My review of Roots..... http://www.rootsmilwaukee.com

A few entries back I spoke highly of Hinterland's pork belly appetizer.... Well scratch that review and drive 1.8 miles North to Roots!!!!

After a long day I headed to another restaurant on the Milwaukee Area Top 30 List that I've been wanting to try. (published Sept. 13th in the Journal Sentinal)

The meal was excellent!
The service however was a bit lacking, we will get to that later.


Let's start from the beginning.... Parking was easy, even with the 6ft snow banks!

The host was delightful, he asked questions about our previous experience at Roots, which we had none, spoke highly of several menu items he enjoyed, and gave us several seating options; excellent service in my eyes.
The waitress however seemed rushed, a bit distracted, (there were only 3 or 4 other tables), and didn't seem to know the nightly specials or tap beers, annoying.

We told her we were just doing several apps and beers. She gave us time to review the menu and took our beer order but forgot the waters, no big deal, yet.

Complementary snacks were brought out, pickled vegetables, spicy dried chick peas, and a herb popcorn. The veggies were the best of the three.

Next up apps. We decided on the House Charcuterie with
handmade mustards, pickles & preserves and BBQ Pork Belly with beer battered oysters, Carolina vinegar sauce, and mizuna greens.

We were in pork belly heaven!!!








The pork was crispy, chewy, juicy, had a slight smokey bacon flavor and the oysters melted in your mouth! The sauce was a light citrus aioli. If only you could dice up the pork and put it on a bun, best sandwich ever!

Next up the charcuterie.

Charcuterie (pronounced /ʃɑrˌkuːtəˈriː/, /ʃɑrˈkuːtəri/; French: [ʃaʁkytʁi], from chair 'flesh' and cuit 'cooked') is the branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, galantines, pâtés, and confit, primarily from pork.cCharcuterie is part of the garde manger chef's repertoire. Originally intended as a way to preserve meats before the advent of refrigeration, they are prepared today for their flavors derived from the preservation processes.










Another hit. There was a homemade pear jam on the plate that worked well with the saltier meats. A homemade mustard that was outstanding!!! And plenty of crackers and crusty bread to make this a meal. Note: the meats are all made in house and the selections do change on a daily basis.

At this point in the meal we needed another beverage or two... The service was a bit lacking. After returning with a beverage she did offer dessert.

Vegan Panna Cotta was the clear choice for us.

Panna cotta (from Italian cooked cream) is an Italian dessert made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set. It is generally from the Northern Italian region of Piemonte, although it is eaten all over Italy, where it is served with wild berries, caramel, chocolate sauce or fruit coulis. It is not known exactly how or when this dessert came to be, but some theories suggest that cream, for which mountainous Northern Italy is famous, was historically eaten plain or sweetened with fruit or hazelnuts. Earlier recipes for the dish used boiled fish bones in place of gelatin; sugar, later a main ingredient, would not have been widely available as it was an expensive imported commodity. After years this treat evolved into what is now a gelatin dessert, flavored with vanilla and topped with fruit or spices, and served chilled.










It was served with cinnamon and sugar coated plantains, mixed berries, raisins, and a raspberry purée.

But service issues.....Waitstaff 101: if you take an empty glass off a table, offer a refill or suggest coffee with dessert, something!! We had to ask for an Irish Coffee after the dessert arrived. And it was mediocre once it arrived. To top it off there was a small problem with the check. We got over it quickly.


The meal was the shining star at the end of a long day. I look forward to going back and will let you know how my second experience plays out.

http://www.rootsmilwaukee.com