"A Croatian and a Serb move to North Carolina and open an Italian restaurant. That’s not the start of a joke, but rather the origin story of Roko Italian Cuisine. Chef Jadran and his wife Vojka run the small restaurant as if it were an extension of their own home, with Vojka moving from table to table to greet regulars and Jadran regularly popping out of the kitchen to say hello. The menu is heavy on Italian classics like piccata (chicken or veal), linguine with clam sauce, and penne rustica. The shrimp a la Roko is their play on a shrimp scampi and is a secret recipe they’ve developed over the years. An international wine list features both new and old world offerings, and the restaurant is known for its martinis, so much so that they’re $3 off every Monday." - Matt Lardie
