Rock Center Cafe

07/17/2008 Posted by micqa

My husband and I had brunch on July 6, 2008 as part of his birthday celebration. We were delighted to be seated in front of the bronze fountain (Statue of Prometheus) while enjoying our shrimp frittata, summer fruit plate, poached egg florentine and key lime pie. Armando was very gracious and thoughtful in his service (gave us 2 forks for the key lime pie). We returned today July 17, 2008 for lunch. To my surprise we were seated once again in front of the bronze fountain and Armando was more than happy to serve us (again) our iced tea, virgin strawberry daquiri, crispy calamari, Caesar salad and grilled chicken Cobb wrap. Exceptional location, food and service! Highly recommended!

Pros: Best location on 5th Avenue to unwind without missing a beat

06/12/2008 Posted by sbleier

New York working Girl takes husband out for a birthday dinner...Hoping for a little scene, we were seated in the back corner of the restaurant near the bar without a view. The place was empty. Onto drinks, we ordered Kettle one and were told they were out. "I'll try a new vodka, what's the latest???" my husband asked..."I don't know, Stoly?" the waiter replied. My husband of 6'2" orders the lobster risotto, as the waiter promises it's got a pound and 1/2 of lobster meat in it...The meal arrives as a bowl full of risotto with two tiny pieces of claw meat . "Where's the rest of the Lobster?"..."It's in there" says the waiter. This bowl of risotto was sent back, and the waiter promised the crab cakes are their signature dish. $38 for two breaded crabcakes on the plate...sitting in honey mustard. Come on - at least make it look good. Think I'll resign from the Dine Out NY membership. The $50 off still cost us $200. Really poor.

12/27/2007 Posted by bsher0320

went there with my family the sunday before christmas eve. We went for a quick bite and drinks. As soon as the waiter realized that we were not having a huge meal, he was brief with us. Our food was good, but he forgot our appetizer. He never checked on us until we asked for the bill, even though he stopped by other tables around us. Very disappointing. needless to say, his tip reflected his service, which was extremely poor.

Pros: lively atmosphere, good location, food is ok

Cons: snotty waiters

12/17/2007 Posted by sc102006

My boyfriend and I who are lifelong New Yorkers decided to venture here on a Sunday morning after craving brunch the night before. We called and the recording said they opened at 10 am for brunch. We got there at 10 and found out they open at 11 and NO BRUNCH. We were starving and after waiting on the 30 minute line of tourists we decided to just eat. We ordered a 17 dollar crab cake appetizer which was so fishy I couldn't stomach it, the risotto it came with tasted like frozen food, the ham sandwich and turkey sandwich both came on cold rock hard bread for almost 20 bucks a piece. The fries were good but were identical to a fast food chain. The soda was flat. Neither of us ate the crab cake or the ham sandwich, which translates into 90 dollars for a turkey sandwich on hard bread that we didn't want in the first place! I work at a restaurant and never have written a review (let alone a bad one) before, however this place was such a disappointment that I just had to. Don't go here if you want a quality meal. The only thing that was nice was the view of the ice rink, which you could get for free from the street.

Pros: View of the rink.

Cons: Food! No brunch on a Sunday morning, etc...

10/25/2007 Posted by samstein66

Food was disgusting. Pasta was mush. Salmon tasted fishy. Service was beyond bad. Overpriced. Filthy bathrooms. went there for dinner and there was no one there! Waiter could barely speak English and had an attitude. How are the food & service bad when they don't have any customers! Typical corparatey gross restuarant....really cheesey. Don't waste your money.

Pros: There is no one there

Cons: There is no one there

08/14/2007 Posted by kawaiicat7

I know, all my reviews lately are "3 star" but I love this place. It's nothing "amazing" but at the same time, in a city as potentially off-putting as New York, it is. The bread is good (nice bread sticks, a few different types of bread in the basket - good rolls), the crab cakes are phenomenal (and I am a tough judge of crab cakes. These are the best or close to it that I have ever had. Good enough to go for alone? Heck yes!). While the fish part of the 'seared daily fish' in the coconut ginger broth is as precarious as it sounds (I mean really, not every fish belongs in that), the sweet snap peas in the same sauce are delightful! Also, the first time I went my mother had the BBQ dinner plate and everything on it was amazing and uniquely different. The chicken was sweet with a hint of spice - well flavored certainly, the ribs were succulent, and the shrimp were delightful and exotic. - all a win. The second time I went I had the 'crispy seared organic chicken' and while it was what you would expect - crispy fried (not breaded) chicken, it was only 'decent' - like 'home cookin' which certainly pleased me. I was however disappointed in what seemed like a not-at-all thought out "roasted corn and smoked bacon hash" which was not at all hash-like, and had not even a faint hint of bacon to it, and which did not make sense at all with the watermelon 'vinaigrette' - chunks of watermelon and potato do not co-exist. Even still, I enjoyed my meal very much. Maybe I was home sick and the comfort food was what I needed? I also don't understand why people seem to dislike the decor here. I love it! Maybe you wouldn't enjoy it for a romantic evening out (though I certainly think you could) but I think the orange/red hues, dim lighting, cozy booths, and view of the outside bar (or even better - rink in winter) are terrific. I love that I work above this place and plan to make it a frequent dining/lunch spot.

Pros: Excellent decor, comforting food (for the most part), just a cozy spot

Cons: The fish of the day! ;P And the cleave of the hostess!

10/17/2006 Posted by llauren234

This is my favorite place to go on Sundays for brunch. I love to watch the skaters on the ice rink while I'm eating. I haven't found a more cozy place in the city! Even better during the holidays!

Pros: Great View!

Cons: none

10/16/2006 Posted by ur2nite

Went here 2 weeks ago for brunch. It was really nice, had a good sized booth. Our waiter was attentive. Food was really really really good. We got to sit and watch the ice skating outside, it was simply a beautiful sunday day in the city.

Pros: view of Rock Center !!!

Cons: noisy

10/06/2006 Posted by doggiebag

i have a feeling that these is the kind of place that New Yorkers steer clear of because theyre under the notion that it's a tourist only spot. those are people that miss out! the food is WONDERFUL and you cant go wrong with a view like that-- this past we week, we were able to look on as the ice rink was undergoing its transformation. definitely a two thumbs! (and you fellow New Yorkers should definitely get out to this place!)

Pros: great locations, amazing scenery

10/02/2006 Posted by jet075

I went here with my family (party of 5) for breakfast on a Sunday morning. The menu is definitly split between breakfast food (french toast, pancakes, frittata) and heavier meals (steak, chicken) so if you are just in the mood for breakfast, this probably isn't the place. However, we really enjoyed it. They had the most amazing bread basket that we got refilled 4 times. Our waiter was also incredibly friendly and helpful. THe food was really good and if it hadn't been pouring rain, the location in Rockefeller center would have been great.