Business & Tech

Roots Steakhouse: A Truly Fine Piece of Meat

Lunchtime offers many less-expensive options, but really, you're coming for steak. The 8oz. Filet Mignon does not disappoint.

It has been nearly a month since swept into town.

The New York-styled steakhouse, with its mahogany touches, high-backed booths and pricey cuts of meat, has been more than just another restaurant opening–it's signaled a significant upswing in Morristown's economy. The 40 Park development, in development for several years, has been filling with tenants. Yet, for a long time, only the AT&T store sat open on the retail floor. And while deals have been ongoing for a long time for other business, once Roots was actually ready for consumption, people took notice.

Heck, , is still our most read article on the site.

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But, for us–at least for this column–the proof is in the Porterhouse. Or, as was the case on a recent visit, the Filet Mignon.

Roots Steakhouse, for the most part, has exceeded the enormous hype around its anticipated opening. And, as of this reviewer's meal, has not let up. From when I walked in to when I left, the jazz music playing through the speakers was often drowned out from the din of many happy diners.

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Unlike Roots' dinner menu, which primarily features its many fine steaks, the lunch menu has a wider variety of options far more affordable than on the dinner menu, including a $14 chef's salad, a $12 open-faced turkey sandwich, and an $11 10-ounce burger.

But, reviewing a steakhouse and ordering a salad would be like going to a coffee shop and reviewing the tea. The 8-ounce Filet Mignon, at $28.95, is the most expensive item on the lunch menu and is the only true steak on the lunch menu, as well (the dinner menu can also be ordered from during lunch by request). So, of course we had to check it out.

If there have been any growing pains at this second Roots location (the original being in Summit), they have been pretty much ironed out. A server was quick to pour a glass of water and ask if I wanted any other drink. Knowing Roots is part of the Harvest Restaurants group, which also owns Trap Rock Brewery in Berkeley Heights, I decided to try one of their beers on tap, the Ghost Pony. Described by the waiter as a close-cousin to the popular Stella Artois, it was just flavorful enough and mild enough for a lunchtime nip.

I ordered as an appetizer the French Onion Soup ($6.95). French Onion Soup might not be the most representative an appetizer as, say, the $23 Lobster Cocktail, but it can be a decent barometer for a restaurant's overall level of quality. If something as standard as French Onion Soup cannot be made well, there's trouble.

Thankfully, it was as expected for the most part. The cheese bubbled over a crock of a rich, hearty beef broth with a very healthy amount of shredded onions swimming around several crunchy croutons. That those croutons still had a little bite to them is a very good sign, as the soup was obviously made to order.

But, who cares about soup? That's not what you came here to read about.

I ordered my Filet Mignon rare, as should be the case for any quality cut of beef. If I wanted well-done, I would have gotten the "Roots" burger. Unlike the dinner steaks which come on their own (like NYC-style steakhouses, you order the sides separately), the lunchtime Filet Mignon is accompanied by "frittes," which are a fancy way of saying French Fries.

The steak was as it should be: moist, flavorful and tender as all get out. The buttery consistency of a good steak is a rare (har har, get it?) treat, indeed. Very mildly seasoned with a faint crust and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt, I cut through the plump steak delicately, giving it the time it deserved. I savored every bite, never once wishing I had a bottle of A1 at hand.

The fries (they are fries, not frittes), on the other hand, were enormously disappointing in contrast. They were ... fries. They tasted like they came from a bag in the freezer. They were not bad, and would not have been even an issue had I eaten them with, say, the burger, but up against a fine steak, they were disappointing. Had I known this, I might have asked to subsitute them for Roots' onion rings, which I heard previously were pretty awesome. Alas.

Roots does steak. I mean, it's in their name. And, they do steak very well. I would love to go back one day and try out their other options, like the Rare Sesame Seed Tuna "Burger" and Lobster Salad. But, if beef is on your brain, you will not be disappointed.


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