Article From New Jersey Countryside

Uproot Restaurant

By Patricia Mack | Photos by Ruben Woolcot

There were questions. The nice thing is that at Uproot, there are always answers. what is “butter-poached lobster?” What is a “mergeuz”-stuffed quail? What is “trevizo?” And, what does Dolcetto Di dogliani, “Papa Celso,” Marziano Abbona, Piedmont 2007, taste like?

Those were just a few of the terms from the menu that confounded me or my companion during a recent visit to this strikingly beautiful restaurant in the Watchung foothills. The answers were only eye-contact away from an attentive waiter and expert sommelier.

Butter-poached lobster is a rather elegant technique that embeds buttery flavor without all the drippy greasiness of drawn butter. The lobster tail and a claw is served whole and out of the shell on a bed of orzo (rice shaped pasta) that has been tossed with the remaining chopped lobster and a luscious lobster creme and then topped with a bit of sea urchin.

Now, the mergeuz-stuffed quail is the game bird stuffed with a spicy red sausage, mergeuz, from North Africa. Depending on the season and inspiration of the chef(Anthony Bucco), Uproot’s kitchen may serve it along with ramp risotto and another head scratcher-pequillo pepper coulis. Pequillo pepper coulis is made with pequillo peppers, which are sweet, slightly piquant red peppers from Spain, that are worked into a fresh, uncooked sauce-a coulis-to give it smooth texture and heightened flavor.

Charred treviso is what accompanied my entree of roasted and confit Long Island Duck, and is what I know as radicchio rosso. This is a bitter red-lined lettuce from the Veneto region of Italy. And while I like bitter greens, and expected it to be a perfect foil for the rich flavors of the duck, it proved just a bit too harsh, overwhelming the lovely duck and duck confit as well as the slices of roasted fennel that were also on the plate.

As to the tast of the Dolcetto Di Dogliani, “Papa Celso”, Marziano Abbona, Piedmont 2007, the sommelier explaned that it’s a northern Italina varietal from the Piedmont region-a loghter bodied red. It is fruity and means little sweet one in Italian. And yes, it did go beautifuly with the duck I chose and the grilled New York strip steak my companion ordered.

Dinner and an education-can one ask for more? Let me answer that one: I want inventive food, fairly priced, executed with a caring and knowledgeble hand. And that’s what I got at Uproot. Here is a kitchen with chefs who can transform ingredients into creative and appealing fare. It’s not the same old, same old, although, God bless them, they don’t ignore the steak and potatoes eater. Witness: My companion who savored every bite of his perfectly grilled New York strip steak and the flavorful fingerling potatoes that accompanied it.

From the first bite of the chef’s amuse of marinated shrimp to the elegant chees try my companion and I shared at the end of our meal, I was enchanted.

Go and be dazzled by the reds and whites of the decor and the fireworks on the menu.