Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Root 246 and Johnny Church Gone Splitsville

Oyster shooter with cucumber juice and a dash of Siracha sauce.

Recently, Jason and I went to one of our favorite local restaurants, Root 246, to celebrate our wedding anniversary.  I’d booked the chef’s table (located in the kitchen) and I was looking forward to a  spectacular culinary adventure similar to one we had with friends at the end of June.  Jason and I had already decided that we’d order the multi-course tasting menu, because it was so wonderful last time.  When we arrived we were disappointed to find out that for reasons unknown, the Executive Chef Johnny Church is no longer with Root 246.  Thankfully, immensely talented and creative Bradley Ogden, consultant chef and the creator of Root 246’s  farm-to-table style menu is still affiliated with the restaurant.  We learned that Church has been replaced by the Executive Chef team of Jordan Graf and Brian Ridgeway.    Sadly we found out that the multi-course tasting menu is no longer on the menu.   Jason and I were celebrating, so we just rolled with these surprises and hoped for the best.  Thankfully, we were in the very capable hands of our favorite waiter, Bobby Dommeyer, who chose the perfect sparkling wine to go with our delicious Kumamato oysters.  As Jason and I sat back to watch the action in the kitchen, we noted that the vibe was very tense, there were problems and people were clearly stressing out.  I thought this odd, because our reservation was for an early time on a Sunday.   This was a stark contrast to when we sat at the chef’s table on a busy Friday night in June (when Johnny Church and Bradley Ogden were both in the kitchen) , the vibe was positive, and things were running smoothly.   With all that said, rather than come to any premature conclusions about the recent changes at Root 246, I am instead going to chalk up our recent dining experience to the kitchen being a bit shortstaffed.  Regardless, Jason and I’ll come back soon to see how things are progressing under the Executive Chef team of Graf and Ridgeway.

Here are the photos from the wonderful multi-course dinner that we had back in June.  Maybe we’ll get lucky and Root 246 will bring the tasting menu back?   Thanks again Johnny, we miss you!

The spices lined up in the kitchen at Root 246.

The view from the chef's table at Root 246.

So happy to be in the kitchen where all the fun is happening.

We are celebrating Brian's birthday.

Artisanal cheese plate.

The Kumamato oysters at Root 246 are FABULOUS.

Tempura style calamari and vegetables.

Foie gras terrine with strawberries and toasted nuts. Crazy good!

Our table with friends in the kitchen

Really tasty breads at Root 246.

The black cod was fabulous (and my favorite)!

Duck confit stuffed pasta with duck breast slices...OUTSTANDING.

Beef short ribs and filet mignon with Shiitake mushrooms.

The sweet end to a wonderful meal.

The food groupies with chef Bradley Odgen.

Chef Bradley Ogden (center), Executive Chef Johnny Church hamming it up in the back.

In the genre of chef's tattoos, this one (belonging to Church) is fun and simple.

Another one of chef Church's food-related tattoos.