REDD
Richard Reddington grew up here, spent years cooking in some of the best kitchens in the country and Europe, and made his name with REDD in Napa before eventually coming home. His Rochester restaurant has that same kind of confidence. There are dishes that have been on the menu forever because they’ve earned the right to be, while the specials are the true diamonds: hyper seasonal and with lots of room for the kitchen to really stretch and flex. Great product comes in the door, and it’s handled with real intention.
Brad Pareira is the executive chef and one of the best chefs I’ve ever worked alongside. He’s exacting, incredibly calm when everyone else has every reason not to be, and the kind of person people want to work for. That matters in a restaurant. A lot of the staff have been there for years, which in this industry is almost suspicious. There’s pressure, tension, long nights, and very high expectations, but underneath all of it is a group of people who are very good at what they do and genuinely give a shit about doing it together.
Maybe that’s why I have such a soft spot for the place. I know what it looks like from inside the kitchen, and I still want the table.