We were given a Cork & Flame gift card a while back and decided to use it for our anniversary! WOW!!! The hostess gave us sparkling wine for our anniversary before we were even seated! Amber, our server, was excellent - knowledgeable and attentive. She helped my wife choose appropriately with her gluten intolerance. The food was tremendous, from the appetizers, to the main course, and to the desserts. And for our anniversary, one of the managers (?), Rian, surprised us with a complimentary bottle of red wine from the year of our wedding! And to top it off, they wrote ‘Happy Anniversary’ with caramel on the plate that my dessert came on. The restaurant is definitely expensive, but they earn it with their food and their service, and the little touches that make it an outstanding experience. We will definitely try to find a way to come back for special events in the future!
Bottom line: it's good but could be great. Don't normally leave reviews but I want to see Rooted thrive (and am selfishly looking for the perfect go-to spot). As someone who works from home, I was very excited to have a coffee house available within a few minutes drive. Ambiance comes from the clean, airy, neutral/earthy vibes with touches of old-world style. Nice variety of seating options (booths, tables, sofas, reading chairs, and al fresco). Was even more excited to learn this location offers Gluten Free (GF) options as Martinez/Augusta seriously lacks in this arena. Although the staff wasn't knowledgeable about what menu options might be GF, they did inform me I could order any sandwich on GF bread (6-inch baguette style). I've ordered the GF classic breakfast sandwich several times now and each time it's been fresh and delicious. Ordered the veggie breakfast bowl once, but with no guarantees it was GF (that's a problem for those with Celiac Disease). Cappuccino is also incredibly good, like for no good reason (add raw sugar and wow)! As an elevated coffee house, though, Rooted should do a better job of indicating which items are or could be made GF. There is a hole in the market (read: opportunity) for quality/creative/tasty GF options and I would love to see Rooted fill that gap. Final note from a professional standpoint, every coffee house should open on day one with WiFi. It's been several months and there still is no WiFi access which definitely knocks Rooted down the list. There have been many days I wanted to have a working lunch at Rooted, but couldn't because I require internet access. Okay I lied, one more thing - WATER! Water is available only through a very small self-serve dispenser positioned on the hutch. Not only does everyone stand near this dispenser/hutch to wait for their to-go orders, thereby blocking patrons from accessing the water dispenser, but it's been empty/near empty each time I've been in. I'm not sure of the rationale behind this, but it's a poor substitute and really frustrating as someone who NEEDS water with every meal, regardless if I have a coffee next to me.
Delicious as always. Love the gluten free bun offering. Customer service was excellent. I didnt quite receive what I ordered and they fixed it within a minute with a smile.
Celiac friendly
