The Dish: Roots Restaurant’s San Francisco Cioppino in Milwaukee

Resident Foodies say: Roots is a family owned restaurant in Milwaukee, opened by Chef John Raymond in 2004. Roots is in the local (farm to table) movement and has its own garden right down below its patio, which supplies much of the vegetables for the dishes.

Last December, Roots hired a new executive chef, Daniel Jacobs, who worked at a number of excellent Chicago restaurants, including Green Zebra, Spring, Tru, and North Pond. The current menu is fun and eclectic, with a fusion of various cuisines including Asian, Italian, and American.

Last night, one of the dishes we tried was the San Francisco Cioppino, a fish stew of Italian-American origin famous in SF. It was delightful! The dish consists of mussels, shrimp, fish, scallops, saffron arborio, and fennel~tomato broth
. All were perfectly cooked, and the broth tasted like nectar from the gods. We especially loved the vivid red-orange color of the stew, especially in the cast iron skillet.