A Stone to Feast Upon | Black Rock Bar & Grill

Thanks to an invite from Carrollwood’s newest restaurant, I got to dine at Black Rock Bar & Grill for their grand opening in exchange for some social media love and a blog post. All opinions are my own. 

If the smokey atmosphere doesn’t draw you in, the smell of sizzling steak will. Black Rock Bar & Grill lets you cook your own meal at your table, but let me tell you a little more about it. I arrived totally blind not knowing what to expect because, well, sometimes life gets crazy and when you get an email to try a new restaurant, all you need to do is show up… so that’s what I did. First things first, I grabbed a fresh Fig-Jam Margarita to look over the menu and get the low-down from the waitress.

As avid, “try new things kind of people,” I wasn’t expecting this. You may have heard of fondue restaurants or some Asian restaurants that allow you to cook at your table, but how about the protein of your choice (steak, shrimp, fish, sausage) on a burning hot stone that comes directly out of an oven that never turns off? OR sizzling cheese with pretzels to dip? That’s right, a cheese and pretzel fondue served a top a burning hot rock. That is where the night started.

The stone was so hot, it kept the cheese bubbling the entire time I ate. The team at Black Rock keeps the stones ready to go by storing them in an oven that is always on… and it’s so hot that it would take over eight hours to heat each day.

I dove in by ordering a six ounce filet, some green beans, and rice pilaf. Each option comes with two sides and don’t worry, if you want to indulge, there are plenty of options for that! From the campfire sweet potato to mac & cheese and Yukon Gold mash to many others. There are ALMOST too many options to choose!

Order any of the speciality items from the menu and it will come on a 755 degree “volcanic” stone. This stone literally cooks your food as you eat it; slice, cook and enjoy with the signature Black Rock sauce. A concept that was born out of Michigan, but serves up some unique dishes on a volcanic stone you might expect to experience in Hawaii. This is the first time I had ever seen something like this. The stone keeps your meal hot while you eat, therefore it’s like every bite is coming fresh off the grill.

To celebrate the grand opening, I felt it was only right to treat myself to some dessert while I was at it. I opted for the homemade apple crisp recipe (made famous by the founder of Black Rock’s grandmother) and my table mates for the night ordered the Black Rock Volcano! Neither disappointed, but as you could imagine, it was all a little much after such a great meal.

The night overall was very tasty and a unique experience for sure. I am excited to go back to try a few things on the menu that I didn’t get a change to explore, like the “Sausage and Peppers on the Stone.” It’s definitely a good reason to have a date night with Nicholas.

-Ryan