Review: Good Earth in Roseville, MN

Until recently I never would have imagined going to an organic and natural foods restaurant and really enjoying the food, let alone liking it enough to go often. Good Earth changed my mind completely on this matter, with its delicious and excellently prepared food. It is quite popular and always has a good crowd, though the longest I have ever had to wait for a table was around ten minutes (table for two). I have dined at this restaurant four times now and have decided on overall ratings in the following categories:

1) Server Attentiveness

2) Server Helpfulness

3) Overall/Average Service

4) Food Quality

5) Catering to Dietary Needs

Server Attentiveness

If I had only been to Good Earth on my most recent visit, this category would be given a solid 8. Possibly even a 9. Our server was quick, checked on us often, and was extremely polite. The attentiveness was not quite so excellent on previous visits however. I will say this: none of the servers have ever been rude. I don't know if politeness is emphasized in the work ethic there, or if they have been extremely lucky to employ so many pleasant individuals, but that is definitely their highest marking. In regards to how often we were checked on and the speed of service however, the other visits fell short. Twice, we sat at our table between five and ten minutes before the server came for our drink orders. Not a horribly long period of time to wait, though it does leave one feeling forgotten when you don't even have your water yet. There were usually lengthy gaps between the server checking on us as well, leaving us occasionally wondering if we had been forgotten.

In short: While there are obviously some excellent servers there, and they are all very polite, attentiveness to the customers could be improved overall.

RATING: 6 / 10

Server Helpfulness

This is by far where the servers at Good Earth shine. My girlfriend is allergic to both dairy and gluten, which restricts what she can eat at many restaurants (this will be revisited in the final category). Without fail, all of our servers have been more than happy to let us know exactly what is in the food, what can be removed or replaced, and even recommendations of the chefs or the manager related directly to our questions. Some of these servers were experienced enough to give us first hand information, others would gladly go back and ask the chefs directly no matter our questions or concerns. However on one visit she ordered the Good Earth Burger (more info on this later) without cheese or a bun. The burger did come out with no cheese, but it was on a bun, which is not a big deal for her since she can simply take the meat, etc off and put the bread to the side. The problem is, a person with Celiac Disease would need to have their burger completely remade because some cases can be so severe that foods simply coming in contact with gluten can cause major problems.

In short: The servers are extremely helpful, but simple oversights have the potential to cause problems.

RATING: 8 / 10

Overall/Average Service

To summarize: While the servers are very helpful, the overall attentiveness needs some work.

RATING: 7 / 10

Food Quality

I'd like to preface this category by restating that this restaurant serves meals made with organic and natural foods. If you get a burger it's not going to be greasy and sloppy, and the food isn't going to be full of preservatives that manipulate how the food tastes. That being said, the food here is nothing short of delicious. I'll go into far more detail in an upcoming food review, but allow me to explain.

To begin the dining experience, your waiter brings a bread basket to the table that contains various breads (including flatbreads) and hummus to dip them in. While there's nothing particularly special about the bread, it is very well made and a delicious little appetizer to snack on while waiting for the meal. I'm partial to the whole wheat flatbread dipped in hummus myself.

In regards to entrées, I have ordered the Good Earth Burger twice and the Grilled Chicken Quesadilla once on previous visits. The quesadilla is nothing special, but it tastes very good, the tortilla is nice and crispy, and is worth every penny. The burger on the other hand is one of the best I have ever had. Now don't get me wrong, I love a good greasy cheeseburger full of BBQ sauce and other things terrible for my health, but this bison burger has won me over and combines the toppings wonderfully.

For my most recent visit, I decided to give the "Just Right For You" meal a try. You get 3 courses in this meal: appetizer, entrée, and dessert; all in smaller portions but definitely not lacking on quality. For my appetizer I ordered the One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato soup. This different take on potato soup (at least from my experience) was delicious in every way. The potatoes were tender and delicious, as were the carrots and small pieces of onion. The soup itself is wonderful, with just a bit of spice to give it a nice heat. Now I love spicy food so I may be biased when it comes to this, but even if you're not a fan of spicy food, don't be afraid to give this soup a try. The heat I speak of adds to the flavor of the food without being overwhelming, even for those potentially more sensitive to the spice. Also, try dipping a piece of the bread from your basket in the soup. I believe you'll like what you taste.

For my entrée I ordered the Lemon Pepper Chicken, which comes with roasted potatoes and braised spinach. Let me just say that this was one of the most tender chicken entrées that I have ever eaten, and the potatoes and spinach were prepared equally as well. The lemon pepper sauce complimented the foods well, but it was missing something for me. A little kick, a little extra flavor. A few quick twists of the peppercorn grinder fixed everything. I believe the exciting taste of the potato soup left my taste buds wanting more, and the sauce by itself didn't live up to its predecessor. This is a minor complaint though, since it was easily remedied with the addition of a little more pepper. I'm sure the sauce more than meets the expectations of other patrons that don't crave spice and heat the way I do.

For my dessert I ordered the Chocolate Cake with Kahlua Cream Sauce. The chocolate cake itself had a wonderful chocolate flavor without being too rich or overbearing in its sweetness. It also had a wonderful brownie-like texture, which made me want to pick it up with my fingers and eat it like my inner 8-year-old desired to. On top of the cake was a small dollop of vanilla ice cream, which enhanced the cake with its rich flavor. Then there was the Kahlua sauce which tasted great, though the texture was a bit off-putting at first. It has sort of a grainy texture, almost like the texture when you eat sugar straight from a packet. I've done that more than once in my life. Don't judge. Then I thought about it and considered that the texture is probably due to unprocessed/unrefined sugar in the sauce which is most likely organic. Seriously though, the texture is another minor issue because the overall taste makes up for it tenfold.

In short: The food is excellent overall with a few minor quirks that will vary depending on one's personal tastes.

RATING: 9 / 10

Catering To Dietary Needs

Due to my girlfriend's allergies to both dairy and gluten, extra emphasis has been made to find places that cater to special dietary needs such as hers. I find this to be a necessary category that many reviewers/critics overlook, so hopefully my reviews in this area will be helpful.

Every time we have been there, any question we had about the foods in regards to ingredients, possible ingredient replacements, or even the possibility of leaving out certain ingredients was immediately addressed by our servers. With the exception of the bun being left on her hamburger on our most recent visit, there have been no issues with our requests to alter the meals in any way. In my eyes this goes beyond the simple "gluten free menu" that some restaurants opt for, and limits what a person can eat to maybe four or five dishes. While not many of their foods are necessarily food allergy friendly, their willingness to cater to our needs is exceptional. Especially when one takes into consideration that many (perhaps most) restaurants don't even bother to provide special menus.

In short: If you have certain dietary needs related to your lifestyle (ex: Veganism), food allergies, Celiac Disease, etc. then Good Earth is a great place to go. They will work with you and cater to your needs as best as they can.

RATING: 9 / 10

Needless to say Good Earth is a great place to eat. Their service is definitely above average, though the overall attentiveness could use some work. The food by far makes up for this though, and their willingness to cater to dietary needs is exceptional. I'll be dining at Good Earth again and again for a long time to come, and definitely recommend that everyone at least give it a try.

*** OVERALL RATING: 8 / 10

Good Earth

1901 Highway 36 West

Roseville, MN 55113

http://www.goodearthmn.com