September 27, 2022 – Brand new Roam Restaurant throws a lot of intrigue at an eater.
It’s the invention of the social souls behind Folktale Winery and its Seventh & Dolores Steakhouse up the block.
Then there’s the intensive remodel to consider, with a nightlife-leaning vibe set off by neon ceiling lights and airy club music that sounds a little like what you’d hear in a Vegas elevator.
There’s additional context too.
The COVID-extended wait to reopen the former pizzeria space has people extra eager to check it out.
The Folktale Group has become a major hospitality force in a relatively short local lifespan, so many track what they’re up to closely.
The popular chef who helped develop the upscale dining plan, Jerry Regester, left on the eve of its opening—his last day was Sept. 5—because he couldn’t turn down the chance to own his own restaurant for the first time.
But the most interesting element of the restaurant’s debut, which happens today (Sept. 27), is the menu’s dual identity.
A chunk of language at the top of the menu gets at that, reading in part, “At ROAM we invite you to join us on a journey into the diverse Asian and Latin cultures that inspire and define California. We aim to merge two culinary experiences to create flavors that are as creative and soulful as the people they represent.”
Items that attempt that include Japanese sweet potato fries with tomatillo ketchup, nori and black sesame seeds; fried calamari on Asian slaw with chili-soy sauce; Asian tacos with pork belly, kimchi and cilantro; a duck confit salad with miso dressing; and steamed clams in coconut-lemongrass broth with dried mango and chorizo. (Small plates run $8-$18; larger dishes $27-$38.)
The fusion happened when hands-on owner-operators Greg and Madigan Ahn floated a thought in chef Gabriel Arguelles direction: Why not seek out complementary combinations of their respective Asian and Oaxacan backgrounds?
“I’m like, Let’s go for it,” Arguelles says. “We try to find items people might like, mixing all the flavors without losing them.”
He mentions a dish that was the highlight of my dinner, the birria ramen, as an example. Birria broth lavishes slow-stewed and thin-sliced beef birria and springy ramen noodles with richness, abetted by a boiled farm egg, pickled daikon and spinach.
Our table also dug 1) the super fresh and flavorful chilled seaweed salad with wakame, avocado, carrot, radish and a rice wine-vinegar-soy dressing; 2) the chipotle edamame with fried garlic, sesame oil, soy, ginger and sea salt, a simple but satisfying fusion winner; and 3) charred broccoli steamed buns, which outshined the carnitas buns along the way, thanks to a nice creamy hoisin sauce. (The “ROAM noodles” with black bean mole, chicken and udon noodles sounded interesting, but as Arguelles admitted later, he’s still figuring out how to keep the udon from soaking up too much of the sauce.)
Arguelles came aboard about two months ago, and brings 27 years of experience working at Tarpy’s Roadhouse and Montrio Bistro with the likes of former Folktale culinary director Todd Fisher and chef/entreprenuer Tony Baker.
He hopes Roam’s unconventional combinations provide “a different experience” for diners.
“I’m expecting my guests will get surprised by the flavors,” he says. “Nobody in this area has them right now.”
He adds that he wants to play with all kinds of Latin food, not just Oaxacan.
“I don’t have any limits on my life in the kitchen,” he says. “Whatever I can do, I want to do it. That’s what I am.”
The wine list runs humble on Folktale wines, with only two (a sparkling brut and rosé) flanked by 24 alternatives like I. Brand & Family Riesling, Patz & Hall Pinot and Tolosa Syrah. Six beers like East Brother Beer Co.’s Red Lager and North Coast Brewing’s Scrimshaw are available by pint or pitcher.
Plenty of fine-tuning will happen with the menu and service as the official opening unfolds; staffing at Roam, as with restaurants across the area and wider U.S., has been a formidable obstacle. If you’re planning on visiting soon, you can aid that evolution by going generous on patience and feedback.
Hours will be noon-9pm Tuesday-Saturday (closed Sunday-Monday). Lunch service adds a half-chorizo Oaxacan burger with quesillo cheese, rice bowls, and a couple of creative sandwiches on fresh baked focaccia and buns hand made in the adjacent bakery, which remains open 7am-3pm daily.
More at https://riseandroambakery.com.
About the author
Mark C. Anderson, Edible Monterey Bay's managing editor, appears on "Friday Found Treasures" via KRML 94.7 every week, a little after 12pm noon. Reach him via mark@ediblemontereybay.com.
