root down

Last Thursday night I went to Root Down.

Sonia recommended it to me as the place to go in Denver right now....it's so cool, she told me, that they don't even have a sign on the building. I knew I must try it. It was opened recently in the Lower Highlands by Justin Cucci, the former owner of Ye Waverly Inn in New York; Chef Ryan Leinonen came from The Kitchen in Boulder. Their dishes are made from ingredients grown on their roof-top and patio gardens and their globally-inspired menu changes seasonally (I always enjoy a restaurant that has a seasonally-changing menu). In case you're wondering about the name, I looked it up. It came from a song by 1960s jazz musician Jimmy Smith and literally means to return to the root of the song after a jam. It's also the name of a song by the Beastie Boys.

On the way to the restaurant, Finn asked me if I had read the review. I had not, and may not have recommended it so confidently if I had. Root Down was recently ripped in the Denver Westward by Jason Sheehan. He had a few good things to say but overall hated the menu and the food. We read it out loud on the way and found it to be very entertaining. My favorite line: "Only out of such a ridiculous haze of philosophizing could come a dish as bad as tofu pot pie with winter vegetables and pomegranate syrup....The combination of flavors was so clumsy that I had to believe no one in the kitchen had ever tasted a pomegranate before conceiving of the dish, and then somehow they'd continued in their ignorance by never once tasting the result of their own culinary Frankenstein-ism." [Even I agree that tofu pot pie is a bad idea, but the guy sitting next to us ordered it and actually seemed to like it.] We still went....I think I liked that it was important enough to inspire such passionate hatred. My review isn't as angry.

Sonia had told us not to go without a reservation, but we tried anyway. Somehow Finn worked his magic and got us in without a reservation, no wait. Not sure exactly how he did this, but I liked it. I knew I liked the restaurant when I walked in: perfect lighting (dim), large windows with a view of the Denver skyline. It has a modern 1950s feel, if that makes any sense.

I'll start with the drinks. Of note, their water is apparently purified via reverse-osmosis on the premises, whatever that means. It did taste great--as does most cold tap water--and they left us some extra in a cute bottle on the table, which I appreciated. I loved the extensive mojito menu. I enjoyed the lychee mojito, a good combination of sweet and sour without being too sweet. They also had several cocktails featuring St. Germain....I think Finn had one of these.

The dinner menu includes appetizers, small plates, and entrees in both half and full sizes. I was warned ahead of time that the half sizes are very small; Sonia's husband had to eat again when they got home after having one of the half size meals. We went with several small plates to share, a good decision. Our dinner:

Rice Crispy Calamari with Tomato Chili Salsa, Fried Lemons, & Organic Arugula; Sweet & Sour Fire Roasted Eggplant Bruschetta with French Feta, Pine Nuts, Golden Raisins, & Chives; Roasted Beet Custard with Goat Cheese, Balsamic, & Organic Arugula, and Buffalo Sliders with Shitake “Relish”, Mongolian BBQ & Terriyaki Root Salad. By the end, we were stuffed. We ended up canceling the Organic Smoked Portobello, Leek & Mascarpone Wontons with with Soy Mint Dunk and trying the Croissant Bread Pudding with Bourbon Butter Sauce and Sour Cream Ice Cream instead. Good choice.

My favorite dish was most definitely the roasted beet custard. I was pleasantly surprised that it was served warm. The texture was perfect and I enjoy goat cheese and balsamic on just about anything. We took grouchy Jason Sheehan's recommendation when we ordered this, as he thought this dish "was delicious even though it sounded like it ought to be terrible." The buffalo sliders were also great. The shitake relish was amazing, and the mini buns were perfect....almost like an english muffin but not. We meant to ask them where they get them. Although I could barely eat another bite by the end, the sour cream ice cream was perfect alongside the croissant bread pudding, as was the warm bourbon butter sauce.

Despite my initial doubts on the way over, I am happy to say that, once again, Sonia's recommendation did not disappoint. Good scene, unique menu, friendly wait staff....I approved. Slightly over the top, but I'm not complaining. I also hear they have a great patio along with happy hour and brunch. Yes please.