Roc Italian Restaurant featured an 80’s theme at its first “disco brunch” Sunday (disco, as in discotheque — a nightclub where dancing takes place), and a full house enjoyed the delicious food and drinks, followed by a DJ, live guitarist and live percussionist. The prix fixe menu offered a variety of fine breakfast or lunch option as well as a few dessert options as you can see below. The $50 / person ticket included the meal, two drinks and a dessert — and a whole lot of fun.
The delightfully attentive, polite staff made their way through the room, clad in 80’s fashion, showing off white blazer jackets, vintage t-shirts, and flashing light up accessories. Our server, Patrick Rhodes, offered us some of the best service I’ve experienced in Louisville as he simultaneously made me jealous of his vintage Star Wars shirt and gave us small biscuits and muffins. When the main course arrived, other staff came by to offer ground pepper or grated parmesan. My friend ordered the Pizza di Spaghetti, which is kind of a round pizza shape made from spaghetti noodles. I indulged in the Italian Style breakfast, which was huge. I had to take half of it home. It included two eggs, a large sausage, red beans, fried mushrooms, tomato, bell peppers and potatoes, and toast. Both dishes were superb and full of flavor. As for our brunch cocktails, Roc makes the perfect mimosa, unlike some restaurants who have a hard time getting the blend of flavors just right.
For dessert, my friend and I got the Torta Di Formaggio Ricotta Cheesecake with Raspberry (which came in a glass) and the Torta Caprese — a chocolate and almond cake with whipped cream. By the time our desserts came, flashing led and club lights blinked in the dark, and the dance party was underway. We kept taking breaks to reach across the table to sample each other’s treats.
When I say the dance party was underway, I should perhaps say up and over. Restaurant owner Rocco Cadolini moved back and forth through the tight quarters to shake flashing LED foam sticks, jumping up on chairs to dance and show off his silly curly wig. It didn’t take long before the entire restaurant caught the vibe and people were up on chairs, and wiggling around the tables. Even the children in attendance had a blast in their costumes and flashing light up sunglasses and accessories. DJ JP Source mixed his own beats in with popular 80’s songs, occasionally lowering his own sounds so you could really hear the guitar by Charles Rivera and percussion by J.C. Denison. It was quite the invigorating blend.
In the middle of the dance party, the staff sang a wild happy birthday to guest J.P Davis, marching through the restaurant to the beat to deliver a fishbowl style cocktail with a sparkler shooting light out the top of it. Other guests enjoyed fish bowl style drinks with flashing colorful lights in them. One of the most enjoyable parts of the experience was seeing just how much fun Rocco and his wife Stacy were having, dancing with guests and handing out flashing rainbow or glow sticks. Rocco even made the furniture part of his dance floor, including a dance on the bar, during which time he brought up his daughter Sofia and her friend Scarlet to dance with him.
(Turn your speakers down before playing the video!)
The disco brunch at Roc will be monthly. The next one will be April 15, and the theme will be “Studio 54.”
