The exterior of Rolf and Daughters is dimly lit with yellow string lights that surround a wooden porch, that on warm summer night such as this, should be used. Inside tables are nestled alongside one another in a family style fashion. The bar is bustling, even for a Sunday night at 9pm. I love the woodsy feel of the restaurant, the waiters are dressed in similar rustic fashion, the ceiling is lined with wood panelling, and the walls are made from bricks, working alongside with the antique factory charm.
As we take our seat in a private corner of the restaurant, Marshall and I have a chance to glace into the open kitchen. Having seen the beautiful sourdough bread come out, we decide to order some of our own. The homemade sourdough comes paired with seaweed butter and sea salt.
Expecting to not find anything vegetarian on the menu, I had previously decided to eat a salad or a seafood pasta, but I was delightfully informed of the seasonal vegetable plate offered that night. An arrangement of roasted eggplant, zucchini, okra, and white crowder peas laid before me. I often am frustrated with casual-fine dining restaurants only offering a seasonal vegetale platter for vegetarians, but here the vegetables were perfectly grilled and needed little to no seasoning. I could have done without the panco-encrusted eggplant, but it was nice to have a different texture to the other grilled vegetables I was enjoying.
Per recommendation by our waitress, Marshall ordered the Brook trout with savoy cabbage, crème fraiche, and dill. The trout was delicate and melted right into the delightful creme fraiche sauce.
Although Marshall and I were not intrigued by anything on the dessert menu, we decided to try the Nashville made chocolate, Olive & Sinclair, tart with carmel sauce. Unfortunately, we should have listened to our intuition on this. Olive & Sinclair makes some of the best chocolate bars around, but this tart did not do it justice. Almost tasteless and backed by a poor crust, this tart was a disappointment to the amazing meal we enjoyed.
I look forward to my return to Rolf and Daughters, where hopefully, I will be able to enjoy the beautiful patio and their large list of cocktails.
