Rochester’s contribution to American food is the garbage plate: a base of home fries and macaroni salad, topped with cheeseburger patties or red hots, then covered in a spiced meat sauce, mustard and onions. It originated at Nick Tahou Hots and is now made across the city under other names, since the term itself is trademarked.
Beyond that, Rochester sits at the top of the Finger Lakes, which is serious agricultural country — orchards, dairy, and a wine region that has earned genuine standing for its Riesling.
The Rochester Public Market has run since 1905 and is among the better city markets in the northeast. The Neighborhood of the Arts and the South Wedge hold most of the independent restaurants.