photo by Janet Wilson
Our most recent adventure took us to the Red Rock Grill at 1743 Dayton Boulevard. This is a very small restaurant, which seems to be more of a bar in that it features television and games, complete with customers shouting at the TV.
I asked for a carry out menu so I could use it with the article, but they didn’t have any. I also asked that one be faxed to me, and they said they would “in a few minutes”. Still waiting.
As soon as we walked in I knew it was going to be fairly unpleasant. I am one of those people that are usually cold or comfortable, so when I realized how hot it was, I knew it was going to be unbearable for Wayne.
After looking over the menu, we decided not to order an appetizer and just go straight for the meal. In fact, I debated on whether to stay at all; it was that hot. I asked our server if it was always that hot in there and she said they were having air conditioner problems.
Wayne’s decision on his entree was made by trying to decide what would take the least amount of time to prepare since it was so uncomfortable. He decided on the grilled shrimp. You get three with a salad and side item. He ordered the baked potato. I ordered Tilapia with mango salsa and selected asparagus for my side.
The salads looked very nice and fresh – mixed baby greens with bacon bits, shredded cheese, honey roasted pecans, red onion, grape tomatoes and a slice of hard-boiled egg. The only problem with the salads is that they weren’t cold. The tomatoes were as if they hadn’t been chilled at all. I have no problem with unchilled tomatoes, but I prefer my lettuce at least cool. To his credit, Wayne never complained, he just ate the warm salad.
The menu describes the shrimp as so large that the three of them are comparable to a dozen elsewhere. I will agree that they are large, but not that large. However, Wayne said they were quite good. He took most of his baked potato home because it wasn’t done.
My tilapia was delicious. It was moist and cooked perfect, not overdone. The salsa was more red peppers than mango, but it was quite good and the grilled asparagus was very tender. I did end up taking at least half the tilapia home to eat later because it was just too hot in there to enjoy my food. A few of the other sides offered were beer battered fries, Parmesan mashed potatoes and macaroni & cheese. I am assuming they do not serve bread since none was served to us.
Since I don’t have a menu to advise you of prices and we also didn’t get an itemized bill, I can tell you that for our two meals and one drink, it came to a total of $32.48.
There were several items on the menu that I thought would be tempting, had it been cooler. We might have tried the Blue Chips, which are freshly fried chips sprinkled with seasoning (neither of us care for the sprinkled on seasonings as both of us feel it takes away from the taste of the main toppings or dips), topped with buttermilk blue cheese, mixed cheese, pico de gallo and chopped green onions.
Red Rock offers a Kobe beef burger, as well as an Angus Bacon Cheeseburger on a ciabatta bun. They also have fish tacos and sliders. I am told for the slider you can select from a two ounce slice of marinated beef loin or sea bass that is served on a bun that has been quick fried in order to be crispy on the outside while remaining moist on the inside. That sounds interesting.
I looked up information on “sliders” to see exactly what people thought they were and found many descriptions, but this one says it all: “The slider! So named because of the ease with which it enters, and exits, the gastrointestinal system.” So, a slider sandwich can be any type of food that doesn’t “stay” very long!
Hours for Red Rock Grill are 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday. They are closed on Sunday.
Don’t forget to check-out our website, and enter your comments - Chattanooga Dine Out
We’re excited about the number of comments and members we’ve signed up in only three weeks! And, new this week, we’ve added a chat room!
cdojanet@chattanoogadineout.com