I had some drinks and dinner here with my girlfriend. The staff is really nice and the menu ideas are great but the delivery doesn't match. Food quantity is poor, drinks are poor (and not pour). $100.00 wasted. Maybe try some of the Asian cuisine in the area instead.
It was a great experience… and the stuff were very friendly and helpful. I am not able to eat uncooked food and the waitress was very patient with me.The food is very delicious. Our dog got fresh water as well ?
The Rook has been our list of places to try for at least a year. Their IG page does a fantastic job of marketing and drawing people in, but unlike many of the restaurants in our city on an average Summer Friday night, they didn't seem to be all that busy. Maybe it's because they aren't in a neighborhood that gets a lot of foot or drive by traffic , but after eating there I'm inclined to believe it's due to their overpriced and average food. My basic tenet of eating out is "If I'm going to spend my money on something, it better be something that I can't make myself better at home". I don't feel that the Rook satisfied that qualification. My wife is excited about Shrimp and Grits whenever they're on a menu, the ones featured on the Rook's menu were $24, which is not a ridiculous price. But for that price you would assume that you would get a generous amount of grits/polenta studded with bacon and a generous portion of shrimp. The bowl came out and I'm not kidding you, there was a ladle full of grits in an oversized bowl, there was enough bacon and shrimp in the bowl, but this just felt like an appetizer disguised as an entree. After much deliberation, I got the Pork BBQ plate which was a half rack of ribs, a link of unsmoked andouille sausage, slaw, pickles and a roll. At $22, it was a better value than what my wife ordered, but I didn't find much to enjoy about this dish. The ribs weren't very meaty or tender. I'm not sure what sauce coated the ribs but it was neither hot, nor sweet nor vinegary. The sausage was much more of a problem for me. When I order andouille sausage as a part of my meal, it's usually a smoked sausage. This was a fresh sausage more akin to the texture of an Italian sausage, so the taste was just off and unimpressive. I think I gave away at least half of my ribs and sausage. I think the Rook is sources some of their product (like the sausage) from local vendors, which is fine, I respect that... but not at the expense of the experience. Local doesn't always mean better. We really wanted to like this restaurant and we just didn't. It seems in my opinion that whoever the chef is that conceptualized these dishes didn't do enough R&D on putting out the best product in the best executed way. Additionally, I'm aware that we're in a recession and that inflation has forced businesses to make the difficult choice between raising prices while providing less and taking the chance alienating customers or lowering the quality of the product they're putting out, so some of what we experienced may be that. But customer satisfaction is a delicate cross section of providing value and delivering quality. Myself and my party simply didn't get either of those. We won't be going back unless we can determine if something changes.
Unexpectedly delicious and beautiful dishes, with service that made us feel like VIPs. Really interesting north/south fusion flavors and terrific cocktails. Way, way better than Fine Line Bistro (which occupied this space years ago) ever was. We're coming back soon!
I cannot recommend The Rook enough. Start to finish, one of the best meals I've ever had. The hushpuppies with the pimento cheese is better than some entrees I've had. Having spent a few years in NC, I can say that the south wishes it could create such a wonderful hushpuppy. The cheeseburger was able to do what it shouldn't have, given its lackluster name of "Cheeseburger." It was able to display a taste profile that no basic "Cheeseburger" should be capable of. Then there were the fries. I can honestly say I've never had a better french fry. This meal was A+. 10/10, 100/100, a truly perfect meal.
Great food and service! Tried the Salmon appetizer.Delicious!! Fried Chicken and Pork schnitzel... donut dessert...Fresh lemonade was perfect!!Not too many places in Ithaca I rave about, but this is one I would definitely recommend.Delicious!! Friendly and quick service!! 10 stars
Stopped here for dinner during an Ithaca-area road trip. I split an order of hush puppies to start, and had the pork schnitzel as an entree with a "Punch Milanese" to drink--everything was exceptionally tasty, and every member of the friendly staff checked in on us at least once.It's a very chill, cozy place to grab delicious food and drinks.
This place is awesome! The fried chicken/collards is my favorite, and always love the selection of desserts, especially the donuts. ? Always well-seasoned and perfectly balanced meals. The menu is consistently delicious and the staff is friendly and helpful. Great atmosphere!
I selected The Rook as a spot to meet up with a good friend who I hadn't seen for two years. We arrived at 7:15PM on a Wednesday. The Rook was scheduled to close at 10PM. The place was probably 75% full. We ordered drinks (all were delicious) and small plates (fries good, collard greens okay, smashed small potatoes okay, bacon wrapped dates delicious). Around 8PM, our waiter told us the kitchen had decided to close at 9PM. We thought it was odd, but we accepted the information. However, by 8:30PM everyone else had been pushed out and our check was on our table. As we paid, we noticed all the staff gathering at the bar and socializing. I don't know what was happening at the bar that night, but it was incredibly disappointing to be rushed out so early - especially with so little warning. If we had been informed when we arrived that they would be closing early, we would have gone somewhere else and tried The Rook at a later date. Such a disappointing experience. We won't return.
I was very disappointed. We didn't get the full order of chicken. The hush puppies were burnt and inedible. Even the collards had a burnt taste. I've had good food from here before, so maybe it was an off day. We were so disappointed.