The story below is from our September/October 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Photos By John Park
Six & Sky, Roanoke’s first rooftop restaurant and bar, serves up signature seafood, craft cocktails and stellar views downtown.
Few restaurant openings have been as highly anticipated as Six & Sky Rooftop Grille, located on the sixth and seventh floors of Center in the Square. It’s no wonder—it’s the first rooftop eatery and bar to open in Roanoke and it boasts panoramic views of downtown Roanoke and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Along with the stellar views, Six & Sky serves an extensive seafood-focused menu and line-up of craft cocktails, to be enjoyed in the airy, glass-walled space or al fresco.
The concept is the brainchild of three Roanoke entrepreneurs, including Brian Brady, who co-owns Brady’s Distillery; JD Sutphin, who co-owns events management company Big Lick Entertainment with Brady; and JoJo Soprano, vice president of operations for Parry Restaurant Group, which includes Roanoke eateries such as Beamer’s 25 and Tuco’s Taqueria.
“I knew I wanted to do something different,” Soprano says. “And we did also know we wanted to do a seafood concept. Because we felt, you know, Roanoke does have some spots with decent seafood here and there but nobody really focuses on high-quality seafood dishes. So, we knew that was going to be a focus as well.”
The seafood offerings span multiple menu categories along with a dedicated chilled seafood section. Here you’ll find signatures like the ceviche, featuring tender pieces of scallops, diced tomatoes and apples luxuriating in a glass vessel in a pool of citrus punched up with chilies and cilantro. For the biggest flavor payoff, ask for a spoon to redistribute the citrusy-spicy juice, then spoon the mixture onto the accompanying fried wonton crackers. Raw clams are typically a staple associated with seafood counters in Northern East Coast locales; here you can sample sweet, briny cherrystone clams by the half-dozen or dozen, paired with a pink peppercorn mignonette and house cocktail sauce. If you want to go all out, there’s a close-up worthy seafood tower starring lobster tail, jumbo lump crab meat, shrimp cocktail and oysters and clams on the half-shell.
The menu is overseen by executive chef Steven Lyons, who turns out signature entrees like the Creole-style red snapper, served with irresistibly creamy, cheesy polenta grits and a Cajun pan sauce studded with tender crawfish morsels. Another solid bet is the pan-seared scallops, burnished bronze and tender within, plated with wild rice and an unusual combination of pickled enoki mushrooms, caramelized onion puree and celery root. Non-seafood fans will find options under the section marked land, such as ribeye, filet mignon, rack of lamb or grilled chicken. Vegetarians can ask for a dedicated menu, which lists popular picks like “phish” and chips, made with a soy-based protein, eggplant Parmesan and a vegan-friendly dish of pan-seared king oyster mushrooms, prepared and plated like the scallops entree.
It’s easy to splurge at Six & Sky, but you can just as easily have a more laid-back meal; the outdoor two-tops outside with mountain views lend themselves well to this experience. Order a cocktail, say The Butterfly Effect, a sweet-leaning sipper crafted with Brady’s Gin, Chambord, limoncello and lavender syrup, and a couple apps and casual dishes to share. From the handhelds section, try the oyster po’ boy, chockfull of plump, fried oysters atop a toasted New England style roll and dressed with remoulade, pickles and lettuce. Another value entree is the perennially popular fish and chips, fashioned after English pub-style battered cod and teamed with seasoned fries.
Soon, Six & Sky’s two outdoor bars will open. In the meantime, you can order a drink at the bar inside and carry it outside to take in views of downtown Roanoke and the mountains beyond. Whether you’re capping off a meal or dropping by for a rooftop nightcap, try the Key Lime Pie dessert cocktail. Brady’s Lazy Jack Rum is shaken together with fresh lime, vanilla syrup and heavy cream to create a frothy, deceptively light, perfectly tart sipper. For an extra sweet finish, don’t miss the beignets. With their crisp, powdered sugar dusted exterior and airy tender pocket within, they make an ideal dipping vessel for the accompanying duo of chocolate and raspberry sauces.
Having plenty of options and multiple ways to experience the space has been a boon for the restaurant in its first few months of business. “We knew we’d be a destination place,” Soprano says, citing occasions like anniversaries, office parties or birthdays or visitors seeking out a rooftop bar. “But the local support in addition to all that has just been beyond anything we could believe. We were just blown away by the amount of support that we’ve had since we’ve opened.”
The story above is from our September/October 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
