Root 174

Occupying the space left by Legume’s exit to Oakland, Root 174 is an intimate, BYOB dinner spot. Expect to sit close to other dining parties, but that will hardly be a distraction once your food arrives.

The menu is a continually adapting organism, so it seems. We dined on a recent evening when the holiday meals were being given a test drive. Specials are displayed on a chalkboard, but a menu with more staple-type meals (but still changing…) is provided as well. One special of sweet potato gnocchi sounded way too awesome to pass up – so we gave it a go. A little on the sweet side, but a nice dish to complement another… like….

Pork!

We let the chef prepare the pork to his liking, which was apparently medium, and that was a freakin’ good call. It was perfect. Resting on barbeque sauce, sausage, potatoes and brussel sprouts. Comfort food at its finest.

Now, I often judge a restaurant entirely on its dessert. What’s that saying… the proof is in the pudding? And such and such… But for reals. If a restaurant has lack luster cake and the like – get me the crap out of there! So for this all important gauge, our server recommended the vegan chocolate cake. Vegan. Chocolate cake. What the what.

All sly in its vegan-ness

Sure, vegan chocolate cake sounds like a disaster in the making, but I am here to tell you, it is fabulous. Rich, moist, and somehow chocolatey. Game, set, match. Root 174 – you are a champion.

An if-you-go tip: Reservations are a must. There is no good place to wait to be seated, unless you have a strong desire to be a meal ruiner and just linger awkwardly behind other diners. But seriously, just make reservations.