5
Rood has always been a great restaurant, but their current 7 course tasting menu is so excellent it would be a shame not to share! Chef Josh and the whole team are working to reduce food waste and are offering this tasting menu trying to use all parts of the fare they purchase to help do their part for the world. This doesn’t mean you end up with strange off-cuts or old produce, but instead are offered dishes incorporating sauces and purees made by them in-house, aging and preserving to stick to the mantra of the offering. I truly believe the ingenuity and expertise they show in the dishes are on par with Michelin-prospects in larger cities.
Because they are mostly using ingredients on hand, the menu changes frequently, with dishes switching out or being altered as much as every week. On this occasion, I enjoyed delicious and inventive dishes such as an oyster with a house made citrus-kosho, squash 3 ways (squash served in a squash-miso sauce with squash vinegar), a “fish-stick” made from scallops, elk loin, and a beautiful stone axe wagyu with parsnip puree, potato mille-feuille, and smoked bourbon marinated oyster mushrooms (a smaller portion of the dish on their current menu). All of this and more made for a truly wonderful evening on a cold Cleveland night!
The service at Rood feels truly welcoming, with wait staff, bartenders and chefs all feeling professional yet friendly and approachable: the kind of people that are busy working but happy to slow down for a moment to chat. The drink menu is excellent as well, with well-crafted cocktail options and solid beer and wine choices to pair with all of their dishes.
Any review of Rood would not be complete without mentioning their desserts! One of only a few restaurants with a pastry chef not only on staff, but as a partner of the business. Honestly, there’s been more than one occasion where I’ve visited exclusively for cocktails and desserts.
I wanted to leave this review to encourage others to go enjoy this tasting menu as I felt like it might not be getting the attention it deserves, but on this night I saw the chef and team bringing out many of the tasting dishes to tables in the dining room, so the secret might be out. Still, I hope my review encourages someone to splurge a bit on an evening with fun, delicious and inventive food from a passionate restaurant.