and makes sure you’re never left in the dark. They’re there when needed and invisible when not needed, a hallmark of a well managed place!

Fans of rigorously authentic French food may find it too inventive and Americanized/trendy, but that’s your problem, not Cure’s. The cute little brick holding down the table sign, the dish towel napkins… it’s all a vibe. Hip to a fault some will surely say, but it’s got the high quality food to back up whatever ambiance it wants to throw down.

Friends have been here more than once and recommended it. So now we’ll gladly return.

Only suggestion would be better separation for menu items so portion size is clearer. We knew from our friends but otherwise it’s confusing what’s small and what’s not.

The linguine is stunning, some of the best I’ve had (and I’ve tried a lot of spectacular pasta). Some will find it a bit salty. The daily fish was halibut, which was lovely. The lamb is also a stand out and the quirky sunday hot dog is honestly very good if just hilariously hip and obviously not so French. Cocktails also very solid. All of the ceramic and glass and flatware was unpretentious, going more for the American grill theme. Not a problem.

Obviously if you aren’t down for the very simple outdoor seating or tighter indoor seating, you may not love every moment - but we...