Red Rock Brewery: For Teetotalers?

A $15 gift card to Red Rock was placed in our gift card/coupon envelope a couple years ago. The envelope is often forgotten about for months at at time. Once remembered, we open it up to see either what is calling to us or what is about to expire. Upon dusting off the gift card, we set a date night and anxiously looked forward to Red Rock.

Do you ever feel like they peg you right when you walk in to a restaurant? Currently I am reading "Garlic and Sapphires: The secret life of a Critic in disguise." by Ruth Reichl. When she shows up to a restaurant acting like she doesn't fit in, she ends up in a bad location, virtually forgotten. On the other hand, when she arrives as the Restaurant Critic for the New York Times, the seas part to give her the best experience possible. When the Hostess asked me if I wanted a beverage menu, I declined. She got a forlorn look on her face and shuffled us off to the nearest table. It's as if  she felt that we were going to order the cheapest thing on the menu and occupy their table for 90 minutes while getting 6 refills of soda.

Our Server must have had the same impression, as her presence was scarce. We did order drinks, house brewed cream soda and root beer. They are made with cane sugar and were delicious; the root beer had a taste similar to a root beer barrel candy.

House brewed cream soda cures a rough day at work.

The menu was overwhelming as there were so many options. They do a captivating job of describing each dish. Ultimately I ordered the Smoked Red Trout Club: House smoked red trout fillet, red onion marmalade, dill cream cheese, cucumbers, bacon & tomato on a pumpernickel bread. Sounds like something you would order at an Alaskan fishing lodge. For a starter, I got a House Salad: Organic spring mix, greens, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, carrot chips and croutons with a creamy garlic and basil house dressing. How is that for overloaded?

Smoked Red Trout Club. I am a club sandwich junkie and this was one of the best yet.

The sandwich is best described by relating it to a fabulous vacation. You know how most vacations have some good, some bad, but the good memories override the bad ones? This was like the vacation where you thought it impossible that the next activity could be any better than the last. Each bite of the sandwich was more wonderful than the bite previous. The way the red onion marmalade (doesn't that make your mouth water just saying it?) creates a perfect synergy with the dill cream cheese and trout is the work of geniuses. I wish to be mentored by them. All I can say about the house salad is that the creamy garlic and basil house dressing is definitely also the work of geniuses. Your mouth waters when it hits your taste buds.

You would eat your own shoe if it was covered with this creamy garlic and basil dressing.

Other than the neglect of Teetotalers, the only negative was the dessert. We ordered the Kahlua Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce. The frosting and raspberry sauce were good but the cake was very dry. I would not order it again.

Kahlua Chocolate Cake with Raspeberry Sauce. Hold the cake, keep the sauce and frosting.

Despite the neglect, I will definitely be back.

Happy Eating.