Grey Heron offers seafood, spirits with a view in Monroe

MONROE — The Grey Heron Grille and Spirits is a great place to have a meal or a few drinks after a day on the water.

There is plenty of window seating, offering a view of pleasure craft docked at Big Daddy’s Boat Yard. Bolles Harbor and Lake Erie are less than a half-mile away.

The food is good with the fried walleye, salmon, and tenderloin steak all getting a thumbs up. However, the prices are a tad bit high for what you get, and it’s not the place to visit for a fine-dining experience.

Know what you’re getting here, and you can come away happy.

The Grey Heron opened under new ownership and with a new name at the location of a long-time seafood eatery about six months ago. It has a friendly staff and a wide-ranging menu. However, it also has concrete floors and a high ceiling that provides poor acoustics that can make it challenging to hear the conversation at your own table.

The outdoor patio looked to be a great option when the weather’s right. But it was hot the evening we visited, and we opted for the AC inside.

We started with escargot ($9) and jumbo shrimp cocktail ($15) as appetizers. The six snails were served with slices of buttered mini-baguettes. They were a little dry and not particularly appetizing. The shrimp were indeed jumbo and decent-tasting, though not special as the price indicated they should be.

The Heron Filet ($33), an 8-ounce tenderloin steak, was cooked medium just as ordered and was tender and juicy. It’s a good choice. However, the two side items chosen determined that it, too, was a bit pricy: While the sweet potato fries were good, they were like those you’d get at a fast-food restaurant, and the side salad had wilted greens and cucumbers, suggesting it had been prepared for lunch and kept in the fridge for several hours.

The reason I say that is because the exact same salad I had for lunch on a different day was fresh and crisp.

The salmon ($22) — which comes blackened, horseradish-crusted, or plain — was solid and well prepared. I had it plain, with just salt and pepper.

The walleye ($25) comes lightly breaded and deep fried, and was tender and tasty. But it was disappointing that a dining companion’s request to have it grilled wasn’t granted. Quality restaurants should strive to cook fish to order.

While the garlic mashed potatoes side was good on the inside, it was crusty on the outside to bring it down a notch.

We passed on the dessert options — gourmet cheesecake ($8) and crème brulee ($8) — because we’d pigged out a bit with two appetizers.

My lunch visit was a better experience than dinner.

I had the 10- to 12-ounce cut of walleye ($25) that was prepared just like the dinner menu walleye. I was fine with it being lightly breaded and fried because I often go in that preparation direction with walleye and perch.

I was able to choose two side items from several offered rather than going with the sides listed with the dish, and that allowance also was honored at our dinner. That’s great flexibility provided for patrons.

The sweet potato fries were enough to share, and the side salad made of fresh greens (endive, spinach, and red lettuce) was a treat when fresh. It was topped with cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, and grated American cheese. The champagne vinaigrette I selected was lightly creamy and quite good.

My waitress also was knowledgeable, friendly, and paced the meal perfectly.

I was even offered the TV remote to watch what I wanted on a side of the restaurant that wasn’t busy on an early afternoon. The atmosphere was pleasant, and I enjoyed the mellow oldies that were playing.

There is a large bar and an extensive wine list. Import, domestic, tap and craft beers are available, too.

Grey Heron also offers an 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday brunch, and a kids menu with $6 and $7 selections such as grilled cheese and chicken breast tenders.