Bistro 135

Bistro 135 for Jazz, Wine, and Food

See Gone, But Not Forgotten

Bistro 135 was a jazz lounge and upscale restaurant in East Rochester. Featuring late evening fare and drinks, and free parking. The restaurant changed ownership in late 2007.

Closed in 2015.

Comments:

Note: You must be logged in to add comments

2005-08-16 11:16:14   Famed for their french onion soup with fresh basil, and my personal favorite: the filet medallions. Sometimes service is slow, but it's worth the wait to "dine" rather than "eat." —JenniferRamsey

2006-06-10 16:17:05   The former La Jazz Hot had better food. This is kinda boring and no longer worth a trip. —ChristineLeo

2006-11-09 21:50:00   I have never been there when it was La Jazz Hot but I think the food here is first rate and bursting with flavor. This is one of my wife's and my favorite places to dine. This is also a place we love to bring out of town visitors for a great meal. —ScottHendler

2007-03-23 07:50:56   Tried to go here 3 times for lunch last month. Even though the big sign on their door says open for lunch, the door was always locked and no one inside. I tried calling, no answer. Is this place even open anymore? —KimBee

2007-08-30 10:45:47   I have eaten here twice and enjoyed my meal immensely both times. If you can, go with a large group and dine inside the red wine room, the table is private, seats eight, and you are surrounded by their red wine collection. —MrRochester

2007-09-07 18:49:34   Went here for an anniversary dinner and found the food to be simply mediocre, at best. It didn't seem like the people working there wanted customers. Odd for a restaurant. —MarcVera

2008-02-05 01:02:59   Had a very bad experience here. On a Thursday night we had made a reservation for 7 PM, we were seated at 8:15. The food was cold and they botched several orders (completely served the wrong things). The manager worked to appease us with free appetizers/took some money off of the check, which was nice, but my group of early 20-somethings felt very unwanted. At least we got a nice table right next to the toilet.. —ReneDescartes

2008-04-25 13:29:34   Part 1: A few years ago when the Bistro 135 was under previous ownership, I was a fan not only of their menu but of the atmosphere and service as well. Not so any more. Despite making dinner reservations at 7:30, we were not seated until 8:15. The place was not the intimate low key establishment I remembered, rather an elbow to elbow trolling place for the over 40 crowd. Noise level amplified by the jazz musicians - playing right off the upper level railing. (In prior years the music was more for background ambience.) Just my luck, our table for two was right next to those musicians, and no kidding, I was so close to the guitar player I could actually feel the wind from his strumming against my back. While we requested that we be relocated to an empty table nearby, the unaccommodating hostess proclaimed that it was already 'reserved' (meaning our reservations had absolutely no merit). Needless to say my husband and I exchanged dinner conversation via pen and paper. —PenfieldFoodie

2008-04-25 13:29:59   Part 2: Fried calamari - a menu favorite from way back - was actually quite good; salad appeared to be 'from the bag' (b-o-r-i-n-g); and my seared tuna over wasabi was also good. Unfortunately the noise, inexperienced staff, menu and total change of atmosphere outweighed any merits to the meal. Only redeeming factor was that we had a coupon to cover the cost of one dinner – I should have known better – there is usually a reason that restaurants have to offer up free meals to generate business. —PenfieldFoodie

2008-07-25 11:53:16   Okay, I heard great things about this place and my partner and I really looked forward to trying the place out. Well, here is our impression. 1. The music while VERY good was quite loud.
2. We were seated on top of some FREEZING air conditioning duct. The Hostess told us to just use our menus to cover the duct on the floor when we were finished ordering. (I assume that the menus are not sanitized after being put on the floor and reused for the next patrons). I immediately put the wine menu on the floor.
3. The calamari was cooked, but it was made cheaply...simply deep-fry the calamari and then sprinkle the pepperocini and olives over it...not pan-fried WITH the pepperocini the way a restaurant that knows what they're doing does it.
4. The Lobster Corn Dog appetizer special was okay, but it was very greasy and lacked even a Lemon wedge to cut the grease. So the lobster flavor became lost.
5. On to salads....good and nice they are included...but when the waitress up-sold me on the caesar salad, I was expecting a REAL caesar salad....NOT a Mayonnaise based dressing made by the gallon and spooned over some romaine. HORRIBLE...the taste of Mayo and Vinegar...the dressing was not that good and to be 'UP-SOLD" is a joke.
6. The entrees were good and hot, and the pork with whiskey sauce was good and cooked perfectly.
7. My chicken French was good (AT LEAST UNTIL TODAY) although I wish it were served "old-school" on a platter with a side of pasta or rice...Then I could have dunked bread into the sauce. Instead the sauce was soaked up by the pasta.
8. The service was good, although I did have to ask the waitress where my second Hieneken went, and serving either with a glass would have been nice touch too.
9. Lastly, I went to eat my "doggie-bag" for lunch today..(half the chicken French and some pasta) and after getting a couple mouthfuls I tasted this horrible metal flavor...Put my fingers in my mouth and fished out piece of metal wire...like the kind that comes off a Steel Wool "Brillo" pad. YUCK!!!...and DANGEROUS!!!
10. CAN'T recommend this place until they get their act together.

—islandog

2008-07-26 19:02:10   Nothing has been the same since the original restaurant closed in August of 2007- except for the name. Too bad. I agree with one of the other comments that it is not worth the trip to East Rochester. —MaryOBrien

2008-08-27 16:42:52   My husband and I went here last week and were disapointed like many others. The hostess was fine and were seated with no problem with out having a reservation. Our server with a strange haircut (long bangs in front/super short in the back thing), her clothe were very tight and I could see her lack of undies! She had no idea what the specials were or where to find a wine list so she suggested martinis instead. My husband liked his steak but my shrimps smelled bad and were cold. We were given the wrong bill at the end of the night and it took 15 minutes to get the right one. May try it again if it wasn't for the little waitress without a clue. —NicoleBrown

2008-11-22 11:09:40   We read some disappointed reviews, but discovered them to be unfounded on our visit. The seating upstairs gave us a good view of the musicians, our server was gracious, the entrees were quite palatable, and the quartet of the night played with skill and passion. If you're looking for a restaurant/lounge scene with a predominant 30 and up crowd, check it out. —ChicoMendez

2008-12-03 11:07:27   Three of us went here last night for a combination birthday and my baby sister's engagement celebration. We were able to sit downstairs in a cozy room with a fireplace and still enjoy the band upstairs without it being too noisy. The appetizers were creative and flavorful. We shared the gnocchi, calamari with a hot mustard sauce and ricotta stuffed breaded artichokes. Yum! Entrees were also well made but, traditional in comparision to the apps. I wish they would kick it up a notch for the entrees but, I have no complaints about the restaurant. The server was pleasant and attentive. My martini's were not as cold as I prefer but they were still good. I would go back. —NightlifeCher

2009-02-08 15:44:01   On Friday, four of us had a nice meal and some drinks for $155 or so - without tip. Chicken and shrimp special. Ahi Tuna. Sea Bass. The food was excellent. Musicians were great and we had no problems conversing over dinner. Service wasn't great. She didn't seem to care too much. It seemed odd that she actually handed one of us our entree across the table - which would have been ok at a burger joint. The bartender was awful before and after dinner. Bad attitude. We all felt like we were bothering him. One example - after dinner I went up to the bar and made the mistake of bringing our glasses up with me. When I ordered two more drinks, he took the same glasses and refilled them, old fruit and all. I still tipped him two bucks like an idiot. Anyway, the place was packed and overall it was very nice. —BigPun

2010-07-10 20:31:57   Came by last week and thought the appetizer menu looked amazing but already ate dinner next door at Lemoncello. Returned tonight. Nice outdoor area, good service. However, the shrimp wrap appetizer had little flavor. The Kobe sliders were also nothing to write home about and in each case we only got two pieces for $10 each. I could excuse the small portions if the flavors were there but they weren't. So, we ate our two appetizers and went elsewhere for our dinner. —wdrazek

2010-10-23 07:32:09   Five of us came last night for appetizers and happy hour. We had a great time! The space is really nice, and the food was wonderful. We had the calamari, which was not tough and chewy, and the dipping sauces for that were very good. Plus we had the polenta, absolutely delicious, and the French onion soup was very good. So were the greens and beans, bursting with flavor and garlic. All appetizers were $5 until 7 pm, so it was a fun way to try different menu items. We also had the house cabernet, which I thought was a bit thin, and I had the house merlot, which had more body and bouquet, and at $4 a glass, also worth trying. All in all, a really nice experience with good music, attractive and clean restroom, and interesting space flow with the long low bar and the dining areas upstairs and downstairs, sort of like a split level house. We'll be back. —KatieSchmitz

2010-11-14 10:57:44   My partner and I had our anniversary dinner here last night, and it was fantastic! The restaurant was cozy and charmingly decorated. There was a live jazz band playing while we were there, and they were talented and looked like they were having a great time. (Note: you will want a table "up top" if you are going for music- there are two levels.) We were not more than 10 or 15 feet from the band, and still able to carry on a conversation, so I feel the noise level was appropriate, though of course it was louder than it would have been if there was simply background music being played.

We shared an appetizer of beet goat cheese ravioli with cream sauce and balsamic reduction, and both of us thought the flavors were delicious. I had the French onion soup; it came topped with french fried onions and was quite probably the most flavorful version of that soup I have ever had (and I order French onion soup in a lot of places). For our entrees, I had the bacon-wrapped pesto pork tenderloin with cranberry reduction and mashed sweet potatoes, and it hit all the right notes with me. The sweetness and tartness of the potato and cranberry were present but not overwhelming, and played excellent backup to the pork. This is apparently a new menu item and I definitely would recommend it. My partner chose the surf and turf, with a well-cooked lobster tail and a perfectly medium-rare filet topped with gorgonzola. Both were also delicious (I know, I tried them!). For dessert we enjoyed the crispy apple rolls, served with gelato and homemade whipped cream, which was fun and tasty. All the food was attractively plated. Portions were a good size - not overwhelmingly large as is the trend today, but also not so small that you leave feeling unsatisfied like you get in some fancy restaurants. We were both full and content by the time we left. Service was attentive and friendly, though I can't really speak to the speed as we told our server from the beginning that we intended to be here for a while and to please take her time. We did not however want for anything during our time there, and I don't think I saw my water glass ever drop below 3/4 full. Definitely a place we will return to! —SusanVanCott

2011-02-02 15:25:38   I have been to Bistro 135 three times now. Each time, my rating for the place goes down a little bit. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars in Rochester.

Pros: live jazz music, not overcrowded

Cons: food quality is not worth the price, the servers tend to disappear for long periods of time

If not for the live music, this place would be very mediocre. —ytbh

2011-05-01 17:05:50   Went last night with my hubby - sat at the bar for a pre-dinner drink. Male bartender was very nice and knew a lot about Scotch (which was what my hubby was drinking). Our table was downstairs in what essentially is the basement of the building... and unfortunately it smelled like one too. There was a VERY off-putting musty and moldy smell. Could have been because of all the rain we have been getting, but it was really off-putting. Our waitress was friendly and attentive. We ordered the french onion soup (YUMMY and not too salty like most french onion soups are), hubby got the filet mignon (a bit overdone, which was a shame), and I got the paella (DELICIOUS and beautifully done — with a great portion of seafood, too! Probably 10 mussels, 3 large shrimp, 3 scallops, and lots of calamari). We enjoyed our meals and will be back... and hopefully won't be banished to the basement! —Acarp

2012-03-31 19:32:17   Wife and I went on a Friday night and have no complaints. Were seated in the room off to the side of the bar allowing us to hear the band as well as carry on a conversation. Our server was prompt and very efficient. Our apps of French Onion soup and Manchurian cauliflower were both excellent and showed a little imagination. My wife had the Cedar plank Salmon andI the Paella with which we were happy with both flavor and portion size.Prices while not cheap seem in line with this style of dining. Only complaint wasn't with the restaurant. Being there during Happy Hour,It seemed as though the patrons were in zoombie like trances. Don't recall ever being bumped into and cut in front of quite this much in a restaurant setting. At times I thought I was back at the Janes Addiction concert. —almorinelli