Lisa B.
Yelp
I was recently looking for a restaurant with private seating for a small (13 person) family Christmas gathering, including dinner and a White Elephant gift exchange. I submitted the request form on The Rackhouse's website and immediately received a canned response that they were working on another event, also providing some more things to consider - things like menu selection and things like that. I actually appreciated this email and its contents, even if it was an auto reply!
The private room upstairs sounded great but was really too big for our small group - we wouldn't order enough to reach the minimum spend but now I want to find a larger part and use that space!
Amy quickly reached out to me to discuss my request. After a couple emails she called me to answer any questions and nail down any details. There is a room just off of the main dining room that they use for a semi-private space. There are a couple ways that the room can be arranged based on wants and needs. Amy was very accommodating, even thinking to include an extra table for the gifts so we don't have to fit everything on the dinner tables. My husband and I decided to have dinner there to see if the food would be something the others ("picky eaters") would like before pulling the trigger and booking the space.
We had dinner the next night and afterwards I immediately booked the space! Turns out there will be a couple of parties in that space at the same time but Amy assured me that will not be an issue. We are so excited to introduce our families to something new!
We met JT, the manager on duty, and discussed room setup with him for a bit as well. When we asked about the menu he said that the Buffalo Chicken Dip appetizer was his favorite appetizer - maybe of all time - so we began with that. It was very flavorful without being too spicy to enjoy. We both loved it!! We chose the naan bread to go with the dip. Chips are the other option.
I also ordered one of their Summer Cocktails, the "Berry Me Please." It consisted of Bacardi, Simple Syrup, Fresh Lime Juice, Black Raspberry
Liquor, Blackberries and Mint. Since it was in the Summer menu I'm not sure if it is still available but if it is - get it!! Yum!!
A restaurant owner/chef we know told us once that his test of a new restaurant is the cheeseburger. He said that if they mess up a cheeseburger that they are less likely to do other things well. Rich has taken this to heart and he ordered the Rackhouse Smash Burger. He thought it was great - it is definitely on my list of things to try! The fries were very tasty as well.
I ordered the Baked Stuffed Shrimp. There were 5 good sized shrimp with quite a bit of stuffing. Both the shrimp and the stuffing were outstanding! The shrimp wasn't overcooked at all and stood up to the delicious stuffing. This will be included as I build my rotation of meals I like for sure. The dish comes with yellow rice pilaf and sautéed veggies. I substituted mac & cheese for the rice and kept the veggies. If I have any less positive feedback at all, it is that in my opinion, the veggies were a little overcooked. I prefer a bit of crunch - or at least a "bite" to them that was lacking. Instead, they were a bit mushy. I might try them once more to see if this was a one time experience or if it is just how they cook them, in which case I'll simply substitute something else going forward.
No dessert for us this trip - we both had hearty sized to go boxes and couldn't handle another bite!
As we ate, we could hear JT visiting the other tables, asking how things were and conversing about how the diners had heard about The Rackhouse. That is always good to see and hear - it shows me the restaurant family cares about the opinions and feedback from the guests.
Finally, I have to say that Amy was wonderful to work with!! The Rackhouse is locally owned and she and her husband are a couple of the owners. Amy gave me a little history of the building's past (dive bar) and also said to try and time our visits to see the sunset. One entire side of the restaurant is garage doors and the sunset is supposed to be really amazing. Unfortunately for us, we went on a cloudy day so there was no sunset to be seen (but be sure to check out the sunset photos others have posted on Yelp!) but we did move the time of our party up a bit in the hope that the skies will be clear that day.
We are both looking forward to enjoying the food and experience either the family. Fingers crossed for clear skies but even if we don't have them I think the food and overall environment are good enough to stand on their own!