If you haven’t been over to Romany Road recently you should go and check out A. P. Roots, a new restaurant in the space formerly occupied by Scarborough Fare. This is a really good restaurant, but that came as no surprise; Robert Myers is the chef. We’ve been fans of Robert’s since he had his own restaurant in an old bank building in Winchester many years ago. Now he’s performing his magic right here in Lexington.
The menu is varied and inventive, with an emphasis on fresh and local foods. I started my meal with a cup of gumbo—a great choice. The cup was full to the brim with chunks of andouille sausage (spicy but not too hot), lots of chicken, okra, and all the other flavors and bits you expect to find in a good gumbo. It was the perfect starter for a cold night. And, by the way, if you order a bowl of soup, be it gumbo or whatever else is offered that day, you can get it in a bowl fashioned from a round loaf of Robert’s great sourdough bread, which is surely enough for a meal. My companion chose the wilted baby spinach salad, which comes with wonderful local mushrooms, red onion, tomato, some grated egg, and a tasty applewood bacon dressing full of chunks of smoky bacon. It was so good I ordered it for lunch when I returned several days later (just don’t order it with the tea-smoked chicken—the chicken is delicious but you won’t get more than a smattering for the additional $4).
One of the entr√àe specials the night we were there was a fresh seafood ragu in a light cream sauce. My partner could not resist and was pleased he didn’t. He was presented with a plate full of mussels, scallops, shrimp, monkfish, and the meat from a large lobster claw. This was combined with leeks, shaved fennel, peas, potato, and carrots, all immersed in a fragrant sauce. The plate I ordered contained three slices of roasted pork served over a mound of vegetables (white and sweet potatoes, celery, carrots, and leeks) and topped with an apple and pear chutney. The sweetness of the chutney was a nice counterpoint to the earthiness of the vegetables and it was clean-plate-club for me.
If you go for lunch, or if you want only a light supper, you can get sandwiches, which are made panini-style with Robert’s whole wheat or white sourdough bread and include, but are not limited to, roast beef, open-face ratatouille, andouille sausage with smoked chicken, and preservative-free hot dogs. There’s also pizza, with a variety of creative pies on the menu or a build-your-own option with a wide selection of toppings from which to choose.
Appetizers include two shrimp dishes, a smoked sausage plate with mashed potatoes and vegetable slaw (sounds like a whole dinner), caponata, and a charcuterie plate. There are several varieties of salads, and some pasta dishes as well (try the papardelle, it’s great).
Desserts (ah, desserts) are made in-house. The evening we were there the choices included a cheesecake; two chocolate boca cakes (flourless cakes), one white chocolate and one dark; and a carrot cake, among others (that means there were some others but I forget what they were). I abstained. My companion could not resist the carrot cake, one of his favorites. He was served a piece of dense, moist cake with a thick cream cheese frosting on a bed of drizzled caramel. It was very good, but not outstanding.
My partner was enraptured with this meal. He said it was the best meal he’d had in Lexington in a long time; I liked it a lot and thought it was very good but was not quite as enchanted as he. Nonetheless, we paid $65, before the tip, for one drink, and two each of appetizers, entr√àes, and coffee. It’s a bargain!