St. Roch and Watts & Ward

As promised, A RESTAURANT REVIEW!


Last Friday night Nate and I decided to treat ourselves to a nice date night. It has been months since we've gone to a nice dinner just the two of us and didn't care about how much money we spent and since October had me working massive overtime, I had money to burn.


I had been interested in eating at St. Roch (223 S Wilmington St, Raleigh, NC 27601) ever since I had heard it was opening! The area surrounding my office in Downtown Raleigh has been popping up with great new restaurants lately with what I'll call the "millennial vibe"; meaning they're a nod to the past with modern elements such as an original crown molded ceiling with industrial light fixtures and exposed piping or concrete floors. The drinks are always hip and festive and the food is always good. St. Roch is no exception.


I was slightly surprised to see how few patrons were in the restaurant at 7:00 on a Friday night but we were given a good table with a perfect view of the hustle and bustle of the kitchen and the bar.

Décor: as previously noted, this restaurant was fantastically bougie (a millennial term) referring to "anything that is perceived as 'upscale' from a blue-collar point of view" (thank you Urban Dictionary). It made the idea of being at an oyster bar approachable. It wasn't quite as fancy as a steakhouse of old but it wasn't like eating at a certain fast-food seafood chain either. The space itself is small with probably only about 50 seats total including the bar but it has a cool façade with about 6 seats on either side you can sit in. It's a little weird because you're literally staring at the person in front of you between 2 pieces of glass but would be cool for a solo night out.

Food appearance: everything looked like a work of art! The drinks to the food were all phenomenally plated and presented and were as good to look at as they were to eat. I wish we had gotten snap shots of the oysters but they were gobbled up before I even thought to do it!

Food taste: I have never eaten a raw oyster before Friday night. I had seen them as slimy, mucous-y and just nasty messes. I was pleasantly shocked that these oysters had me hungry for more! We began our meal with a half-dozen raw oysters in varying salt and brine. I preferred to top mine with the house-made pickled banana peppers and cocktail sauce to the mignonette sauce. They were also served with fried saltine crackers to counter-balance the lack of texture in the oysters.


We moved on to the roasted oysters. The best part about the roasted oysters is you were able to mix and match varieties! We ordered two of the BBQ'd (a mixture of lemon, rosemary, cayenne and parmesan), two of the Nori'd (mio, lime, chili and panko) and two of the special Shroom'd (heaven? Wizardry?) oysters. The BBQ'd and the Shroom'd were definitely the most flavorful varieties, the Nori'd left much to be desired as the only thing both Nate and I could taste was miso.


We decided to split two "small" plates next and these dishes were anything but small. They would've easily filled both of us up even without the double helping of oysters! We began with the Crab St. Roch. A succulent seafood salad made of chunks of lump crab and giant pieces of poached shrimp tossed in a decadent and creamy sauce and served over lettuce with crunchy ciabatta bread and topped with fresh radish slices.





We then moved onto the Beets Salad. A wonderful mix of raw, roasted and pickled beets served over house-made ricotta cheese and tossed with red onion in a sherry-horseradish vinaigrette dressing. I don't even like beets and I'm drooling over how magnificent this salad was!


Just when I thought I couldn't eat another bite: Nate ordered dessert. He was talked into the Chocolate Mousse which was served in a giant coffee mug and topped with whipped cream. It was filled with chocolate chunks and rich as the day is long. I couldn't imagine eating this luxurious dessert by myself. I would've had a chocolate coma.





After dinner Nate and I wandered over to Watts and Ward located at 200 S Blount St, Raleigh, NC 27601 for a night cap. The bar has a great speakeasy vibe with bartenders and bouncers dressed in suspenders and nice clothing and jazz playing over the loudspeakers. The bar consists of multiple rooms and a giant lit patio so there's no trouble in finding an intimate spot to talk or just enjoy each others' company. The drink list is expansive with prices ranging from $6-$200 and containing everything from beers and bourbons to wine and tequilas. Nate and I decided to go the bourbon route.


I would highly recommend a trip to both places for a great date night, a ladies' night or just if you have money burning a hole in your pocket!