Gio's Prime 26 — Restaurant in City of Rochester

What was once one of the best fine dining restaurants in Rochester before the owner unfortunately passed away has become a shell of its former self. DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS HORRIBLE RESTAURANT!! We have been dining at here for years, not only for special occasions but as regular diners. We have dined all over the world always searching for the best of the best. Unfortunately true fine dining is limited in Rochester. Anyone who knows fine dining would be extremely disappointed since the current owners took over. They may know how to manufacture pasta and pasta sauce but that doesn’t mean they know how to run a fine dining restaurant. Not knowing the restaurant was under new management after the owner’s death we made reservations for our wedding anniversary. Something seemed odd when the women who took our reservation seemed to have no idea what she was doing. I sat on the phone for 10 minutes while she struggled to take a simple reservation for two. The day of our reservation I was nervous about our reservation so I decided to call and confirm two hours before our scheduled arrival. The individual that answered phone said they were closed for renovations. We were astounded, I asked why we were not notified. He said they tried to text everyone but they obviously missed people. No apology just basically acted like he could care less that he just ruined our anniversary. It was going to be impossible to get reservations at any other good restaurant on that short notice. Since at the time I wasn’t aware the restaurant was under new management and we had always had an exceptional dining experience I just figured they were having a one off bad day so I rebooked our reservation. I called and asked to speak to a manager once they reopened and got Charles who promised he would give us the same table we requested when we made the original reservations, again no apologies for what they did to us just agreed to give us the booth we had asked for. Upon arrival when we came back everything seemed “off”. None of the long time professional waiters we knew from dining there often were around, the staff’s professional looking uniforms had been replaced with aprons more indicative of what you see on the employees at the Home Depot. They were now young inexperienced kids, not what you see at fine dining establishments. We sat at our table for 20 minutes before anyone came over to wait on us. Our waiter was clueless, we asked him what happened to the A4 Wago with the Sake pairing, he said they were out of it which we knew was a lie because it wasn’t even on the menu any longer. My husband asked for the wine list, the large selection of fine wines was greatly diminished from what they used to offer. When the so called sommelier came over to push some hokey low budget wine they were offering for the eclipse my husband declined and ordered one of the few decent wines that were still left on the wine list. He asked her what level sommelier she was, she said she was a level 3 sommelier which was a joke. When she brought our $150 bottle of wine over she asked my husband how many glasses we wanted with it, our jaws almost hit the floor. He said to her why on earth are you asking me that, she said many of of customers order it to take home. We were shocked, we were not planning to sit there and drink it out of a bag. We both ordered the $79 tenderloin medium rare. Both steaks were over done and arrived medium. Nothing on the plate, not so much as a garnish just the steak. The entire meal was absolutely horrible!! I’ve had better steaks at Longhorn for a fraction of the price we paid. We spent $525 for this debacle. We should have walked out the door when we walked in because it was obvious something had drastically changed. The other diners were dressed in baseball caps, sneakers and torn jeans, not what you see in a fine dining establishment which was a prelude to the nightmare we were about to experience. This place is Outback with fine...

I am sorry to say this was an awful experience and this is a long review.

I was not greeted because the staff had their backs to the entrance when I walked in. But Even when three of them turned around and saw me though, nobody said a word until I acknowledged them first and said hello.

It was downhill from there. I asked our server what oysters they had that night and he said that he wasn’t sure but he could go check if I wanted him to. I wanted him to, otherwise I would not have asked (no, i didnt say that out loud). When he returned, he gave me the names of two Different varieties fromPEI And one from Massachusetts. I asked What the size and flavor profiles were, but he again said that he did not know, but would go and ask if I wanted him to. Yes, please. When he returned, he told me how big they were. I asked him what their flavor profiles were. He looked at me like I was stupid Or out of line. “The chef isn’t going to know what their flavor profiles are “ he told me, curtly. “Welp, could he At least ask please”? I said as politely as i could manage.

It’s worth mentioning that I have a background in hospitality and specifically in management of fine dining restaurants, And it was always our practice for the staff to memorize the location, size, and flavor profiles of the oysters we had each day. Tournedos bills itself as fine dining and is charging nearly $4 for each oyster, But making me feel as though I should have googled all of this information myself if I Didn’t want to Pick my oysters based on whether I liked their respective names.

The server ended up bringing a sample of each oyster for me to try. I would have been fine with just a description, but this worked too. i ordered a dozen of one variety and they were delicious.

My friend and I Suspected that there might be some sort of recourse For my inquisitiveness, and sure enough it came when my food arrived. I ordered 1.25lbs of king crab legs for $132. But instead of legs, i was given the bodies and joints of the crabs! For those unfamiliar, this part of the crab is edible, but typically used for canning and flavoring other dishes because of its mushy and less sweet texture and flavor compared to the legs. I sent it back and asked for the legs, as that is what is listed on the menu.

My mushroom side was so salty it was inedible.

Regarding the newly renovated space: completely different vibe now - more modern and clean and light. Overall not bad, but the green table cloths cheapen the space and detract from its aesthetic. We were seated next to a vent that was blowing cold air on us and the room was already chilly.

I do...

Updated Review:

I enjoyed another meal at Tournedos on 10/13/2018. I am confident that this is the best restaurant in Rochester. Max's, Char, and Black and Blue just arent on the same level as Tournedos. Tournedos steaks, appetizers, deserts, and sides have all come out on top every time.

We started with the clams casino. I think these were the best clams casino i have ever ordered. Flavor was great. Texture was great. No hint of "fishy-ness".

Ive never had an "OK" appetizer here. Every appetizer has been phenomenal (clams, carpaccio/mozzarella, calamri so far) . I would skip the salads and order an appetizer or two instead.

I ordered the grade 7 petite Waygu Strip Steak. My wife ordered the dry aged NY strip. While the dry aged steak is good (and probably better than anywhere else in Rochester), the Waygu was noticeably better (which is expected based on the price and notoriety). The flavor of the Waygu beef is exceptional. I am confident that the Waygu beef and the steak's preparation are the best in upstate NY. The inside was perfectly cooked and the outside was seared/cooked to perfection. The bourdelaise was much better this time around.

For sides we had the macroni carbonara, yukon gold mashed potatoes with truffle butter, and the crimini/button mushrooms. The mushrooms were great as usual. The Mashed potatoes were good, but I didn't taste much truffle. (Disclaimer: yukon gold aren't my favorite so i might be off base on this one as my wife liked them a lot). The carbonara was the weakest of the sides. It was still enjoyable but I feel like the pasta does not hold enough of the sauce. You end up losing the flavor once you begin chewing the dense pasta. The sauce itself is good. I saved the carbonara for the next day, after the pasta had absorbed the sauce. It was actually better the next day as the flavor was more consistent.

Wine selection was excellent once again. Pleased with the wines we chose.

We ended the meal with a creme brulee, espresso martini, and homemade concunt -chocolate chip - almond ice cream. My wife enjoyed the creme brulee and it was cooked perfectly. The ice cream is packed with coconut . I remembered it being great last year and have spent the summer trying other coconut ice creams...and none can compare...