Familiar faces were in abundance when the Rosecliff Tavern, a Monroeville Boulevard mainstay for more than 50 years, held its formal grand reopening last month after being closed for four years.
Michele Parente, her son Josh and daughter-in-law Amanda took over ownership from relatives to recreate the neighborhood tavern. Parente's daughter, Sara, 27, works as a bartender. After three months of renovating bathrooms and the kitchen and tinkering with plumbing and electrical work, the owners reopened for business on Dec. 9.
The Parentes become the third owners since 1958 -- Cliff and Rose Grubbs established the business, then sold it to the Tolerico family. Michele Parente worked as a daylight bartender at the Rosecliff for more than 15 years before she became a part-owner.
Marvin "Smitty" Smith of Monroeville, a customer under the old and now the new management, enjoys the friendly atmosphere. "It's like going to your great aunt's house Sunday morning for brunch and dinner," Smith said.
Three things that haven't changed include the bar layout, the food service and, of course, the name. Parente, 57, said the horseshoe bar makes it easier not only for bartenders to serve, but also for newcomers to introduce themselves.
"If they don't know you within 10 minutes, they will know you, because everyone likes to talk to everyone," Parente said. "A lot of the old-time customers came back, but we have a lot of new faces that come in, too."
The Rosecliff kept its original name for recognition.
"We could have changed the name to Parente's or Josh's or whatever, but if it's not broke, don't fix it. So we kept the name," Parente said.
The menu features many homemade recipes, including sausage, soups and pierogies.
"We all had a hand in creating the menu," Parente said.
Josh Parente, 37, said it was a seamless transition for him because of 18 years of previous management and restaurant experience. He most recently worked as a sales representative at Sysco.
"It had always been something Josh talked about," Amanda Parente said. "It is obviously something in his blood."
