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Root NOLA- Review
Posted on 10/21/12 at 9:37 pm
Posted on 10/21/12 at 9:37 pm
Went to Root for dinner last night. Had an amzing dish at Vinola this year for NOWFE from the chef and have had it on my list of places to dine. Arrived for dinner right before our 8:15 reservation time and was promptly seated. The night went as follows:
Cocktails: Had a few different drinks and the GF stuck with just wine. Wine list is small but nicely chosen. If looking for variety, this wouldnt be my first choice on wine but the cocktails were stunning. Had the "Horse Whisperer" which was carrot infused vodka with Allspice Simple Syrup and Ginger Ale...amazing drink with just the right balance of carrot essence and baking spices (maybe a touch sweet on the sugar level but awesome). Next had a "Grape Ape" which was a twist on a classic Pisco Sour using Orange Juice and Muscadine infused Pisco (I think). Lastly, had a "Feather in my Cap" Which was a play on a gimlet it seemed with a touch of St Germain and Celery Bitters (The floral and vegetal went well together).
Charcuterie: Ordered the Chicken and Truffle Parfait and the "Face" Bacon. The parfait was a nice mousse consistency and deliciously rich with a nice aspic. The "Face" Bacon is actually the head cured and smoked and treated in a similar fashion to Bacon. Really melt in your mouth rich and fatty with a consistency close to pancetta. The board was adorned with Pickled Watermelon rind, pickled pineapple, bread and butter pickles, tri color peppers, and their own tube of Spicy Pear Mustard. ***The one thing I regret on this course was the server not notifying me of the nightly preperation of Foie Gras which was a "Foilly Pop" with cotton candy...pop rock crusted foie gras lolly pop with cotton candy...
Cold App: Did the Seared Ahi Tuna and Compressed Watermelon salad. Watermelon was marinated with Balsamic, salad was garnished with Micro Basil and Avocado Dippin Dots. The salad is a great thing but tonight the dippin dots were overly salty (small issue on an otherwise great dish)
Entrees: I ordered the Cohiba Smoked Scallops and the gf had the pork belly. The scallops were cooked to perfection but I could hardly notice any effect of a possible smoke essence being added to the protein. The presentation in the cigar box I found to be very interesting and a nice change of pace. The pork belly was perfect with a nice caramelized sear to the cap.
Dessert: Pumpkin Schmumpkin...Columbian Coffee cake topped with Spiced Pumpkin Ice Cream served with a Toasted Sesame and Pumpkin Seed twill, peanut butter and burnt hay Panna Cotta, and a drizle of caramel and I think burnt streusel. This was the perfect play on a fall dessert. The Panna Cotta was amazing and the essence of burnt hay was very apparent but in no way offensive to the palate. The twill was probably my second favorite part of the dish, but the cake and ice cream were delicious as well.
Overall: This was a very fun dinner for a fairly affordable price ($150 pre tip). The server was a bit slow on bringing courses and drink service, but the food more than made up for this. The manager spoke to me each course and when the dippin dots were brought to his attention he immediately took it off of the bill even though I cleared the plate (may have tried them in the back and was thankful no more would be sent out of that batch). I was over dressed it seemed in my slacks and long sleeve button down as the place had an atmosphere that was more casual. Jeans and a nice shirt would be perfectly acceptable (maybe a sports coat on a chillier night). I would absolutely recommend this place to any true foodie out there, but if you are lacking a truly adventurous palate, it may throw you for a loop.
Cocktails: Had a few different drinks and the GF stuck with just wine. Wine list is small but nicely chosen. If looking for variety, this wouldnt be my first choice on wine but the cocktails were stunning. Had the "Horse Whisperer" which was carrot infused vodka with Allspice Simple Syrup and Ginger Ale...amazing drink with just the right balance of carrot essence and baking spices (maybe a touch sweet on the sugar level but awesome). Next had a "Grape Ape" which was a twist on a classic Pisco Sour using Orange Juice and Muscadine infused Pisco (I think). Lastly, had a "Feather in my Cap" Which was a play on a gimlet it seemed with a touch of St Germain and Celery Bitters (The floral and vegetal went well together).
Charcuterie: Ordered the Chicken and Truffle Parfait and the "Face" Bacon. The parfait was a nice mousse consistency and deliciously rich with a nice aspic. The "Face" Bacon is actually the head cured and smoked and treated in a similar fashion to Bacon. Really melt in your mouth rich and fatty with a consistency close to pancetta. The board was adorned with Pickled Watermelon rind, pickled pineapple, bread and butter pickles, tri color peppers, and their own tube of Spicy Pear Mustard. ***The one thing I regret on this course was the server not notifying me of the nightly preperation of Foie Gras which was a "Foilly Pop" with cotton candy...pop rock crusted foie gras lolly pop with cotton candy...
Cold App: Did the Seared Ahi Tuna and Compressed Watermelon salad. Watermelon was marinated with Balsamic, salad was garnished with Micro Basil and Avocado Dippin Dots. The salad is a great thing but tonight the dippin dots were overly salty (small issue on an otherwise great dish)
Entrees: I ordered the Cohiba Smoked Scallops and the gf had the pork belly. The scallops were cooked to perfection but I could hardly notice any effect of a possible smoke essence being added to the protein. The presentation in the cigar box I found to be very interesting and a nice change of pace. The pork belly was perfect with a nice caramelized sear to the cap.
Dessert: Pumpkin Schmumpkin...Columbian Coffee cake topped with Spiced Pumpkin Ice Cream served with a Toasted Sesame and Pumpkin Seed twill, peanut butter and burnt hay Panna Cotta, and a drizle of caramel and I think burnt streusel. This was the perfect play on a fall dessert. The Panna Cotta was amazing and the essence of burnt hay was very apparent but in no way offensive to the palate. The twill was probably my second favorite part of the dish, but the cake and ice cream were delicious as well.
Overall: This was a very fun dinner for a fairly affordable price ($150 pre tip). The server was a bit slow on bringing courses and drink service, but the food more than made up for this. The manager spoke to me each course and when the dippin dots were brought to his attention he immediately took it off of the bill even though I cleared the plate (may have tried them in the back and was thankful no more would be sent out of that batch). I was over dressed it seemed in my slacks and long sleeve button down as the place had an atmosphere that was more casual. Jeans and a nice shirt would be perfectly acceptable (maybe a sports coat on a chillier night). I would absolutely recommend this place to any true foodie out there, but if you are lacking a truly adventurous palate, it may throw you for a loop.
3
Posted on 10/21/12 at 9:40 pm to lilwineman
solid review
Posted on 10/21/12 at 9:43 pm to Tiger Authority
Thanks....one of the few places I have recently gone that I truly felt garnered the time to type a full review.
Posted on 10/21/12 at 9:46 pm to lilwineman
It's been on the radar as a place I've wanted to try but haven't gotten to hit up.
Posted on 10/21/12 at 9:50 pm to Tiger Authority
I've never been a big fan to be honest with you. Maybe I'll have to try it again next time I am in town.
Posted on 10/21/12 at 9:51 pm to Tiger Authority
Make a reservation, if possible request a booth to the right of the entrance for a nice seat. The cocktails here rivaled Cure. When you get the chance, take it off the radar and go. They just released their fall menu this week so the dessert was a brand new item. I do find the chef has an infatuation with the flavor of licorice in many facets of cuisine whether it be with Fennel, Basil, or Anise. There are still a dozen or so items I would love to experience. The dessert menu was great looking as well, our problem was we ran out of space. Gave our cab driver the leftovers as an extra tip on the way to Harrah's 
Posted on 10/21/12 at 10:01 pm to lilwineman
Been 3 times now and have been underwhelmed each time. Outside of the charcuterie (which I think they do very well) the small plates and entrees have all been mediocre to bad. And the service was spotty each time. The scallops in a cigar box is such a hokey money-grab it's not even funny. First of all.. I don't find scallops all that interesting; and secondly, if you have to resort to gimmicks - which let's face it, that's what it is - to sale a standard fine-dining dish then you have a problem. Like you said.. it doesn't even have a smokey flavor! So what's the point of it? Oh yeah, to get women to post pictures of it on Facebook so they can get more gullible women customers.
Get simple things right first. Like not overcooking the lobster or not letting the "black tea" for the Black Tea Smoked Yard Bird sit for 4 hours and become a salty pile of shite (and yes, the waiter admitted as much to us), or work on learning to properly serve pickled shrimp.. or a host of other mistakes.
Get simple things right first. Like not overcooking the lobster or not letting the "black tea" for the Black Tea Smoked Yard Bird sit for 4 hours and become a salty pile of shite (and yes, the waiter admitted as much to us), or work on learning to properly serve pickled shrimp.. or a host of other mistakes.
This post was edited on 10/21/12 at 10:02 pm
Posted on 10/21/12 at 10:06 pm to Rohan2Reed
I work with a woman who went there on a first date with a guy, and she thought it was stupid and horrible at the same time. She implored me not to waste my money, and I've just got to believe her.
She left hungry as well.
Posted on 10/21/12 at 10:19 pm to lilwineman
Nice thorough review.
Posted on 10/21/12 at 10:19 pm to BrockLanders
The restaurant wont be for everyone, and if the entrees didnt fill her up, she has one hell of an appetite. Both entrees would have been enough to fill either of us up normally, but everything else was good enough to make me almost hurt myself. The chef is supposedly opening up another restaurant I hear that will be more eccentric is methods of cooking than the current one is. My only real complaint of the place as well would be the service. It seemed the server had a short term memory loss problem. The concept may be a little gimicky for some people, but I truly enjoy seeing a chef taking a risk and doing something different across the board and being successful with it (at least he was in my mind). I felt like a kid in a candy store as soon as I started reading the menu.
Posted on 10/21/12 at 10:21 pm to lilwineman
Tell the chef to go easy on the foam until he learns how to execute it well.
Posted on 10/21/12 at 10:49 pm to lilwineman
quote:
The concept may be a little gimicky for some people, but I truly enjoy seeing a chef taking a risk and doing something different across the board and being successful with it (at least he was in my mind).
Shag man, we feel the same way about this restaurant. I really enjoyed it, but my wife, not so much. Fact is, it just isn't for everyone.
FWIW, I really like scallops and their rendition was tremendous. It has since been eclipsed by R'evolutions scallop dish.
I get in a pissing contest with another poster here about this restaurant. I really don't think that it will last, not because it is not good, but because I think that it shoots far above the sights of the average New Orleans diner. Root is also not going to be on the radar for the average visitor of the city, not New Orleans cuisine.
Posted on 10/21/12 at 10:55 pm to ruzil
Exactly, I personally wanted a second stomach last night to not waste a bite as did the GF (Really getting her into good food). I want to see what this guy has up his sleeves next. Like you said, it wont last forever because it isnt typical NOLA cuisine but I highly respect him for being an artist of his trade. Usually a restaurant succeeds by keeping a couple of the types of dishes he does on the menu for people like me and you. However, to have a full menu of this style of cuisine blows my mind and gives me a foodie boner.
Posted on 10/22/12 at 8:54 am to lilwineman
I went about a year ago and thought it was a pretty good meal. I would go back but it isn't a place on my short list of restaurants to try again
This post was edited on 10/22/12 at 10:20 am
Posted on 10/22/12 at 9:04 am to saderade
Posted on 10/22/12 at 9:37 am to lilwineman
I hate molecular gastronomy and gimmicks. I don't want my dinner to feel like a science experiment. Wow me with the quality of your ingredients and the deft touch of your preparation and seasoning.
This is a fad. It's the "California/Nouvelle Cuisine" of this decade.
I'd bet a dollar to a dime that this place isn't around in 5 years. At least not in it's current iteration.
People always return to the classics.
This is a fad. It's the "California/Nouvelle Cuisine" of this decade.
I'd bet a dollar to a dime that this place isn't around in 5 years. At least not in it's current iteration.
People always return to the classics.
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