Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Root and Bone opens Monday on East 3rd Street



There's an opening date now for Root & Bone, the Southern-themed restaurant from former "Top Chef" contestant Jeff McInnis and season 11 contestant Janine Booth at 200 E. Third St. at Avenue B.

The sidewalk chalkboard is announcing the opening date for Monday at 11:30 a.m. ...



The restaurant's website describes the place this way:

What we're all about:
Soul nurturing, conscientiously sourced, farm-fresh ingredients.

A craftsman's ethic coupled with artistic culinary thought.

A tribute to the timeless recipes and traditions of a rural America and the warm embrace of its hospitality.

This location was previously home to Mama's Food Shop, which closed in July 2012 after 15 years. Then Heart 'n Soul for a few moments.

Like Mama's, Root & Bone will offer takeaway.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Mama's Food Shop closes after 15 years; 'the community nature of the neighborhood has all but vanished'

Rumors: 'Top Chef' alum Jeff McInnis will help revamp former Mama's Food Shop space

Root & Bone announces itself on E. 3rd St.

21 comments:

nygrump said...

Now even restaurants need to be associated with some kind of corporate media participant. What ever happened to good food at a good price? No, the cell phonies need their "experience" when they go out to eat. So they can broadcast text "we're eating at the place the TV star owns" which would actually be texted as "LOL, 8 @ TV * r'nt!!!" which makes perfect sense after three or four $20 cocktails and a few lines of blow.

Gojira said...

I think I will Throw and Up.

Anonymous said...

Sorry "Soul nurturing". Can atheist eat here?

Anonymous said...

Takeaway? Easy there Madonna, this is 'Merica. Over here it's called "takeout".

EV Grieve said...

@ anon 9:24

Ha! I have no idea why I did that!

Giovanni said...

And I was so hoping they would use the name Grieve & Heave, which fits the neighborhood so much better. Farm to Table? What ever happened to food that went from Bodega to Mouth?

Apparently their celebrity hype and PR is working, their homepage is already down due to too much traffic, and is showing this message:

Bandwidth Limit Exceeded
The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to the site owner reaching his/her bandwidth limit. Please try again later.

blue glass said...

Soul nurturing, conscientiously sourced, farm-fresh, a craftsman's ethic, artistic culinary thought, a tribute to the timeless recipes and traditions of a rural America?? and especially the warm embrace of its hospitality.
are they opening a restaurant or a clothing store in a church?

WTF?

uncle Pete said...

LOL 'Bodega to Mouth'
'Refrigerator Sourced'

Anonymous said...

I just recently re-located to "rural America" (well, not quite rural, but a smaller city Upstate) and let me just say that while I sit here eating my "friendly" $4.00 watermelon, my Manhattan friend is eating his $14.00 "from farm to table" NYC watermelon. (True story.) Sukaz! Enjoy your celebrity BS...

M. Raffaele said...

I get why everyone hates the celebrity bullshittiness of this. I live directly across the street from here, since 1989, and am certainly not looking forward to more crowds of idiots (thought No Malice Palace had the lock on that). But why so angry about conscientiously sourced food?

Anonymous said...

Hi M. Raffaele,

I can only speak for myself, but I don't think people are angry about conscientiously-sourced food. I think it's the bizarre coinage/labeling of it and trying to make the concept appear both pioneering and holier-than-thou. The concept isn't new. My meals were farm-to-table when I lived on East 3rd Street; I would shop at Prana or the 4th St. Co-op and and eat off my table... et voilà! Farm-to-table!

I did enjoy many Bodega to Mouth meals as well. I loved how the serving ladies would cram as much food as possible into the foil tray, so I could have the leftovers from lunch for dinner. (On the other hand, I do doubt the oxtail was organic or the roast chicken free-range.)

Anyway, I do find the (to me) forced friendliness of the "Hey Y'all! We can't wait to FEED you" and the smiley face the opposite of the intended effect. I don't want them to feed me, and I can't explain why.

Anonymous said...

Seriously, relax people....

Glenn Belverio said...

I buy organic vegetables that are locally sourced etc. etc. but the marketing for places like Root & Bone is just tiresome greenwashing.

Anonymous said...

Nobody's talking about it, but there are tons of folks who are growing their own in community gardens all over the LES -- and enjoying it. Been doing so for years. From lot to pot!

Anonymous said...

Next.....

Ken from Ken's Kitchen said...

June 25, 2014 at 11:40 AM

Seriously. Stuff a sock in it.

HippieChick said...

Uh, unless you're cloning broccoli in a lab, ALL food is technically "farm to table." Not "test tube to table", though I can see where it's going that way.

Anonymous said...

Even if the food is good, they've really killed it with their "What we're all about", over produced attitude.

As for the place that used to be there… Mama's was great. But even better was StepMama's. The fresh grilled tuna filet on a roll with lettuce, tomato, and jalapeño mayo was, still to this day, one of the greatest sandwiches I've ever had ($8.00 I still have a menu). That, and one of their 10" cookies for desert.
H E A V E N...

Anonymous said...

I see they have named their "Signature Sandwiches" after Alphabet City Avenues.

Their "Avenue D" is a short rib meatloaf on country bread.

Now, I haven't been to Ave. D in several decades, but I had a really lovely friend I used to visit who lived on that avenue. There was drug dealer who used to store the wares in my friend's mailbox. They had a curiously respectful symbiosis--the dealer never bothered my friend, and my friend let the dealer use the mailbox.

So when I saw the words "Avenue D sandwich" that old memory resurfaced of a stash of drugs between pieces of mail....

Anonymous said...

Who describes a place to eat this way: "With a hyper focus on a regional, righteous, garden-to-table experience, as is his way, McInnis will source local ingredients from foragers, fishermen, farms and specialty purveyors who share his passion for producing only the highest quality seasonal products.
root & bone is a casual yet elevated experience, taking guests on a journey through the timeless tastes and traditions of coastal, small-town America, guided by McInnis and his exceptionally talented partner Janine Booth."

If I want to be taken on a journey I will drop some acid and listen to Pink Floyd, with my black light poster in full swing.

Can't we just get a place to eat around here - does everything have to be like these - geez.

A little while ago I said...

WHY do they have to be pretentious? WHY!?? Is it a compulsion? Can't they control themselves!?

I just want a decent bite to eat! Spare me the sniffy metaphysics!

Nowhere in their description do they say their food TASTES GOOD.

I refuse to patronize a restaurant that is all about glorifying THEMSELVES and their 'process' rather than describe what mouth-watering dishes they offer.