Rocco's Italian Grille & Bar — Restaurant in Winter Park

I would give a five star my 1star exception is for lack flexible creativity - I lean towards vegetarian even when i'm not encompassed by such a mental state.

So for as long as I can remember I have looked at menus completely dismissing the pasta pages and very few restaurants have any decent vegetarian and a salad with some grilled shrimp or chicken is boring and very pedestrian who cares nothing to write home about why bother even going out to eat.

So in the last year I discovered that the delicious pasta dishes minus the pasta noodles instead are put on a mixed lettuce spinach etc.

These have been outstanding enjoyable experiences.

I have taken pictures of my meals because it's so beautiful like art and taste so delicious that I'm actually excited and desire to revisit again.

The same can't be said for a boring salad with something thrown on top. again why bother.

So I made my request this chef says no he can't do it I ask him please he said it's too hot - wilted greens, I said ok can you put the hot stuff on one side and the greens on the other side the plate- no, I went further and asked can you put the hot stuff minus the pasta in one bowl in the greens in another bowl -yes

And that's how it was served at a small table with four people so I took the bowl of lettuce poured it over my hot creamy goodness seafood bonanza stashing the greens bowl underneath my hot bowl since there was no one around to take it and kind of did a stir toss, to dress the greens

I have to say every single bite was yummy and delicious and by the way the romain was crunchy to the last bite my bowl was empty and I was pleased and satisfied.

I tried to engage the chef and let him know how happy I was. I made a comment to the table that he didn't seem to be happy and that was sad that we both couldn't be happy.

I understand the menu and the dishes are put together, are well thought out, reproduced and delivered with exquisite perfection.

I offered the chef an opportunity to be creative with me I had confidence in what I was asking for. My only wish is that he will see this reflect on it and perhaps become a little more open minded

The seafood was cooked to perfection every single bite the sauce enhanced the seafood.

Sitting right next to me another diner ordered the same meal hers was served straight up from the menu - to be honest when I looked over at it I thought it looked boring to have a big bowl bite after bite it would be the same creamy tomato and a lot of white she enjoyed and said it was delicious but did not finish it I would probably get bored and stop eating if I ate pasta. there was no color or anything fresh and exciting to cut the rich creaminess

I'm not a chef I'm not a critic - spending good money for a memorable or forgettable meals, I stopped eating out and I have to say I certainly appreciate and value each and every rare occasions when the unexpected chance encounter occurs

so I leave this meal with mixed feelings,

The dish was indeed DELICIOUS

Chefs attitude and lack of willingness to entertain a guests request made him a poor host

defend your menu restaurants open and close...

If I could give this place zero stars I would. And if you read other negative reviews, and about the owner’s bad temper, you would see that my experience was not singular. (One too many of the same kind of reviews needs to be believed). DO NOT SKIP.

I’ve worked in hospitality and fine dining for many years. I know the restaurant industry, and I care for small businesses. So for me to write my review today is because people need to be warned about this owner and really know who they are supporting with their money. I don’t ever write reviews because the server might’ve have a bad day and given bad service, or the kitchen could be overworked and not provided dish at the levels they normally do. This is neither of those situations. So regrettably...

I ordered a Gorgonzola steak, took ONE bite, and knew the steak was going bad. I’ve worked in several fine steakhouses—so I know steaks. I let the server know, she kindly asked me if I wanted something else and I got the gnocchi instead. As I’m halfway through the gnocchi, the owner approaches my table and “just wanted to let me know” that he had tried my steak and there nothing was wrong with it. I was taken aback because when a manager/owner approaches the table, it’s usually is to check and make sure the second dish comes out to the persons liking—standard service is to issue an apology but I wasn’t looking for that. But I definitely didn’t get that. I got an aggressive/enraged man yelling at me hysterically for sending back a bad steak.

The first rule of customer service is empathy—you may not agree with the customer but you don’t certainly go to their table to tell them otherwise. But he immediately told me that I was wrong for sending it back, in a loud and angry and intimidating voice. Mind you it’s just my mother and I dining (two women). He eventually yelled at us to “PAY AND GET OUT”. He repeated this many times to our table (even after storming off), even though I was still halfway though my meal, lost my appetite, and was simply waiting on my check (believe me I didn’t want to be there a second longer—I felt threatened.)

Cherry on top? He also told me to “GO TO HELL” on my way out.

Again, I’ve worked in restaurants for 15+ years. I don’t escalate situations simply because I know how rough the industry is. But this guy’s immediate and intense reaction to me not liking the steak had my mom and I completely nervous. I’ve never in my life received this type of treatment anywhere—much less in a restaurant.

I should’ve called the police and filed a report on this man. I fear for the women in his life, and for any woman dining/working in this establishment.

Do not dine here, not only is the food overpriced and subpar—the owner can/will yell at you should things not go HIS WAY—and you don’t want that kind of an experience on a night out...

Serendipitous Magical dining experience! My husband drives by this restaurant all week long & decided we should check it out. We called at 7pm on a Friday night and were accommodated for an 8:30pm reservation. Upon arrival we thought we were in for a treat. The ambiance felt really nice with live music & what appeared to be a friendly and welcoming place. We were seated in the back of the restaurant in a corner; there were 4 of us and our newborn grand baby in a carriage. When I opened the menu and saw the Magical Dining menu I was excited. I had heard about this but we haven’t experienced it. Our first server seemed uncomfortable interacting with us, she couldn’t get past simple questions - probably too simple for her. Her vibe & disposition was uncomfortable. She definitely seemed irritated by us, to the point that she walked away from us and went to another table leaving us in mid sentence. She returned to take our order insisting that we specifically order our dishes in the exact sequence of the menu (seemed a bit militant & inflexible). When I attempted to let her know how we were experiencing her and that she needed to be kind she proceeded to get argumentative. At this point I requested a new server. The owner came over and obliged our request. The new server was superb! Genuinely enthusiastic, knew the menu very well and made recommendations accordingly. He was patient, engaging and I wish I could remember his name to give him the recognition he deserves. The food was okay not as extravagant as their prices. The lamb chops were ok, the Cannelloni would have been my favorite dish, however, it arrived lukewarm and I didn’t want to make a fuss after the server situation. The puff pastry was my favorite item on the magical dining menu. Our son’s chicken cutlet was ok (not on the magical dining menu). The veal Marsala was tasty. Didn’t take any pics; didn’t want to appear like we were being Karens. The portions were very small. We wouldn’t give our hard earned money at this establishment...