I love to venture out to NEW places when I go out to dinner. Sorry, I'm not a regular at the Olive Garden, Applebees or Red Lobster like some negroes I know (even though I enjoy all of those places).
It would be a shame for me to go to the same old spots everytime because the Valley has so many unique and interesting restaurants. I visited one of those unique and interesting eateries last weekend - it's called The Rokerij.
Honestly, I don't know how to pronounce The Rokerij, and I'm usually skeptical about going to a place if I can't say its name. However, The Rokerij had really good reviews on the Web so I decided to check it out.
The Rokerij is located on the southeast corner of 16th Street and Maryland Avenue in Phoenix. From the outside, it's not all that extraordinary. It's not bad-looking though - let's just say it's charming. It's a small, dark house made out of cobblestone sitting on a small parking lot. It reminded me of Kazmierz from the outside. I knew I was going to be payin' some serious dough when I realized that only valet parking was being offered.
You step on the porch to enter the restaurant and off the right, you'll see a staircase leading down to a great bar. More on that later ...
Go inside the restaurant and you feel like you've stepped into a classy underworld. I almost thought that I'd need to give the hostess a secret password in order to be allowed inside. It was a nice, cozy, dark restaurant with big booths and a fireplace. The music was pumpin'. It was a mix of contemporary music, but it fit the mood. I was surprised to see the specials of the day written on chalkboards that lined the wooden walls - a real cool touch. There's even a secret dining room in the back and I had to wonder how many celebrities and big wigs gathered in there!
Our server was great, I ordered a chimayo chicken dish (chicken with stuffed spinach covered with marinara sauce) with wine and my girlfriend had one of the specials - blackened halibut with wine.
Wow ... the food was amazing! Speaking of stuffed ... I could barely move after I was done. The portions were big! Not Claim Jumper big, but you'd get your fill here!
The Rokerij wasn't the most romantic restaurant in the world, but it's still good for romance. I think it's a better place for people who are with a group of friends.
By the way, make sure you get reservations before you go to The Rokerij.
Oh, and the bar downstairs was tight! I didn't stay too long because I was catchin' a case of the "I-tis" after that meal upstairs! But trust me, you'd want to hang with your peoples there or even potential clients if you're trying to impress them.
As for the damage ... OUCH! You'll be lucky if you pay less than $35 per person at The Rokerij. But every now and then, it's good to splurge and reward yourself!
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