Don's Original

Pretty good food, but a couple hiccups during my visit. To start with, the service wasn't all that friendly. Both the hostess and the waitress hardly smiled or anything. There was a water ring on my table before I got there which grossed me out just slightly. I was told they had New England clam chowder that day, so I ordered that, but what was brought to my table was Manhattan clam chowder. Could be a simple mistake, but I don't like the Manhattan style, personally. It was also very salty, so when the waitress didn't check on me until I was almost done with the meal, it had gotten to be unpleasant. To me, customer service includes taking initiative, not only helping diners when they ask for it. Anyway, it seems like the norm for a waitress to check on someone a few times while they're there, especially with it being almost dead in the restaurant.

The last hiccup was when I ordered a burger - you get a choice of a side, and the waitress assumed I was ordering the soup as this side. I'd ordered the soup first and then the burger, so I would think she could ask me what I wanted as a side for the burger, but I suppose I could've asked about it, too. Once she brought me my bill, the waitress became much more warm toward me. She promptly brought me my change in ones. Overall, I wasn't at all impressed with the place and would rather go to the nearby Tom Wahl's or...well most any place in the area if my experience was going to be repeated at Don's Original.

We recently moved nearby and one of the first things I wanted to do was check out the Pub. I'd been a fan of Don's Original on Monroe for many years and the idea of a pub inside a Don's Original seemed oddly intriguing. I was half expecting to find that they just added a few taps to a normal Don's so that you could get a pint of beer with your ground steak. Not that there would be anything wrong with that in my book.

Much to my surprise, they've got a full-fledged sports bar/pub in there, with a very strong selection of beers on tap (all hail the Scotch Ale!). The decor isn't anything to write home about, but the bar itself is nice and they've got the requisite HDTVs on every vertical surface. If you're looking for a clean, unpretentious hangout with great food and a relaxing vibe, this is it.

Speaking of the food: I've been three times now and have been impressed with the quality of the food each time. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since food is really Don's core competency, but it's a major step up from the grub you'll get at most sports bars. The wings in particular were impressive - crispy, meaty, very hot (I ordered them that way), not drowning in sauce but not dry either. Easily some of the best wings I've had in town.

I've gotten takeout here several times and it's decent food and consistently good. It's got a very Rochester feel and offers food similar to what you'd find at Tom Wahls/Bill Grays.

This location has a small bar in the rear and I've only been in there once or twice. They serve the same food, but it's rather cramped in there.