While the term "diner" likely conjures up an image of an extremely casual place of limited atmosphere and decor where the food is cheap, fast, and often of the "greasy spoon" variety, you might be glad to know that there's a new kid in town: The Monroe Diner, which had its soft opening Monday, February 22, is more of a cross between a New York City-style diner and a Jewish deli.
"People think of diners as the traditional upstate Greek diner, but this is not like that," says manager Ron Vales. "We've included many options that you would find in a downstate Jewish diner, combined with some traditional choices, all wrapped up in a 1950's setting."
The space itself is the former location of PaRe, which closed its doors last December. While the entire interior has been completely remodeled and redecorated to include retro-style booths, a black-and-white checkerboard floor, chrome light fixtures, and more, not everything is completely new. Monroe Diner manager Vales was also manager of PaRe, while the owner, Patrick Dandrea, is the father of PaRe's former owner, Danielle Dandrea.
"People also associate diners with really cheap, low-end food," says Vales, "But we're using a lot of the same high-end foods that we used at PaRe, so we're bringing the same attitude we brought to PaRe but with a diner menu."
Like many diners, Monroe Diner will serve breakfast all day, but it will be offering some unique choices, from the Captain Crunch French toast to the Brooklyn omelet made with lox, onions, and Swiss cheese. Probably the most distinctive choices on the menu are the deli-style pastrami and corned beef sandwiches. Diners can choose between either the "overstuffed classic" ($11.99), which includes 12 oz. of pastrami or corned beef, or the "upstate easy" ($7.99), which has a more easily digestible 6 oz., all served on fresh-baked Jewish rye.
To find Monroe Diner in City Newspaper's online Restaurant Guide - including a map, user reviews, and more - click here.
Monroe Diner is located at 2833 Monroe Ave. It is open daily 6 a.m.-11 p.m. Prices range from $3 to $8 for breakfast, $5 to $8 for lunch, and $8 to $16 for dinner. For more information, call 244-0522.
Sticky Lips wins national awards
Sticky Lips Pit BBQ on Culver Road won two awards earlier this month in the National Barbecue Association's Award of Excellence competition, which took place in Memphis, Tennessee. The Carolina Clipper Mustard Sauce won fifth place in the "Mustard Mild" category and the Sticky Lips Original All-American won fourth place for best label design. The national competition featured sauces from more than 250 competitors.
Sticky Lips owner Howard Nielsen also announced plans earlier this month to open another Sticky Lips restaurant in the space formerly occupied by Roadhouse Grill on Jefferson Road in Henrietta (Nielsen opened the Culver Road location in 2004). He plans to open the second location sometime this summer; look for further details in this column in a few months.
For more information on Sticky Lips Bit BBQ, visit stickylipsbbq.com or call 288-1910.
Sweet charity
Local cupcake business The Cupcake Dreamery will host the "Sweet Dreams Sunday Brunch" Sunday, February 28, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the Next Door Bar and Grill (3220 Monroe Ave) to benefit Hillside Children's Center. The event will feature a buffet-style brunch featuring truffled deviled eggs, shrimp "Bloody Mary" shooters, beef and scallion skewers from the restaurant's Robata grill, and more; dessert will be a selection of The Cupcake Dreamery's most popular cupcakes. The event will also feature a performance by a cappella group Nota, winners of NBC's "The Sing-Off," and the University of Rochester Yellowjackets.
Tickets for the event cost $30, and are on sale at area Wegmans, as well as online at cupcakedreameryevents.com.
National chain comes to Henrietta
A new Chili's Bar and Grill will be opening in Henrietta on Monday, March 1. This will be the third location of the national chain for the Rochester area - the other two are located in Greece and Victor. The Henrietta location is owned by local franchise owner John Kendall, who also owns the other two locations. Chili's Bar and Grill serves a variety of Tex-Mex and American cuisine. Chili's Bar and Grill will be located at 100 Marketplace Dr, near the Regal theater. For more information, visit chilis.com.
Closings
Restaurant, coffee house, and wine bar Cafe Vas on Merchants Road closed earlier this month. The cafe was closed briefly last winter while it underwent renovations, but reopened last spring. Attempts to reach owner Vinny Rovitelli went unreturned, though a source close to him reports that the decision was based on slow business combined with the fact that Rovitelli wanted to devote more time to his contracting business. A note on the website reads: "We will be closed - closed (business closing). Sunday will be the last day. Thank you all for your support over the last few years!"
Two of the three Country Sweet Chicken and Ribs locations closed Monday, February 8. The two restaurants - located at 515 Monroe Ave and 640 Lake Ave -were closed due to the poor economy and the rising cost of wings, according to manager Skip DeLorme. The location at 1691 Mt. Hope Ave will remain open.
Indian restaurant Shinwari Kabab House closed earlier this month. The restaurant opened in May of last year in the space formerly occupied by Ariana Kebab House. Attempts to reach owners Avtar Singh and Ibrahim Mohamed went unreturned, though the restaurant has been dark since the beginning of the month and it appears much of the furniture and decor has been removed.
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