ROOT

7 Restaurants to Watch in New Orleans – Fodor’s Travel Intelligence

Max — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 19:19:51 +0000

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. [...]

New Orleans Best of Dining 2012 – Maitre D’ of the Year, Maximilian Ortiz

Max — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:07:49 +0000

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 fan of the Saints as well, and have been for all of my 43 years. Ortiz isn’t like us; he is a fanatic… I met Ortiz when he was working at Restaurant August. My first impression was that he was a friendly, enthusiastic guy who knew a hell of a lot about wine. That was several years ago, but my impression hasn’t changed much. He is still friendly, he’s still enthusiastic and he still knows a hell of a lot about wine. The things that struck me about Ortiz when I first met him are the same things that led us to name him Maître d’ of the Year 2012.

Where to eat in New Orleans – Daily Mail

Max — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 21:44:44 +0000

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 you like rich food, the menage à foie is a daily-prepared party of three variations of foie gras. Cohiba smoked scallops are encrusted in chorizo dust and served in a cigar box. The food is seriously playful, without being pretentious. It’s hard to imagine a dinner menu with more talking points.

Conde Nast Traveler – December 2012 Word of Mouth

Max — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 23:20:01 +0000

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” consisting of Turkish-style ice cream fast-frozen with liquid nitrogen and served with toasted almond caraway cake, mango pico de gallo, and a dash of savory shiso on top. A mouthful, eh? That’s just the tip of the liquid-nitrogen iceberg at Square Root, which is the sister restaurant to chef Phillip Lopez’s lauded year-old Root. But don’t let the dehydrators and smokers fool you: Lopez is all NOLA at heart. “The creole and smoked flavors are so local, and we’re using them – but in an enhanced, exciting new way,” says Lopez, whose goal is to draw attention to the food revolution happening here. “It’s like the Wild West, being a chef in New Orleans right now,” he says. “The greatest culinary energy and creativity is below the Mason-Dixon Line” (1800 Magazine St.; phone unavailable at press time; tasting menu, $95).

Announcing the 2012 Eater Awards for New Orleans

Max — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 23:00:04 +0000

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
Winner: Root

Times Picayune Dining Guide Fall 2012

Max — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 22:15:53 +0000

“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 — takes you places you’ve never been, to say nothing of the more wackadoodle stuff, like the oysters encased in smoked cornmeal and covered in Manchego foam, the scallops enveloped in (yes) Cohiba cigar smoke and pretty much all the desserts. Root is many things, probably too many; that there is an even more ambitious outpost in the works is cause for both worry and excitement. But above all else, Root is indisputably (and admirably) unlike any restaurant New Orleans has ever seen.”

One Year In at Root, a Changing of the Restaurant Guard

Max — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 01:47:35 +0000

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 2013 opening of its more intimate, Lower Garden District sequel, Square Root), one might think that Ortiz and his exceptionally handsome partner Chef Phillip Lopez might be tempted to sit back and let the people come, but Root has only just begun sending its cosmopolitan vibes through the city. With the post-Katrina influx of new residents (and palates) from all over the country, Root may herald a true changing of the guard in the New Orleans restaurant world.

FOUR STARS “Root is the restaurant of the future in New Orleans” – Tom Fitzmorris

Max — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 21:51:09 +0000

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…

A Food Evolution in New Orleans Sets Trends for Industry Entrepreneurs – Forbes

Max — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 00:22:30 +0000

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 …

New Orleans Rising Star Chef Phillip Lopez of Root – Starchefs.com

Max — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 02:28:15 +0000

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.