| rev:text
| - We are new to the area, so we opted to try the Roaring Fork (RF) as part of the AZ Restaurant Week promotion for $44 p/p. It was a good dining experience; however, I agree with the overall Yelp 4-star (ours is a 3.5+ rounded up) rating for RF for a few reasons:
1) Though the decor/ambiance is casual with antlers, a western theme, 70's music, and a lively bar, the white table cloths and black-attired, formal/stiff servers are inconsistent with the more modern vibe and moderately-priced menu items.
2) Both of the Delmonico/rib eye steaks we ordered were seasoned PERFECTLY and cooked precisely to our specifications, so kudos to the kitchen; however, the tastiness was almost overshadowed by the chewiness. The tenderness of the meat is a result of its inherent quality; the chefs can only cook the meat they are given. We hold management/the meat buyer responsible for selecting a lesser quality cut that was also sliced too thick for it to be easily consumed. I hope that lesser cuts weren't purchased for the Restaurant Week promotion? This would be foolhardy because for couples like us who eat out frequently and are new to the area, we were assessing whether we'd return to RF from our initial visit.
My frozen lime margarita was delicious, my husband loved his tortilla soup appetizer and I loved my salad with dried cranberries, candied walnuts, and goat cheese. The mashed potatoes that accompanied the steaks were also yummy. I had the chocolate pecan pie with butter pecan ice cream. It was to die for.... Decadent and outstanding! My husband's creme brule custard suffered from being too loose under its hard shell with a more dominant vanilla flavor than we are used to.
So, yes, we are qualified fans of the Roaring Fork and intend to try them again in the future.
P.S. We did take our steak leftovers and will enjoy them at home despite the jaw exercise :-).
|