Hawthorne's Restaurant

Today I visited Hawthorne's Restaurant at 3500 East Avenue in Pittsford. I had been there only once before, and had OK service. After fighting the construction on Monroe Avenue, and again on Jefferson Road, I chose to go to Hawthorne's because I thought it would be a good place to have an upscale lunch at an affordable price.

As I entered the restaurant, close to 1PM, there was a strong odor eminating from the dining room. Though I am not sure what the smell was, it sadly reminded me of any visit I have made to a nursing home. This may not have been the fault of Hawthorne's, as there was a large group of elderly folks eating lunch who were brought in from a nearby adult facility.

It took about 5 minutes until someone seated me, and another 15 until a server finally came by to see if the server who should have been taking care of me had been by yet - they had not. To the credit of the female server who tended to my meal and order, she apologized for the delay and promptly took my order. Shortly before she came over, I was beginning to gather my things to leave - I am not sure if this was noticed and that was perhaps why I was finally visited by a server.

The restaurant seemed to be busy, and understaffed for the lunch hour.

A woman (not my server) came by a number of times to refill my water, reaching in front of me, even startling me once. As I was seated at a 4 person table, I am still curious as to why she chose to reach in front of me each time to fill my water glass.

I ordered the seafood chowder as a starter. When it came out, it was not appealing, visually. There was a lot of bacon which overpowered the flavor. Had I realized it would contain bacon, I would have chosen a different starter, as I only eat seafood (no other meat).

For my meal, I chose the Eggplant, Tomato and Goat Cheese Stack. I had had it once before and it was, at best medocre. However, it sounded good enough to give it a second chance, and I am sorry I did. It was terribly heavy and lacking in pleasant flavor. The oil that it was fried in was the dominant taste and smell throughout.

Overall, after two less than adaquate experiences at Hawthorne's, it has made MY personal LIST - the BLACK LIST.

Two thumbs down from me.