Ambiance: ****
Food: ****
Service: *****
Value: *****
You are right; this is not gourmet dinning. It is, however, plentiful food, cooked well, delivered to your table with the minimum of fuss, in a smashing ambiance – of a sort.
When you are down town, hungry and on a limited budget; where do you turn for a dinner you can count on? We found the Hard Rock Café.
We decided to try the BLT and the "Pig" sandwiches with lemonade. Since we were hungry we also ordered a "Small Nachos." Small is a relative term, and in this case described a plate heaped with crunchy tortilla chips sprinkled with cheese, chopped tomato, onion, beans, and jalapeno pepper slices. It was accompanied by a jar of tomato salsa. The jalapenos are not for the faint hearted, but are easily removed.
The BLT was loaded with bacon and tomato on two good sized slices of toasted rye bread. It was accompanied by servings of cole slaw and french fries.
While the fries were not up to the new Burger King standard, they were much more crispy than those poor limp excuses for fries served most fast food establishments.
The cole slaw was an excellent concoction of cabbage, onion, carrot, etc. in a natural sauce – no runny mayo to confuse the issue.
The "Pig" sandwich is a health helping of southern pit BBQ in a vinegar base sauce. If you are from North or South Carolina, or Georgia; you are in seventh heaven. Again, there are the fries and cole slaw with the addition of a helping of chili beans.
The chili has a rich, spicy flavor and includes a hunk or two of meat. Both of these plates are more than allay almost any hunger, and the appetizer is simply a contrast in flavor. Of course you can always take home the remainder.
The lemonade is tastes like real lemons and is an excellent thirst quencher. All the non-alcoholic drinks come in bottomless glasses, which provide you with all the liquid you want to consume.
Hard Rock’s menu is really quite extensive including almost any type of meal you might desire short of the eclectic.
Pork chops, strip steaks, chicken, and a "Blue Plate Special" are all available at most reasonable prices. Our two plates, nacho appetizer, and glasses of lemonade came to a grand total of $25, which barely buys the entrée at many St. Thomas eateries.
The dining room is most spacious and cool, but the Hard Rock ambiance includes enough noise you have to shout to be heard. The bar is extensive and the drink list formidable. The walls are covered with posters, records, guitars, and other memorabilia. For those who enjoy relative quiet, there is dinning on the terrace where one is at the mercy of the waterfront milieu. Of course, one does not have to fear anyone overhearing one’s conversation. The toilets are outside the establishment, but are relatively clean and well stocked.
The kitchen staff is extremely efficient and produces food in record times. The wait staff is also most quick and attentive to their customer’s needs.
An interesting decor, quick and attentive staff, good food, and some of the lowest prices in a St. Thomas eatery provide for an excellent evening.
Editor's note: The Tottering Taster is a senior citizen dedicated to enjoying good food. He will dine in one local establishment a week and bring you a totally unsolicited assessment biased in favor of an ultimate experience. We are using a pseudonym so restaurateurs will not be able to identify the reviewer and try to influence the review.
