Roots Ocean Prime — Restaurant in Princeton

I always knew of the Roots in Morristown and had no idea there was one local to me in Princeton. My family and I love to travel and dine at fine restaurants so I had high hopes for this legendary spot that so many people have ranted and raved about for so many years. I chose this spot for a birthday dinner and was shocked when I saw a personalized card right there on the table when we arrived.

Well I'm happy to report, it was outstanding and actually exceeded my expectations. What a lovely establishment with an incredible ambiance. My server Jaclyn was great, personable and really made the experience enjoyable. I hate a pushy wait staff that so many well known steakhouses seem to employ. She made some suggestions that were spot on, attentive to our needs and even brought my wife a chilled martini glass when she noticed hers might have cooled down. Can't say I've ever seen this done before. Speaking of which, the libations were outstanding. The bartender Sofia was amazing. My my wife loved her "dirty pickle martini" and my usual night cap espresso martini was the best I've had anywhere. Perfect flavor, just the right amount of froth too. She even came by the table to ask if we liked our drinks. Talk about customer service. We were floored when my daughter received a make your own "Shirley Temple" setup. Every single item we ordered and ate was simply amazing. The porterhouse for two, truffle mac and cheese, creamed spinach and truffle fries were next level good. Great portions and all reasonably priced. And of course, a meal isn't complete without dessert! The 3 of us split an ice cream sundae that was so good. I might have inhaled it in record timing but it totally hit the spot.

Last but certainly not least, I need to mention Celerina, the manager. I happen to love the personalized touch you often get at higher line restaurants and always like to hear about interesting items on the menu or upcoming events and what not. You can totally tell this was so much more than a job for her as she was so passionate and inviting. She stopped by our table a few times, checking in on us and asked for our feedback.

It's all these little things that all add up to a wonderful experience. As someone who runs a small business, I always say the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the little something extra. Go the distance and see the result. And just like that, we left feeling like regulars and will 1000% be going back and probably pretty often.

THANK YOU to...

I wanted to love this place so much but the experience was terrible.

The ambiance is beautiful, the staff is tentative, and the presentation of the food is immaculate! The issue was the food itself.

$300+ for the 2 of us and I ended up vomiting in the bathroom before I left.

They give you this crispy and warm croissant bread as soon as you sit down. It is magical and transports you into the world of carbs we all love. The crab cake was also IMMACULATE. Best crab cake I have had in a while. Oysters were also presented nicely, but may be the reason I ended up sick in the bathroom. It tasted fresh and I eat oysters ALL the time, at least twice a month, and have never been sick before.

Now...the Steak...was very chewy. Took me forever to get through some bites. It was seasoned well, and came with a steak sauce that is not good so definitely eat the steak as is! It was delicious in seasoning. What i would normally finish for the portion I packed as leftovers to go. I would assume a resturant known for their steaks and seafood would also be of high quality, but was just very stringy and chewy.

The lobster mac and cheese was okay. Honestly it tastes like a very quick and easy mac and cheese I make at home. Nothing special. Maybe the lobster made me sick? Who knows.

The Brussels sprouts which was reccomend was also just okay. I will say though the amount of bacon they put in there? 10/10.

Ordered a few other apps and sides but nothing to rave about. Its just very simple and nothing astounding or bad. Not impressive for the quality of the resturant.

Their cocktails though are great. I will say they do not have a heavy pour but their drinks are made just right! Ordered multiple rounds and it was made great each and every time.

If you like fine dining, this isnt the place to go. If you like a beautiful resturant with incredible service, this place is top tier. The staff and decor is just incredible. The part that disappoints was the food. Maybe I just didnt order the right food but if everything i got was mid level (minus the crab cake omg that was great) its not worth the money. Better steakhouses are around from Philly to Princeton for the same price. The fact I got sick is the real reason I am shocked. This was the first time I have ever gotten sick at a resturant, but I won't fault them for it. Would I go back? If it was for an event for someone yes, and i would not order a steak. Would i go back...

Service:

I came here not having a reservation and was initially told that they were fully booked for the night and that My friend and I could sit at the bar and get full service.

While waiting for seats to open up, one of the employees asked us if we were looking for a table and went to the host and they were actually able to seat us, which I was extremely grateful for.

Our server was knowledgeable when I was deciding between the dry aged steak and the prime, very enthusiastic and friendly, and overall wonderful. I believe his name was Alan.

Atmosphere: I'm overweight and the seat was a tight fit in the booth (5'5, 226ish, need to lose about 50lbs)

My fault for being overweight for sure but it would be nice if there was an extra inch or two. I haven't had this issue in other places.

Definitely on me but just something to note and consider if you're a larger person, maybe ask for a normal table when making reservations.

Otherwise it was a nice restaurant. Not a huge place and pretty packed.

Food: They give you bread to start. It is unique and awesome. A nice surprise.

My friend and I both got the menu's Oxacana old fashioned. Was delicious and quick considering they were packed. I've gotten slower service and places that were emptier. Very happy with how quickly the drinks came out. Kudos to the bartenders.

We ordered the slab bacon to start. Was very thick Absolutely delicious and enough for two people.

I ordered the 20 oz dry roasted steak, brussel sprouts, and the loaded baked potato.

The steak was dry aged and delicious.

Note: it is bone in and the bone was maybe 2- 3oz. I also did have maybe 1-2oz of steak that wasn't edible, but that comes with the territory sometimes when eating steak, especially medium rare steak.

The brussel sprouts were fantastic. Well seasoned and good amount of bacon on top.

The loaded baked potato was MASSIVE. I didn't know they made potatoes that big. Salted exterior and well topped with cheese, bacon, chives, and sour cream.

Overall: I am very glad I came here. The prices are high but commensurate to the delicious food and excellent service.

I'm looking forward to going back and trying some of...