The story below is from our May/June 2019 issue. For the full issue Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!
Photo By John Park
In an era of “hurry up” and cutting edge, Frankie Rowland’s invites its guests to slow down and experience the beautiful goodness of simplicity at its finest.
In today’s world of haute cuisine, there is constant pressure amongst chefs and restaurants to be and do the next most original thing. With each new episode of “Hell’s Kitchen” or “Cupcake Wars,” the stakes get higher.
Sometimes, then, it’s easy to miss the true originality of a place where the entire focus is on offering diners an old-fashioned, fine dining experience. Enter one Frankie Rowland’s Steakhouse in downtown Roanoke.
Charles Brown, executive chef at Frankie Rowland’s, likens the restaurant to an early 20th Century, big city, swanky, pearls and pinstripes kind of place.
“You could almost see Al Capone sittin’ back there at table 51,” Brown says, pointing to the back corner of the wood-paneled, fine linen, low-lit restaurant.
Brown, a Roanoke native, has been working in Roanoke’s restaurants for 19 years. On the day he turned 16, Brown took his first job as a dishwasher at South County’s Wildwood Smokehouse. He says he was terrible at it for a long time. But he stuck with it and eventually something clicked.
Over the course of his career, Brown has served in many of the Valley’s restaurants on both sides: kitchen and hospitality. His progression to executive chef was not without its backward steps, but over time, Brown says he’s been fortunate to have some excellent mentors and opportunities creating building blocks to Frankie Rowland’s.
“It’s the personality of the restaurant that caught me,” says Brown, speaking of the restaurant world as a living, breathing being. “It’s that controlled chaos and getting to interact with lots of different people on a regular basis.”
When it comes to Frankie Rowland’s, Brown thinks his greatest offerings are his organizational skills and coolness under pressure. He readily admits to having a young chef under him more talented than he. Brown sees this as an asset. He loves the collaborative effort with his chef team as they work to create the Frankie Rowland’s fine dining experience.
Brown describes food at Frankie Rowland’s as “simplicity at its finest.” Their goal is to put the perfectly prepared steak on the table every single time. Servers are diligent to explain what “medium rare” or “medium” actually looks like prepared.
Oftentimes, Brown himself will visit guests and describe the nuance of a particular cut of meat or preparation style. Such details are important to Brown and his team. For it is the steak by which all things rise and fall at Frankie Rowland’s.
Sometimes words diminish what can only be spoken through the senses. A Frankie Rowland’s steak is a case in point. Elegant is the word, I think, that comes the closest. Here is what I will say: I’ve been to many high-end steakhouses in my day—both chain and independently owned. When compared to a Frankie Rowland’s steak experience, those other steaks are okay. But that’s about it.
The steaks at Frankie Rowland’s aren’t the only thing outstanding. I probably order the Chilean sea bass at least half the time I dine there. The sea bass is a newer menu item, added by Brown when he joined the Frankie’s team. It’s prepared seasonally, making it hugely popular with regular customers.
I love this about the sea bass; seeing the creativity of the chef team play out on my plate from season to season. I also love the simplicity of this dish. It’s substantial without being heavy; leaving room for my personal Frankie Rowland’s favorite (besides food and wine pairing): sides.
Frankie Rowland’s sides are carefully prepared and purposefully considered for how they complement the entire dining experience. On one hand, it’s easy to choose sides, since they are all beautiful and delicious. But, this can be the challenge, too. How to choose! I try to switch up sides; I’ve had most all of them at one time or another.
Hands down, my favorites include brussel sprouts and mushrooms. Both are foods I particularly enjoy when eating out, but am easily disappointed when not prepared well (which happens often). Not so at Frankie’s. Both sides epitomize “simplicity at its finest.”
The brussel sprouts are cut in half, roasted cut side down in bacon grease with shallots, chives and roasted red pepper, then finished with Frankie’s in-house made balsamic vinaigrette. This same balsamic vinaigrette is what makes Frankie’s mushroom dipping sauce so magical, too.
Brown says he has only one cook in the kitchen who knows the recipe and whose only job is to make the coveted sauce. In this way, Brown can maintain the consistency and expectation of flavor for the customer every time.
This is, after all, what everything at Frankie Rowland’s is pointing toward: their customers. Immersing each one in the old-fashioned way of slow, sensory-rich dining. It’s a fine thing, for sure.
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