Rock 'n Roll Ribs

Reviews

Name: William Farrugia
Occupation: Firearms Instructor
Lives In: Lake Worth
Restaurant Pick: Rock ‘n Roll Ribs
Reviewed Rock ‘n Roll Ribs Cafe: 09/06/10 at 7 pm

We arrived hungry and late for a Sunday night dinner on a holiday weekend. The place was jumping with most tables filled, music playing. We were seated immediately, drinks and orders taken shortly after. Servers were all fun, polite and very efficient. The Iron Maiden / rock and roll décor and atmosphere along with the on screen live show had us dancing in our seats and singing along. Our 3 year old son loved the place. Food arrived. Wow! Lots of food, but they didn’t sacrifice quality for quantity. The attention to flavor detail carries through from the ribs, to the beans, to the kid’s meal. If visiting with a party of 4 or more, tackle the Appetite of the Beast. This huge family style platter offers a large sampling of each of their BBQ meats and sides – a great way to see what Rock N Roll Ribs has to offer.

Name: Lisagaye Tomlinson
Occupation: IT Operations Manager­
Lives In: Fort Lauderdale
Restaurant Pick: Bizaare Avenue Cafe
Reviewed Rock ‘n Roll Ribs: 09/12/10 at 1:00 p.m.

Parking was easy as there was not a lot of restaurant traffic at the time we arrived. I have to admit; I probably would not have tried this restaurant, going by name alone, had I casually driven by. Usually, you would associate rhythm and blues music with rock and roll but soon discovered I would be pleasantly surprised. My friend and I took a seat by the window and immediately began surveying the restaurant’s decorated walls and statues. Signed electric guitars occupied some walls and there was a large flat screen showing an Aerosmith concert and following, a Journey concert. I noticed quite a bit of Iron Maiden paraphernalia. There were also rock and roll masks, a rock and roll sarcophagus, and what seemed to be a little souvenir area. Each menu item was displayed on a decorative concert ticket stub, which I thought clever. You can see the two cooks in the kitchen through an open window with a large counter. The restaurant had a nice selection of items from ribs to half and whole chicken to even filet mignon. Our server was very friendly and attentive.

We decided to start with the fried onion rings and I ordered the St. Louis ribs and some Buffalo chicken wings as well. Our server told us the onion rings were served with a secret sauce. When I asked what type of sauce it was she answered, “oh, it’s secret,” which made me chuckle. I then asked if it was creamy and she answered that it was and that I would like it. Of course a true rock and roll restaurant would serve food on [heavy] metal plates! I was impressed with that detail. When the onion rings arrived I was stunned at their size. There were about five to six large-cut rings and looked so crispy and crunchy that I could not wait to try them. They were as I suspected- hot, extra crunchy, and delicious. The sauce was a type of remoulade that I shamelessly mixed with a little ketchup and dipped my onion pieces in. They were great!

The chicken wings were a little too tangy for me but they were fresh and hot and tasty. I can usually taste items that have been frozen for a while and I was thankful these chicken wings were not. They serve them the way I like them; the drumette separated from the full wingette. I have long favored the tiniest portion of the wingette that many people throw away and I was glad they included them. The ribs came out shortly after the wings and they were a nice, dark, smoky color with a light brush of sauce. All of the tables had containers of extra regular, tangy, hot, and mustard barbecue sauces but I did not fell the need to use any beyond what was already basted on the ribs. The ribs were served with a slice of garlic toast that I polished off. The rib meat was very tender and the sauce was tasty. I barbecue at home often and only frequent barbecue restaurants I know are good. To me, the sauce says everything about the barbecue. It can even somewhat mask badly cooked ribs. If the sauce is not good, the barbecue is really not worth it to me.

You get a lot of value for the price. I’ve seen an order of ten chicken wings elsewhere for double the price but half the taste. I sampled some of my friend’s pulled pork sandwich and she and I agreed it was very good. The pork was tender with the right amount of smokiness. I also tried the baked beans, which had pieces of pulled pork in them; they were tasty as well. There were not a lot of patrons in the restaurant when we dined- only about five to six occupied tables. The clientele, though diverse in external appearance, all seemed to have a love for this place. I thought it funny that the two cooks, who no doubt watch the looped concerts in the restaurant when they work, watched the large flat screen during their free moments from cooking. It seemed like the staff were at one with the rock and roll image.

There is one thing I regret not investigating; the black cylindrical container on the table with a mysterious label referring to some secret spices. I was not actually sure if it was just a decorative piece or if it had additional spices for the food. I recall the instructions indicated an arrow and the direction to twist the container.

Name: Paul Goss
Occupation: Cookie Distributor
Lives In: Coral Springs 
Restaurant Pick: Casa Maya
Reviewed: Rock ‘n Roll Ribs: 09/03/10 at 7:00

Ok, was a bit hard to find, but once we did, we knew we were in the right place. The moment we walked in, the slight smell of smokiness, along with the whole vibe of the place, definitely awoke all our senses. The place was packed and buzzin, we were lucky to get one the two remaining tables. Our server Bianca approached us quickly and was full of energy and info. Based on our questions about the menu, she pretty much deduced that we were first timers. She then told us the whole very cool story of the owner Nicko who happens to be the Drummer for Iron Maiden and how he lives just up the road in Boca and is in the place quite a bit. She had mentioned that the next time we are in and if here is there, she would be happy to bring him over to the table. Any way, that explains an unbelievable décor, a mini Hard Rock to say the least with authentic Metal memorabilia, two video boards and what has to be the coolest part: a mini stage complete with a small lighting grid and two big old Marshall amps in the center of the place.

At this point Bianca is helping us to figure out the menu, which is based on Rock tour expressions, actually kind of fun. I had noticed that these huge onion rings were being served to a bunch of different tables, so we asked about them and we were assured we would not be disappointed. These were the best Rings I have ever had, huge, crispy, breading that stayed on and absolutely grease free, I am not kidding, unbelievable!! We went on to order the Baby Back Ribs, along with the Beef and the Old School Catfish. I have to say again, the Catfish was unreal, completely grease free and super crispy, these guys know how to fry!!

The ribs were excellent, truly fall off the bone, and a hint of smokiness permeating the meat, not artificially applied with sauce. The beef was excellent; I am guessing a beef brisket that is shredded with the grain. I was lucky to get some of the end pieces and it was close to beef jerky, I loved it. One thing on the beef when you shred with the grain, it can be a bit chewy, so you do need to cut it in easy to eat portions.

We finished with the “ Big Orra “ a desert that is pretty much like five small scoops of HD vanilla ice cream topped with Cadbury Flake chocolate. The iron maiden dude is British, so I am guessing this is a thought to his home. It was good, but not amazing like the others, but that’s OK.

One very cool little experience, my wife and I had ordered Heineken Light, we had two each for a total of four, (what can I say, the music was rocking and they were going down easy) our server Bianca, came over and mentioned to us that our Beers individually were I believe $4.75 each, and that a bucket of five was $13.00 dollars, a huge savings, which we knew nothing about and she happily passed on to us. We saved $10.00 and got an extra bottle, a very cool and kind move on her part.

To wrap up, when we walked in we were blown away by the vibe of the place, but make no mistake, these guys are all about the food. The food was excellent, served fairly quickly, considering the place did not stop and the service was excellent, these girls never stopped moving!! The funny thing is we live in Coral Springs and have never heard of the place, that’s probably one of the neatest things about your show; it brings to light these independent places with personality and uniqueness. We love the place we’ll be back with friends and family!!

Restaurant Information