05/30/08

Not worth the Ikea-esque furniture inside

by meiacomida

I took an important client here for a blah blah business meeting, thinking after the stress of the meeting we could relax, get some good SF eats and have time to talk about future plans.

Well we had time to talk alright...

- took 40 min. to get sandwiches to our table (restaurant almost empty)

-stoner waiter brought fries out almost 1/2 hour after lunch was over

-better sandwiches as Lee's downtown for under $5- not saying Lee's is good just better

-order of scallops was so well cooked, restaurant has invented the "raisined" scallop, those little puppies were like rubber ducks when kitchen done with them

-interior bland

-food bland

-service great if you've got Alzheimers or severe ADD

...and like to waste your dining dollars.

I'd come back here for lunch or dinner if I was too wasted to walk any further uphill on this street. to Vignette or Masa's. Even you stumbled downhill to the Subway you'd get a better meal and a little color in the restaurant.

This lil restaurant has NOTHING going for it except location.

05/29/08

Tried it twice and never again.

by ellereview

I was really hoping that we could add Roots to our list of frequent organic dining restaurants. After giving it a second chance, I have to say that I would not eat there again. The dining room is unappealing, the food is not very fresh and the service is below average. When you walk in the front door from the busy street you can go to the hotel front desk on the left or the restaurant on the right - there is no door or formal entry way. The space should really be the hotel lobby and not a formal restaurant. Both times we ate at Roots the dining room was fairly empty (three other tables and one person at the bar). To be fair, we do really enjoy the french fries and fried artichokes and if you go between 5-7pm you can order a wine for around $9-$12 and get a free appetizer for around $6-$8. BUT, the bread is stale, the Grilled Tofu tastes like a salt lick, the snap peas were overcooked/mushy, and the Fettucini- Chicken- Artichokes was extremely bland and overcooked (the chicken was not fresh nor were the English peas). The table next to us had scallops and a fish dish that both smelled extremely fishy in a not so good way. Our server was overwhelmed taking care of three tables at a time, messed up our order and really lacked the skills to serve customers. The host was very friendly but he had a blotchy face (rash like) and sniffled as he wiped his nose and then handed us our menus and wine. The chef should try to get some honest feedback from customers on the food and service to help this restaurant live up to its potential.

• Pros: Fried Appetizers
• Cons: Main Dishes, Service, Ambience

05/15/08

I HAVE TO AGREE-

by finickyflower

I was suprprised to see this listed as having a grand opening as we went there last fall for my birthday.. Wanted to support the Green movement.

The place seemed sort of like an after thought-not a real restaurant. ( I get the Ikea analogy) The waiter wwas super nice and just like the previous writer said- the apps were great. Try the fries! Fantastic. Salads etc. Great drinks too! THE came the main course: UGH! AUGH!

NO FLAVOR.. Pretty unbelievable really.. Usually I would just let it go but it was inedible so I asked to speak to the manager as they should know. Two out of three of us had worked in restaurants before and know this can sink a place. The manager neer came out but they did comp that dish.. My suggestion for the place is 1) taste what they cook before sending it out! 2) put a screen or some kind of room divider up so you don't feel like you are eating in a small hotel lobby. Kudos to the attitudes of the service- they were great- friendly etc.. We wanted to support a green restaurant - hope they get it together.

• Pros: Good if you just want drinks and apps
• Cons: Main courses