New Article On MyCentralNJ.com

Uproot offers the familiar, with a twist

By LOIS HEYMAN • STAFF WRITER • March 31, 2010

Executive Chef: Anthony Bucco

Disorientation and delight just might be the polar earmarks of Uproot, the four-month-old, elegant-yet-amiable restaurant in Warren that is the collaborative creation of executive chef Anthony Bucco and owners Cathy and Andrew Farro.

“I like to shake up diners’ expectations of typical dishes or techniques, while keeping something familiar and relatable on the plate,” said Bucco of his methods. True to his word, from cocktails to desserts, diners will find surprising contrasts and culinary witticisms on practically every plate.

Even before entering Uproot, the side-door foyer, with its tall, Mondrian-esque stack of colored glass, may put you slightly off-balance. This is by design, said general manager and sommelier Jonathan Ross, noting that the foyer also helps maintain an even temperature in the front of the restaurant, so that the lounge and bar area are comfortable, winter or summer.

The Riscala Agnese design plays off the textured natural materials of dark woods and fabrics against the sleek, space-age retro seating in the main dining room’s corridor, where, Ross said, tables consistently have been filled every night since Uproot’s opening. In the rear of the restaurant, more formal tables and traditional Windsor chairs are arranged, and this area, Ross said, is favored by private parties and special-occasion dining.

Recently, a large party was seated at the long table in the main dining room … or rather, perched on tall bar-stool seats that strike another note of imbalance. The efficient and able staff, however, ease you into comfort, beginning with bartender Michael Richmond’s description of the Nordaq Fresh in-house water filtration system, the only one of its kind in the state, that provides still or sparkling table water, served in custom glass carafes.

The water reflects Uproot’s commitment to pure and natural ingredients, an ethos to which the whole team is devoted, from the servers to the Farros, including their son Mark, acting as sous chef and pastry chef and who, like Bucco and Ross, is an alumnus of Catherine Lombardi and Stage Left in New Brunswick.

“What we’re serving now is based on the fact that we opened too late in the season to build up our root cellar,” Bucco said, although local fare appears wherever possible, such as the dayboat scallops from New Jersey that are paired with pork belly from Niman Ranch. “Bill Niman is back and they’re producing nice work,” Bucco said. “Their pork and beef moves us away from the commodity farm,” he noted.

A first-course special, ricotta-filled agnolotti, with house-made lardo and asparagus, features shavings of Nettlesome cheese from Valley Shepherd Creamery in Long Valley, and other dishes incorporate apples and potatoes from Terhune Orchards in Princeton, lamb from Neptune Farms and honey from Bob’s Buzzy Bees in Yardville.

The cocktail menu, under Ross’ direction, mixes vintage recipes such as the Sazerac and the daiquiri with innovative creations … the Sleepy Buffalo, with bison grass vodka; the Tree, with gin, lime, Douglas fir and thyme, and the Hibiscus Margarita.

“We offer 10 appetizers and 10 entrees,” said Bucco of the straightforward menu, which is supplemented by nightly specials. “The list is not overly large, so we always continue to introduce new items that will keep things interesting for our returning diners.”

Among the unusual starters: veal marrow served in the bone, garnished with domestic paddlefish caviar and served with a long, thin spoon for scooping the marrow, and potato gnocchi with “Surryano ham” and baby arugula are startlingly satisfying. Entrees such as butter-poached lobster, roasted and confit Long Island duck and almond-crusted Niman Ranch pork loin are saved from being either overly rich or mundane by moderate portioning, deftly paired with seasonal accompaniments.

The most whimsical humor on the menu bursts out at the end, with the “Uproot Twinkie,” a concoction fast gaining acclaim for its natural spin on the junk-food classic, with carrot cake, cream-cheese filling and candied carrots. The Tasting of house-made ice creams and sorbets elicits oohs and aahs for its cups of maple walnut, mocha, chocolate chip, orange and, especially, for the freshness of grapefruit. But it’s the Tasting of Huckleberry, with shortcake, huckleberry soda, macerated huckleberry gelee and vanilla cream that makes everybody ask Chef Bucco, “Where do you get the huckleberries?”

Alas, from the Pacific Northwest. But next year, with Uproot’s cold and dry storage more in place and local sources expanded, who knows?