We need a good Italian restaurant in downtown Rochester…again. One of my favorite dining spots – Fortessa – mysteriously and suddenly closed last week.
The food was superb (especially the osso buco), the prices were reasonable, and the atmosphere was upscale yet relaxed. We had been dining there regularly since it very quietly opened over a year ago, and celebrated my 49th birthday there.
Business was very slow at first but then picked up steadily, especially after the only other downtown Rochester Italian restaurant – Andiamo’s –- switched to the company’s “Rojo” brand (think over-priced tacos).
John and I enjoyed a holiday dinner at Fortessa just a couple of weeks ago and the place was so packed we had to eat at the bar. The staff was “in the weeds” and it appeared business was booming. All of this apparent success in spite of a big marketing void; they never had a website, did not engage with social media, and were not interested in hiring yours truly.
So it was quite a shock when I heard last week that the place was closed, according to Rochester Patch. Naturally, I had to take a drive by to see if indeed it was true. The place was totally dark, not a stick of furniture inside, and a sign on the door simply read: “Fortessa is closed.”
I felt an obligation to immediately post this on my Facebook page for the benefit of all my foodie friends. My sister Suzy was the first to comment: “OMG! I just bought a Groupon deal to Fortessa! How could they close?!” Which then made me panic for a minute wondering if I had any unused gift cards…nope…phew!
As a PR consultant, I was very curious to see how Groupon was going to handle my sister’s dilemma. I am happy to report that they did immediately give her full credit on her account, which was very smart on their part because Suzy is a Groupon addict and pissing her off would not have been good for business.
But I am still curious about what happened to Fortessa. This secret departure is really troublesome to me, especially as a publicist of restaurants. If they are thinking about resurfacing under a different name, they should definitely refund any unused Fortessa gift cards, but I’m not hopeful since there is no way to reach anyone.
Fortessa was truly one of Rochester’s best kept culinary secrets and they have departed as quietly as they arrived.
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