Oak Bistro

We were looking for someplace cozy to go on a Saturday night and Oak Bistro is a block from me yet I’d never gone in. It is so charming. They hold some seats for walk-ins so we only had to wait <10 mins at the bar while they cleared a table in a fairy-light covered wood walled section of the intimate back room. The signature seasonal drink I had while waiting (Libra Season) and the mocktail my date had (Ruby Roots) were both fantastic; light, but flavorful. I was so excited to see so many clearly-labeled things I could potentially eat. Dairy-free this, gluten-free that, vegetarian and vegan options, and substitutes available for a large amount of dishes. My date got the ragù which he loved, and I opted in the end for the Inman Autumn Risotto, a truffled squash, broccolini, and porcini dish that could be made butter-free. Alas when the risotto came I knew the dream had come to an end. The risotto was merely… rice. When arborio rice is *properly* cooked, and made into *risotto*, it emits a natural creaminess, as its starch is released when rubbed against fellow grains through constant stirring and adjoining of liquid to absorb. Unfortunately it was clear the risotto had never been cooked to this level as it was neither creamy nor fully cooked—the rice granules were al dente, i.e. the insides were chewy undercooked starch. I was afraid it was going to pull out a crown so I stopped eating after a few bites and sent it back. A new risotto was made for me, even more quickly this time. Though of course some amount of prep is needed to serve it in a setting such as this, risotto is not a dish that can be made with haste, and certainly shouldn’t be refired with haste when the complaint for returning the dish was undercooking. Unsurprisingly, the second dish was even more undercooked: I spit out undercooked mushrooms, and pulled out stalks of broccolini that I could barely put a fork through they were so raw. In the end I spoke with the manager who offered other dishes but my date had already eaten his meal; I didn’t want to eat alone. The manager also seemed to not have any concerns about the prep process for this dish, and having already lost my fidelity in the chef after the second dish attempt, I opted to pay and leave, hungry and unhappy. I wanted so much to like Oak Bistro given its proximity, warm atmosphere, and the promise of options for someone with food allergies. Unfortunately the food, and the staff’s attempted remedies for the food snafus, left much to be desired.

The atmosphere was fantastic, and the food was excellent, except they didn’t have any gluten free bread, which is so surprising these days. Unfortunately our server did not pay any attention to us. We had to ask for water 3 times and finally grabbed another server to get us some. The same thing happened with my coffee. No one checked in after we were served our meal to see if we needed anything else. The restaurant requires a credit card to hold your reservation. That’s fine, but if I am going to put money down to eat at an establishment, the food and service should be top notch.

Delightful! Really enjoyed our meal so much and looking forward to coming back. We had the mussels, scallops and duck. The duck blew me away, everything was fantastic though! Service was great, everyone was pleasant. warm and inviting atmosphere. Gluten-free and Veg options clearly listed on menu, I don’t have celiac but it seemed like they could accommodate a gluten allergy.