Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Frankie Rowland's in top form
Larry Bly
Larry Bly runs an ad agency and does freelance writing in the Roanoke area.
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Once there were three upscale steak and seafood restaurants in downtown Roanoke.
Now only one remains: Frankie Rowland's.
The 611 Steak House just never caught on; I'm told they spent too much money getting into the facility. Hunter's Grille at the Hotel Patrick Henry also gave up the ghost this past year, much to my chagrin. Hunter's was always a personal favorite and my last meal there was superb in every way. There's an awful lot of empty restaurant real estate downtown these days.
On the other hand, Frankie Rowland's opened to rave reviews and they've never looked back. Never had to -- the place has become a downtown favorite, carving their niche in the high-end steak house business.
The menu itself only runs a few pages and has changed little since its opening. What the menu encompasses is basic, classic American cooking, done on an elegant scale. You don't have to spend a fortune to eat at Frankie Rowland's, but you can if you try just a little.
Appetizers are in the $9-$14 range and nearly a meal in themselves: bake brie en croute, jumbo shrimp cocktail, oysters on the half shell, oysters Rockefeller (some the best I've experienced), New England lobster bisque, jumbo lump Maryland crab dip (a personal favorite, served with crackers and enough for two people easily), jumbo lump crab cocktail (huge pieces of white lump crab meat served with a nice sauce and lemon wedges) or sautéed gnocchi with Gorgonzola cream. The latter is probably the only appetizer I've not tried since their opening some few years ago.
Salads, which I seldom get to here, include fresh mixed greens, classic Caesar, marinated asparagus and hearts of palm, lettuce wedge with crumbled bacon and blue cheese, and two different versions of sliced beefsteak tomatoes. One is the classic steak house version: with mozzarella and fresh basil; the other sliced beefsteak tomatoes w/blue cheese dressing over spinach. Both remind me mightily of the Morton's Steakhouse classic, which alternates slices of beefsteak tomato with sliced onions and cheese.
Entrees, as might be expected, tend toward Prime and Angus beef choices. I recently had the USDA Prime beef filet (10 or 14 oz. available), which is done to perfection and served butter-flyed. It was never mentioned, so I forgot that steaks and chops may include béarnaise, Diane, or white peppercorn sauce upon request. It is printed right on the menu, however. My filet was so delicious and tender that no adornments or side sauces were necessary, though I probably would have tried one.
You may choose from all the cuts of steaks, lamb chops or apple brined pork chops. Prices are in the $30 range, give or take a few.
Seafood and poultry are available, but I tend to do my appetizers with seafood and stick to the house specialties for the entree: steaks. But if you're interested, whole baked Maine lobster (2 lb. - 5 lb.) are available, always at market prices. Or choose grilled filet of salmon, jump lump Maryland crab cakes, or chicken with rosemary beurre-blanc. These entrees are more modestly priced.
One of the things you learn early about dining at Frankie Rowland's: potato and veggie dishes are to be shared. Each is large enough to feed a small family. So we chose a potato dish only for this particular evening: Yukon gold mashed potatoes. There are others: Idaho baked (1 lb.), potatoes au gratin, or cottage fries. I once ordered French fried potatoes at a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Richmond and it was so large that I moved about the dining room offering them to anyone who looked hungry. I had many takers and lots of laughs.
Veggies are delicious here, but again could feed an army. The couple next to us had ordered up the French fried buttermilk battered onions -- simply the most beautiful onion rings ever -- but they took home most of them after eating their ample entrees. Thank heavens they didn't leave them -- I was ready to throw myself on them and eat my way through.
You may choose steamed asparagus with Hollandaise (homemade, not pre-packaged -- you can't fake this stuff), sautéed mushrooms, creamed spinach (which I always find a tad sweet for my taste), steamed broccoli with Hollandaise sauce, and the aforementioned battered onions.
By the way, just to keep the kitchen staff from going nuts from the unchanging menu, they have announced evening specials. None could sway me from my intended goal: to eat steak and eat it abundantly. The kitchen is skilled and talented, so the specials are quite worthy of consideration.
As for dessert: I simply can never get there. But the couple next to us had the crème brulee and had to be revived several times. You may order up traditional bananas Foster, berry cellestine, something called "molten chocolate cake" and traditional classic cherries jubilee. A nearby table actually required a description of cherries jubilee from their wait-person before they would order. Perhaps they had spent they last 50 years in the Congo.
The Frankie's staff has heard the drink order, "Frankie's martini," so many times that that's what they hear even when that's NOT what you're ordering. Frankie's signature martini, vodka straight-up with a big old piece of pineapple that's been soaked in vodka, is a favorite in their bar and restaurant. To me it's more of a mixed drink than a martini, but it's a novelty nonetheless. Ken the barkeep served up the perfect vodka martini (minus all the pineapple) with a slight skim of ice just across the top. The bar, though smallish, is usually hopping, not only as a holding place for those waiting to be seated, but for those wishing to enjoy great appetizers and drinks in a swanky atmosphere.
The classic steakhouse is as All-American as the beef it serves; this one's earned its stripes. And I'm especially proud that it's downtown!
FRANKIE ROWLAND'S
104 Jefferson St.
Roanoke, Va.
540-527-BEEF
