Discussion of Robin Garr's Roots review

[Robin Garr]

No animals were harmed for dinner at Roots
LEO's Eats with Robin Garr



If you’re a vegetarian who’s been pining for a nice local restaurant where you can get fancy meatless fare in an upscale setting, then your dream has come true.

If you’re a guilty carnivore who claims you’d go vegetarian if only some place served meatless dishes so good that you wouldn’t even miss meat, look out. This may be put-up or shut-up time for you.

And if you’re an unapologetic meat-eater who thinks vegetarian fare can only be bland and prissy, get ready to have your prejudices challenged, if you’re brave enough to try it.

Welcome Roots, and its more casual sister eatery Heart & Soy, now open side-by-side in the space that once housed The Egg Roll Machine until a fire took it out more than two years ago. The sibling restaurants are owned and operated by Huong “CoCo” Tran, who introduced Vietnamese cuisine to Louisville in her Café Mimosa some 25 years ago, more recently the welcoming hostess of Zen Garden and Zen Tea House on Frankfort Avenue. (Zen Tea House, sadly, has closed to make way for Roots and Heart & Soy, but Zen Garden carries on.)

Tran lives out her commitment to Zen Buddhism and its humane principles by offering only vegetarian fare. In fact, it’s largely vegan, although a few of the 40-some dishes on Roots’ extensive menu incorporate animal products such as feta or Boursin cheese.

Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/no-an ... r-at-roots

And in LEO Weekly:
http://leoweekly.com/dining/no-animals- ... nner-roots

Roots • Heart & Soy
1216 Bardstown Road
452-6688 • 452-6678
Unrated: Soft opening review

Your link to the review on hotbytes is only for the picture .. no text.

Good review .. I read it on the LEO

I've been pondering eliminating most meat and cheese from my diet - only for health reasons - on the other hand I feel like life's too short to not indulge in the very best of all culinary options.

I'm going to give this a try - generally I find that I don't miss meat and cheese in Asian, particularly Indian, cuisine. Hoping for the best. Nice review.

[Robin Garr]

Your link to the review on hotbytes is only for the picture .. no text.

Good review .. I read it on the LEO

Fixed. Should have been (and now is)
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/no-an ... r-at-roots

[Robin Garr]

I've been pondering eliminating most meat and cheese from my diet - only for health reasons - on the other hand I feel like life's too short to not indulge in the very best of all culinary options.

Must be an Aging Baby Boomer thing We've been fooling around with a similar adventure, Mark, avoiding most meat dishes and cutting back on dairy, mainly to see if we can eat as well and enjoy equally tasty (if different) dishes. Eating at home, it's great. I've managed to craft some amazingly good stuff and learn some fundamental principles to make it replicable. Going out, not so much, although Roots makes it easy, and interestingly enough, a lot of the better local eateries have a couple of great meatless dishes, like Theater Square Marketplace's black bean cakes. Slugger Field, on the other hand, not so much ...

Eating at home, it's great. Going out, not so much...

Yeah, that's my experience as well. I eat meat infrequently at home, maybe once a week. Vegan, though, is where I hit the wall. To me being vegetarian is like being monogamous. Definitely can do. Being vegan is like being celebate. Get real. I just got back from Colorado yesterday from a Buddhist retreat with famed Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. The dining hall was only vegan and that's not the case at all retreats. Comparing notes I found out a number of people were doing the same thing I was and going to the general store on the property and buying yogurt, milk, etc., to have a reasonable, livable diet. Lots of the vegan dishes were really good, but to not have dairy products daily and eggs once or twice a week is just not in the plan for me. Got carry out from Heart & Soy and it will be a regular walk over for me. Hopefully this will be another very successful operation for Ms. Tran and for meat-optional diners. She seems to be the only entrepreneur who can keep a meat-free eatery going long term in Louisville. The only other ones we've been to are closed now: Benedict's Garden Cafe, Ripe Gallery and Veggie Vault. Are Zen Garden and Roots / Heart & Soy the only vegetarian places currently open in the metro area?

[Robin Garr]

Are Zen Garden and Roots / Heart & Soy the only vegetarian places currently open in the metro area?

I think so, Lonnie, although I'm not positive about Sweet Surrender, which was serving vegetarian lunches for a while, but I think they went back to desserts-only. Of course, in fairness, a lot of local places offer really decent and creative meat-free options on the menu. I mentioned Theatre Square Marketplace; I'm pretty sure I remember Corbett's having more than one on its early menu. I've had great meatless dishes at Jack Fry's and at L&N Wine Bar, and you'll recall that the late, lamented Club Grotto did wonderful things with veggies. Just to name a few at random ... I know there are lots more.

I've been pondering eliminating most meat and cheese from my diet - only for health reasons - on the other hand I feel like life's too short to not indulge in the very best of all culinary options.

Must be an Aging Baby Boomer thing We've been fooling around with a similar adventure, Mark

You guys aren't alone!

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/diet-nutrition/story/2011-08-23/Bill-Clinton-declares-vegan-victory/50111212/1

The Clinton interview with Wolf Blitzer made a big impression on me. Prevent/reverse heart disease and lower cholesterol, and maybe lose some weight along the way? Haven't touched any meat since I watched that.

Really looking forward to visiting Roots/Heart & Soy soon.

Yeah there's only two ALL vegetarian places here but there's places with plenty of vegetarian options.

Ramsi's, Vietname Kitchen, LaQue to name just a couple.

This reminds me of how I miss Conez N Coneyz because of their veggie dogs. Now I just have to do those at home.

[Robin Garr]

This reminds me of how I miss Conez N Coneyz because of their veggie dogs. Now I just have to do those at home.

LightLife Smart Dogs offer an angelic substitute for bad comfort food. They're a little bland on their own, but when I sampled the Morels Food Truck's awesome veggie Banh Mi made with them, I couldn't believe they weren't the real thing. Saute them slowly in olive oil and serve them with a flavorful accompaniment - spicy Vietnamese or sauerkraut, works either way, and you can satisfy a hot-dog comfort-food crave at something like 40 calories per dog.

I highly recommend "The Imposter" from Busta Grill at 1st and Washington if you are in the area! The Chimichurri slaw and garlic aoli make it yummy!!!

I highly recommend "The Imposter" from Busta Grill at 1st and Washington if you are in the area! The Chimichurri slaw and garlic aoli make it yummy!!!

Yeah Adam had me test those out early on

Dont get me wrong I love Morels and Busta Grill but I can rarely get to where Adam has set up and i never seem to know about Morel's setting up shop until I've already eaten for the day.

Went here today for dinner. Had the pan seared ravioli, lettuce wraps, potstickers and avocado and tomato rolls. Everything was great. I am usually not a huge fan of mushrooms , but the way they were done on the ravioli were perfect. It was supposed to have bleu cheese in it ,but we could barely taste any. I would say the avocado and tomato rolls were my least favorite, but all the dishes were good. I even told my sister this was the only way I could be a vegetarian. If all meals would taste as good as these did. I will be back again.

Oh So Good - we have been a fan for many years and we will follow her everywhere - fab food
the ravioli is to die for - oh my
great space also
Have you tried Heart and Soy? what is it like?