Tequila Grille — Restaurant in Town of Monroe

Our first visit for dinner was a mixed experience. The hostess and staff were very welcoming and friendly. The waitress was also friendly and attentive but not overly so. For dinner, my wife had the shrimp alfredo and it was very good. Creamy sauce, firm pasta and the shrimp was fresh. I had the Korean spare ribs and they were just ok; not especially meaty or tender, but good flavor. Now for the surprising part, the drinks. It's called the Tequila Grille, it has a depiction of a margarita on the sign out front and we were even presented with an extensive "Margarita Menu". I figured we were in for some spectacular margaritas; not even close. When the drinks came out my wife and I almost laughed. They were actually served in large, Bud Light beer glasses. We were offered salt on the rims but there was none there when delivered. Aside from the odd presentation, the margaritas themselves were horrible. They were watery and tasted like grocery-store margarita mixers that would have been better suited to red plastic solo cups at a frat party. To add insult to injury, I was foolish enough to pay several dollars extra (on top of the $12 each) for top-shelf tequila. To say we were disappointed would be a huge understatement. We were really hoping to find a new, great place for a nice dinner in Monroe; we certainly need it. We miss the old Birchwood Caterers restaurant that used to occupy the building and were hoping for a similar experience. I was surprised that at 6:30 on a Friday evening that the dining room was almost empty. I don't think it is fair to make a sweeping judgement based on only one visit so we will try again but as far as drinks go, I think we'll stick to beer.

UPDATE: What a difference a few months make. As I mentioned in the first review above, I didn't think it was fair to judge on only one experience so my wife and I went back again last Friday night. Again, the hostess and staff were friendly and welcoming. Taylor, our server, was great! My wife had the crab-stuffed shrimp which was very good and I had the breadcrumb-crusted cod which was cooked perfectly. For drinks, I had a regular cocktail but my wife tried the Classic margarita again but wow, what a difference; beautiful presentation in a proper margarita glass with salt on the rim and all. Most importantly, she said the flavor was MUCH better than last time. Just goes to show, second chances are often fruitful. I think we may have found that new place we were looking for after all; we will definitely be going back to the Tequila...

Food was very good but the service was poor. We were seated on the deck at about 5:00pm on a Saturday.There we two other couples already dinning outside. Shortly after we sat down a group of three were seated. The inside of the restaurant was empty, aside from a few people at the bar. It took several minutes for a young woman to come to our table and take our drink and dinner order. After taking our order we never saw her again. Our salad came out before we even got our drinks. When a male server brought our drinks he placed my husband's beer glass on the table holding it from the top (his fingers and thumb around the rim of the glass). He said to me "here is your margarita", I ordered sangria. He left with it then came back saying "sorry I thought it was a margarita this is your drink". Our dinners came out in a timely manner and were very good. A female server placed our meals in front of us but did not seem to know the names of the dishes. Unfortunately a server never came back to our table to check on us. My husband placed his empty beer glass on the edge of the table. The male server and another female server walked by several times. No one approached the table or asked if we would like another round of drinks. Overall a yummy meal but due to the service I'm not sure if we...

Where do I start from? Been there twice both times after shopping from woodbury mall and the food never disappoints. The food is amazing, you can't go wrong with anything you choose from their appetizers to their entree to the deserts. Everything is fresh and cooked to perfection. The staff is amazing, our waiter Joe was patient and provided great service. The owner stopped by to say hello and remembered us from last time. And of course I can't forget patty! She remember us right when we entered the restaurant, she is so sweet. The atmosphere, the food and the staff are amazing def stop by if you're in the area. Can't get this type of service in brooklyn...