| rev:text
| - Descriptive phrase: cool, trendy restaurant/pub with promise.
I wanted badly to love Roast Public House, and admittedly we came after a Badger home game to this State Street hangout. That's probably our mistake, but that being said my impressions weren't great.
It's a cool space, and would be extremely comfortable if it hadn't been so full. While waiting for a table the hostess let us go to the bar and get a drink. This actually caused more issues, as the bar area became so packed that servers and guests couldn't get through. Plenty of local craft brews, most around $5-$6.
Once we got a seat our food came out quickly. We started with Chips and Guac ($7), which was just okay. This isn't a Mexican restaurant, and you could tell it was kind of hastily thrown together. I ordered the soup of the day, which again in hindsight was a poor choice considering how badly the waitress explained what it was. My bowl ($4.50) of Chicken Black Bean soup was unbelievably watery and lifeless. It was like spooning water that had had some black beans sitting in it for a while into my mouth. The chicken pieces were small and almost too symmetrically cut, like they were from a processing plant.
I did get to try some of the homemade fries from a friend, which were delicious. And their burgers looked totally right as well. I made the wrong food choice, obviously, but I didn't find much in a reason to come back to Roast either. Maybe I'd try again on a calmer day, and stick to pub food.
|