Roots eatery in Susquehanna Township is the bold, new experimental brainchild of brothers Nick and Alex Giannakopoulos.
The family, also, owns and manages long-running Peachtree Restaurant & Lounge located next door. Whereas the old-fashioned Peachtree is known for outstanding breakfasts and scrumptious down-home meals, Roots is the youthful and modern complement to the dining duo.
Imaginative Mediterranean inspired cuisine hints of Greek influences while dependent on seasonal, regional ingredients. Craft brews, limited wines and handcrafted infusion cocktails such as Gimme Thyme ($8) combining Hendricks Gin, thyme simple syrup, lime, blood orange and prosecco, purposely complete the balance rather than compete with the Peachtree's full service bar. If you want a gin and tonic, go next door.
Earth tones highlight Root's modest dining room that seats around 48 diners. Slats of aged barn wood highlight the back wall and Edison lighting dangles across close-knit tables facing low-lying banquette seat.
There's barely enough room between tables for the waiter to squeeze through to set down prepared dishes and conversations rise and merge into communal party lines.
If you're lucky snag a four top table at the center of the room for more privacy and extra elbowroom. There's room at the bar counter for girls night over 9-ounce wine pours or guys that just want pizza or killer burgers with cold beers.
The seasonal menu will be changing soon but expect to see these house favorites staying put on the printed page - deep golden crispy, hand-battered fish sandwich ($12) served with thin, well-seasoned house made chips and tartar sauce, a half rotisserie chicken slow-seeped in natural juices and served with citrus scented potato wedges and sauteed buttery green beans, oysters, raw on ice and grilled whole fish such as Limestone Spring trout ($19) with thick, white, meaty flakes.
A plated presentation of crispy chicken and candied jalapeno waffle ($13) stops conversations with its massive presence.
Chef Jason Lucas hails from Char's Tracy Mansion in Harrisburg and does a superb job in the kitchen. He has a knack for styling food into artful presentations while keeping the depth of flavor intact.
Ceramic bowls heaped with shrimp and grits ($14) are perfect examples. Pinches of grated radish and chopped fresh chives garnish granular pastel yellow grits and large curls of pink shrimp. Brilliant pea-studded ruby tomato sauce forms rings around the edges of these grit centerpieces.
Hints of the Giannakopoulos's Greek heritage surface with menu items such as Saganaki ($9) a superb pan-fried Kasseri cheese sizzles to the table. Bite-size pickled peppers, briny mustard seeds and preserved lemon juices cut the richness of chewy, scraped up cheesy bits from the hot pan. Scoop up the soft-flowing cheese with char-grilled pita pocket triangles.
Beet & Blue ($9) is another amazing appetizer contrasting deconstructed beet greens, roasted beets and beet vinaigrette with trail of pungent bleu cheese crumbled sauce.
The novelty Perloo rice bowl is made with house smoked Andouille sausage, shrimp and veggies ($15) while thin, crusted, heat speckled gourmet pizzas are well thought out masterful presentations ($9-$13).
A special veggie pizza ($11) lays down a foundation of grilled artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, and mozzarella and provolone cheeses on top of blistering thin, chewy crust. Savor this pie by yourself or share it as an appetizer. Your friends will thank you.
Don't leave the table without gobbling down twin scoops of homemade super creamy peanut butter ice cream and light chocolate waffles. Waffles are reminiscent of ethereal fudgy brownies. Malted whipped cream and shower of chopped peanuts finish this piece de resistance.
Cold nitro brewed coffee sweetened by brown sugar syrup replaces hot coffee on the menu. Crank up the iced coffee by ordering iced coffee "Dublin" made with Jameson Irish whiskey, creme de menthe and whipped cream.
As Nick's wife, Jackie said, "You don't get a second chance to make an impression, so we went for a slow build up of customers by word of mouth. We didn't want to be so crazy busy when we first opened that we couldn't pay attention to detail."
Basically, the food will blow you away at Roots. For a compact eatery, it has some of the biggest triumphs around. And it's not too expensive.
- 251 N. Progress Ave., Susquehanna Township, 717-695-4182
- http://roots251.com
- Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday. *NOTE: The restaurant will be closed the week of July 4th and reopening with new menu on July 11th.
- Cuisine: Mediterranean and Greek accented dishes
- Individual gourmet brick oven pizzas: $9-$13
- Entrees: $13-$24
- Notes: Major credit cards, reservations accepted for four or more, very limited wine list, 15 craft beers, growler-fills, 5p.m-7p.m, happy hour, Tuesday-Friday=$1 off craft drafts, $6 house wines, $1 oysters, $5 pizzas, handicapped accessible