We had the pleasure and honor of attending a Valentine's 7-course dinner with wine pairings at…read moreRoots and Water Wine Room hosted by Sommeliers AJ & Heather and Chefs Mollie and Adrien, and my, were we blown away!
Our evening started with a cocktail hour, during which we got to meet other guests over a glass of Roots & Water cabernet. We loved the cab - light and elegant. Once we were seated, we started with a glass of champagne with east coast oysters. For each course, one of the chefs came out to explain the dish and the inspiration behind it. Chef Adrien explained to us that he and Mollie had curated a menu of aphrodisiacs for Valentine's, and the oyster was prepared in a way that brought out ocean feels. We definitely tasted, felt the ocean waves with the soft red beet foam atop the oyster!
Our favorite course of the menu was the soup/pasta dish - fideo noodles with tomato saffron brodo, generous pieces of lobster, and crispy leeks. I'm usually not a fan of tomato-based sauces, but this soup was SO delicious! Not too salty, not too powerful in taste, just right. The noodles were done al dente, with a slightly firm texture in every bite. And the lobster pieces were so soft! We devoured every bite of the entire meal, but we ultimately agreed this course stood out the most!
The main was definitely a hit, too! It was braised Texas wagyu with root veg puree, herb emulsion, mushroom, and lots of truffle! We loved the strong flavors of the wagyu paired with the puree - so soft, so fluffy, subtle in taste. And the red that went with it *chef's kiss*
We were also impressed with the potato dish - ambrosia fingerling potato with duck fat, burnt crema on top with caviar, ikura, trout roe. Who woulda thought caviar and roe go well with potato! And the crema to balance out all the flavors. We liked how the potato was sliced into perfectly thin pieces for each bite.
For the dessert, the panna cotta was paired with a white wine, which we appreciated, as we're not big fans of port/dessert wines. We liked the balance in flavors with the sweet-citrusy taste of the panna cotta and the refreshing white.
All in all, I could feel every ounce of attention and love poured into every dish, and we were very, very happy campers by the end of our dinner experience. Thank you to Roots & Water for hosting, as well as the chefs and sommeliers for curating an all-around beautiful experience. We hope to be back soon for some wine tastings!