Black & Blue Steak and Crab

There seems to be an unfortunate trend here.
My wife and I have always loved Black & Blue, and it has been our favorite restaurant for years, but the last 2 visits were not up to their previous standards. Our last time was New Year’s Eve.
The service was slow and spotty. My steak was done perfectly and had the best flavor of any steak I’ve ever had, but my wife’s lobster was the consistency of mashed potatoes. The bread and butter is not the same as it used to be. That is to say that it’s not nearly as good. My orzo mac & cheese was very dry.
Shortly after our last visit, I was emailed a survey. My wife completed the survey, and reported the same issues that I did, but we have never heard from anyone from the restaurant to confirm that they read the survey or to offer any kind of apology. Seems to me that good customer service dictates some sort of acknowledgement for information that they requested.
It’s sad to see what was once a top notch restaurant degrade like this.

My wife and I have been here many times, I can honestly say we have never had a bad meal or bad service. The servers are well trained and attentive, the steaks are well portioned and of excellent quality. It is a bit expensive for the area but still affordable compared to steakhouses in larger markets. The atmosphere is casual and contemporary. It is always crowded on the weekends, be sure to get reservations.

We have absolutely nothing to complain about! The service was outstanding with extremely personable hosts and hostess. The Kobe beef meatballs as an appetizer and the crab lobster fondue started the evening and it kept getting better. Our party of four saw two get steaks that were prepared perfectly with great flavor. Two others choose the grouper and red snapper and although a few more fried clams could have come with the snapper, the fish was fresh with outstanding texture. Complete wine list provided a very good compliment to the night. Black and Blue made a special day end on the highest note and we couldn’t have had a better experience. We’ll be back!

Great experience for an early Valentine’s dinner! The Kobe meatballs were excellent. The steak Oscar was delicious. My husband had the steak garlic and loved it! Service was great!

Great meal and great drinks. I had filet and it was wonderful, best potatoes I ever had. Service is wonderful both our Waiter and back server Kelly were the best.

black and blue is one of our favorite restaurants in Pittsford. The steak and seafood is excellent and the service is superb. Once a month we drive up to Pittsford, stay at the Delmonte inn and go to B&B for dinner. Never disappointed and always meet great people. They have a good wine selection and if you like tuna, try the tuna tartar. There is a raw bar for fresh crab and oysters. I sent a couple of Bills players there last year when they were in town for camp and they loved it.

Dear black and blue, I have been a defender of you guys for years, but you’re only making it harder for me to do so. The last time I was here was Christmas time last year and it was delicious. We had reservations last night and I was very excited to go, but in the last year there have been a few changes. The small things. They used to have a sweet garlicky butter for the pre-​dinner bread. They use regular butter now. The butter they used to have used to be one of my favorite things. Very disappointing. The bread also seems to be different. It was extremely stale and unappetizing. A large portion of the bread has olives in it, & I hate olives. My drink of choice also went up a few DOLLARS in price. He ordered the ribeye and I ordered an 8 ounce filet with «jumbo» shrimp that cost me 6.95 to add. I don’t mind paying extra for things that are worth it but these shrimp were nowhere near jumbo or even large. They were also very overcooked.
Our appetizer was the fondue and it isn’t what I remember. I remember being blown away by their fondue, and yesterday I didn’t even want to eat it.
Our cuts of meat however, were very good. They have a delicious char on them and they come with a sauce of your choice and my choice is the Gorgonzola sauce. We ordered them medium rare and they came out perfect.
Last year somebody knocked a whole tray of seafood that a waiter was carrying on my leather jacket. The manager apologized, gave me his card and told me they would pay for the dry cleaning. When I wrote him an email I never heard back, I also left him a message and he never called back. I didn’t want to let that ruin me going to black and blue anymore because I really loved the place, but our experience last night probably won’t bring us back again and that is extremely disheartening. It was just mediocre when it used to be way above average.

Ordered Caesar salad and lobster bisque at the bar. Soup was very bitter and didn’t have the fresh soup flavor. Bartender was really nice and offered crab soup instead. Again, bitter. Coincidently, the soup came out quickly when the bartender ordered it for me.
My guess could be that the soup was just being kept on a hot saucepan throughout the day. Who knows? It definitely was not fresh. Caesar salad was good.
Portions are big. So, that should tell you what kind of restaurant it is. Pricey too. Oysters are $ 2.75 each. Ouch! $ 36 for a dozen. I think not. I can’t think of another seafood restaurant in the area, as I don’t live in Rochester.

I’ve been here at least 50 times and think it has consistently good food and great service. It’s big so it’s easy to get last minute reservations and you can book via opentable. I love the oysters, the steaks are great, and the sides are served in family style portions. This is my go-​to place for business or networking lunches.

Came in for a fantastic lunch this afternoon. Had the Maryland She Crab soup and the black and blue burger. Everything was fantastic. There was a problem with the temp on the burger but it was handled swiftly and professionally. Our server Leo was great and the MOD was extremely nice! Can’t wait to come back in for dinner.

A friend & I had reservations for dinner on a very popular night for going out to eat. We were greeted quickly upon arrival, but for some reason had to wait to be seated upstairs, and unfortunately my back was to all the pretty things about this restaurant. The service quality from the wait staff was average, but the setting & designer décor was a nice change of pace for the Rochester scene. Ambience was a bit too dark.
My friend ordered us a bottle of wine, but I forget what is was, she’s the expert at that stuff. I started off with the black & blue salad which was wonderful, as was the chop salad my friend had. I chose the ahi tuna special, which was to die for, and my friend had one of the black angus steaks. The sides were very tasty, too. We were both very satisfied with our meals, but have had equally as impressive for less moolah.

The freshest seafood and steaks cooked to perfection. I’ve never had a bad experience here!

UPDATE:
So, I had a very bad experience my first time around. The food was excellent, but the drink service at the bar was horrendous. I have since had an opportunity to return to Black & Blue and give it another try. This was a complete 180 from my first trip here. In the interest of full disclosure, I did receive a gift card for the establishment and didn’t have to spend (much of) my own money, and I steered clear of the bar this time.
My girlfriend decided to bring me to B&B for my birthday, after going to the Pittsford theatre to see a movie. The restaurant had no idea that it was my birthday or that I had been there before. The table service was excellent and the food was delicious. It is still a very pricey menu, but that is what you would expect from an establishment that has such a gorgeous interior and a menu full of steak and seafood.
When we were finished with our meals, our waiter came by to ask us if we would like any dessert. He gave us the dessert menu and stepped away to let us think. When he returned, he overheard my girlfriend say something to me about it being my birthday. The waiter then perked up, asked if he had heard us right, then quickly ran away. When he returned, he had a small plate with a chocolate cake-​like patty with a raspberry purée drizzled off to the side. I was not expecting this. He seemed so excited that we were celebrating my birthday with B&B and gave us a complimentary birthday dessert.
This was a HUGE improvement from the first time I tried Black & Blue, and they have definitely redeemed themselves in my eyes. I still don’t know if I am ready to give the bar staff another chance, but I would definitely come back for dinner on a special occasion.

Oh boy, where to begin. Let’s start off with me saying that this restaurant has been on my list for quite some time. The only thing that stopped me from going sooner, are the prices. Pushing that aside, I brought my family here for my Mother’s birthday.
Made reservations for 6pm and was seated right away, so no problems there. We were sat on the 2^nd floor, and immediately I knew the noise level was a bit above my preference. Even the table of 2 that sat next to us seemed to be speaking much louder than necessary. Either due to the already noise, or perhaps thinking we’d find their conversation interesting. The restaurant wasn’t packed, but there were only a few tables empty. Again with the noise, throughout the dinner we’d hear clashing and banging of plates by the employees after being cleared off the tables.
Starting off with an appetizer, we ordered the Kobe Meatballs. These were delicious. Moist, beautifully cooked, and the sauce was just phenomenal. Literally minutes after we finished our appetizer, a gentleman brought over a couple of desserts. This completely confused me, so I kindly asked the gentleman what they were for and he stood there blankly. If I remember correctly, his response was «I didn’t/haven’t check the list.» I then told him that we didn’t order this and we didn’t even receive our mains yet. He stood there for a couple more minutes blankly until walking away and speaking to our Server before he took them and brought them to the correct table. Mind you, no apologizes for this awkward mix-​up. As if we made a mistake on our end and did indeed order 2 desserts before our mains.
So, now onto the mains. I ordered the Rib Eye with Scallops and it was cooked a perfect medium rare. The scallops were strange having only being seared on one side, but nevertheless they were very nice. My Brother had the Steak Au Poivre, and my Father had the Steak Garlic which both were cooked perfectly and no complaints there. Now here comes the part that ruined the experience. My Mother got the Short Ribs. From anywhere I’ve seen them, I would assume they’d still have the bone intact. That’s not where the problem lies. The meat was overly salty, and there was a good couple gobs of fat. When I asked the server if this was normal, he said short ribs are cut from a fatty piece of meat. For the price of 31.50, I don’t expect a pile of overly salty, deboned, fatty ribs. We quickly changed her order to what my Father ordered which was the Steak Garlic. (We weren’t charged for the short ribs). But unfortunately by the time my Mother’s dish came, we 3 have almost finished our meals and she asked for a to-​go box. When her meal was given back to her in a bag, our server actually placed it on the floor at her feet. It took a lot out of me not to say anything, but that is probably the rudest, most unprofessional gesture I’ve seen from any restaurant.
My Brother and I ordered the vanilla crème brulee but before going into how that was, I want to point out that as we were waiting, another server placed food that he was serving to another table literally inches from the back of my chair. If I were to get up, the food would have been knocked over easily. I just found it rude, and a lack of common sense to place food directly behind a customer. But onto the crème brulee, it was actually very tasty and I have no complaints.
It really hurts me that a restaurant with that location, and those prices didn’t blow me away or even nudge me. On top of that, a spoon from the beginning had a good sized soap residue right in the center. I figure they would do a good wipe off the silverware before presenting them on the tables.
Also, I didn’t expect the tables to be so cramped. And as a final complaint, presentation of the actual food wasn’t to spectacular. Seemed to be just dropped on the plate and sent.
In the end, for the prices we paid and what we got in return, definitely didn’t match up. I’ve been longing to give this restaurant a try, but quite truthfully I wouldn’t return. The service wasn’t up to par along with the food. When I’m spending 30 – 50 dollars on a piece of meat, I would expect everything to be in line, but in this case it wasn’t.

Booked a reservation here for a large party. The day. of they told us they no longer had room for us.
Don’t eat here, I’ve been treated better at Denny’s.

Arrived in a driving rain storm on a Wednesday evening for a business dinner and I was glad to get inside. Different than many of my other visits, this time the restaurant was only half full, and not packed.
Efficient service and a wonderful meal is my summary.
The details:
* Lobster bisque [smooth & creamy] — lovely
* 8 oz tenderloin [medium rare] — perfect
* Asparagus with a Gorgonzola sauce — divine
* Peanut butter mouse with Oreo crust — sweet!
A very nice evening.

Going to be honest when i say the food deserves all 5 stars — the service on the other hand was very disappointing.
We went here for an early dinner before Easter Vigil mass on Saturday. We arrived around 5:45 and were sat right away. We were one of very few tables at this point. We were a party of 5. We all ordered cocktails while we enjoyed their delicious bread and butter. We also ordered the Wagyu lollipops and they were OUTSTANDING! tender, tasty meat with awesome sauce. We all split salads to go with our steaks. They split the salads in the back before bringing them out — love when places do this.
Finally our entrees arrived. We were getting tight on time and we made it very clear we had to be somewhere (the waiter assumed the movies and gave us some attitude). The steaks were awesome — we had to finish them at home because we had to hurry out of the restaurant.
My boyfriend’s family loves this place and was sad about the experience but i can tell we will be back as the food was great — just bad timing i suppose.

When I give them 5 stars I am not saying they are a 5 star restaurant necessarily. What I AM saying is that the food was delicious and our service was really great!
I had the Alaskan king crab legs and I loved that I could order them de-​shelled. Less work for me! They were really fresh too. And I LOVED that they served my butter over a little candle so that it stayed warm and melty!
Also if you go you HAVE to order the seafood fondue appetizer. SO good. My husband loved his steak and the vidalia onion rings were large and delicious. The orzo Mac and cheese is a great side too!
Really I have nothing to complain about! It is a little spendy but the food is worth it for sure.
Overall I say this is a great place for a nice dinner, maybe for your next special occasion.

So I passed this place two times trying to get here. They should have a street side sign letting us non locals know they are located in what amounts to be a shopping center. In any case after I finally made my way into this shopping center I guessed right and made a left turn in the maze of a parking lot and saw the sign for Black &Blue. I’d made a reservation after hearing about how busy the place gets and it was honored upon my arrival. I was shocked at how loud the patrons were and thought it might have been more on the «I’m sitting right next to you so I don’t have to shout across the room» side. Aside from the noise I didn’t care for the lack of privacy when it came to the seating. It was a huge open space with a mess load of tables jammed in with a few booths lining the perimeter of the restaurant. They are definitely more concerned with packing as many people in as possible over comfort. I did like the ambiant lighting on the inside and the seats were very comfortable. I did think it was going to be more upscale in the way seating was done but we were in there like cattle. Very little room to navigate through the maze of tables and chairs. Now on to the food. I ordered the 12 oz. Filet with White Cheddar Fries. It was very tasty. Not the best I’ve had but I was very satisfied with my meal. I also had a Margarita and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc followed with the Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee. My meal was awesome and very reasonably priced. I noticed lots of people comment on how expensive this place is but I was surprised at how affordable this place was. Please note that I am from California where everything thing costs three to four times more than it does here. I love Filet but couldn’t always bring myself to pay the hefty price tag in California. To put this into perspective at Black & Blue I got a 12 oz. Filet, a side, two drinks and a desert all for what I’d pay for an 8 oz. Filet alone in California. Admittedly it’s probably pricey for Rochester but not at all compared to where I came from. I will say it was expensive for the environment as loud and cramped as it was but I definitely loved my meal. I might order to go next time so that I can eat in a better setting that better reflects what I believe they were going for. I will say that Longhorn has a much better environment because you aren’t cramped and it’s not as loud. **gasps** abound from all of the loud Black & Blue Patrons who barely had enough room to have their pinky finger in the air as they sipped their wine. Ha ha

I have visited Black & Blue a few times since arriving in Rochester. It appears that every town has one or two restaurants that the locals mention in response to restaurant recommendations. Black & Blue is certainly among the three most recommended. My visit a couple weeks back, was largely in line with previous visits. The reservation time was honored, even though we were 10 minutes late on a busy nite. The table selected was in a traffic area and the restaurant honored the request to change. Our waiter was knowledgeable, but MIA most of the time. The Server Assistant was on her game and this was appreciated. All good stuff.
The food was good, not great by any means. The Grouper was very good, but the condiments were lacking. As always, the bread was outstanding once it finally arrived.
All in all, as my girl Hope suggested, good spot for a business dinner. Nice ambiance and variety. For value and food, you can likely do a lot better at a third of the price. But, if you haven’t been, you might place it on your To Do List if that Bonus comes through.

The steaks are good, their sides are good.
But their service can be spotty, or extremely slow. Do not go there for lunch if you don’t want to take a two hour lunch.
The ambiance inside is very modern looking and it feels very trendy. But it’s still located on a strip mall.
The menu is pretty straightforward steak house fare, don’t go there to be adventurous.
I was torn between giving them 4 stars or 3 stars, because I don’t mind going, at all, if I have the time, and craving steak.

When you first walk in to Black and Blue, you will be wowed with the very elegant interior, and the hostess/​coat check service is very nice.
My boyfriend and I came here last Sunday for dinner with his parents, and arrived early, so we decided to catch some of the Bills game at the bar. It took a very long time for the bartender to come give us a drink menu, more time to put in the order, receive it… and then again we had to rush and pay before being seated for our meal. There were 3 other patrons there, and several other servers around the premises. I don’t really get what the hold up was, I just ordered a beer.
The chairs were comfortable that we sat in, but for the amount of plates we had, I think that the table was kind of small. My boyfriend and I ordered the lobster-​crab fondue. It was good, and you could definitely taste the seafood in it, but it was kind of rich and tweaked our stomachs out later.
I ordered the filet mignon with the garlic mashed potatoes, and I was pleased with my cut of meat. I wasn’t dazzled, but it was tasty. My boyfriend’s father hated the amount of rosemary that they put on his porterhouse cut. If you aren’t into spices or certain rubs, read the description carefully and order the cut without it.
I understand the whole à la carte deal, but it was kind of a rip off. It is a better deal if you order one of the four meal options they give you under their «steakhouse specialities section».
The only surf and turf option they have is a sirloin with scallops. If you want any other cut of meat and a different seafood you have to choose it from their «add-​ons», which can turn your meal into something that will cost over $ 75. The sides are à la carte. You can choose one thing with your steak, either a starch or a vegetable. If you want each you will have to pay an extra $ 6.50 to make your meal complete.
I understand that this place is upscale and you are going to be expected to shell out a pretty penny for your meal, but for the price and the quality I wasn’t impressed.

Black and Blue Steak and Crab continues to be a favorite that up until last night was always a consistent 4 stars. They have excellent food with the specials usually taking the spotlight after an oyster or crab app. Of course the steaks and lamb chops are also excellent. Combined with a very good wine list and service that’s nearly always stellar (yes nowhere is always perfect), you should be asking why this was not a 5… Right? I found that when busy the main dining room would get just a little too noisy to be comfortable. Last night, on a busy night, we were seated upstairs and it was perfect!
I also need to mention that they have a meeting room for events and that the bar is a great quick lunch stop too.
If you’re not sure where to go for a nice lunch or dinner, this is a great option.