I have been wanting this visit this restaurant ever since they opened. Finally, thanks the the Restaurant Week Summer 2016, it pushed us to make the visit! We got there just when they opened, so that we will get the full, perfect service while they have the 100% energy. Actually, we got there when they supposed to open, but one staff was cleaning the door, and we had to wait to go in for a few minutes. It was kind of odd, as most of the staffs saw us standing outside, but no one came for a rescue…

Anyways, we patiently waited, maybe for like 5 minutes, and we finally got into the cool, air-conditioned oasis. Right at the entry was a small dessert section, I assume for the customers who are picking up their order, or the ones who just wanted to purchase some desserts to take home with?

Dining room was separated into two rooms, one larger than the other. A female server took us to our table, through the larger room in the middle, into the smaller room at the end. The larger room in the middle had the open kitchen where you can see the food being prepared, with the counter seats. They had some table seating in the middle of the room, and more counter seats by the window. The way it was decorated with kitchen cabinets and counters, it created this very warm, cozy atmosphere as if you were just invited into someone’s home.

The smaller room in the back had a bar, and a nice view of the main dining area. The interior was simple and bright, with white walls, wood flooring, and country-chic furniture. There were a lot of wood used throughout, making it more cozy and home-y. The lighting fixture created soft light perfect for relaxation and comfort.

 

I really enjoyed looking at their interior decor, from the metal rooster to cute birdcage with golden birds, wooden signs and chalkboard, and beer tap handles made of bones.  Every inch of this restaurant was well designed with love and care. The end result was an environment that is casual but yet elegant.

We started off with a nice cold drink, since it was crazy hot outside. We ordered Iced Tea ($5) and Lemonade ($5). They were both very refreshing and tasty. The waitress asked to make sure we wanted “sweetened” iced tea, which was a kind consideration.

Another thing I really adored about this place was that they had all mismatching plates. It was not only fun to look at, but it also made it more fun to compare. They were all kind of antique looking plates, each really classic and beautiful.

From the Restaurant Week brunch menu ($28), we ordered Drunken Deviled Eggs and Grandma Daisy’s Angel Biscuits. I heard some great things about their biscuit, so I was excited.

The Deviled Eggs were basically one egg cut in half, but since we were going to have more eggs with the main dish, you really don’t need to have so many eggs, if you really think about your being kind to your health. So, to us, we were happy with the small portion of deviled eggs. It was made with Handsome Brook Farm eggs, pickled roots and chips. The egg was in this pastel pink, and the yolk mixture was sooooo creamy and tasty! The pickled roots had a very distinct, strong flavor without overpowering the eggs. It provided good contrast to the soft flavor of the eggs, and also was very refreshing. The chips added extra texture of nice crunch, which I really enjoyed.

The Biscuit was this one, large puff, with glittered golden top. It came with honey roasted chicken jus and toasted benne seed & sea salt. The inside was dense but yet fluffy, and the top had nice crispness to it. It was a bit different from what I expected, but it was good biscuit. The jus had a nice strong flavor, adding some savory flavor when I dipped the biscuit in it. The salt and seed were also a nice addition of flavor and texture.

 

For the main course, we ordered Waffle Benedict and Chicken N Waffles. I believe this was my first Benedict with waffles. They are famous for their fried chicken, so it was no brainer for us to get their Chicken N Waffles.

The Waffle Benedict came with poached eggs, lemon Hollandaise sauce, and housemade pork belly bacon. Poached eggs were sitting on a cute little mini waffle, just the right size for the eggs to nest on top. The Hollandaise sauce was really nice, it was not heavy like most others I’ve tasted in the past, but rather light and silky. I really liked that! The bacon was crispy without losing its juicy-ness. It had its natural saltines, and good amount of thickness to it. They were really tasty. The waffles were soft and sweet, and went great with the eggs and bacon.

And the eggs… They were cooked to perfection, giving me this egg porn that I could not resist even if I tried… It was amazing from the first bite to the last. And, it came with really fresh side salad, which was a nice pallet cleanser.

The Chicken N Waffles came in this cute white metal basket. I was really pretty to look at, but it was not easy to eat out of. In this case, it is “fashion over comfort.” It came with Root & Bone signature fried chicken with buckwheat cheddar waffles. They also brought two sauces, one for waffle and another for chicken.  But the waitress said that we can also mix them up – there is no rule for how to use the sauce.  The waffles were again really soft, and this one had different flavor from the others. It had some earthy flavor from the buckwheat, and the cheddar cheese worked perfectly with the waffle and chicken.

Another great thing about their chicken is that when we were making the order, they asked if we wanted white or dark meat. I think it is great that we have such choices here in NYC. We asked for the white meat, and it was super juicy and flavorful. The skin was crispy with great seasonings, the inside was moist and flaky at the same time. The red sauce for the chicken, their original honey-tobasco sauce with hint of whiskey was amazing. It had nice spiciness to it, without being way too spicy. The sweetness from the honey calmed down the spiciness, so that you could pour it on the chicken without destroying the flavor of the chicken.

 

A pleasant surprise was that we got two side dishes for the table (pre-selected)! We got Watermelon with jalapeño lime vinaigrette and Mac & Cheese with biscuit crumble. We really wanted to taste their Mac & Cheese, and was thinking of ordering it on top of the Restaurant Week course menu, so this was really great! The Watermelons were sweet and juicy, had great refreshing taste. Didn’t really get much of  jalapeño flavor, but I really enjoyed it. The Mac & Cheese was really creamy, cheesy, and comforting. The pasta was cooked just right, and the crumbles added extra flavor that worked well with the rest. It was really filling, even though it was a small portion.

At this point, we were pretty full, but then there came our desserts! We ordered S’Mores and Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich. On the menu, it had S’Mores and Key Lime Pie, but the waitress told us that the dessert can change based on whats going on in the kitchen, so she checked it for us before we ordered. On this day, they didn’t have Key Lime Pit but instead, they had the Ice Cream Sandwich, which we had no issue with.

The S’Mores is made with milk chocolate pudding, roasted vanilla marshmallow, and homemade graham cookie. It came in a small jar, and it also had chocolate crust on the bottom. It was creamy and velvety, and very chocolate-y. The marshmallow was really nice, loved how it was toasted in swirl, and it kept the soft, gooey, sweet goodness. The cookie was nice and soft, not overly sweet which was good, since everything else was sweet enough. The Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich came with butter pecan ice cream in between two soft, airy mini waffles, and caramel drizzle. I was thinking “how much waffles can we really eat in one sitting?” but yet I think they make different flavored ones that it didn’t feel like it was too much. This one was sweet and complimented the ice cream. Speaking of which, the ice cream was so delicious! Had chunks of pecan, and it was an ice cream heaven.

 

They have one bathroom in the corner of the main dining room.  It was a nice size, with antique-looking faucet, and a few cute paintings on the walls. They also had a really funny signs about washing the hands…!

 

We had a really great time here, it lived up to our high expectation, which is not always easy. I really like how they  focus on a regional, garden-to-table experience, and source local ingredients. With this, they also have great seasonal ingredients from farms and such, which is really great.  Our waitress, Lillith was great. She was friendly, helpful, and took a good care of us with a smile.  It was such a relaxing brunch with great food, we would to go back again and try their regular menu.

Root & Bone – 200 East 3rd St. New York, 10009