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It’s thanks to sibling love that Wall Street Tavern not only exists, but surpasses diners’ expectations with “downright incredible” food and presentation.
John Park
For a restaurant named simply for the street on which it stands, Wall Street Tavern is anything but plain. In fact, upon hearing the story of its owners, understanding its vision and tasting its food, one might say Wall Street Tavern is downright incredible.
Daniel Mock, co-owner of Wall Street Tavern, is a self-proclaimed “lifer” in the restaurant industry. At the age of 18, Mock moved to Radford to attend college.
“I lived in Radford four years and was in school for half a year,” says Mock, chuckling at the irony of his supposed college days.
Mock tried to do the school thing, three times in fact. But the restaurant world hooked him. School couldn’t compete.
Mock spent 10 years away from Roanoke—first in Radford, then in Charlotte, North Carolina—primarily working the nightclub side of the business. At the age of 28, with a decade of experience behind him and a serious new goal of owning his own restaurant by 35, Mock came home.
“Charlotte is a great place to live, learn, be young,” says Mock of his decision to move back to Roanoke. “But it isn’t home…Roanoke is home.”
After working a couple different bar venues in town, Mock connected with Jason Martin, owner of Martin’s Downtown. Martin hired Mock as a front-of-house manager. The two became fast friends. Mock credits Martin with much of his own success as a restaurant owner.
“It’s the experience you can only get by watching others,” explains Mock. “All that’s behind the curtain of Oz, that’s what I learned from Jason.”
Mock loved working at Martin’s, but with the clock ticking on his own restaurant dream, Mock knew he couldn’t stay. In 2011, with Martin’s blessing and his parents’ support, Mock opened his first restaurant: Queso Southwest Grill in the Market Building.
“Queso was like the great album that got five stars that couldn’t sell enough,” explains Mock.
With limited seating, a limited drink menu, and—most pressing—limited bathroom access (a problem Mock praises Michelle Dykstra for helping him solve with Wall Street’s design), Mock found himself struggling after three years.
“This is where my sister came in,” says Mock, openly humbled by his sister’s love.
Mock’s sister, Catherine Justice, holds a degree in elementary education, has never worked in her degree field, owns the women’s clothing boutique, Punch, and is 10 years Mock’s junior. She says when she saw her brother struggling, she had to help.
“We are so close. My brother means the world to me. I knew nothing about the restaurant business. I still don’t…On the other side, I love customer service. I love branding. I love Roanoke. I want it to grow.”
Mock and Justice make the perfect yin and yang. They saw what Wall Street Tavern could be: a great, quick, affordable business lunch; an awesome sit-down dinner; and—after 10 p.m.—a fun bar with great live music.
Mock credits Justice for her eye for details (the logo and inside décor, for example) and the way she helps him “not sweat the small stuff.”
Justice says her brother is a creative genius (noting the nightly specials and game nights), tenacious about finding new ways to engage customers and capitalize on consumer trends. Both siblings sing the praises of their chef, Cara Lowe, a classically French trained chef, who makes magic happen every night with Wall Street’s “up-scaled bar food” menu, as Mock calls it.
This is, I think, an apt description of the food at Wall Street Tavern. It isn’t the menu items that wow me, it’s the way they are prepared. Wall Street’s pasta dish isn’t just any ol’ pasta dish, it’s a creamy pesto pasta using cavatappi pasta, which captures the pesto flavors as well as adding visual and textural interest.
Their Wall Street Burger is always a winner with its grilled balsamic onions and brioche bun. And their pan-seared Mahi Mahi is scrumptious; this dish easily holds its own against any dinner entrée found in Roanoke’s finest dining establishments.
My favorite appetizer at Wall Street is their cheese tray. Like Wall Street’s other dishes, it presents and tastes more like something from a local farm-to-table place: excellent seasonal cheeses, homemade crackers and cured meats. If you read my dining articles regularly, you know the cheese tray is my favorite appetizer. Wall Street’s tray makes my short list of local favorites.
Besides offering impressively great food in their restaurant, Wall Street Tavern shines brightly in Roanoke’s catering world. Last winter I was fortunate to attend a Wall Street catered event. The food and its presentation were both stunning. Here is where Chef Lowe truly shines. She brings all her creative food powers to the table—both figuratively and literally—offering guests a masterful culinary experience.
“I’m just trying to add something to this block that maybe wasn’t here before,” says Mock in describing his hopes for Wall Street Tavern.
That’s a simple statement for a place that’s added some pretty incredible things to Roanoke’s food scene.
Mon - Wed: Kitchen 11am-10pm; Bar 11am-volume
Thurs – Sat: Kitchen 11am-Midnight; Bar 11am-2am
Sunday: Kitchen 11am-10pm (Brunch only: 11-3);
Bar 11am-volume
540-342-9555
wallstreettavernva.com
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