Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Something's fishy at Valley View
Larry Bly
Larry Bly runs an ad agency and does freelance writing in the Roanoke area.
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I recently had a reader of my column accuse me of not ever meeting a restaurant I didn't like — and consequently blamed my pedestrian tastes in seafood as "the reason most Roanokers think that the Red Lobster is a fine seafood dining experience."
Well, thanks for your vote of confidence. For your information, I've never reviewed the Red Lobster. Nor am I too crazy about their food. I admit that I'm crazy about their bread.
The newest seafood restaurant in town, Flat Rock Grille, just opened at Valley View Mall across from Pier 1 Imports. The Flat Rock is also a franchise, but much smaller than the big fish in the business — Red Lobster — and offers a totally different eating experience. Based in Florida, it offers Calabash-style seafood and other exciting entrees thrown in to keep it interesting.
Recently, the restaurant was packed with a 20-minute wait for a table, so I sat at the bar and had my dinner, a "Sea Fry" cooked in fresh oil and delivered within minutes of my order. Piled high with flounder (white and fluffy), shrimp, scallops and oysters, it was well worth the $13.99.
A friend had something called "coconut macadamia mahi mahi," featuring hand-breaded mahi mahi, shredded coconut, crushed macadamia nuts, grilled and topped with citrus butter. It nearly tops the entree price at $15.99 (except for the announced daily specials). It was almost like dessert. You can add a nice Caesar or house salad for $1.99 extra. We did and thought the Caesar was fresh and flavorful.
Other entrees from the sea include grilled fresh fish, something called "hickory glazed salmon" (a house specialty), crab stuffed shrimp, crab cakes, stuffed flounder, golden fried flounder, Wasabi tuna, and shrimp and crab Alfred (served over fettuccine). The sauces and toppings are original and delicious, adding mightily to the entrees.
For landlocked customers who cannot figure out why they’re in a seafood restaurant, the menu offers "Land" entrees to please: Midwestern grain-fed beef, chicken, baby back ribs, chicken and ribs combo, and chicken tenders.
For the adventurous, there are daily chalkboard offerings where you'll find broiled or raw items if you're trying to avoid that delicious breading. Items are priced daily as well.
For the weight-conscious, there are salads galore: shrimp, grilled chicken, grilled salmon and so forth, all reasonably priced in the $7-$9 range, give or take a few pennies.
As you might expect from a restaurant/bar, there's lots of great bar food if you want to avoid a substantial meal. The hot shrimp and crab dip looked delicious. Other starter options include grouper nuggets (a clever departure from the tired old chicken nuggets), hot artichoke dip, crab-stuffed mushrooms, "he" crabby cake, calamari and hot-n-spicy shrimp. Soups are made fresh daily, but I couldn't do soup with all the rest.
Heck, as usual I couldn't make it to the desserts: chocolate peanut butter pie, key lime pie, Hershey chocolate brownie and Carnegie Deli Cheesecake. The cheesecake is from New York City daily.
I ran into an old friend who insisted I take her leftover Hershey chocolate brownie home (already secured in its to-go box). But by the time I got around to sampling it, some friends had already eaten it. All I found was an empty box. But it smelled real good.
Overall I'd give the Flat Rock Grille pretty good marks. Opening experiences by friends found a young and not entirely restaurant-savvy group that gave mediocre service and inexperienced bartenders. The restaurant staff seems to have overcome those problems. The night I was there the staff was attentive, got the orders correct, were friendly, and had no problems with any aspect (drinks included) of the experience. I chastise friends who show up the first week of any restaurant opening. Let other people experience the opening glitches. By the time I got there they had their act together.
It’s a good idea to show up a bit earlier than you'd like to eat. Like I mentioned, the waiting period was around 20 minutes the night I ate there. If you don’t mind eating there, plop down at the bar for dinner and avoid the wait altogether. Typical Roanoke: everyone wants to try out the new guy on the block, so be prepared.
The prices are moderate and the food arrives blazing hot, so be careful.
Flat Rock Grille also has two locations in Greenville, S.C., a restaurant in Asheville, N.C., and a place in Hoover, Ala.
Flat Rock Grille
Valley View Mall
Roanoke, Va.
265-8646
Web site
