I've been eager to try Grassroots since it opened a month ago. After our experience last night I'm torn between three and four stars. If we had been seated at an actual table I think I'd be more generous.
We walk in and were told that there's a 45-minute wait. Okay, so it was a Friday night--this is understandable. We put our name down and wait outside. Three minutes later the hostess informs us that our table is ready. Interesting.
We were seated at a community table next to some older men who were drinking martinis and eating appetizers. I'm not sure if we got shafted with this one. I had to put my precious Kate Spade bag on the floor because there were no extra stools or hooks to hang it on. That in itself made me want to leave.
The menu consists of fish, ribs, chicken, salads, sandwiches and a few a la carte sides. The items are pricey and the portions are small. The tuna poke appetizer was bigger than my ahi tuna salad entree. I was most impressed with the poke; the tuna and shrimp were incredibly fresh and there was a nice kick of acidity.
Our waiter said that the ahi tuna salad was "lighter" but reassured me that the portion size would fill me up. Liar! I wish there were three times more greens on the plate. The salad was quite tasty but the ahi was a little overdone for my taste. I enjoyed the soy ponzu vinaigrette and I requested some wasabi on the side for a kick. Sadly, there was no ginger on site to accompany the tuna. We had to grab a second dinner in Old Town to feel fully satisfied.
The crowd here isn't exactly my generation...we were youngest couple in the entire place. I could return, but there are many other place I'd like to try before I do. It's a good place to go if you're older and want a light bite.