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| - This was our second try at the Top of the Rock. To be honest there are a few reasons I cannot give this 5 stars, so lets start with that so I can end on a high note.
First off, $5.00 for valet or you get to park down a steep hill and walk to the place. I think for the overall price point offering valet to patrons should be free, of course tipping your valet when you leave. The other reason, the decor of the place. It feels really dated, granted the view at sundown is amazing, but still there needs to be a little updating. Lastly, our server, she was very nice, and pleasant however she did offer us bread... OK, OK maybe she did save our waistlines, but at the end of our meal we saw what looked like delicious rolls brought to another table and we all wondered why we not offered any, I mean hey, we get the option to be fatties, right? Side note, the servers also wore jeans....not a huge deal, but did not help the ambiance...
Now on to the drinks, I had a prickly pear margarita, it was way too sweet for me (I should have known better so not issue there), the hubby had not one but two of their kiwi caipirinha's. I followed up with a regular Margarita on the rocks, it was decent.
OK now the food. We started with the shrimp appetizer, we ordered two, one for each couple to split. They were grilled with honey and lime, and had house made potato gnocchi. There was a mixture of mission figs, chorizo and cheese that accompanied the shrimp. The dish was down right awesome. The flavors were very well balanced and the shrimp were cooked perfectly. We were all very impressed.
Each of the four of us had our own main dish. I had the seasonal veggi dish. Lets just start off with the fact that yes, you can mess up vegetables, but these were great. Artisan carrots, broccolini, asparagus, buttery pieces of brussle sprouts, pouched beets all over your choice of purple roasted potatoes, red quinoa, their specialty french fries, and their might have been another choice, but I got the quinoa. It was great, and I am not a vegetarian BTW, but I wanted something lighter to eat (so dam hot out) and this was honestly good and filling. The husband had the chicken and dumplings which I had a bight of, it was a little salty for my pallet, but he sang its praise. It was made with gnocchi too. The other couple with us had the pork tenderloin which was melt in your mouth fantastic, and the pan-seared scallops. These scallops were huge! I am totally picky about scallops, I only like em small, so I passed, but both my husband and the person who ordered the dish said they were great.
Finally, desert. We were all honestly full, but I could not pass up the bread pudding. We all kind of split it. House made cinnamon ice cream with queen creek pears. We were all pleasantly surprised at how good it was. I do wish there was a better chocolate option on the menu, but that's OK I guess.
Over all, I am looking forward to returning to Top of the Rock! The service, was great, the food was eclectic, gourmet and unexpected. I really enjoyed this place our second time around. Oh, the bill for five drinks, two apps, four dinners, two espressos, and a dessert was $190.00 (without tip)! That's a great deal in my book!
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