Grappa - Rochester

While Grappa might not be a five-star restaurant, it has a five-star bar. We were there on a late afternoon Friday happy hour. This joint was jumpen! Packed with revelers of all shapes and sizes, Grappa transformed from a nice hotel bar to a destination cocktail lounge rivaling any watering hole in Rochester. Kenzie and the bar manager Tom were the only two bartenders/servers in the place, and they worked their butts off. I was exhausted just watching them. Their work ethic was motivating. We ordered pizza and it was pretty darn good considering. My cocktail was mixed well and was a generous pour. Grappa could stand alone as a bar and survive well without the Hilton moniker.

Decent atmosphere and good service. Genetic American Italian food.

The food is incredible. Tried the braised short rib and pork osso bucco ... To die for. We always get the bruschetta board- the ricotta is made fresh in house, delicious as well. In the picture on left is the braised short rib and right is pork osso bucco.

We went at 6 p.m. on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and we were pleased with the service speed! We had an appetizer, main course, and dessert in an hour. If anything it felt a little fast, but we could have slowed our pace. We had the arancini, which was great; however, their crispy Brussels sprouts with balsamic, pickled onion, and parmesan reggiano was the star of the meal for me. I had the Brussels sprouts as a side to my Pesto Al Pasta dish, which was great, too. We ended the meal with their homemade Brudino and an oreo cheesecake slice form Chessy Eddy's. I recommend these dishes to everyone!

Service was great, food was good, but 16 dollars for a glass of house wine is highway robbery!!!