The Root Restaurant & Bar
| Address: | 340 Town Center Blvd E106, White Lake, MI 48386, USA |
| Phone: | +1 248-698-2400 |
| Site: | therootrestaurant.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | Closed 4–10PM 4–10PM 4–10PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 10AM–3PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
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Scott Grigg
The Root offers a contemporary dining room and bar along with a bustling atmosphere. Service is professional and friendly, though on our last visit the server we had keep forgetting things like a soup spoon, my drink, the dessert menu which was a little irritating for a place like this. Have eaten here a several times now and the food is always good. The Amish Chicken and dumplings was probably the best I have ever had and it’s an interesting take on chicken and dumplings. Not what you would expect but much better with the ricotta gnocchi. The chicken was moist, tender and had a great taste. Would highly recommend it. We also had a serving of the Michigan Shrimp and Scallop Risotto which was tasty but nothing special. The only complaint we had this time around…about mid-dinner the fans came out blowing cold air onto us. By the time we left my digital thermometer read 68, a little chilly for diners sitting under fans blowing out cold air. Considering it was about 38 out, I’d expected a little more cozy and warm instead of what felt like air conditioning. My pet peeve here having lived in the South is that restaurants especially in the summer all think having the air cranked to a 68 degree setting is somehow comfortable for diners. It isn’t. In the South, where it’s truly hot in the summer, I was almost never cold in a restaurant. Here, I actually limit my eating out because everyone seems to think 68- or 70 is somehow comfortable.
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A Private User
I disagree with Loretta about a few things. Especially the burger prices being too expensive. Im sorry but $10 for a burger and a side at a restaurant is not over priced, not even close. Anyway, this was our first visit to The Root. We walked in with reservations, but they werent needed anyway as they werent very busy and sat us right away. We both noticed right away that the decor and ambiance of the restaurant was very nice. Probably one of my favorites so far. The service did start off a little slow as it took a few minutes before we were helped; However, once we were the service improved greatly. The food arrived quickly, and looked very well plated, not just aesthetically, but it made sense once you tasted it as well. I had the braised pork shoulder, and my girlfriend had the chicken and chorizo risotto. Both were excellent. We also really appreciated how they give you free bread before and during your meal (House made foccacia). Something simple, but really adds a lot to the meal. I hate when restaurants charge you for bread, or leave your table bare until your entree or expensive appetizer arrives, so this was a pleasant surprise. The Root would definitely top my list so far of restaurants in Michigan. Though I have been let down by quite a few so far, this experience gave me some hope for good food in MI. Definitely recommend giving it a try, the lunch prices are very reasonable.
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Evan Weber
Heard lots of good things from others so my Wife and I were excited to check this restaurant out. 45 minute drive from our home so it wasnt a quick trip. We were seated promptly and staff was friendly and quick to greet us. Waitress was thorough with descriptions and knew menu quite well. Soup and bread were good. Everything else was "sub-par". I ordered the burger because Waitress said it was amazing. I dont eat a lot of meat but figured this would be a treat. I asked for it medium rare and it came out well done. Bun was stale and overall burger was dry and salty. I would have had a better burger at a coney island. My wife ordered the Salmon Special and it was pretty gross. The actual salmon was good but the side were inedible. The orzo was too salty and the sausage was overcooked and dry. We also ordered a side of broccoli but that was salty and soggy. I probably would have said something but nobody stopped by to ask how everything was. As we were wrapping up the table next to us ordered an appetizer but immediately sent it back because there was a long hair in it. Pretty gross. We were thinking about dessert but quickly decided against it. Cool ambiance but food was not worth the trip. Will eat elsewhere in the future.
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kevin n
My wife and 2 young kids went to the root for the first time tonight. We ordered the 5 course meal each. Our reservation was at 5:30 and we were seated promptly. The second course, my wife received a salad. The salad had what appeared to be a piece of plastic in it. The server promptly took it away and got my wife a new one. By the time our main dish came out, we were there 2 hours at approximately 7:30. Anyone with small kids knows, 2 hours is next to impossible to keep them occupied. I understand we took that risk getting the 5 course meal. The server was extremely apologetic, but we told him we needed to get our dinners and dessert to-go. When we got our bill, we received a $15 gift card. Although that was a nice gester, I was somewhat insulted. Plastic in our salad, 2 hours with no main course and we get $15? Not ok. We paid our bill and walked out at approximately 7:40. From what we could eat there the food was extremely good. Im not one to complain, I just couldnt believe a $15 gift card when our bill was well over $100, paid without making too much of a stink about the issues. Maybe it pays to be more irritate when issues arise....
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Aaron R
Apparently this restaurant used to have great food but definitely not anymore. Me and 7 other family members went out to eat and not one of us enjoyed our dinner. The waitress took quite awhile to take our orders to begin with. The appetizers were nothing special with ridiculously small portions. I ordered the meatloaf and felt it was too salty and nothing special. It came with some strange sauce on it that had little flavor. My grandmother ordered the pad thai and hardly ate any of it. 2 people ordered the fish special and in addition to both of them not liking it, one got about half the amount of fish that the other received. The "miso soup" tasted like beef bullion soup. I heard that the chef opened another restaurant elsewhere which may explain why the food has gone downhill. Other members of my family have been here and said it used to be great. Its safe to say that none of us will be going back. DO NOT be fooled the by the good reviews! I have eaten at many upscale restaurants throughout my life and this is certainly not one of them, would give 0 stars if I could.
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Steve Klein
The reviews saying its overhyped almost turned me away, but I live nearby and thought it was my duty to know what its like, so I went. The ambiance is very on-point. Being inside it is like another world. Very nice. The drinks and food are pricey, but you can get by with their cheapest drink, miller high life for $3, on the regular menu, if you must. The food is going to vary a lot. The menu probably changes regularly, as the chef and head cook are both working to offer creative and expressive things. They are named on your menu, so there is a persons reputation behind every meal. My personal experience was with the taco tuesday tacos, which I plan to enjoy every week if possible. Spicey, but I could handle it, and I loved them at $2 each. We then ordered a chicken cacciatore, which I personally was very, very impressed with. Very. To me, it was a work of art. 26 dollars, but we split it because we are kind-of dieting, so we walked out with a grand total 30 dollar bill and could still tip well and call it a deal :)
