Author Archives: Max

Somehow, rustic and modern sensibilities collide with brilliant results at historic Warehouse District eatery, Root. The spare, modern space—with exposed wooden beams and industrial light fixtures—allows chef Phillip Lopez’s playful food to be the focus. [...]

By Robert Peyton “Passion of a saint - Let us get this out of the way up front. Maximilian Ortiz of Root attends most Saints games in face paint and attire modeled after the Star Wars character Darth Maul. I assume that if you’re reading this magazine, you’re a fan of the Saints. I am a [...]

ROOT - The warehouse district can be quite the neighborhood for foodies, and there’s reason to be excited by this addition. Chef Phillip Lopez wants to tell stories though his food, getting people to share and communicate via the dishes. Hence a good number of sharing plates, with incredible pâtés, cold cuts and relishes. If [...]

The Big Easy Does It For all New Orleans’s famous foodiness – the jambalaya, the po’boys, the preeminent beignets – it’s surprising that there’s no gastronome-guided tasting restaurant in town. That’s changing next month with the opening of Square Root, which will serve 12-course menus of conceptual bites like the dessert pictured, a “Jasmine Dondurma” [...]

It is time now—drumroll, trumpets, etc.—to announce the winners of the 2012 Eater Awards… Chef of the Year: Nominees: Susan Spicer, Phillip Lopez, Justin Devillier, Michael Stoltzfus, Michael Doyle Finalists: Phillip Lopez, Justin Devillier, Michael Doyle Winner: Phillip Lopez (Root) So Hot Right Now Nominees: Root, Maurepas Foods, Restaurant R’evolution, SoBou, Borgne Finalists: Root, Maurepas Foods, Borgne [...]

“To fully appreciate the cooking of Root’s chef-owner, Phillip Lopez, it’s necessary to surrender yourself to his ambition. This means exposing yourself to the crosswind of exhilaration and mystification that is both the price and reward of eating here. Even the most elemental food on the bill of fare — sausage and salumi, for instance [...]

It’s late in October and Max Ortiz has traded in his immaculate seersucker suit for its immaculate charcoal counterpart, reminding summer-weary visitors to Root that the Warehouse District restaurant is fast-approaching its one-year anniversary. With most of the city’s foodies and restaurant critics smitten with Root’s sudden appearance on the dining scene (and everyone waiting on tenterhooks for the early [...]

Like Commander’s Palace in the 1970s, Mr. B’s in the 1980s, Emeril’s in the 1990s, and August in the 2000s, Root is the restaurant of the future in New Orleans. Everything on the table makes as clean a break with the past as I’ve ever seen…

In New Orleans, the food is never too spicy, babies come from cakes, natural disasters are commemorated in sugary cocktail concoctions, the sandwiches come dressed to impress, local food is honored with weekend-long festivals, and weekends begin …

Look at the menu of Root in New Orleans. You won’t see “appetizers,” “entrees,” and “desserts,” but rather “beginnings,” “middles,” and “endings.” That’s because—as the restaurant’s owner and executive chef Phillip Lopez says—Root is serious about food. But as restaurant’s go, it’s not overly serious about itself. And that’s just the way Lopez likes it.