Rock’s

Closed

I have a shop in the neighborhood, so I have watched the transformation of a great Cajun restaurant into that of an overpriced, poorly laid out «sports bar». I have been there about a dozen times in order to watch a few games that are only broadcast on cable, and to get some grub. It wasn’t even a sports bar when it first opened. I believe that a lack of business facilitated the change.
If you believe in even slightly good service, avoid this place like the plague. The rocker dude could care less if you get anything, ever. The newer waitresses are clueless. The owner will do you right if the place is completely empty or if you are frothing at the mouth over the Ducks. In fact, the last time I was there to watch a Ducks game, the owner was carrying around a tray of shots, but since I wasn’t wearing the proper attire and screaming nonsensically, he looked right at me and walked past, handing out shots to the table next to me. This seemed like a very lame move on his part, especially since I have been there numerous times, and even spoken with him several times. I always thought a round for the house meant the entire house. Honestly, in that small joint, only about a half dozen people weren’t offered shots.
The food has been fairly good, though limited. This is a place that has a very nice kitchen that is not living up to it’s potential. The burgers are good, if you can afford them. The tots are done well, if you like tots. The hot wings are their crowning achievement. Avoid anything with chili. For some reason the cook thinks he has some great recipe, as chili seems to be the special of the day every day. I tried the chili dog once, and it seemed nothing more than an oscar meyer wiener on a tiny bun with some watery bland beans and ground beef on top. Very uninspired.
The layout of the place is terrible, almost impossible to get a good angle on tv’s when there are more than a few people in the place. The patio is nice and deserves a better business to support it. I have never seen it full.
As a result of my last visit, I have decided to find a different place to watch cable televised sports in the neighborhood. That is very unfortunate, as it is a fairly good location, and has great potential. I’m certain that by the time anyone gets to reading about this place, it will probably be gone. It doesn’t seem to have inspired the locals to go there, and seems to be a place for the owner and his buddies to get their jollies; leaving everyone else out in the cold. You’ve been warned.
UPDATE!!- Yeah they’re done. Let us all hope that something good goes into that spot. If you want some sports and great food in the neighborhood, head on down to NEPO 42. 42^nd and Killingsworth.

Worst sports bar ever.
They took over the spot of the overly-​ambitious Lagniappe on Alberta Street and tried to come up with… something. The owner told me they decided to be a sports bar a couple of months after buying the place. But here’s the problem: Sports bars require TVs. You can’t see TVs in this place if you sit in the booths because of their high backs.
The bartender on duty when I came in was stoned. Literally. He told his boss so in front of me. He was so high that he couldn’t change channels on a TV. When I asked him what beers they had on tap he told me to walk down to the bar to look.
Didn’t eat, but apparently they’re big on Tater Tots. When someone asked them for some, they were out.

Meh.
I’m completely uninspired by this place. Yes, they have a fan-​freaking-​tastic patio (hint-​hint, Laura), but I just wasn’t really feeling the vibe.
Our server gave me a bad time because I asked for a clean cup (mine had lipstick stains on it), and it took forever just to get our drinks. I know he was probably one of the only guys working, but it wasn’t even that busy.
The calamari freaked me out. They give you the kind where they fry the entire baby squid. Scary! It’s something like that that makes me almost want to think about becoming a vegetarian. I know that this is a fairly normal occurrence in restaurants, though, and if you like sticking something in your mouth that clearly has eight tentacle things plus a body, then go right ahead. It did come with a few rings, which I did try, and the batter was okay, but the squid was a little rubbery. However, the dipping aioli was ridiculously good and tasted like it contained chipotle. We saved that for fries and tots.
Speaking of tots, these were surprisingly amazing. Super crispy. All of them. Yum!
Burgers were actually hand-​patted out, and also not bad.
And for the sporty people, the inside of the restaurant is basically a sports pub with a few flat-​screen TVs.
Great place for a leisurely afternoon, but don’t come here if you’re in a hurry.