Red Rocks Cafe Birkdale is the NASCAR restaurant of choice in Charlotte

Since first aspiring to become a NASCAR writer in December 2009, I started following all the sport's drivers and personalities on Twitter and Facebook. I followed them in an effort to keep an eye on the pulse of the sport. Before the end of the year, I quickly started wondering from the numerous tweets, "What is this Red Rocks place?"

December is part of the very short NASCAR off-season. That month provides the people in the NASCAR industry a cherished opportunity to hang out with family and friends around the Charlotte, North Carolina area. Many NASCAR drivers that didn't leave town were twittering about meals at Red Rocks Cafe in Birkdale Village near Charlotte, in Huntersville, NC.

Over the course of the 2010 season, you could still see reports of the NASCAR community visiting this restaurant and talking about their favorite Red Rocks meals. Red Rocks Cafe even sponsored famous patrons Michael Waltrip (in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star Showdown) and Denny Hamlin as an associate sponsor (in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Pocono Mountains 125), to keep the restaurant’s name out there.

Sam Sarcinella, fiancé of Joe Gibbs Racing's Chase contender Kyle Busch, informed me that they try to eat at Red Rocks once a month. She said Red Rocks owner Ron Herbert and the entire staff are friendly and attentive. She also said the food and service are excellent. She stated that Rhys Lloyd's Buffalo Calamari is both her and Kyle's favorite menu item.

Personally, as a fan of Rhys Lloyd since his days kicking footballs at the University of Minnesota, I think I will have to take their advice on this appetizer someday. Although the waiter told me the menu titles really have no link to the person named on it. They just pick a random item to go with the name of favorite clientele. Busch's name is on the Black & Bleu Prime Filet.

Maybe it is time to update these menu item titles, as many names are little known in 2010's NASCAR, or even other forms of local celebrity. Although I know who these people are, the casual fan isn't going to know who Boston Reid or Lloyd is.

I did have to google my wife's menu item, Helmi Fefel's Chicken Marsala. I think it should've said Felfel. Apparently the menu item was named after one of those sales motivational speakers that goes on speaking tours. Brian Tracy would've been a more prolific name, but Felfel is based in the Charlotte area.

NASCAR Rookie of the Year contender Kevin Conway also frequents Red Rocks. Conway's girlfriend Angel Taber says, "The food is amazing, it is a great atmosphere and at the perfect location for me to eat and do a little shopping." Taber told me that her favorite Birkdale shops are Belle Ville and Francesca's Collections.

I don't go to Birkdale Village very often, as I am a thrifty guy. I am also married to a thrifty woman. I have a serious dislike for the shopping scene and have been more than happy to tell my wife to enjoy Birkdale with her friends, instead of with me. But because of Red Rocks on Twitter, I was looking for an excuse to go to Birkdale.

When my wife and I were recently thinking about what we should do for a date night that we had planned, she suggested going to that restaurant I have been wanting to go to. Without hesitation, I made plans for a dinner and movie date at Birkdale. While doing a little research about Red Rocks Cafe, I saw a phone number for reservations. So for the first time in about 20 years, I made a phone call for dinner reservations.

Had I been an experienced person at making reservations, I would've mentioned this was supposed to be a quiet and romantic dinner for two. That way they would've known we didn't want to be put in the same back room with two big parties. But do people really need to say that when calling for reservations for two?

Upon being led to our table, the room only had one party in there. It was a baby shower. The other huge empty table should've been a clue to me that more were coming and I should ask for a different spot. After all, the restaurant wasn't full during this Thursday evening. Instead, we sat down and within minutes my wife was being annoyed by the loud women behind her.

Sarcinella also said that Red Rocks is where they have team parties. She also had her bridesmaid luncheon there.

I'm guessing the only people that make reservations at the Birkdale Red Rocks get put in that same party room. How else can you explain my table for two ending up in there?

Most prices were expensive as I had expected, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that many prices were also affordable. As soon as I noticed that a crabcake sandwich was in the low priced part of the menu and named after David Gilliland, my choice was a no-brainer. You see, in addition to being a NASCAR Examiner and the NASCAR Business Examiner, I am also the Front Row Motorsports Examiner. Gilliland has been driving for Front Row in 2010. Plus, I absolutely love crab meat on bread.

Michelle Gilliland recently said in a chat session with her husband's fans, that this was the perfect menu item for him. She typed that he is a crab and he likes the sandwich. Although, it isn't his favorite item on the menu.

Both my wife and myself enjoyed our meals, despite the fact that the room had since completely filled up with over 20 people in the two parties. We had no regrets about what we ordered.

If we do have a next time at Red Rocks, I am interested in trying the Kobe. No, I am not buying Todd Braun’s $79.00 Kobe Filet. I am a cheapskate! I want Foster Gilette’s Kobe Beef Burger for $10.95. Shortly after seeing the Kobe on the Red Rocks menu, I watched the movie "Grilled" and decided I need to try Kobe beef sometime soon.

Miguel Abaroa, rookie truck series team owner of Starbeast Motorsports also tries to go there at least once a month. Abaroa said to me, "I really like the food there. There is a lot of variety and quality. The service is very good."

Birkdale's Red Rocks Cafe N.C. Division of Environmental Health score has improved over the years, with a current score of 98. I wouldn't be worried about eating there.

The men's room could use some cleaning though. When walking in, I mistook a guy waiting for the sink as a bathroom attendant. That immediately made me think of opulence, so I figured it would be immaculate in there. After a short time in the bathroom, I was in a hurry to sanitize. I ran my hands under the faucet thinking it would turn on automatically, but much to my surprise, Red Rocks still makes you turn the facet on and off by touching a unsanitary knob. In my opinion, much work needs to be done in the there.

Everyone seems to agree that the food and service at Red Rocks Cafe is great. Even a budget conscious person like me can find some bargains on the menu. But from my experience, this isn't the place to go for a quiet evening. It is possible that the extreme popularity of the restaurant is Red Rocks Cafe's only downfall. With great food, this isn't an entirely bad problem to have when you have the endorsement of NASCAR elite.

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