Rokerij — Restaurant in Phoenix

We arrived in the parking lot and were greeted by the valet attendants. It dawned on us that this was a valet-only establishment, which we hadn't realized before. It usually wouldn't be a big deal, but I didn't have any cash with me, so I felt guilty about not being able to tip. I informed the attendant about my lack of cash and asked if there was any self-parking available on the property. He responded curtly, suggesting that I could park across the street. He then mentioned that he would accept Venmo as payment. I explained that I didn't have Venmo either. Before I could even express my intention to park across the street, he hurriedly walked away and ignored me. It was evident from our conversation that I still had more to say, but he chose to leave because he knew I wouldn't be able to provide a cash tip. Normally, I tend to be generous with tipping, but I was unprepared to pay for valet parking and didn't have cash on hand.

I parked across the street and found myself inside Rokerij with my party. The atmosphere was exactly what we were looking for in a dining experience, spot on. We were promptly seated in a comfortable and nice booth. Our server approached us and placed some water on the table before hurrying off. He didn't say much and failed to mention any specials or inquire about any questions or take our drink order. We waited for about 5 minutes until a woman came by and informed us that she would be taking over from the previous server who had "assisted" us. She then asked if we had placed our drink orders and if we were aware of the specials. We informed her that we hadn't been informed about the specials yet and that our drink orders had not been taken. I don't want to exaggerate the situation, as it's not a major issue on its own.

She leaves and returns with our drinks, and we are now ready to place our food orders. I choose the Seafood Linguine, my wife orders the Schnitzel, and my father-in-law opts for the New Mexican Surf n' Turf. I am informed that a house salad comes with my meal, and I receive it within 5 to 10 minutes. The salad is great, with a generous portion and a refreshing change from the usual house salads. It could have used a bit more protein to make it a satisfying standalone dish for an average person. I have no complaints about the salad itself. About 15 minutes later, our main orders arrive. The Seafood Linguine has an unexpected amount of broth at the bottom of the bowl, but it's not a major issue. The sauce and pasta flavors are on point. However, the shrimp in the dish are overcooked, although still flavorful. Shrimp are generally edible even when cooked thoroughly, so it wasn't a significant problem. On the other hand, the scallops are perfectly cooked. My Wife expresses her disappointment with her Schnitzel, describing it as flavorless and very soggy, as if it had been sitting out for a while. I confirm this by sampling it, and she had to add a considerable amount of salt and pepper to make it edible and somewhat enjoyable. She rates her meal as mediocre at best. Despite that, my father-in-law mostly enjoys his meal, except for the fact that his shrimp are also cooked into oblivion. As a tip for your cooks, perfectly cooked shrimp should form a nice "C" shape and not be tightly curled. This is an easily fixable issue—simply reduce the cooking time for the shrimp. Other than that, he loved the flavors of his meal. Overall, the experience was rather average (or "meh").

If you look at my other reviews that I have posted, you will clearly see that I don't do a ton of them and I don't just complain to complain. I was pretty turned off by the valet attendant and the fact that 30-45 dollar entres should be held to a slightly...

Tonight was a catastrophic failure of this business as a whole. I used to love this place. I've always bragged it up as the "go to" place for steak, but that ends today. This place has gone so far downhill, that we may have discovered the lost city of Atlantis. At least that would explain why the meat looks and tastes like something you'd find at the bottom of the ocean floor.

We had a large party (12) in the private room. This room has the acoustics of a YMCA pool house. If you have more than 2 conversations going at one time, your ears will be ringing at the end of the night. We had 12 people and 3-4 conversations, I might be legally deaf now.

The wait staff was atrocious and undersized for the size of the party. It seemed like 15-20 minute intervals between visits. In fact, the best example was my meal. It was inedible (we'll get to that), but the wait staff did not return after the delivery of the meal until all meals were fully consumed. I was not able to even lodge a complaint, as there was no one to lodge it to. By the time the wait staff returned (30 minutes?), we were all ready to leave. I went home hungry and thirsty. I couldn't even wash down the taste due to the lack of refill service.

I ordered the peppered steak, which was described to be a 'filet'. I requested medium. What I received was neither peppered nor filet nor medium. More than 50% of the cut of beef was tendon, so I would argue I was served well-done tendon. The other 50% looked like it had been microwaved or broiled (with no sign of searing). The small amount of meat I was able to attempt to consume was chewy and tough. I would guess low-grade tenderloin at best. The baked potato was also inedible. I was not able to break through the hard cheese to get to the potato, as I did not invite Chuck Norris to dinner.

I requested the steak be removed from the bill, but I didn't pay (thank god) so I'm not really sure if it was. I was courteous and didn't make a big deal out of it at the time, because I'd much rather leave a public review for others to read so they can avoid being served microwaved tendon.

I will not be dining here ever again. Please follow in Durant's foot steps and sell the business to someone who knows what they are doing. Only then...

Welcome to Phoenix- hub of South-West categorical gems just waiting to be discovered. Richardson's "Rokerij" franchise represents the regions cuisine with flawless mastery. From interior design to menu items, Rokerij appeals to those with an appreciation for design (insert:casa) & creative utilization of ingredients. Are you visiting Phoenix from a different region of the country? Rokerij is an excellent choice for business meetings, small groups & couples alike. This single-story brick complex is covered in desert flora, contains numerous private dining areas, patio & full-service bar. Its adjoining patio is spacious in contrast to the main dining room & is inclusive to those with a fresh-air dining preference. With that being said, Rokerij accommodates to all setting preferences- with unique dining areas compartmentalized within its single-story.

Richardson's Rokerij is more "famously" known for its locally acclaimed/unique-to-franchise menu items. Home to the deconstructed green chilie "jacket potato", a South-West regional/franchise speciality. Creative utilization of the green chilie- (potato deconstructed, spiced & used as pepper "stuffing"). An additional glimpse into offerings includes; salmon bites, calamari, pesce specials & simple South-West desserts such as flan. Pescatarians delight, as 5+ Pacific & Atlantic cuts line the ocean specials list on a given evening. My "dinner" special entreé of sea bass, red beets & jacket green chilie was exquisite & generous in portion size. The bass embodied a silky, white texture & was prepared with superior quality standards. Generous portions of high quality selections categorizes Richardson's Rokerij as a moderate/high price-point venue. An effortless 5/5 - displaying proficiency in design concept, quality standards & creative utilization of regional vegetation. Rokerij's green chilli "jacket potato" - locally acclaimed,...