Sunday brunch immediately invokes the carefree, lighthearted mindset that is much needed before wiping the slate clean and embarking on a new week. The rare occasions during which I can stop to savor the meal are special; they're spent with Alex, and they're all about enjoying the final moments together before parting for our respective cities. So on these leisurely, undemanding Sunday mornings, we join the line at The Root Café, the Little Rock home (or "shack") of Southern comfort and all things local, and we feast.
At our tiny two-top table on the porch, we sipped frothed homemade orange juice (served in a mason jar, among all other beverages...swoon), a vanilla soy latte, and sweet tea. Approximately ten feet away from us on the porch, an old fiddler plucked Christmas tunes with comforting Southern charm. Imagine a folk version of Joy to the World. The atmosphere is fine tuned from the menu and staff to the fiddler and mismatched plaid linen napkins.
I unsurprisingly couldn't decide between the sweet or savory, so I chose a small portion of each: vanilla bean granola with soy milk, and a poached egg on a biscuit. The biscuits...Oh lord, I wish I had another. "Wine jam" accompanies the dense yet flaky dough, playing with the tastes of traditional grape jelly and fermented red wine we had enjoyed the evening before. The granola was crunchy, simple, and sweet. I could start every morning with their blend, which I believe is on sale inside the restaurant (jam, too!).
Alex enjoyed the famous, savory grit cakes alongside lightly scrambled eggs, sausage and bacon. He's all about the classics; and The Root, quite frankly, masters them.
And this isn't your regular breakfast joint. Almost every ingredient is sourced locally. 100% of meats, eggs, bread, and a majority of vegetables are grown by Arkansas farmers. It's pretty unbelievable -- and you can taste the quality in each dish. I am already dreaming of my and Alex's next Sunday brunch date...
