Flat Rock Grille (from Nov/Dec '04, by Andrea Clark)
5033 Valley View Blvd, Roanoke

I took two notoriously picky eaters with me to the Flat Rock Grille (open since late May). Pleasing both of them is a feat rarely accomplished by any restaurant.

My finicky companions and I debated on the appetizers first. I’d already had (and loved) their crab stuffed mushrooms on a previous visit. However, the dips tempted us as well – the hot shrimp and crab and the artichoke. We selected the hot shrimp and crab dip and wanted to lick the dish when we were done. We might’ve too if there hadn’t been so many people around.

Aside from the choices on the regular menu and the lighter fare menu, there were many specials to choose from, which our server rattled off with great enthusiasm. He knew the answer to every one of our questions regarding the food and its preparation. When we asked about the seafood’s freshness, he informed us that the Flat Rock Grille gets shipments three times a week and that the most recent one had just been delivered the night before. We all ordered seafood after that proclamation.

One of my eating partners ordered the crab cake/sirloin steak combo. As promised, the crab cake was all lump crabmeat, plus cheese, peppers and seasoning – not the mostly bread with a little crab thing many restaurants call a crab cake. In addition, the steak was seasoned well and cooked exactly the way she requested. My other choosy companion consumed her entrée of stuffed flounder with gusto. The fish was stuffed with shrimp and crab and smothered with a tasty lobster sauce. She declared that she got the best entrée out of all three of us, but I had to disagree. I enjoyed my Wasabi Tuna immensely. Grilled in a ginger-soy sauce served with a drizzle of piquant wasabi coating, I think I had the best entrée – although my friend’s stuffed flounder proved to be a very close second.

With our pants about to burst at the seams, we didn’t think we could eat another thing – until it was time to order dessert. My crab-loving companion and I split the key lime pie, and our fishapheliac friend chose the peanut butter pie. The peanut butter pie serving was huge, rich and proved to be impossible for one person to finish in a single sitting. One bite had me wanting to trade in my tea for a big glass of milk. One the other hand, the key lime pie was refreshing, with just the right amount of sweetness and lime. It was the real deal as the menu promised. The friend who split it with me is a self-proclaimed key lime pie snob and even she declared it to be exquisite. As a matter of fact, she thought the whole meal was so great that she’s having her friend who’s getting married soon change her rehearsal dinner location to the Flat Rock Grille.