Rochester Food Blog

Where: Jeremiah’s Tavern, 1104 Monroe Ave, Rochester, NY 14620 (two blocks West of Culver Road)

When: Saturday, December 27th, around 1:30 PM

Cuisine: American, Bar Food

What: Went as a party of two around 1 PM on a Saturday, and the place was packed. Took a couple minutes for us to be seated, but the place was energetic, college football games were playing on the multiple TVs, and the atmosphere was fun. It wasn’t so loud to make conversation difficult, which was appreciated.

Jeremiah’s has approximately 20 beers on tap and is a great place to grab a pint (or two, or thirteen). Selections run the gamut of local brews, your expected macros (American and Canadian), and I believe at least one higher-hopped IPA selection. Nothing to write home about, but Jeremiah’s has no air of pretentiousness - so they should have something for everyone.

Our server was friendly and efficient, although we had to flag her down once because she forgot the coffee my dining companion ordered. Perhaps one more stop by our table between dropping the food and dropping the check would have been appreciated, but it is understandable due to the crowd in the restaurant at the time.

Food came out quickly, considering the volume. I ordered a cup of the “corn and lobster bisque”, which was the soup du jour (pictured below), while my companion ordered a bowl of a rather forgettable, unbalanced chili slathered in cheese.

The soup was above average for what one normally expects from a bar — they are handmade on premesis, and it showed. Chunks of lobster and corn floated in a slightly sweet, creamy base - I’m not sure “bisque” is appropriate, as it seemed more like a cream soup, but in any case, it was a pleasant surprise and very enjoyable.

For the main course — what else? A cheeseburger.

I ordered it medium, but it came out slightly overcooked at a medium-well, but the burger retained its juicyness and was still very good. Might have liked a little bit more seasoning in the meat itself, but the lack of it wasn’t a big detractor. It was topped with onion, bacon and cheese — again, as a personal preference, I would have preferred if they had backed off the the cheese a bit, as it was somewhat overwhelming. The bacon was pleasantly crisp — if it were a bit smokier, it would have really stood out as it was cooked perfectly. The bun was a good combination of crusty and soft, and the onion rings were crispy and cooked through. All in all, a very pleasant dining experience.

Rating:
Ambiance: 4 out of 5 stars.
Food: 3 out of 5 stars.
Service: 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Where: Eastridge Family Restaurant, East Ridge Road in Irondequoit.

When: Monday night, approximately 3:00 AM.

Cuisine: Traditional American Diner food, with a menu that branches out into some pasta dishes as well.

What: Went with two others for some late-night dining. Two of us ordered the “trash plate”, Eastridge’s take on the omnipresent Rochester favorite. Hot sauce is the meat variety seen elsewhere, and I found it lacking a little in the heat department. Flavor was good and well balanced. Coffee is normal diner coffee, although perhaps a bit weaker than I would prefer. Ordered the plate with a double side of french fries, as I always do at Eastridge - they serve large, thick-cut steak fries that are fried to a golden brown while maintaining a light texture on the inside. Service was better than expected, given the time - our waitress was extremely polite and attentive, and was quick on the refills for coffee. This establishment is known for having a sometimes raucous late-night crowd, but on a monday, it was almost dead. Only 5 or 6 tables in the diner at that point, and very quiet. Conversation was easy.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars.

Where: MacGregor’s Grill and Tap Room, Empire Blvd (the old Froggy’s across from Irondequoit Bay

When: Two visits, one on Saturday evening for dinner, one Monday afternoon for lunch.

Cuisine: American bar food. Ranging from $6-$14 for entrees. Casual dress and atmosphere.

What: Friday night, a bacon and bleu cheese burger ($6.99) with french fries on the side ($1.50 extra). Didn’t specify the doneness of my burger, which was my mistake - they cook all burgers well done unless otherwise specified. Burger came out dry to the point where it was difficult to chew. Drop the extra $1.50 to get the steak fries - the one upside of this meal (although they came out lukewarm, they were cooked perfectly - crispy golden on the outside, fluffy on the inside). The “chips” that come with the burgers standard tend to be chewy and oversalted. It would be good to note that at this time, the restaurant was a day or two old and extremely busy. Had a bowl of the broccoli-cheddar soup, which was thick and very hearty. Extremely enjoyable. The information board when you enter lists the month’s beer specials, and displayed Magic Hat Pints for $2.75 and Pitchers for $6.75. Asked for and received confirmation that this applied to all Magic Hat Beers. After splitting a couple pitchers, they charged $10.75. We questioned the server, who clarified with the manager that this only applied to one Magic Hat beers, not all of them. Spoke with a manager, who originally said there was “nothing he could do” and offered to give us the name of his manager. When I asked for his name and a number for the manager, he took the check and proceeded to fix it. Left us with a bit of a bad taste in our mouth, we decided this restaurant merited another look.

On Monday, we decided to swing in again for lunch. This time ordered the bacon-sour cream-horseradish burger. This time specified the burger “medium”, to which the server gave clarification as to what medium looked like, I agreed. Decided to give the chips another try. Burger came out great, nice and moist. Lots of sour cream and bacon, but the horseradish flavor was strangely lacking. Still a very good burger. Again, should have passed on the chips for the far-superior (and more expensive) french fries. Did some sampling of different beers at the bar — they have 83 varieties on tap, several seasonals. Can find a beer for anyone here, and the pints are remarkably reasonable.

Rating: Visit one: 1/5 Stars. Visit two: 3/5 stars.

Editors Note: In the sense of fairness, this restaurant will be revisited in a couple months once operations become more fluid.