Monroe's Restaurant

Location

3001 Monroe Avenue, Pittsford, NY 14618

Hours (as of December 2015)

Monday - Wednesday: 11:30AM to 9:00PM

Thursday - Saturday: 11:30AM to 10:00PM

Phone

585 348 9103

Wheelchair Accessible

Yes

Alcohol

Yes

Website

http://www.Monroes3001.com

Facebook

Monroe's Restaurant (or Monroe's for short) is an upscale casual Italian restaurant in Pittsford. It is located in the historic Spring House, which is part of the overall Spring House Commons shopping area. Monroe's also offers space for receptions and other special events.

Monroe's took the spot of the former Northfield Food & Drink, which closed in 2009. It had its soft opening on March 2, 2011. In 2016, the owners converted the basement into a speakeasy call The Scofflaw at Monroe's but they closed and opened an upscale steak and seafood restaurant called Rare 3001.

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2012-04-28 14:06:57   My husband and I visited Monroe's last night for the first time for dinner. I bought a Groupon for Monroe's and we used that last night...no issues with which night we used the Groupon or which items on the menu we ordered towards the Groupon like some other dining establishments do, so that was nice. I would say there were some real high moments in the meal and also some very low moments. The atmosphere in the restaurant is really nice...clean, sort of vintage/modern and elegant but it was also very cold and very, very loud. Our table also had a round bottom on it's base and it meant we couldn't just sit normally...our legs were kind of distorted under the table, which proved to be an issue because we were there for so long. For some reason we were seated with water and bread and menus but then no one took our order for a good 20 minutes. In all fairness, the waitress did apologize afterwards. My husband ordered tomato soup and was informed that they no longer serve it even though it's still on the menu. We both ordered lobster bisque and it was delicious. Both our meals also came with salad which were nicely presented but very cold and simple.....nothing special. My husband got Chicken Parmesan and I got homemade gnocchi with Italian sausage and vodka sauce. My gnocchi were completely raw....they were like eating clumps of gum. And there was no sausage on the plate. I sent the plate back and they brought me a new dish which really just kind of dragged out the dinner. I tried a few gnocchi to make sure they were cooked this time and then got the rest packed to go. My husband's chicken was delicious and so was the vodka sauce but the gnocchi themselves were certainly not the best I have ever had..heavy and doughy. They offered me a free dessert and I got a cannoli as my free one and then the chocolate cherry cake for husband to go. The cannoli was amazing...nice and crunchy, not too sweet...one of the best I have ever had. But.....when we got home, my husband went to get his cake and found carrot cake, not the chocolate cake I had ordered and no one said anything to us about it! Also, we were in a hurry to leave by the time we were done so we didn't look at the bill, we just handed over the Groupon and some extra cash and when they brought it all back to us, there was no bill so we couldn't actually see what they charged us for. All in all, I don't think we would go back. The slow service, the raw gnocchi and disregard to small details was enough to negate all the good things about Monroe's for us, which is too bad. It has a lot of potential. There are just so many other restaurants to try that I can't see us wanting to go back. —LauraDennis

2012-04-29 13:39:37   The following is a review I originally posted on Yelp:

Despite the fact that I caught them spamming here a few months ago, we went here for dinner last Friday night (on one of the few Fridays I've had available for some time), and were less than completely satisfied with the experience. I really wanted to like the place, but, it really all comes down to the food, and that is where they lagged.

The decor is really quite nice (once you find that the entrance is in the back, unlike the way it was when it was the Spring house), and it's really quite a bit nicer than the way I remembered it was more than 30 years ago, when I was last in this location. There is a nice open bar area right near the entryway, with several tables around an ersatz fireplace, and a lot of open floor space. A previous comment about the crowd (mostly mentioning Pittsford cougars) was incomplete, as the place also attracts young women wearing far-too-short dresses, shlubby middle-aged men, young guys who don't know enough to remove their hats indoors, and even one older guy with his ancient mom.The bar gets quite noisy, but luckily the dining area is away from the bar. Unfortunately, it seems groups from the bar migrate over and take residence at tables in the dining area at will.

The cocktails served were quite good (and stronger than I expected), and the wine selection was slightly better than average for wines by the glass, maybe a bit thin for wines by the bottle. The entree selections were a bit on the pricey side, but considering the location, probably about right. My partner and I both ordered pasta dishes, me a chicken dish, him a similar dish with shrimp.

The first sign of problems was probably when the waiter (after we had waited about 15 minutes) brought my partner a large spoon, but not me. After about another 10 minutes, I asked the waiter if, since I was also having a pasta dish, if perhaps I could have a pasta spoon as well? He brought me one, and we waited yet another 10 minutes, until our dishes arrived. Mine came, strangely, WITHOUT any pasta.

Well, after another 5 minutes, I managed to get the attention of our waiter, and he took the dish back, then re-emerged a few minutes later with my food, on a bed of poorly-drained pasta, swimming in far too much liquid that it was nearly soup. It might not've been so bad if the food had any real taste, but aside from the feta and far too much salt, it was really quite bland. My partner's less-watery dish was also a bit bland, but quite salty as well.

The amount of time a table waited for their food to arrive was quite inexplicable. There was a table near us of an adult man and his mother, who were there well before us, who ordered shellfish (which usually doesn't take long to cook), and they were served maybe 10 minutes AFTER us (they probably waited nearly an hour from ordering until being served!). We waited more than 30 minutes for a simple pasta dish, yet a table that sat down a full 10 minutes after us, got their order served about 10 minutes before ours!

In the end, for about $80 for 2 people, you can do better elsewhere. I doubt I'll return. —Alex-C

2012-07-25 19:34:09   Steak was cold and unbelievably tough. Drink was super strong. Portions were laughably small for the high prices.

Go here to drink, not to eat. —marcuskroll

2012-11-27 14:12:09   The owner seems to be having a hissy-fit, meltdown on Craiglist. —gordonanderson

2013-03-25 16:43:56   There was a 30-minute wait, so we sat at the bar. The bartender gave us a wine list, then refused to make eye contact for the next 15 minutes (while serving the people on either side of us.)

Eventually, someone else took our order, but wouldn't let us put the bottle on our table tab. OK, a little insulting, but…

Then the band (ironically named "Allegro") started playing, making up in inexpertly miked volume what they lacked in tempo. We tried to escape (after complaining about the sound levels), ending up in an unused room (wallboard lying up against stuff.) We were chased out by the maitre d', who explained that since there was a private party in another room - not the room we were in, another room - we had to leave.

That was enough, but when I tried to get a cork for the bottle of wine (that I had already purchased) I had to produce the receipt and wait another 10 minutes for it to be packed up. So that's twice they insinuated I was just there to steal some wine.

Oddly enough, we don't plan to go back, so I doubt I'll get to comment on the food. —JenBeaven

2013-07-07 11:23:26   Unlike the prior reviewers, my husband and I were very impressed with Monroe's. The front of the building is quite shabby, but the restaurant itself is clean/modern. I had the best quiche I've ever had there: 2 1/4" of perfectly cooked eggs, a nice firm crust, and excellent filling. It was a revelation to my husband, who has always disliked quiches as "50 cents worth of overcooked scrambled eggs someone puts in a pie crust with left over vegetables and charges you $8 for", but Monroe's quiche was a revelation to him. It came with a very serviceable side salad as well. My husband had a Monroe burger that was better than average (8oz, Brie, on a Brioche bun) with some average fries — no complaints.

Overall, I would come back, if for no other reason than the quiche. It truly was outstanding. —LePetitChien

2013-12-28 19:41:04   I've been here twice: for a baby shower and a baptism party. This is a really neat place with lots of historic character. I'm a seafood lover and especially like the mussels and macaroni and cheese with lobster. I really wish they had espresso drinks, though, especially since they have hot cocktails like Irish coffee. —EileenF

2014-08-07 20:16:31   I had an event catered by Monroe's this week. Due to a miscommunication with a family member, I arrived an hour early for pick up which was also an hour prior to the restaurant opening time. Staff were very gracious and allowed me to wait in the restaurant while they hurried the order to accommodate my time frame despite the fact that I was an hour early. All our guests raved about the chicken french, baked ziti, and broccoli. Even the salad was really well done. Would definitely use them again for catering. —rachelrobbins