Bitterroot — Restaurant in Destin

We were in Destin a few weeks ago for a large family reunion and we planned on 10:30am Sunday mass followed by brunch. I searched high and low for a small and family-owned (it is important to me to support the small and family-owned business) establishment who could accommodate 29 guests on a Sunday afternoon. Much to my surprise, I either received no response from a restaurant after multiple messages, or I was given an immediate "no" from a handful of other restaurants I selected. I was losing hope and began to resign myself to the fact that brunch was not on the cards for us. This is when I happened upon Bitterroot and had nothing to lose by contacting them. The Management of Bitterroot responded immediately and we set the wheels in motion planning a fabulous brunch following mass.

We agreed upon a date, time and guest count, then set about working on the fun pieces: the food and cocktail menu. All of our planning was via email and in an extremely responsive manner. Here is where Bitterroot set themselves apart from the standard restaurant - they closed their entire restaurant on a Sunday morning to host us for a private event. An extensive buffet was setup with both savory and sweet dishes as well as a delicious salad. The creme de la creme was the addition of a Bloody Mary and Mimosa bar with all the fun fixins'. A full staff crew was onsite for cocktail service, table bussing, buffet replenishing and visiting with our party.

The buffet consisted of homemade sausage patties (DELICIOUS!), gravy, grits, scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits with honey, french toast, cinnamon rolls, hash browns, fruit bowl and goat cheese caesar salad. The Mimosa Bar offered a variety of juices to complement the Prosecco and the Bloody Mary Bar offered fun additions for the base drink (bacon, celery, olives).

The atmosphere and ambiance of the restaurant was quirky, fun, eclectic and with a positive vibe; it caught me off guard seeing as the restaurant is in a strip mall, so I definitely did not expect the fun vibe of the interior. The staff were AMAZING and beyond accommodating and welcoming. From greeting us at the front door upon entry to attentive service not crossing the line of being a nuisance, to their kind and fun nature. Now, being an over the top clean person, I was THRILLED with the cleanliness of the entire restaurant.

DO NOT hesitate visiting Bitterroot - you will NOT be...

Great, thoughtfully put together, local spot with an ecclectic menu. The loaner reading glasses at the front door are your first sign that they are working hard to think of every detail in this establishment. Interesting menu with unexpected flavor combinations that stun the pallette (in a good way!). My husband said it was the best burger he’s ever had, and my empanadas were definitely the best I’ve ever had. PERFECT pastry on that empanada! Dessert was amazing with a chocolate mousse cake with complex textures and flavors and a bread pudding that stands out with its biscuit base and house made vanilla ice cream to top it off. Fries were amazing shoe string fries with perfect crunch.

Down sides: We asked to sub the salad that comes on the dinner menu burger ($20) with the fries (which come automatically on the lunch burger for $18), and they charged an extra $7 for the substitution.

Service was good but not stellar. Our server took a little long to greet us given that the restaurant wasn’t particularly busy, and my tea went empty a while. On a side note, she would ask each time whether I wanted a refill, even when we hadn’t even gotten our entrees yet, rather than just bringing another out. This happens to be a pet peeve of mine. Basically, the service was average for this day and time. (Yes, I have officially become an old biddy.)

The restaurant is beautifully lit with candles and little candle type lights on the tables. Unfortunately, they use scented candles with a floral scent to them, and it doesn’t compliment the food at all. Also happened to be a scent that almost always triggers migraines for me, so I wonder if it does for others as well. Fortunately, they were gracious about swapping the candle out for one of the little LED lamps, and I didn’t get a headache.

All in all, we loved this little spot and will...

This was an initial visit to Bitterroot. It was a good experience and I am sure we will return.

The interior of the restaurant is appealing. It is not a large facility. There are brick walls and wooden beams in the ceiling which adds a sense of style and warmth to the dining area.

The menu was not exceptionally extensive. That is common in smaller restaurants and often a good sign that the kitchen does not just order frozen meals and heat them in the microwave.

We ordered the bolognese pasta and split the entree. It was very good. This recipe was a little drier than the bolognese I have usually experienced but that is not a complaint as it was excellent—just different than is usually the case in many Italian restaurants that serve this dish.

The pasta was cooked perfectly and the seasoning was excellent. I would not hesitate to order it again although I would want to try something different next time as several menu items looked very tempting.

The two of us also split a caesar salad. It was different that most salads of this type as it had tomato, egg and some arugula in the salad. The cheese was also different than usual and was shredded on the top of the salad.

Between the salad and the bolognese, the size of the meal was more than enough for the two of us. In other words, for most people, the size of the servings will be plenty of food.

The food was well prepared, the restaurant was reasonably quiet despite a number of people eating there at that time, the service was very good and the staff was welcoming and friendly.

There is a wine list and there are a number of options by the glass or bottle of wine.

Bitterroot is in a shopping center close to Fresh Market. It is...