Frankie Rowland's Steakhouse — Restaurant in Roanoke

Below is a Review I left over a year ago. I’m keeping it up to show how the same food that was ordered changed. Sad to say it’s not the same experience.

The waitstaff were notified via reservation and verbal communication twice that it was my sisters birthday (normally they’re very sweet, and put a candle on whatever dessert we order, but there was no acknowledgement). Of course this isn’t something that immediately was offputting, we were just happy to be there, but with the way the rest of the meal went it’s worth noting.

We ordered oysters Rockefeller, but what we got was oysters on the half shell. No worries, they corrected this mistake and brought out oysters Rockefeller . But The oysters Rockefeller had no visible cheese on it, just spinach and bacon.

The steak was charred, bland, and definitely smaller. It’s worth noting that everyone in our party left hungry.

Additionally the Brussel sprouts were so aldente the they were practically raw, like hard to chew, break a tooth raw and white in the centers. We sent them back and they did continue cooking but by the time the Brussels came out we were finished with our meal.

The cavatapi was bland and needed copious salting. The portion size was smaller than they’ve ever been. I used to struggle to finish, but now I find myself in an unfortunate position of being both hungry and dissatisfied after the meal.

The bread pudding which is normally hot, was cold. And considering that this desert is comprised of a Krispy Kreme doughnut, we essentially paid for an over priced cold Krispy Kreme doughnut and not a hot bread pudding. The molten cake was an over cooked chocolate pound cake with no molten center whatsoever, also not hot.

I have left the original review from over a year ago to demonstrate how much we have loved Frankie Rowland‘s, and how consistently excellent their service has been over the years. However tonight was very different. Every food option we had was disappointing, and the service was disappointing, which made my sisters birthday a letdown. ———————— Original review:

Do yourself a favor and reserve a table and ask for Alex as a main server. I will follow Alex's food and wine recommendations as if he were Moses himself leading me through the desert. Let's start with our favorite app, the Oysters Rockafeller. Who would've thought that the BEST oysters I'd ever had were in a little mountain valley town like Roanoke? Having grown up by the ocean, I never thought you could get decent seafood so far inland. Clearly Frankie Rowlands spares no expense for quality food. Now the steak, OH THE STEAK. Let me tell you, this isn't beef. No, I'm 100% sure that this is magical unicorn fillet, responsibly raised in Narnia itself. It is cooked so perfectly it melts like butter in your mouth hole. It is as tender as a freshly skinned angel. The knife is basically for show, you won't need it. Now the sides, we are partial to the cavatopi, and brussel sprouts. Mind you, I HATE brussel sprouts. They are the devil's bunions as far as I'm concerned. But not these little beauties, oh no. So savory and sweet with their balsalmic goodness, it makes me question what else I've been wrong about in my life. Lastly, the dessert; I can only speak to the bread pudding, and chocolate lava cake. The best way I could describe both of these would be like, if Christmas itself (or whatever your favorite holiday/time of year is) hugged you from the inside and told you all your dreams are going to come true. Do not come through roanoke without eating here, it's 100% worth it. This place is the complete package when compared to places like Capital Grille in DC, or Ruth's Chris. ...

The good: Cocktails were amazing, food was delicious. Lisa was great..the single redeeming quality of the customer service experience... that and most were on top of water refills.

The bad: Waited in the lobby for 10 minutes with no host in sight, multiple bar and wait staff looking at us multiple times and still nobody comes. Then an older group of 4 walk in and a server immediately comes and greets them instead of us. Cocktails took a while but they were worth it at least. Bread was served cold... like a baguette from Foodlion bakery had just been cut and served..it might have been from Foodlion..bread game extremely weak. The guy who seated us and Lisa both made a point to let us know that we could ask any server for anything because they all shared responsibility..except on multiple occasions the others would just not complete the request or even notify Lisa of the request. The presentation is completely drab. If you are charging $50 - $90 for an entree it should look like it is worth the price...instead we were served with charred steak on a plain white plate with a sprig of rosemary..this is because sides are ala cart for $13 each in "sharable" portions (first time I have ever seen this....entrees should be specially crafted at these prices). So, for a couple having dinner you can get some sides with your $50 - $90 steak by paying an additional $26 but dont expect them to be plated in an appealing way, rather they will be slopped into some weird dish and, if it is like our experience, the sides will come out 15 minutes after your entrees... and to add insult to injury, they wont even box up these overpriced sides even after you specifically tell them to box them up..... we did not notice we were missing the sides until the following day. I thought about calling to speak with someone but there is really no excuse for such a failure so I decided to post a review and not come back. We also never saw a manager..anywhere..none came by to check on us or anyone else for that matter. I worked in many fine dining establishments and this is the telltale sign of bad management. If your guests are spending $100-200 per person you should probably stop by to ensure everything is going well..... the dessert was very good but had almost finished it, intentionally eating it as slowly as possible, while waiting on coffee, which had been requested three different times to three different people. In spite of it all, I left a 25% tip because the bar tenders made wonderful drinks and Lisa provided friendly, welcoming, and caring service unlike any other person we encountered that night. They split tips here and that usually helps provide a better service environment in my personal and professional experience so it seems strange to get snubbed by everyone except the primary server.

The verdict: Hard pass. Great potential but for the overall experience this place is way overpriced. Both front and back of house showed serious issues and unfortunately those issues greatly outweighed...

Frankie Rowland's Steakhouse 104 South Jefferson St. Roanoke, VA

5-Stars

On the final leg of our sojourn around the Eastern Seaboard, we decided to try the highly rated Frankie Rowland's Steakhouse in ancient Roanoke, VA. Keeping a wary eye on my GPS (I didn't want to go missing) we soon arrived at our destination. Stepping out of the Big Boy Mobile with an air of equitation, we stepped inside. Having been here since 2001, one could argue they have become something of an icon in these parts, famously known for their selection of potables boasting over 120 wines and 130 liquors and offering 70 different kinds of martinis. I suspect, had this been around in the 50s, this would have been Deano's favorite haunt.

When I partake of fine dining out of town, I really turn the Big Boy character on high speed since there is a less than 1% chance anyone will recognize me. This allows me to be an extra persnickety diner for sh*ts & giggles. Hunter is our waiter this evening and he truly rolled with the punches. I put him through the wringer with my questions, and he, along with the entire service staff, was amazing. This garnered a 100% tip. Yes, you read that right.

I asked Hunter for one Sidecar Martini, a Caesar salad and a 20 oz Ribeye with a side of Brussels sprouts. Sitting back and reflecting on our short jaunt my companion and I leisurely awaited Hunter's return. My drink came before the meal, as requested, and was superb. Hats off to the barkeep. Snapping the required pics of the place, I saw Hunter returning with our grub. I could smell the steak from here, or someone's steak, regardless I was practically drooling by the time he reached our table.

As I actually do posses a modicum of culture (thanks mom) I began with the Caesar salad. As one can see from the picture, the lettuce was fresh, dark green and crisp. The Parmesan was freshly shaved and the anchovies were bedded on top. This is the standard al Caesar salads should be held against. Masterful!

Before I talk about the steak, I implore you to take a look at that picture. Now, look again. What you are looking at, loyal reader is the perfect steak. It is seared the correct amount and is just a beautiful shade of red on the inside. One bite and the meat practically melted on my tongue it was so tender. This had to be some of the best bovine flesh I've ever had the pleasure of masticating. Seriously, this was so incredibly good, I'm looking at nearby real estate. Not really, but I've a mind to!

The Big Boy says, “If you find yourself in Roanoke for some reason, perhaps looking for the lost colony or within 150 miles, stop and eat here. Frankie Rowland's is in my...