Best Restaurants

Best NEW Restaurant: Pescara

In landlocked Rochester, fresh seafood prepared creatively is a treat. And that’s what you get at Pescara, which opened in March, 2009 and is named for the fishing town in Italy where co-owner Pat Woodring’s family has roots. Woodring and partner Scott Foster also own Chester’s Kitchen & Bar, winner of last year’s Best New Restaurant and this year’s Best Restaurant. Pescara general manager Stephen Squibbs filled in the blanks.

Our seating capacity is 85 in the dining room, ten at the bar.

The typical bill for a single diner at lunch is $8 to $15.

The typical bill for a single diner at dinner is $35 to $50.

We love the name ‘Pescara’ because it represents our family.

The first few months we were open were stressful, requiring hard work and long days and nights, but exciting.

The most popular dish on our menu is Scallops Fond Blanc.

The most popular dessert on our menu is homemade bread pudding.

Our chefs (executive chef Scott Foster and chefs de cuisine Dan Calloway, Anthony Pester, and Erik Paulson) like to create and be inventive.

Our ambience is sophisticated 'chic,' intimate, elegant.

Our staff is fun and professional.

Our approach to cuisine is fresh forward.

The typical Pescara customer is someone looking for a new dining experience.

When we found out we’d been voted ‘Rochester’s Best New Restaurant,’ we were ecstatic that our hard work, planning, and service had great results!

The key ingredient to our success is our staff. We are truly a family.

One thing we’re trying to do better is to promote our restaurant to everyone.

Once our newness wears off, we will keep our restaurant’s appeal fresh by being innovative with our food and providing the best food and service in town.

Runner-up: Whiskey Creek