RESTAURANT REVIEW: Triphammer Grill

Tripped up

By James Leach on June 17, 2009

Normally, the success of a restaurant depends in large part on its location. A nice view, pleasant outdoor seating, and a sense of destination can help smooth out otherwise rough edges, leaving you with an overall sense of enjoyment, even excitement, about your meal. Triphammer Grill in High Falls definitely has location sewn up. In fair weather, the restaurant's deck provides a breathtaking view of the falls, and a mist-softened panorama of downtown.

Open since 1993, Triphammer Grill is one of the established institutions in High Falls, and it has developed a fairly good reputation over time. Under owner Jennifer Powers and Chef Daniel Peck (who has worked at Triphammer since 1998, and has been executive chef for the past two years), the restaurant strives to produce "unforgettable service, exceptional food and comfort in an unpretentious atmosphere." The service was certainly unforgettable. On our first visit on a recent Saturday night, we were shown to a table near the windows, and then we waited a very long time for our waiter to appear. The dining room was sparsely populated. Servers were lined up near the end of the bar, but no one came to see us for quite a while.

When our waiter did arrive, he did not know his beer and wine list, couldn't answer a cocktail question without a long consultation with the bar, and seemed completely nonplussed that we wanted to order appetizers and then take a few minutes to think about entrees. He consistently overlooked nearly empty water and wine glasses. The wait between courses stretched from leisurely to a bit disquieting. Nonetheless, we were able to settle back and enjoy the pleasantly dim, even clubby atmosphere, watching the city shade from day to night in an agreeable way. I wish I could say that the service improved on a subsequent visit, but it did not.

Chef Peck's eclectic menu encompasses brasserie classics and pan-Asian cuisine, with Italian and Portuguese dishes thrown in for good measure. The results range from very good to disappointing. The best of the appetizers was the one that was meddled with least. The Public Market cheese board ($12) offered a wedge of reggiano parmesan, a creamy and robust stilton, and a half-round of cheese we were told was "aged brie" (it was actually a very good goat cheese) along with an antipasti of marinated and thinly sliced sausage, housemade herb crackers, and rounds of toasted baguette. This very nice appetizer might even make a tasty dessert if the sausage was switched out with fresh fruit or a compote.

The poke tuna salad (the chef's version of a Hawaiian staple, $12) combined honey-sesame marinated cubes of tuna with scallion, diced cucumber, diced avocado, and pickled ginger. Served in a chilled martini glass with a wonton crisp, it was a pretty presentation, with a good balance between spicy ginger, fatty avocado, and cool cucumber along with an undercurrent of sesame. The fish, bright pink cubes of it, didn't add the meaty, briny taste of good tuna that I was expecting. Beer-broth mussels, steamed with bacon, onion, garlic and parsley and Genesee Cream Ale, were shrunken in their shells and a bit fishy tasting rather than plump and briny ($10). The broth had a very aggressive beery flavor, but very little in the way of bacony goodness, aromatic herbs, or garlic.

Many high-end restaurants in Rochester offer a calamari salad ($10). But where the calamari elsewhere is perfectly crisp, here its was a bit flabby, and the salad too wet and busy - incorporating kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, banana peppers, and asiago cheese - to act as anything but a mask to the flavor of the squid.

The entrees were hit or miss. Steak is a safe choice at Triphammer Grill, and the bone-in 16 oz. rib-eye ($24) is entirely satisfying. Beefy and juicy with a near-perfect crust, it comes with a spicy green chimichurri sauce and marinated tomatoes that work well together. The chilled fingerling potato salad absorbed all the disparate flavors, making them far more interesting than they would have been alone. Pan-seared ahi tuna ($21) was a bit disappointing. The tuna steak was crusted with a spice mixture that was incredibly heavy on peppercorns, and the fish itself had the same curiously pink color and spongy texture as the poke appetizer. On a second visit, the fish had the deep red, muscular look of good tuna, but the spices still blotted out everything but the texture. The salad on which the meat perched was undistinguished.

The much-touted Portuguese Caldeirada ($27) seemed to have been made with the same broth as the beer mussels. Bits of potato, a loose chorizo, and cilantro rounded out the mussels, clams, shrimp, and scallops, but the final flavor of the dish was simply brown, salty, and fishy, with a tiny hint of spice.�

Lunch at Triphammer is both disappointing and expensive. Both the BLT ($9) and the jerk chicken ($9) sandwiches were served with overripe fruit and gummy pasta salad. The BLT substituted mesclun mix for crispy lettuce, added fresh mozzarella, and used a pesto mayonnaise instead of the unadulterated version. The result was a confused mess of tastes packed into a jaw-breakingly huge sandwich that barely held together. And it wasn't really a BLT. The jerk chicken had to be disassembled to eat. The predominant flavors in the shredded chicken were salt and thyme. There was none of the depth of heat or savor that I associate with good jerk.

Triphammer Grill

60 Browns Race

262-2700, thetriphammergrill.com

Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; Dinner Mon-Sat starting at 5 p.m.

Comments for "RESTAURANT REVIEW: Triphammer Grill" (17)

City Newspaper is not responsible for the content of these comments. City Newspaper reserves the right to remove comments at their discretion.

Sister Mary Agnes O'Brien said on Jun. 17, 2009 at 2:05pm

Sounds about right for Rochetser...

Len said on Jun. 18, 2009 at 12:03pm

Nice to read a review that is honest, even if negative. Seems that in many cases, newspapers will not publish it at all if negative.

In Disagreement said on Jun. 20, 2009 at 3:30am

I find it hard to believe that a review like this can come from a restaurant that has been very successful over the past 15 years. Much of the piece (at least it seems this way to me) is very opinion based. Honestly, I think you should give the restaurant another chance. I can guarantee it won't be "disappointing."

Eric said on Jun. 20, 2009 at 7:14am

To In Disagreement: A review, by its very nature, IS opinion-based. While it is true that what one person likes, another may not, the critic here cites very specific instances to back up his take -- the poor service, the quality of the fish, etc. This is a textbook example of how restaurant reviews are supposed to be written.

Also, the critic -- as he said in the piece -- went to the restaurant on multiple occasions. And he was in fact disappointed each time.

Bob said on Jun. 20, 2009 at 10:47am

Saying that you don't like a review because it's opinionated is like saying you don't like pizza because it tastes too much like pizza.

Joan said on Jun. 20, 2009 at 1:33pm

I was surprised at this review. We have not been to the Triphammer recently, but it has been a favorite place to take guests and for special occasions. My sister-in-law said the salmon was the best she every tasted and we have never been disappointed in the food or service and the ambiance is perfect.

Katie said on Jun. 22, 2009 at 1:58pm

The Triphammer Grill is the only established business in the High Falls District, for a City paper to go to a restaurant that works hard to support the area and bring people down to the area is disappointing and wrong. I have been to Triphammer on more than one occasion and have had a great experience every time. The food, service, and atmosphere is remarkable and every time I have visited I never leave disappointed. Rochester is a great place and it’s my personal opinion that so called “critics” should take more time investing in the city’s well being rather than portraying negative views of hard working, dedicated people who care for their customers.

Marc said on Jun. 22, 2009 at 5:40pm

I looked for any ad's for tirphammer in the city paper, didn't see any.

Eric said on Jun. 22, 2009 at 9:18pm

To Marc: As with all reputable newspapers, our advertising and editorial content have absolutely nothing to do with one another. Whether or not a restaurant runs an ad has no bearing on what gets reviewed, and certainly does not color our critic's opinion one way or the other.

Alex said on Jun. 24, 2009 at 11:38am

A restaurant exists to please patrons -- not to exist for the sake of existing. If the owners of TG want to attract visitors to the High Falls, they should make sure their food and service are up to par. Complaining about being underappreciated is petty and embarrassing.

If your experience differs from the reviewer's, by all means post your own review -- here or anywhere else. Describe what you had, whether you enjoyed it, whether the serving staff were helpful, whether the cost was reasonable. Make me want to go there.

Garry Manuel said on Jun. 27, 2009 at 8:12am

We recently had dinner for our organization, which included about 50 people. The food was excellent and the service was great too. In fact, one year ealier, we had our dinner there as well, and if the the restaurant hadn't provided us with a great experience we wouldn't have returned. My wife and I occassionally dine there throughout the year and have had great meals. A few years ago we were to meet some friends there for a late dinner. Our friends were running behind and arrived past when they stop serving; however, the server was very gracious and didn't rush us through meal or act like he was in a hurry to leave. Over the past several years, I would say that on a scale from 1-10 (10 being best), our experiences have been between a 8-9 each time. One person that came to the dinner last year booked a dinner for a wedding as a result. Perhaps another visit from the reviewer might be warranted. Triphammer Grill really adds to the delight of the High Falls district.

Executive Chef Daniel Peck said on Jun. 30, 2009 at 10:34pm

As the executive chef of the Triphammer Grill and one of the people being criticized in this review i feel i should post a comment.
First I must say that i am very sorry you did not have a great experience dining with us but it occurs to me that this a very exceptional circumstance. I will in no way attempt to make excuses for the sub-par food that you had while dining at the Triphammer Grill nor apologize for your service. It is in my opinion that our service staff is second to none and i firmly believe that our servers our both knowledgeable and full of personality and charisma. It is my responsibility to make sure that every dish that comes from my kitchen is made correctly and consistent. I also except full responsibility for the server in question being uninformed about the correct cheese on the Cheese board.
As i mentioned i refuse to make excuses for what you certainly described as sub-par dining. As a Chef it is very important to take the positive feedback with the negative. As they say you can please some of the people some of the time but you cannot please all the people all of the time. To be quite honest the review by this critic or any other for that matter is of little importance to me. The day in and day out response by our typical customers as well as new customers is however. It has been my experience from the time I started working here eleven years ago to my two years as the Executive Chef that the overwhelming consensus is that the Triphammer Grill is wonderful place to dine. The positive reviews I personally receive on a very consistent basis certainly out-weigh (in my mind) this review.
Having said all of that i would like to take this time to make a few notes about the way the critic and by proxy The City newspaper dealt with this matter. One being the Critic called at 9:30 on a monday evening to tell us of his intent on publishing this article. During this conversation the reviewer mentioned that he had friends that had previously had the server in question on several separate occasions and the service was also undesirable. From where i stand that sound like a personal attack and even more importantly the makings of an extremely biased opinion. It is my understanding that a critic is to form his or her own opinion based on his or her own experiences only. It is in my opinion that the Mr. Leach had made his mind made up before he walked through the doors, complaining that the bathrooms were apparently not to his standards ( we don't own/maintain the building), the employees were standing at the bar( where they can see customers arrive.)
Mr Leach you are more than welcome at the Triphammer Grill should you decide to come back and visit us again. To all who have commented on this article i appreciate your words and interest in the Triphammer Grill. Thank you all Chef Danny

Robert Neary said on Jul. 01, 2009 at 8:20am

My wife and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary at the Triphammer Grill with about 60 guests. We had four different entres for our guests to choose from.
Three of the selections were split entrees. We also had an open bar (all top shelf drinks). The entrees were all served on time and hot. All our guests praised the service, quality and taste of their food. As to the bar there was no waiting to get a quality drink. We all had such a good time we kept the party going for another hour after it was scheduled to end. My wife and I were very pleased with the service, presentatons and the layout of the room. All of our guest had rave reviews as to service, food presentation and taste and the ease of the beverage service. We would definately have any other parties we throw at Triphammers. Whenever we are in Rochester we always stop there for lunch or supper.

Shari DeSimone said on Jul. 02, 2009 at 9:08am

As the Private Event Planner for Triphammer Grill I would like to share with your readers some facts and reviews about the restaurant.
Due to the consistent good service, food and welcoming staff of this restaurant our Private Events have tripled in 2 years. Customers book repeat events and often refer us to others. I believe that the critic that reviewed Triphammer Grill must have encountered a very unique experience. I have read the posting that have been sent as comments and have not seen any negative feedback about the restaurant other than from the critic himself. In fact the only comments about the restaurant itself appear to be the exact opposite. It may be possibly that the critic is the only one with this opinion.
Please share with your readers the following comments I have received from past customers:
Hi Jennifer and Brian,
Thank you so much for everything on Sunday night. You and your staff made our wedding night perfect. We couldn't have asked for a more amazing time. From the food, to the set-up, to the little details like the signage and our names on the chalkboard. One of our favorite surprises was how the Triphammer staff made me/us feel like we were royalty for the evening and whenever we needed refills on our drinks someone showed up to ask us what we wanted and went to the bar for us. There were also so many people there who had never been to the Triphammer before and were so blown away by the beautiful location, deck, service, and food, they all told us they are planning to come back.

We are so excited to see our pictures and will definitely be sharing some with you. We're headed our of town for our honeymoon tomorrow morning and won't be back until the end of June. We'll be in touch then.

Thanks again! You guys were great.

Dena and Micah

The party went great!! Just wanted to say thank you and that it was a pleasure having it there! Everything went so smoothly and everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves and our private space!! Thanks again and I will surely keep you guys in mind for anything in the future!!
Christy
Christy Spaziano

Just wanted you to know the party was great and the food was excellent. Thanks for your help.
Karen
Hi Shari....Finally getting a moment here to sit down and tell you
> how wonderful everything was for our wedding on the 23rd. Brian and
> Jack (I am blanking on the woman's name....) were exceptional. The
> food was excellent. The room looked beautiful. We wound up having the
> ceremony inside and Brian helped with the music. We did not wind up
> do any dancing which was fine. A lot of people stayed for the
> fireworks/laser show. We just had the best time. It was relaxed and
> beautiful...everything we wanted. Once I get some photos that show
> off the venue, I will get them to you...
>
> Thank you for making it all work so smoothly!
>
> Kathy Russell Reed

John said on Jul. 08, 2009 at 7:05am

I must say that the reviewers experiences as published above is very consistent with my own experiences at Triphammer. Working in a nearby office, I have been to Triphammer a number of times over the past 9 years. To me, the food and service has been mediocre at best, and dreadful at worst. It is to the point now where I no longer visit Triphammer when I have input on selection, and only dine there as part of a preplanned party or event where I have no choice. That being said, I will agree that dining experiences are truly personal opinions, and many of my co-workers absolutely love Triphammer. They appear to do a decent business, so I can respect that my tastes differ from the segment of the population that they cater to. I am very happy that Rochester has many fine restaurant choices for residents of the area (Triphammer Grill included).

Eric said on Jul. 09, 2009 at 12:02pm

As the editor of this piece I’m thrilled to see all the responses this review has inspired. However, I feel obligated to clarify a couple of the points raised by Chef Peck in his response.
1. Chef Peck mentions that the critic called on a Monday evening to inform the restaurant of his intent to publish the review. While this is true, it also misleading. Mr. Leach had called the restaurant owner several times prior to that, and had not received a call back. His call was finally returned after he noted that he urgently needed to speak to someone. That was my doing. It’s my belief that if we’re going to publish an especially critical take on a restaurant, we should give the owner the opportunity to address any issues before it goes into print, in case there were mitigating circumstances that contributed to the problem. If Chef Peck was trying to imply that we gave the restaurant barely any advanced notice of the review, I would add that the photos for the piece were taken the Saturday prior; the people at Triphammer knew a review was in the works days before the Monday night call in question.
2. Regarding Mr. Leach’s discussion with the owner, and the fact that he brought up an acquaintance’s issues with the service in addition to his own, this should not be taken as proof of any bias on the critic’s part. I assure you, James Leach did not go into this �" or any review �" with the intention of writing a “personal attack.” We take ethics very seriously at City Newspaper, and if I felt there was even a hint of personal bias in any of our articles, I would pull the plug immediately. Mr. Leach didn’t learn of his friend’s issues with the service until after he had completed his first visit, and only mentioned them to the owner as a way of explaining that what he experienced was not an isolated incident. Additionally, it should be noted that this review was not based on a single disappointing visit. Like all of our restaurant reviews, the critic visited the restaurant at least two times. Any problems Mr. Leach had with the service were his own, and are well detailed in the review.
3. As for Chef Peck’s mention of Mr. Leach’s issues with the bathrooms, we did not even include that information in the review. I made the call that it was inappropriate to take a restaurant to task for poorly maintained restrooms if the restrooms in question aren’t technically the business’s responsibility. Again, we take ethics very seriously.
Thank you to Chef Peck and everyone who posted their thoughts on the review. Our main goal is to start a dialogue in the community, and even when �" ESPECIALLY when �" our readers disagree with our writers, we always welcome their feedback.
Sincerely,
Eric Rezsnyak
Features Editor
City Newspaper

DDS said on Aug. 17, 2009 at 11:37am

Folks who bemoan "portraying negative views of hard working, dedicated people who care for their customers" miss the point altogether...

Bad reviews provide an important service: they create accountability for mediocrity.

All great cities (and countries) are driven by criticism. Without it, how would anyone know that there is a need to do better? Do you suggest that we should always praise what we find to be sub-par, out of fear that it will offend?

This is not unlike believing it's patriotic to buy American cars in order to "support our economy." Do you realize - manufacturing location aside - that it's more patriotic to buy what's best-made, to send a message to American manufacturers that their quality is beneath us?

If you keep buying mediocre things, then there's no incentive for businesses to provide better things. Think about that. That's decidedly un-democratic, and curiously anti-capitalist.

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