Root Down — Restaurant in Denver

I do wish Google would allow half stars, because I'd give Root Down overall 4.5 with 5/5 service, 4.5 food, and 4/5 atmosphere.

I'll start with the good. The service was exceptional and the staff knew the menu very well. There was good communication among the staff and the food was coursed out well. There was no rudeness or condescension to be found.

The food was good to great. The drinks were superb and I was adventurous and tried the Beet Down cocktail, which I enjoyed; however, the beet does come on strong, so you have to like beets -- it isn't subtle. I'm not a huge vodka drink fan, but the Purple Haze Martini was good -- the alcohol taste is still too strong for me, though. The Coconut ginger fizz was very good on the NA side. The Columbian Arepas were very good, however, we added avocado and I would recommend that; the sweet potato fries are what you would expect; and the Veggie Burger Sliders are a touch dry even with the jam.

The star of the evening was the Rockfish Tom Kha. It is one of the best dishes in town I've tried in a while. The Kadhi Pakora was very flavorful, but did feel like the dish didn't quite come together into something unique -- like it struggled to find it's identity. The Bison NY Strip was good, but a little overcooked. I'd say the red meat on the menu struggled here, possibly due to the small size (it was a thin steak and the burgers are slider size).

Root Down's take on a Banana Cream Pie was very good and the Strawberry Bombe was well liked by the table, but not my favorite.

The ambiance was fun, trendy, and there was some artistic flare in the concept design; however, it was dark in the main dining room with very bright light coming in from the patio. I would have liked a brighter lighting in the dining room or to shade the dining room from the light coming in from outside. As is, it created a sort of backlit environment where the interior was washed out.

Overall, I'd definitely go back even if just for the Tom Kha. I still would like to try the Colorado Lamb Sliders and the Pesto Gnocchi -- among other things. ...

You know that feeling when you’re out to dinner, expecting a nice paced meal, and instead it feels like you’ve been gavaged like a foie gras goose? That was Root Down on Sunday night.

I had a 9:00 PM reservation (restaurant closes at 9, mind you). I did the polite thing—called to see if they wanted to bump me earlier. Phone tree said, “Text us.” So I did at 7:05. They replied at 7:24—“We’d love to take you at 7:30.” Ah yes, because teleportation is an option. We settled on 8:00 with a prompt UBER.

Walk in—plenty of open tables. Server was friendly, explained both the Sunday Supper menu and the regular one. Promising! We ordered cocktails and asked for a paced meal. Drinks arrive, and—bam—salads and tots hit the table like they were racing the clock. No time to use the side plates. Entrees followed before the salads were half done. Plates cleared before entrees were finished. Coffee? Forget it. The only thing paced was the ice melting in my cocktail.

Meanwhile, I’m watching the table behind me enjoy a leisurely Pinot Noir while I’m getting the culinary equivalent of speed dating. Kitchen clearly had one foot out the door, mop in hand.

Then there’s the bill. A “Denver employee benefit surcharge.” Except—it’s not a Denver tax. It’s your employee ownership fee. Love the idea! But own it! ... at least update your ticketing software to call it what it is!

You are employee-owned so act like you own the place. And, maybe mention if you swapped the peaches for plums in the panzanella. Details matter.

I support the mission. I wanted to love it. Instead, I left disappointed, overfed in record time, and thinking my Uber driver with the reclaimed cop car was the highlight of the evening.

Root Down: Great concept, good food, but execution? Throated...

My girlfriend and I wanted to celebrate our first anniversary in Denver by going out to eat, but dietary restrictions (celiac for her, primarily vegetarian for the both of us) generally limit our options. Root Down was mentioned everywhere we looked for suggestions and experience with a couple other Edible Beats offerings (Opehlia's for drinks and Vital Root for food) made our choice easy.

The menu was quite diverse, had ample offerings for vegetarians and celiacs (they use a dedicated fryer!), and also had a bit of everything for other palates. We started off with drinks--the Pepper Blossom was delicious with a good amount of jalapeño flavor but not much spiciness, while the Coconut Ginger Fizz was pleasantly sour and a bit bitter. For dinner, we shared the Carrot & Thai Red Curry Soup (my favorite), Kale & Squash Salad, Colombian Arepas (her favorite), and Tofu “Paneer.” The dishes came out quickly (the soup and salad somehow beat the drinks to the table), were labeled gluten-free, and the portions were bigger than expected. Although dinner did exceed expectations, dessert stole the show. All six offerings were gluten-free (two were also vegan) and sounded so good, we decided to splurge and split the Banana Crème Brûlée Pie, Tiramisu Rice Pudding (her favorite), Dark Chocolate Truffle, and Bergamot Caramel (my favorite thing from the entire evening). I also finished with an espresso that was good but nondescript.

Overall, we could not have asked for a better place to celebrate. On top of the amazing food and attentive service, the staff all signed a Happy Anniversary card for us too! We will absolutely be going back, and will recommend Root Down to anyone who...