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The restaurant emphasizes locally produced, fresh ingredients, which means the menu changes with the seasons. We hadn’t been there since last April and thought it was time for a return visit. It’s a long, narrow, two-story restaurant with wonderful dark wood booths, tables, chairs, and a lovely bar. When the outdoor deck is open, it’s accessed from the 2nd floor. The ambiance is that of a welcoming, neighborhood pub.
We took a booth with a street view and were promptly served. From the ten “shared plate” offerings, we selected kobe steak rancheros for our appetizer. The grilled marinated steak was served with spanish rice, roasted salsa, crispy onions, and a poached egg. The combination was delicious, and the dish was exquisitely presented and prepared.
We didn’t want salad or sushi for our main courses so we were left with the nine sandwich selections. The Niko sounded interesting with prosciutto cotto, mortadella, cappicola, spinach, tomato, red onion, olive spread, and provolone, served on Nantucket sour dough bread. It was an interesting combination of flavors and an enjoyable change from more mundane sandwich fare.
Braised pork loin, garlic greens, spicy giardiniera, provolone, au jus on a Nantucket French roll made up the Italian pork sandwich. The overall taste was slightly muddied because there were so many competing flavors. It was a bit over-complicated. The pork was lightly seasoned and the roll was very fresh. Orzo salad or chips accompany the sandwiches, and fries can be added for an additional $2.00.
Other than the idle hostess continually staring at us, we had no complaints about the service. Our server was helpful and attentive. The kitchen and the deck are shared with the adjacent Republic, which is not open for lunch. Check out the basement to see a very interesting part of this old building. You will feel as though you’re in a catacomb while searching for the lower level restroom.Great pub atmosphere and interesting food choices make Rockwell’s worth a visit. Menus are online, and the restaurant will validate one hour parking in the parking ramp behind the restaurant.www.rockwellsgrandrapids.com
Eighty degrees in Grand Rapids called for outdoor dining, and this week, Rockwell’s outdoor deck was open. The view is diminished due to the new parking garage that dwarfs the deck, but it’s still a great place to dine. There are about twelve tables of varying sizes and only four were occupied when we arrived around 12:30.
From the twelve interesting starters, we narrowed our choice down to lamb quesadillas, tuna poke, or lettuce cups. Our server recommended the quesadillas, and he didn’t steer us wrong. They had a really great spicy kick and combined well with the salsa and lime flavoring (chipotle monterey jack cheese, black bean salsa, lime sour cream). Quesadillas extraordinaire.
Sandwiches are a little more mundane but most offered at least one out of the ordinary ingredient. We selected a french dip (shaved beef, caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, smoked gouda cheese, ciabatta bread, au jus) and it was fine but a little bland. More seasoning would have been helpful. Everything was fresh and nicely presented, as was the meatball sandwich (house made garlic-parmesan meatballs, provolone, basil marinara, ciabatta bread). This was a better sandwich than the french dip and the accompanying fries were nicely, lightly seasoned. The problem with the meatball sandwich was that it was sloppy and difficult to eat, which takes away from the enjoyment.
Both were big sandwiches and we each took half home, along with half of the quesadillas. Ciabatta bread has great texture and consistency but it is big bread, and really more than we need. But I digress. Along with providing a nice outdoor venue, Rockwell’s also consistently gives great service. Friendly, informative, and efficient - you can’t ask for more than that.
The restaurant has a great atmospheric interior but we tend to save this place for outdoor dining. The deck is shared with the adjoining restaurant, Republic, and they also share the kitchen. Republic’s doesn’t open until four, however, so enter through Rockwell’s for the deck at lunchtime. Menus for both establishments are online. We spent $40.00 today and enjoyed a nice meal under the sun.
www.rockwellsgrandrapids.com
www.republicgrandrapids.com
