Red Rooster
Jennifer Marshallsea isn’t just a restaurant owner. She’s a people person.
“I happen to be pretty good at talking to people. So I have built relationships here, some long standing friendships. Everybody who comes in just becomes part of our family.”
And that welcoming spirit is crowing loud and clear at The Red Rooster.
"Cockadoodledoo!
Located right on Route One in Wrentham, The Red Rooster delivers big personality and creative spins on the comfort dishes everyone loves. Jennifer and her family have built a cozy spot that will make you feel like you’ve stumbled into a quirky Irish cottage.
“It’s a little funky. We have a lot of stuff on the wall that came right from Ireland. So we have reclaimed a lot of stuff to keep that sort of old and authentic feeling. We try to give it that sort of Irish cottage feel from the outside and then when you walk in, it tends to be a little darker inside like an Irish pub would be, so it makes you feel like you're somewhere special and cozy.”
And with a big menu, Jen’s usually making the rounds, helping customers narrow down what to order.
“The menu can be a little bit overwhelming, so I always say, do you want to use a knife and fork, or do you want to use your hands? Because right there it tells you what you're thinking about ordering.”
Since you’re at the Red Rooster, getting a plate of Rooster Balls should be considered a requirement, if you’re up for ordering it.
“The rooster balls are a cult classic.”
“I LOVE the Rooster Balls. Cockadoodledoo!
“They are a chicken croquette and they are filled with jalapeño cheese and it comes with a side of ranch dressing. It is something people share. It is something people don't want to say out loud. People feel weird saying rooster balls.”
It might sound funny to say, but once you taste it, you’ll be very glad you did.
“You get the melted cheese. You get the spicy jalapeño. There is ranch for people who don't like any spice. They grace the top of our Roo Burger. It's definitely something to behold when it gets put in front of you. It's very tall and the rooster ball just is like the cherry on top. There's two different kinds of bacon. The Roo sauce, which is sort of like our play on Thousand Island. The onion rings sort of hold it together. And so when you're biting, you're getting a mishmash of flavors. But it seems to work. Everybody loves it.”
If you want all the flavor of a burger minus the bun, get yourself a Big Mac Salad.
“The Big Mac salad is a burger cooked to your liking on top of shredded iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes, onions, pickles and some cheddar cheese. A little bit of sesame seeds and then drizzle it with our Roo sauce. It makes you feel like you're eating a burger and you don't have to pick it up with your hands.”
There are loads of shareables at the Red Rooster. From crispy wings tossed in buffalo sauce and served with blue cheese, to an Irish version of nachos stacked on housemade potato chips.
“They're super thin, dropped in the fryer, so they're nice and fresh. And then we topped them with the cheese and the bacon and then put them in our pizza oven. And then it gets diced tomatoes, jalapeños, a big dollop of sour cream and some scallions on top. It is delicious.”
Another ode to the Emerald Isle is Red Rooster’s take on Shepherd’s Pie made with a blend of beef and lamb, fresh veggies, and Jennifer’s grandma’s recipe for mashed potatoes.
“You crack into it and you're getting like a nice authentic flavor of beef and lamb, and the smooth mashed potatoes on top really make it. We do serve it with two slices of rye bread in case you want to dip until it cools off. People really love it.”
For some south in your mouth, try the Chicken and Waffles.
“Chicken and waffles are buttermilk fried chicken. And the waffles are pearl sugar liege waffles. And we sit the chicken right on top of it and drizzle a little bit of maple syrup and some powdered sugar. It's delicious.”
The steak tips at the Red Rooster are so good, you can find them throughout the menu.
Whether you go for the so-called “Lumpy Tips,” a bite-sized morsel named after customer Sean “Lumpy” Richard, or as an entrée served with mashed potatoes and veg.
“They're super tender. So when you bite into it, you get a little bit of char from the grill. You get a little bit of tender from the meat there. They have this really fantastic marinade. There are people who come in and have never looked at another thing on that menu, and the only thing they come in for is the steak tips. They are that good.”
You can even find the tips on top of the Steak Carbonara Bar Pie with tomatoes and bacon.
“They're chopped up pretty small. So once you get your slice of pizza, you can bite the steak tips and the pizza and the tomatoes and the bacon all in one nice bite.”
And if the ample portions at the Red Rooster didn’t fill you up, the bread pudding most certainly will. This behemoth-sized slab comes topped with plenty of ice cream, hot fudge and a crunchy praline topping and has been known to turn heads.
“It’s the type of thing that when one walks by a table, we end up making three more.”
And from burgers with balls to tongue-tantalizing tips, every last bite will have you crowing for more at The Red Rooster.
