Eatery offers new twist on classics

Rockwell Grill was not nearly the restaurant it is today when it first opened about five years ago. It provided a few typical beers and, eventually, a full menu to patrons in a usually smoke-filled room. Since co-owners Tiffany Richie and Melinda Mayes took the helm in early 2011, Rockwell's selection of American cuisine and bar offerings has expanded to encompass all of the classics, each with its own distinctive twist.

"The [previous] owner went into the food side of it more, then sold [the restaurant] with the menu," Mayes said. "We kept the burgers and chicken sandwiches, added our own twists, then added southern cooking and changed over almost all the items to be fresh made. It takes longer to do it our way, but it tastes much better."

Richie and Mayes said they rebranded the restaurant with two things in mind: craft beer and fresh food. Now, the family friendly restaurant offers more than 130 bottled beers and 14 draughts, which they expect to expand to about 25. Rockwell patrons can order beer from nearly every brewery in Houston.

"There is a huge home-brewing community in this area," Richie said. "In the future, we would like to turn Rockwell into a brew-pub and expand to offer fresh farm-to-table service. It is important to us that we keep that family oriented atmosphere we've created and embrace."

Several of Rockwell's recipes utilize beer and fresh herbs. Each day, Richie and Mayes help make biscuits from scratch, homemade Hollandaise sauce and hand-packed burger patties, among other items.

Traditional menu offerings, such as the chicken fried steak ($9.99) or the made-fresh burgers ($7.99–$10.99), are made fresh to order and use techniques from beer-battering to fire-smoking to achieve a taste distinctive to Rockwell.

Other items were created specifically for Rockwell. The "Three Legged Pig on its Side" ($10.99) features three bone-in pork chops braised in pale ale and flash fried and served over a warm apple potato hash basted with a light apricot jalapeo sauce. The dish was created for a catering event, but it became so popular it was added to the regular menu. All of Rockwell's offerings are created daily using fresh ingredients, beer and the owners' mother's and grandmother's time-tested recipes, Richie said.

Weekly specials

Apart from daily lunch specials and discounts on appetizers and craft beers during Happy Hour, Rockwell Grill has several other features for its patrons:

• Kids eat free on Tuesdays
• "Simple Supper" offers dinner for four for $20. Main courses are grilled chicken on Tuesdays, chopped steak on Wednesdays and fried catfish on Thursdays. Dinner is served with mashed potatoes and green beans or coleslaw and hushpuppies. For carry-out only.
• A Sunday brunch menu is offered 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
• Daily Happy Hour specials are offered 2–6 p.m.

Future expansion

Owners Tiffany Richie and Melinda Mayes said they plan on bringing in several wines on tap to add new attraction to the extensive craft beer list. The bar underwent a renovation recently when some of Rockwell's regular patrons volunteered their time and skills to help give the bar a facelift.

Richie and Mayes also said they hope to provide outdoor seating at some point, but would likely need to change their location first.

"We would like to change location, but stay in this area," Richie said. "We would not be where we are today if it were not for the community we are in."

12640 Telge Road, Cypress 281-256-9223, www.rockwelltavernandgrill.com

• Tues.–Thu. 11 a.m.–9 p.m.
• Fri.–Sat. 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
• Sun. 10 a.m.–9 p.m.