The Rez Grill at The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa makes you feel like you hit the jackpot with each item on its menu. You’ll have an amazing meal from drinks to desserts that feature creative items.

We were invited to enjoy dinner at The Rez Grill, a new American grill that is fast becoming a new culinary destination at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa. 

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. – Farris Bueller

Farris Bueller was pretty wise for a high schooler. Life does move really fast. I swear every Sunday night, while loading dishes before going up to bed, I am thinking to myself “Well, we got nothing done on the to do list…” Life it busy. Life is fast. The older I get, the more I realize that the to-do list will always be there, so why not accept it and ignore the piles of laundry and filing, instead go out and have fun.

Our house will always be a disaster; with two kids, two dogs, and no time to take care of the tornado of activity it’s a given. So, the new life strategy is to ignore that all and enjoy ourselves more often. Prior to our wonderful dinner at The Rez Grill, Price and I had just been out on 2 dates since Hunter was born. Just 2 nights out in 16 months… WHAT?!?! So we decided it was time to hire a sitter and get out!

Price and I enjoyed the most amazing dinner at The Rez Grill for our much needed date night.

We were celebrating some kids free time and his birthday. Two very important reasons to dig into some great food and heavy drinks.

The Rez Grill is an exciting new culinary destination at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa, part of our recent expansion. With a chef-driven menu and down-to-earth vibe, this upscale but accessible American grill epitomizes fine dining done casually. Our priority, once we got the menus, was to scope out the drinks menu and snag a tasty cocktail.

I’m normally a bourbon addict, but the NEW FASHION ($12) was calling me. I was intrigued by spin on the classic that was made with dark rum and chocolate bitters. It was garnished with a dehydrated orange and a “filthy” cherry. I love the mix of sweet cherry and chocolate against the backdrop of bitter orange and rum.

Price ordered his favorite- VODKA TONIC.  It’s a simple, easy, and elegant tasting drink which he has loved for years.

While browsing the menu online before dinner, I saw the BENTON’S HAM ($19) appetizer and knew we had to have it. We couldn’t pass up on house biscuits and the ham. Ooo, what a little yummy sandwich!

 

Fully expecting assembled sandwiches to arrive – biscuits with a thick cut ham – I was so wrong! The ham was sliced paper thin, like prosciutto. It was served with fluffy house made biscuits that you are to fork split and assemble into a sandwich. Cherry-pepper jam and red eye aioli adorn the wood slab calling to be poured atop your personal sandwich. Not into sandwiches? Have a little bit of everything on your own. Really, you can’t go wrong with all of these awesome elements.

The infectious smile on this staff member is whats The Rez Grill is all about. Great food and drinks, appealing decor, and memories you wont soon forget.  What we really appreciated about The Rez is that the kitchen is exposed so you can see everything going on. Not like the normal hidden back of house kitchen, you can see fresh basil or meat cooking right on the wood fired grill. The cherry wood that is used is sourced from Florida.

Besides the yummy ham sandwiches, we kicked off out meal with their BLUE CHEESE ($13) salad.

Who writes about a salad? Lemme tell ya… this salad was boss. Price and I split it before our entrees and we made a great choice. The mix of flavors was perfect and the right amount before entrees arrived. Everything is so fresh and the blue cheese dressing wasn’t too much or little for the little gem greens, cherry tomatoes, candied pecans, crunch bacon, thinly sliced cucumbers, and pickled red onions.

My dinner made me say “whoa!!!!” when it arrived.

I ordered the LOCAL YELLOWTAIL SNAPPER ($33). It could be served 2 different ways, seared and served with broccoli and lemon or fried and served with thai salad. I went fried expecting a small fillet of fish served with some salad. But, I got was a whole fish! The crunch… oh man! That crunch from the batter on the yellowtail snapper skin. I couldn’t get enough of it.

 

You can see, I picked that sucker clean! I loved the fish and the thai salad that went with it. The finely chopped cabbage salad was paired with julienne carrots, cilantro, jalapeno slices, and crunchy peanuts. The fish sauce that was served with it went well with the salad and the mellow fish. Every bite was incredible.

Magically, my New Fashion had disappeared, so it was time to order another cocktail. This time, I couldn’t pass up my beloved bourbon. I ordered the LOLA ($12). The bourbon is mixed with Amaro, an Italian herbal liqueur. It’s bitter-sweet flavor pairs so well with the robust bourbon and sweet strawberry preserves.

Later, while chatting with our server, he explained that the little icons next to the cocktails explains just how they are served. The majority are served in the typical lowball glass, highball glass, cocktail glass, but a few special drinks are served in fun vessels. The WHEN WE ARE YOUNG ($10) sangria is served in a juice pouch and the IT’S L.I.T ($14) is served in a silly ceramic gnome. Now, I know what I need to try next time!

Besides the awesome cocktails, there is a 100-bottle wine list and there are four micro-breweries on tap, three of which are local to Tampa. Cheers!

Price was thrilled with the RIBEYE-CAP ($39) for his entree. Price is a steak guy; we will often guess which entree each other will get and I just knew it before he ordered.

A medium rare steak should have some cooked edge and pink inside with a little red in the middle. .  It’s so nice when you cut into a piece of steak and see it is cooked to perfection.  The ~10 oz steak was tender on its own but the wood fired flavor and cooked outside with pink inside made it so juicy.  The pairing with ripe shallots and long green broccolini went well with the steak and two sauces.  The demi-glaze and bearnaise complimented each item on the plate.

As beautiful as a perfectly cooked steak, The Rez Grill has the most beautiful style and decor. The modern and rustic details come together beautifully. They are the perfect pairing, just the creative collaboration between LA based designer Laurence Lee Associates and Las Vegas based architect Klai Juba Wald. A bit a California and Nevada came together to make perfect harmony in Florida.

Initially, I had thought of just ordering all of the sides, because I love variety in a meal and they all sounded so good. Since I had ordered the Yellowtail Snapper and Price ordered the Ribeye-Cap entrees, we decided to just order 2 of the EXTRAS.

If there are BRUSSELS SPROUTS ($8) on a menu, I am 100% ordering them. They are one on my favorite vegetables and if they are roasted… trouble. These Brussels Sprouts were just that… trouble!… they were tender, but crisp and sweet yet salty. The golden raisins that were served with the Brussels Sprouts were the perfectly compliment in texture and flavor to the saltyiness and crispness. Weeks later, and I am still dreaming about these Brussels Sprouts.

Initially, I thought of ordering the BROCCOLINI ($8), but the ROASTED PETITE VEGETABLES ($8) was the last side item that we didn’t have on either entree.  Picking at various items, sides or entree, should be done when everything is this good and fresh.

The vegetables were perfectly roasted- tender but they still had bite. You could describe them as al dente. The chimichurri sauce was thick, herby, and the perfect flavorful punch that elevated the vegetables to the next level.

 

We were both so very full but we couldn’t pass up on dessert!!! Again, “life moves pretty fast…” so we relaxed a bit, letting dinner digest, as we perused the dessert menu while sipping another cocktail.

I ordered the LEMON CURD ($12) because it sounded so good and interesting.

As we were seated near the kitchen- my favorite spot to see all the hustle and bustle!- we watched as all the dishes passed by us. I hadn’t seen the Lemon Curd pass by  so I was wondering what inventive way it would be plated and presented. Well, it certainly didn’t disappoint. Burnt meringue islands dotted an ocean of lemon curd. The blueberry purée and crumble where not only wonderful garnishes, but tasty elements of the dish. Every bite was luscious and a play on the senses.

Price’s steak order wasn’t surprising, and nor was his order of the CHOCOLATE BUDINO ($12). The layered chocolate pudding dish was layered with dulce de leche and soft cream layers. Then it’s topped with a chocolate ‘soil’. Again, the perfect playful combination of thick and airy textures and sweet and salty flavors. We both loved this, I almost licked the serving glass clean!

Our dinner wrapped up with full bellies, a to go bag, and a walk around the casino.

We plan on going back to The Rez Grill for another meal really soon. Their Sunday Brunch 11am-4pm sounds incredible… CINNAMON BUN and the EGGS BENEDICT are calling to me. And I can’t pass up on their WHITE PEACH SANGRIA either.

You better get to The Rez Grill before I eat up all of their food. ha!!

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The Rez Grill – Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

5223 Orient Road

Tampa, FL 33610

Location: Inside Mezzanine Level Casino, second floor, nearest Lucky Street Garage

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While I received this complimentary dinner at The Rez Grill in exchange for a review, all opinions expressed are my own. Gratuity was provided for the exceptional service we received.