Rock House — Restaurant in Searcy

When we arrived, there was a 20 minute wait which we honestly didn't mind as we were enjoying the atmosphere (there are toy soldiers hidden in the lobby). The restaurant was half empty when we were seated. The restaurant looked like some sort of steakhouse that had been converted into I'm not really sure (there are guitars everywhere so maybe a music store?) but didn't look like a nice steakhouse anymore. There are lots of TVs with different games up so it felt kind of like a sports bar but the thing that caught my attention the most was how filthy the place was.

As we walked to the table we had to step over napkins and other trash that was in the floor and when we arrived to the table it was sticky and dirty and the QR code was tattered and peeling sticking up in the air (it became very annoying throughout the night having to deal with that). We were handed menus that were torn and dirty and asked what we wanted to drink. Glancing over the menu returned no results for drinks, neither what they offered or their prices so the waitress rattled off what they offered so quickly we could only grasp the first couple. We eventually found them listed online (they aren't on the downloadable menu either.)

We were there with family who had eaten there before and they assured us the food was good. At this point I was excited to order a Bo$$ burger (bacon and pimento cheese) as I love pimento cheese. At this point I unwrap my silverware to find a dirty fork.

When the food arrived, the fried tasted like they were fried in an ice cream batter and we're delicious and hot. It was about 50 degrees outside and not much warmer inside so that did last too long. The burger was another story. The pimento cheese was putrid. It tasted like it was made from pickled pimentos or had something like old relish in it. I was very disappointed. It was disgusting. I was hoping for something as excellent as the pimento at Lost 40 but me and my taste buds were very disappointed. Store bought garbage would have been a huge improvement over that. Afraid to send it back (if the restaurant was this dirty what would the kitchen be like?) I scraped it off and ate it that way. Now as for the bacon and the patty, both were good. The bacon was thick cut and had lots of flavor. It wasn't chewy but was crispy enough it just broke off with slight pressure without being burnt.

After staring at all the cables hanging everywhere, I watched another group of people seated at a table with trash in the floor below it and they wiped the table down themselves. Now as someone who has worked in restaurants for years, I'm patient with these things and understand that sometimes you get busy and miss things, but that definitely wasn't the case here. The servers were standing around in the front, and I watched no less than 8 people walk over the trash multiple times heading into the kitchen with empty hands and not one stopped and picked up the trash and throw it away. What shocked me most is how everyone in the restaurant just seemed to step over the trash or wipe their own tables down and sit with the trash. I don't know if Searcy just doesn't have clean restaurants so this is the norm but the only reason I stayed was because of family. Even the air ducts were rusted and dirty. I won't be back, and that's sad because this place clearly has some potential, just not direction or standards apparently.

I didn't get pictures of cords hanging down the walls or the HUGE mess we walked over coming in and going out as I was trying to spend time with my family. At this point I wish I had so people would know I'm not just being some...

This was my first time to visit. My wife has had lunch here with friends several times when she was in the area. She spoke well of the food and service. She said usually the portions were more than a normal person should eat. So, we drove the 35 miles up to it Friday evening arriving around 5:30PM

The parking lot was packed and vehicles were waiting for slots. Upon entering, the vestibule was similarly packed with at least 6 families waiting. We were told the wait time would be 20 minutes. Several families came and left upon learning the wait time. Obviously, this is a very popular place!

We were called in just under 20 minutes. Upon entering the dinning room, we noticed at least 1/4th of the tables and booths were empty. This did not bode well. Like so many businesses these days, The Rock House is short staffed. The one sheet menu is old and worn and the print is tiny 3pt in most categories and very difficult for old eyes to read. They really need to have much larger print menus! After a 15 minute wait, our server approached. She was pleasant and friendly.

We decided to split the 5 piece Catfish dinner between us. It was listed at $17.99.

In less than 10 minutes were were served. 5 pieces of Catfish in which only one piece was marginally large enough to be served! Seriously! One of the pieces was only 2" long with virtually no meat. All breading, 3 pieces were 3" long with 1/4" of meat. The fist piece was 7" long and 1/2" of meat. Four of those pieces should never had been in the fryer. This is a kitchen and management failure! There were more than enough French fries. We said nothing as the servers were obviously over-worked already. We left hungry. Did they treat us this way because we old people ordered a split? And, BTW, they charged $18.71. Was that the cost of adding to the split for another plastic dish? Again, a management failure. Of cosue, this IS a popular place so why should they care?

I will give it another chance some day but from this one bad experience, even though the catfish tasted good, we were treated badly and will never order it again nor can I recommend that any one order the catfish dinner until there are more than a few reviews going forward that indicate they have learned a lesson and serve worthy...

how to cook a burger Divide the ground beef. Divide the ground beef into 4 or 6 portions, depending on the number of burgers you would like to make. Shape the patties. Gently press each portion of ground beef into a disk about 1-inch thick. Press the middle to create a shallow “dimple” and pat the edges into a round — the patty should look like a frisbee and be slightly larger than your burger buns. Warm the pan. Heat a pat of butter or a teaspoon of oil in a griddle or large skillet over medium heat. Toast the buns. Working in batches if needed, place the bun halves cut-side down in the warm butter or oil. Toast until the surface is golden-brown. Increase the heat to medium-high. Increase the heat to medium-high, and keep a careful eye on the pan. When you see the first wisp of smoke, you’re ready to cook the burgers. Cook the burgers. Place the burger patties in the hot pan, leaving a little space between each one. Work in batches if necessary. Generously season with salt and pepper, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the burgers. Quickly slide a spatula under the burgers and flip to the other side. Season the other side generously with salt and pepper, and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes to your preferred doneness. To make cheeseburgers. If making cheeseburgers, top the burgers with cheese as soon as you flip them. If the cheese isn’t melting fast enough, cover the pan with a lid or other dome to encourage the cheese to melt. Finish the burgers. When the burgers have finished cooking, transfer them to the toasted buns and finish with your favorite...