Black Sheep

My wife and I went here the day before Valentine’s Day, and to our surprise there was a prix fixe menu for the evening, but when I looked at their website beforehand, there was no mention. The special menu was mandatory. So we went with it, and each ordered one appetizer, one entrée, and one dessert to share from the menu. There was also a soup that came with the meal as the first course. The cost was $ 50/​each. Normally, that would be fine if we saw the value in it.
The soup came out. It was delicious, but I kid you not, was in a little cup just bigger than a shot glass. 2 sips and the soup was gone. That was a first for me, and I’m no stranger to fine dining restaurants. We laughed it off and hoped it wasn’t a sign of things to come. The appetizers came. My wife had a beet salad that was a decent portion. I had the scallops. There were 2. That’s it. And they were super thin, like it was one scallop cut in half. Again, hopes up that the entrée was a normal portion. Here it comes.
My wife had a beef dish, portion on the small side, and I had the bass, also a small portion with not much flavor at all. And the kicker… both entrees were room temperature at best. The experience took a turn for the worse and we started deliberating over where we were going to go after dinner to get something to eat. Finally, dessert came. We ordered the chocolate fondue. We each got 1 marshmallow, 1 (mostly air) puffed cookie, and one small piece of chocolate. Wow, thanks.
Now please understand that my wife and I are not large people, not voracious eaters who only hang out at all-​you-​can-​eat buffets and hunt for the most food for our buck. But we do expect to be at least satisfied when we drop $ 100 at a restaurant (plus 40 on wine). And we sure as hell don’t expect cold food at 6pm before the dining room is full.
One last thing. When our check came, they mistakenly tacked on $ 15 extra for the scallops but I luckily caught it. How do you mess up a prix fixe bill?

I will be brief, not good. From the décor to the service. Not to mention very over priced. I will say that the food wasn’t bad but that does not make up for the rest of the issues.

completely looked forward to the dishes on the regular menu. nowhere did it say they were doing a $ 50 per person prix-​fixe for valentine’s day (i mean who even celebrates that?) and it seems they were not even prepared to serve a few regular menu items (is this a 500-​seating michelin rated restaurant? crickets, especially from the empty chairs of the overstuffed dining areas.)
was forced to choose from an awful menu that was poorly executed (cold soup?) and though service was incredibly friendly, the food was truly bland and lackluster, and you received one dessert to share. the full 1.5 stars goes to their table-​side manners, only. i never want to eat here again, even for their regular menu.

I am always up for trying a new local place that supports sourcing locally and the Black Sheep exceeded my expectations! We are foodies and value quality and flavor over quantity but the Black sheep didn’t lack in quality, flavor or portion. I had their grilled romaine salad with additional seared salmon and the flavor of the roasted garlic on the grilled romaine was delicious. The salmon was prepared perfectly and melted in my mouth! I could eat that all day long, YUM! I would have liked more roasted mushrooms on it but that’s just because it was delicious! My husband had their pan seared fish fry which was lighter because of the way it was cooked and had great flavor for the grouper. The fries were tasty and could have been a little crispier but that’s could have been because they were under the fish. It was a huge portion and I finished his fish it was so good! Their cocktails were also unique yet tasteful — highly recommend trying this place!

I’m looking forward to another visit. This place had a great vibe and the whole staff was spectacular from beginning to end. We were greeted promptly and courteously upon our arrival. We had a reservation (which I highly recommend doing because the space is small), but there was a bit of delay clearing the table so we sat at the bar for wine, which was more than fine by us. No immediate rush. We wanted a drink anyway. It was a Friday so there was a jazz band playing. They are tucked up in a lofted area above the bar, which is quite cool and an economical use of the tight space. The bar can’t hold too many people so I wouldn’t say it’s a great place to come and hang, but rather a spot to come grab a drink before you sit down for dinner.
My friends and I shared a bottle of wine, which wasn’t too pricey (under $ 40). Shortly after a few sips, we were seated. Our server reviewed the specials and offered suggestions. She was super friendly and did a great job.
I had the homemade tagliatelle with sausage. It was SO good. The tagliatelle was rich and perfectly cooked. The sausage was gamey, but in a good way with fresh herbs intermixed. The tomato sauce was light and rich in flavor, topped with a subtle grating of parmesan. The portion was just enough for me to finish, no leftovers and not overly stuffed. Just what I wanted from the meal. My friends both had the burger, which was so indulgent in the best way. I had a bite and the meat was cooked perfectly and well-​flavored. A nice gourmet burger option if you want a super hearty dinner (it’s big!). The fries and homemade ketchup are wonderful too. Our whole meal experience was great. They take great care in preparing each dish and it shows with the end result. It was also a nice touch to have the chef come out after our meal to ask how we enjoyed our meal.
If you’re looking for a nice spot for an intimate dinner, whether it’s a night out with a few friends or for date night, this is a new addition I’ve added to that list.

We stumbled on this place last night and we were very happy with our meal. The host was very friendly and chatted with us about the history of the name after he sat us. The service was great, our server was knowledgeable about the food and bar items. I ordered something off menu and she was confident the bartender could do it — and he did, to perfection. I had the beet salad and the steak special which was a prime rib eye. It was cooked to perfection and presented beautifully. One friend also had the beets and then the burger, she said it was delicious, the best ages had. My other friend had the duck and he loved it. He said the fig compote made the dish.
As with all restaurants in Corn Hill, the parking was tough, we just used the Valet. You can’t beat the ease of it for $ 5.00!
I’ll definitely be back!

First, let me say that this place has a lot of potential. The service was great. The Host Mike who greeted us politely and promptly had just the correct amount of banter before leaving us to our table. Our waiter also Mike was attentive and knowledgeable with good advice. The environment was warm and inviting on the first level the music set the right tone for a date. The disappointment was all really food related. Upon sitting we were presented with a plate of olives. Sure this is a nice touch but olives are not known for being universally enjoyed and an alternate offering on the plate for those of us who don’t enjoy olives would have been great. We started with the Calamari which I pretty much use as my predictor of how a meal will go. It was lackluster and a bit greasy without the crunch that fried calamari should offer and really lacked spice. The sauce while pleasingly displayed was pretty much just a basic tartar sauce as far as I could tell. My wife tried the glazed duck with radicchio and risotto. The duck was cooked properly but without any real art which was kind of the theme for the night, competent execution good presentation but without a whole lot of unique flavor. The same was true of my bouillabaisse really good looking and fine tasting but not quite good. We finished off with some coffee which they brought in individual french presses which was cool unfortunately the mugs were quite heavy which is usually nice but unfortunately they were cold which resulted in cold coffee at $ 4 a cup which was off putting. There is a storage closet in the upper level which looks exactly like a restaurant storage closet. It is a little too visible when they open the squeaky door to it every few minutes and it kind of spoils the illusion. I think a curtain in place of the door might be a better option or a partition of some sort inside of it. My favorite part of the night was the cocktail, «Shipwreck» was great. Like I said there is a lot of potential here and I will keep an eye on the place to see if they spice it up a little bit.

Delicious. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys a fresh take on food.
I enjoyed a gin filled cocktail while my boyfriend was happy to find a variety of beer to choose from.
We both thought our meals were the best we’ve had from a restaurant in a very long time. If you ever have a chance to try the squash and blue cheese stuffed ravioli do not turn it down. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Love this restaurant, can’t wait to go back!

Food was ok, portion was definitely not worth the price, drinks could be better. Service was good restaurant just opened lots of work to do.

5 different apps, 5 different entrees, all were presented and tasted great. No pretension here that this place is all about the food. Service was gracious and it didn’t suck that the owners dad, Lou Gramm, was in the house. Go Rochester and enjoy this new addition.

Best meal I have had in a long time. I don’t know if another restaurant in the area that has this caliber of food or service. Best food, best service. Definitely going again.

From start to finish, the entire meal and experience was amazing. My husband and I came to Black Sheep after a recommendation from a friend, and hands down, Black Sheep is one of the best restaurants in the Rochester area that I’ve eaten at in a long time. The drink menu is a good size with an offering of unique cocktails. We had the calamari appetizer, which was lightly fried and came with a green goddess aioli (I appreciate the departure from the standard marinara dipping sauce). Since we were there on a Friday, we both couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have their fish fry, which we had heard was fantastic. It definitely did not disappoint. Instead of the heavy, deep fried fish you tend to find at other restaurants, the grouper was breaded in panko and pan fried until golden, topped with a refreshing carrot slaw. The tarter sauce/​remoulade that came on the side was another pleasant surprise as it wasn’t the typical heavy, mayo-​based glop but rather a hybrid of tarter sauce and grainy mustard. The homemade ketchup was wonderful as well and not as sweet as the standard supermarket ketchup. At Black Sheep, the attention to detail is obvious and the ambiance of the restaurant makes this the perfect spot for just about anyone.

The staff and management made it an enjoyable experience. Very friendly, very professional. The food didn’t come out on time and it seemed like we were forgotten for a bit. However when it did come out, it was an excellent meal.
Not a quiet place to eat dinner, but it wasn’t a bad thing. The place was full of energy and was a place everyone seemed to enjoy. The only suggestion is to add some window tint. If you get a table by the window at night, the outside lights come glaring through and changes the atmosphere of the place.

Quite a nice new cocktail bar/​upscale pub in the former Tica’s with a Twist. The bar takes up the majority of the ground floor entranceway and it’s pretty large. The space is small and awkward but utilized well. Musicians climb a ladder by the bar to perform on a small «stage» down to the crowd. Kind of a nice way to save space and also highlight the players. The main dining area is small with just a few tables and it’s lofted. Things to know: no draft beer. Sunday is 2-​for-​1 drinks for U of R students and faculty. There is only an abbreviated small plates menu on Sunday. Everything is made from scratch, even the ketchup! The bartender was very friendly and definitely knew what she was doing. We ordered the broccoli rabe small plate — absolutely delicious! Full of garlic and enough crunch to keep it interesting. We split the Black Sheep burger — $ 17 but definitely enough for two people. The thin handcut fries were delicious and the burger was good too. It did have a tasty char on it and the bread was grilled a little bit too. Would recommend using thinner and softer bread (maybe more of a brioche?). It was on the oily/​juicy side but was very satisfying. Overall a great first experience. The full menu has some more expensive entrees. Would be interested in checking these out in the future.

The restaurant is only a few weeks old, but the place was packed like it’s been a Rochester staple for years.
Everything is upscale from the menus to the décor, menu and wine list. It’s a pleasure just to be in there. I enjoyed the live band too!
The wine was perfect and the calamari was like nothing I’ve ever tasted. There was so much flavor in one dish. You have to try it!
The menu is original and I cannot wait to go back and try the rest of it.
While I’m not a liquor drinker, my favorite cocktail name on the menu was Yoga Pants. It’s a girly drink that I think we’ll all have to try once, if only for the name.