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Written by Rick Karlin
May 6, 2010
The late John Denver wrote perhaps one of the most place-descriptive songs ever in “Take Me Home Country Roads.” When I first heard it, I fell in love with the Blue Ridge Mountains, even though I’d never seen them. The song just evoked a sense of place and peace that appealed to me – and millions of others, judging by the record sales.
The reason I take you, dear reader, along for this stroll down memory lane is that a recent dinner at Roots, perched high on a hill overlooking the city, evoked that same feeling of place and peace. We sat along the windows flanking the patio, which provided a gorgeous view of the city, especially at sunset. The fading skyline was bathed in a golden glow.
The view and the delicious cocktails would have been rewarding enough, but the food and service were equally breathtaking.
Just as John Denver created a song to celebrate American roots, chef John Raymond orchestrates a menu that celebrates the changing flavors and textures of the seasons. Each plate reflects his passion for the art of food and his respect for those who raise or harvest his food products.
“We believe the best-tasting foods are whole foods grown ecologically and respectfully,” Raymond says. “We believe in supporting sustainable agriculture as well as aquaculture. All of our meats are naturally raised. Our fish is sashimi grade, wild caught, flown in whole, and filleted here to ensure freshness. A large quantity of our vegetables are grown in Wisconsin, and we are proud to support as many local farmers as possible. Everything is made from scratch with the same love and care we show in selecting our ingredients.”
That respect and care may mean that your meal at Roots might take a little bit longer to prepare than at other restaurants. Roots is definitively not a “fast food” joint, it is a place to settle in and savor every moment. The menu offers a wide variety of unique dishes and the knowledgeable staff is excellent at explaining every dish.
We began our meal by sharing the BBQ shrimp cooked in the style of Carolina low- country cuisine and served with phenomenal crisp cakes of creamed grits. The garnish of mustard sprouts added a nice little bite to the dish. The accompanying pimento sauce was delicious, but completely unnecessary, as the dish stood on its own. We also sampled the escarole & asparagus salad. Crisp greens arrived topped by a five-minute egg, although I’d suggest asking for a four-minute egg instead. In a dish like this, the poached egg is supposed to augment the salad dressing (a refreshing almond vinaigrette). Our egg was almost hard-boiled.
Our entrées were sheer perfection. Pan-seared scallops arrived cooked to perfection, shimmering on the inside with a slight caramelized coating. The seafood was served atop a generous mound of sunchoke-infused barley risotto and braised baby arugula.
Fork-tender Korean BBQ brisket was paired with kim chee braised pork belly and bok choy. A deep and flavourful sauce added a piquant accent, and steamed Chinese buns provided an excellent material to soak up all the good juices. Grilled tilapia, lightly glazed in a soy-miso blend was perfectly complemented by cashew-studded sticky rice. A micro-salad of sesame-yuzu dressed pea shoots and coconut curry sauce rounded out this dish. The vegetarian in our group raved about the seitan kibbe. The Middle-Eastern inspired dish was accompanied by couscous pilaf and a sumac salad dressed with an avocado and tahini sauce.
Desserts, while perfectly adequate, didn’t rise to the level of the rest of the meal. A trio of sorbet, cantaloupe, poached pear and cucumber, were all quite tasty, especially the cucumber, but were frozen so solid that we needed a knife and fork to hack off pieces to taste. The crème bruleé and chocolate mousse were well-made but uninspired.
I’ll definitely head back to Roots. Next time I’ll check out the brunch. I’m particularly drawn to one of the brunch menu items, Roots Benedict, seared rare tuna and poached eggs topped with wasabi hollandaise and tempura nori and shiitake-daikon hash on the side. Try and keep me away!
