Baroque Rococo, say yes to the exquisite flair in food and decor.

A single roasted pearl onion with explosive flavor was the eye opener to our experience at Rococo.  A single bite with that much taste showed the care and expertise of the kitchen with each delicious ingredient. A pearl onion to rival the "Girl with the Pearl Earring."  My daughter and I had circled downtown St. Pete in the driving rain looking for dinner.  Parking was at a premium and the long waits at some establishments were interminable. (The Mill, Brick & Mortar, Station House).  We wanted a fine cocktail and food and we wanted it now.  As the designated driver, my darling patient (ahem) child was getting increasingly irritated as I told her to turn left here and "trust me" one more time.



We were greeted warmly.  Olivia gasped when she saw the dining room.  "Simply stunning" were her words.  It is singularly dramatic in decor and that defines baroque. The deep charcoal grey walls, red chandeliers, sconces, vibrant art and white upholstered chairs are striking.  The upholstered banquettes were inviting.  We did NOT have a reservation and the hostess was able to seat us before the bartender could complete our drink order.  She with her favorite dirty martini with blue cheese stuffed olives and I with the Cucumber Fresca (tequila, muddled cucumber, mint and a splash of sparkle).  We were seated in a comfortable room with vaulted ceilings that evoked a wine barrel.  Glass window displays would rival Macy's with fabulous representative prime champagnes in various sizes from magnum to rehoboam.  Talk about wish list!  My girl said before we even ordered that if she were to get married, this would be her choice for the rehearsal dinner,  We did raise her well.  After all life is a matter of taste.

Our waiter, Dan, explained the many special items for the evening.  Fresh East coast and West coast oysters on the half shell, available in any increment, the featured salad, fish and steak cuts not on the regular menu.  He explained the ala carte service and menu selections.  Grass fed and corn fed beef are available including the elusive bone-in filet.

My mini-me ordered the goat cheese pie and I chose the foie gras pain perdu.  Her pie arrived with a deeply colored crispy crust and what I would describe as a goat cheese cake filling with a side of arugula and poached pears dressed most simply with a fig dressing.  Mini-me swooned, as did I with the creamy dense tart savory pie.  My torchon of foie gras was gently pan seared and served on top of a Grand Marnier toast of eggy brioche and sprinkled with salted hazelnuts, a drizzle of pomegranate balsamic enriching this delicacy. The floral note of the Grand Marnier and pomegranate stilled the slight mineral taste to the foie gras.  The crisp hazelnut provided the perfect contrast in texture.  Small as it should be with a power packed punch to the palate.

We could NOT pass up sharing a bowl of the corn lobster bisque.  A personal Kryptonite for mother and daughter.  The kitchen kindly split a portion of this warm bisque.  It was quite generous.  We laughed because we each dared the other to pick up the bowl and lick it.  It was that good.  It was intensely deeply lobsterly with undertones of sherry, mushroom and corn.  One of the best that we have tried.

Service was quite competent and Dan was very apologetic at the slow pace for our entrees, we didn't mind the leisurely pace because we were so comfortable.  We had a lovely bottle of Duck Decoy to sip and savor while we waited for the kitchen to catch up.  Olivia ordered the 12 oz. Roasted Prime rib with au jus and horseradish cream.  It was a perfect medium rare and the cut was lovely.  The bite I had was seasoned perfectly with enough salt to enhance the beefiness.  Sauce was not necessary.  Now this is where that pearl onion entered the picture.  She had two picture perfect roasted baby carrots and three pearl onions as garnish.  I got a single onion and the deep caramelized flavor epitomized the simplest garnish done well.  I ordered the wild wood grilled salmon with kale, boar bacon (!!!!) and lemon oil, medium rare.  It was sublime.  Rococo might have singularly converted me to kale.  Naturally because we ALWAYS over order, we had a family style serving of creamed spinach and chef made potato coins (shreds of russet potatoes and herbs, a fat flat crispy tater tot).  Olivia had been to Ruth Chris' Steak house last week and raved over their creamed spinach.  Hand's down she said Rococo was better. RC can't come close to the Rococo version.  It was incredibly creamy and cheesy.  It ain't easy being green, but this was spectacular.  The crispy "tots" were yummy.  We brought most of each home.  (I made a spinach omelette with tots for my hard working girl for breakfast).

Now at this point after packing up our to-go boxes, Dan cruelly (just kidding) suggested dessert.  WTH, why not?  In for a penny, in for a pound.  My petite chou chose the chocolate peanut butter tower. It was flippin fantastic. The peanut butter mousse and graham cracker base was enrobed in dark chocolate and garnished with fresh barely sweet whipped cream. I picked the apple bread pudding which was a masterful representation of yummy.  I was served a warm slab of moist apple brioche, caramel sauce and creme anglaise.  As we sat back and sighed with pleasure, we topped off our meal with a snifter of Grand Marnier and Disaronno on the rocks respectively.

When an independent restaurant demonstrates extreme care in the minute details of a meal and you are prepared to wait for perfection, I highly recommend Rococo as a fine dining destination.  Stylish, chic and delicious.

The manager was most gracious as we were leaving.  He made sure we didn't melt in the rain.  Please support the independent restaurants and when you want to pull out all the stops, visit and enjoy the romance of Rococo.  $$$$ yes, but worth every restorative moment. Photo borrowed from website.  My apologies for the lack of pictures, my camera ended up in a puddle earlier in the day.



In a former life time I was known as "Tina, the Tourguide."  Maybe I gained my nickname because of my penchant for telling 'people where to go' or maybe not.   My former employ as a resort front desk manager allowed me to indulge in tasting, trying and then recommending restaurants for our diverse base of guests. It was the favorite part of my job....investigating what was new, what was popular and what would be a good fit for the diner.  I was not compensated then or now for my dining choices, it is purely my personal opinion on finding the best tasting restaurants, value or splurge, family or intimate, to recommend to either guests or friends.  That being said, I do have a personal bias to the old St. Pete establishments as a life long resident of the city I love.  I am drawn to visit and review the places that have been re-vitalized into something new from my recollections.

Is the price worth it? Depends on your taste...

After all, life is a matter of taste. We had a revisit to a long time favorite and wow, things have changed. La Cote Basque in Gulfport was a favorite date place for the Mister and me, many many moons ago. We had devised a delightful idea of a Hop, Skip, Jump dinner with our daughter on a recent Saturday night in Gulfport. What is a Hop, Skip, Jump, you ask? An itinerant dinner, roving between appetizer, entree and dessert courses within a small geographic area. Our plans were set, appetizers at La Cote Basque, Entrees at Habana Cafe, and gelato at Stella's Deli and Gelato. You know the old refrain about well made plans, just like pie crusts, well made plans can be broken.

Once we walked into the "over the top" lace and tablecloth romantic La Cote Basque and were greeted so quickly by a personable young man, we had a huge change of heart. We decided to skip our Skip and Jump courses and give the old memory making restaurant a chance to enthrall us again and introduce our daughter to "the art of fine dining." Frou-Frou, oh yes, indeed. Charming, definitely.

The Mister had a beer to start his meal and I had a split or two of champagne. Each of us ordered a different starter, escargots, mussels in lemon cream, and veal stuffed mushroom caps. The favorite of the table was the mussel dish...the flavor of the lemon cream was phenomenal. It was so good. A few of the mussels did not open and were not eaten and we were disappointed in not getting those few unopened mussels.

Another hit was the homemade mushroom bisque with melted brie. Oh, heaven on a spoon. It was without a doubt the best soup we have ever eaten. It was delicious.

Salads are included with the entrees, and our salads were a lovely crunchy bit of cooling refreshment. There were some rather large hunks of red cabbage that could not be eaten delicately. The homemade dressing rocks. It is garlic strong, honey, and tart. It was so good.

Our entrees were not as successful as the appetizers and we really wanted them to be as good. Mister had a trio of scallopine, in Marsala, Parmesan and Lemon caper sauce. He loved the tender pounded veal and the sauces were well made. It just muddled together in a puddle and it was a bit of a mess. Dinners were served with a lovely red cabbage saute, a honey glazed carrot, and an unfortunately crunchy rice pilaf. I had the frog legs in garlic butter and while the the frog legs were tender and sweet, I missed the garlic kick I usually associate with a provencal frog legs. The kid was torn between two preparations of veal and the waiter kindly offered to split the portion with each sauce. Unfortunately, the sauces ran together and it was difficult to discern between the lemon caper and the marsala. It was however perfectly cooked and tasted good. We drank a bit of wine and enjoyed our meal. a

Finally, ended our meal with a trio of desserts, a creme de Cacao parfait, a tiramisu and chocolate mousse and a special coffee that was sweet, hot and creamy. We sat in a tiny alcove off the entry way...covered in lace drapings, red tablecloths, mis-matched dishes and mis-matched service wear. The service was fantastic and they were hustling and bustling but no one ever felt rushed or neglected. It was a lovely dinner, absolutely lovely. I love love love Gulfport, it is a hidden gem of a town.

Now, the bad news, the prices have gone up considerably from the old days of Gulfport. This kind of food is a long lost art but the price is astronomical. I very nearly had a heart attack when I paid the bill. Please note there is an automatic 15 % gratuity added to the bill. I understand the higher prices when I see the wait staff handing out coupons and discounts to encourage repeat guests, they must offer these coupons in order to cushion the shock of the bill. Nothing is cheap here, but the service is wonderful and the food was above par. Take advantage of the coupons, and discounts, treat yourself to a blast from the past. Table 50 is the most romantic, request it. Dress up and act civilized. It can be quite fun.