Jan and I had a great evening of dining and music, shared with Jan’s brother and sister-in-law. We started at one of our favorite hangouts, the Redwood Room, located at 300 1st Ave NW. We go there not only for the excellent entrees but for the delicious bread, served with oil and parmesan cheese. Favorite entrees of ours: the Burgundy Bavette, Apple Cider Pork, and Chicken Basilinni. Find their menus here.

Tips for Visitors: The Redwood Room is open for dinner Monday through Saturday, but closed Sundays, so be aware of that. They don’t take reservations, in my experience, but we’ve rarely had to wait long. Parking is abundant (we always seem to find street parking along Central Park, and you don’t have to feed the meters after 5 pm), or it’s a manageable walk from the downtown hotels. Plus they have live music most evenings. We like the atmosphere, and noise levels are low enough where you can still have a conversation with your friends without shouting.

Following dinner we went to hear the Rochester Symphony Orchestra (RSO).The concert this month was held at Rochester John Marshall High School, and featured world-renowned violinist, Midori. Brahms and Beethoven were featured. I love having easy access to excellent classical music in Rochester.

Tips for Visitors: If your travels bring you to Rochester over a weekend where the RSO has a performance, it’s worth looking into tickets. Prices are very reasonable for the high caliber of music, and children often attend for free. Watch carefully for the venue, as each concert may be held at a different place. The point is, you can be spontaneous in choosing to go to the concert, because you can almost always count on having tickets available at the last minute. No need to navigate a “rush line” and take your chances of not getting a seat. Next up: a Christmas holiday concert, including a Hallelujah chorus singalong. Inquire about tickets by clicking here.