The Rockford

Last weekend my best friend Casey came to visit! We spent the week eating and drinking and enjoying each other's company. We also decided to celebrate her birthday (a week early). 

To celebrate I planned a full day of activities for us beginning with a lunch at The Rockford. 

The Rockford is located at 320 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27603. 

We walked up the stairs to find ourselves in the middle of the dining room with a bar to our right. We were greeted and taken outside to their adorable patio. The patio had 3 tables and a beautiful view of Glenwood Avenue. Thankfully it was also a sunny day so the temperature was perfect. I also noticed small planters on the railing of the patio where fresh herbs were growing. 

Decor: good. The Rockford has a very minimalist atmosphere. There is some art adorning the walls but they definitely let their food do the talking. If you get the chance to dine there and it's a sunny day, opt for the patio. 

Food appearance: good. There is definitely attention to detail! And while the food is American and southern fare, it is played in gourmet style. 

Food taste: excellent! The food tasted so incredible! 

We began with the Pimento Cheese Mini appetizer; house made pimento cheese, crispy bacon, and tomato slices on small marble rye toasts. Every flavor shined and left you wanting more! Definitely give it a try! 

Casey ordered the Shrimp Po' Boy, which was excellent. The shrimp were gigantic first of all and perfectly fried so they were crisp on the outside yet tender and juicy on the inside. The remoulade was spicy with the freshness of citrus. She paired her sandwich with a house salad with ceasar dressing. 

I ordered the Avocado Spinach Wrap; vocado, spinach, red pepper, tomato, fresh lime, habanero cheddar cheese, jalapeño-cilantro tortilla and chipotle aioli. The wrap was fresh and flavorful but so dry! It was desperately needing a side of aioli or something. Every bite was delicious but left me very thirsty. I paired my wrap with a house salad with their house made citrus honey mustard vinegarette, which may have been the most flavorful salad dressing I've ever had in my life! Seriously, I would've drank it with a straw it was that delicious! 

Service: good. The only reason I would give this a "good" and not "excellent" is because I'm not exactly sure who our server actually was. We had two servers coming to our table throughout the meal and they didn't seem to be communicating with each other at all. This resulted in getting double the to go boxes, answering the same questions twice and not knowing who was getting the tip. Frankly it was just a little awkward. 

Cleanliness: excellent. Everything was clean, servers looked well-groomed, and tables were turned over so fast you wouldn't even know there had been people sitting in them. 

Total: 12/15

I would definitely go back to The Rockford in a heartbeat! The items on the menu all sounded phenomenal and I cannot wait to go and try them!