Food arrived in a reasonable amount of time, but the sandwich I ordered came on the wrong kind of bread, and the person who dropped off the food (different from our server) didn't ask if everything looked okay. I had to go up to ask yet a different server for the side of mayo that was missing from my sandwich. When our server finally did come to our table when we were more than halfway done with our meal I asked about what happened with the bread on my sandwich. She initially told me that I was wrong about the bread, and when I politely responded that I order the same thing nearly every time she apologized and said they must have run out.
Short version.
Came here yesterday to dine in after having a lot of good take-out experiences.
Stopped in for lunch on a day visit to Madison, hadn't been here before. Service was good, and my cubano sandwich was very tasty. One complaint though, which prevented a 5 star review, I ordered the tomato soup and it was just awful. It felt like I was eating marinara sauce. It would've been great on some pasta in fact, but as a soup it fell very flat.
I visited Roast Public House twice in a two month span and have had mixed results. While my Restaurant Week visit came close to attaining rarified 5 star territory, a subsequent lunch time visit fell lamentably flat. Since I do enjoy the welcoming setting and the friendly service, I'm hopeful that the quality of the food becomes more consistent.
I offer a few skills camps through out the year. Our Writers Camp ended up on campus and we stopped in her. The food was delicious. It was a slow Saturday evening, just after the semester ended. We had good seats, the cheese curds looked golden, not brown. I brought out of town company there and I believe it'll be on my list of good to eat with Madison WI atmosphere. Everyone loved it.
Long version.
We were a party of two and the service was extremely slow. Our server had one other table, a party of 5 that sat down after us. She brought us waters, didn't ask if we were ready to order (we already knew what we wanted coming in but she didn't give us a chance to say as much). Spent 10 minutes with the other table and at the bar presumably getting their drinks and putting in their order before coming back to us. She didn't apologize for the wait, and took our order.
Awkward service recovery
The same platitudes apply to the main course, the Roasted Pork sandwich (whiskey lime pork BBQ, maple glazed onions, ancho chili slaw on a toasted ciabatta roll). Roast did a fantastic job of optimizing the flavors from each of the sandwiches components. The addition of the maple glazed onions were a brilliant move - creating an intoxicating interplay between the richness of the pulled pork, the subtle sweetness of the onions and the tanginess of the slightly spicy slaw. While the generous portion of the pork was a wee bit dry, that problem was solved by the lightly dressed slaw. The satisfying ciabatta roll was the perfect foil for the rest of the sandwich, providing appreciated flavor and texture.
She avoided our table until she came back with the check and said the manager was giving us a free sandwich and a free beer coupon (neither of us drink alcohol) I guess that's better than nothing. Will continue to order take out from here (the fries and sandwiches are all amazing), but can't imagine dining here again.
Slow, careless service (but I wouldn't say rude).
The homemade potato chips that came as a side deserve a separate paragraph. Perfectly browned and seasoned, they make me want to swear off grocery store chips for life. It takes extra effort for a restaurant to make their own chips but the results for the dining experience made it oh so worth it.
Otherwise, good beer selection, yummy food, slightly pricey but not too bad... would come back, just wouldn't get the soup.
Weak execution also plagued my subsequent visit to Roast, as my chicken tacos (a lunch time special for $2) suffered from dry, under-seasoned meat and a bland corn tortilla that fell apart when I attempted to pick it up. It appeared very little thought went into the composition of the dish, no attempt was made to dress up the chicken with any technique or seasoning. The potato skins we ordered as an appetizer were under-salted and not all that memorable. My dining companion did enjoy her Bacon Swiss burger though.
I'm also a fan of Roast's rustic chic interior, with the exposed cream-colored white brick and natural wood highlights. The use of brown as the main color theme was apropos, as it reminded me of the color of roasted meat. While the back of the restaurant is dark, the front benefits from the natural light from the front windows facing State Street. Overall, it is a comfortable setting for a meal or a couple of beers with friends at the bar. While the food can vary in quality, the potential of the kitchen for inspired cuisine will draw me back from time to time.
good food, wait is generally a little bit longer according to my friends who have been there more than once (I've only been once). cool atmosphere as well! they give you a shot of tequila on your birthday too if you're into that.
I've experienced friendly, attentive service during both of my visits. This was especially true during my Restaurant Week visit where my server checked in after each course.
While the decidedly mixed reviews initially gave me pause when considering Roast as a lunch option, their enticing Restaurant Week lunch menu was too tempting to keep me away. The appetizer course, Braised Pork Belly (roasted heirloom carrots, blood orange vinaigrette, toasted cumin crème fraiche, warm baguette) got things off to a rousing start. I could detect the unctuous pork aroma as my server approached my table with the dish. The meat had a gorgeous sear, which boosted the already luxuriant flavor of the dish and paired wonderfully with the roasted carrots. Unfortunately, the baguette was no longer warm when it arrived at my table and would have benefited from more toasting and a more generous application of the crème fraiche. Wonderfully composed and expertly executed and plated, this dish showcased of the talent of the Roast kitchen staff.
Unfortunately, Roast kind of crapped the bed with the dessert course (a blueberry rhubarb crumb bar with vanilla ice cream). It was like 50 shades of bland, under baked and lacking any crunch. They went overboard with the citrus component, but even that could not overcome the blandness of the cream cheese and flavorless vanilla ice cream. Come on Roast, go big or go home. You offered big, bold flavors for the first two courses, why did you wimp out with a weak-ass dessert?
Amazing food.
Roast Public House is a US Restaurant based in Madison, Wisconsin. Roast Public House is located at 558 State St, Madison, WI 53703, USA.
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