Oak + Char

2 Reviews on “Oak + Char”

• EuroAtHeart

  I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for hip and new modern american restaurants. That being said, the wife and I ended up at Oak + Char on a Friday night. At first glance I really liked the vibe inside. It was busy and the wood accents all over gave it a rustic but still modern feel. Not to mention the light fixtures looked like someone threw some bedsheets on them. I could see that getting a love/hate response.As far as their menu, most of their items are meant to be shared. I find that to be a cool trend at a lot of places around the city lately. We unintentionally started with the wontons as a food runner dropped it off at our plate since they made extra. The chili honey on the plate made them interesting but not sure if I’d get them again. I also tried the salt baked beets. I feel like I’m a sucker for beets, if they’re on the menu they are going to be on my plate. In this case they were some of the better ones I’ve had. They came with hazelnuts and these little rye bread crisps. It reminded me of picking the rye crisps out of the bags of Gardettos. If you’re looking to get some vegetables that you wouldn’t normally get I’d recommend them.We got the burger and crab legs as our mains. My burger was solid all round, cooked well and had this sauce that I couldn’t quite put my finger on but it was almost like a thousand island. I also snuck some of those onion rings into the burger because why not? The crab legs though were the star, I really wish I had ordered a full plate to myself. I imagined you would get a tiny portion but for getting king crab in River North it was well worth it. They even split them in half for you so getting the meat out was a breeze. Not to mention the crispy rice and coconut sauce. It was definitely the winner of the night. euroatheart.com

  October 14, 2015, 5:13 pm

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• Lauren Folkmann

  Lovely new restaurant in the old Graham Elliot space. Shared plate style is great for groups-I’m a big fan of trying as many dishes as possible.Likes:-Jefferson Park Sour-any cocktail with egg whites and Becherovka is going to get me excited, and this one definitely delivered-MSG Wings (not what you think)-Duck Fat Onion Rings-Beef Tartare (one of my favorites)-Scallop special (my other favorite)-Beef Shortrib (lots of flavor, fork-tender)-Coconut Mussels (very tasty broth and loved the bacon samba)Misses:-Pork Collar…we were super excited about this dish but it ended up being a major letdown. The meat was tough and there was quite a bit of chewy fat that made it really difficult to eat, a sad end to an otherwise delicious meal.Overall we had a great dinner with friends and I’d definitely love to return. lionandmaven.com

  July 22, 2015, 6:13 am

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