Oak Restaurant and Bar
959 Hope Street
Providence
by Bob Mariani
Like Providence’s eclectic East Side itself, Oak is a genuine blend of a lot of different preferences and choices. Its sunny, store-front location on the northern end of Hope Street invites a mixture of casual diners that includes neighborhood regulars as well as folks from other parts of town. The atmosphere and décor is warm and welcoming with just a hint of chic. The menu would be hard to categorize in one phrase.
Appetizers for instance, include Tuscan Calamari with roast garlic, roasted red peppers and pepperoncini; Grilled Shrimp Cocktail; Seared Sea Scallops with pancetta and scallion cream; Crispy Polenta Fries with zippy marinara and boursin cheese; and Sautéed Eggplant Cakes with fresh tomato sauce. Starter prices range form $6 to $8.
I began with the Maine Crabmeat-Stuffed Portobello Mushroom. It was a compact, paddy-size "cake" of fresh-tasting crab in a tender sautéed Portobello cap and finished with a refreshing sherry cream sauce. I liked the combination of textures, and the flavors worked well together - a nicely thought-out starter. My wife had the Artichoke Gratin. It came with a rich but light gorgonzola cream sauce and was punctuated with pine nuts and some delicious whole grain toast points from Olga’s Cup & Saucer.
Oak offers two lists of main courses: pastas and entrées. We decided to try one from each list. Mine was from the "Entrées" menu— Spiced Duck Breast in a blackberry and port wine reduction ($16). I’ve shied away from duck lately, only because too often it is either dried out or too fatty. In this instance, I asked for it to be cooked "medium, slightly pink," and that is precisely how it was done. The result was very tender and juicy and without a lot of excess fat. The slices of duck breast were served atop a bed of lentils infused with a delicious, not-too-sweet, and not-too-tart blackberry sauce. The duck was accompanied by a fresh little green salad that offered a light contrast to the strong, meaty duck.
Jan’s entrée from the pasta list was the Shrimp Scampi ($17). The scampi were breaded and cooked to crispy perfection and they came on top of a bowl of freshly made spaghetti in a dainty white butter sauce laced with fresh, cooked tomato slices and sautéed sugar snap peas. This is a great, simple, early summer dish— satisfying but nice and light.
Some of Oak’s other pasta entrees include big Lobster Ravioli with grilled shrimp, tomato confit and roasted leeks ($18); Farfalle Pasta with sautéed chicken, asparagus, diced plum tomato, pine nuts and brie cheese ($16); Seafood Cannelloni with lobster, crab, scallop, shrimp, ricotta cheese and wood-smoked tomato sauce ($19); and Artichoke and Mascarpone Agnolotti with spring vegetable primavera ($14).
In the Entrée department, there’s Crab Cakes with sweet potato fries and pesto aioli ($16); Grilled Fillet Mignon with mashed Yukon Golds and red onion au jus ($23); and Sautéed Veal Medallions with Madeira wine and wild mushrooms ($18).
The desserts at Oak are all house-made and, in spite of its kind of goopy-sounding name, I ordered the "Sticky Toffee Pudding." I was glad I did. It was a really home-made tasting blend of nuts and raisins in a dark, sweet "pudding" that deserves a more aptly descriptive name. Definitely worth a try.
Jan had the Key Lime Pie, a classic rendering of a classic dessert, topped with a sweet red cherry sauce. All desserts are $7 and other offering included Chocolate Cherry Black-out Cake; Jeff’s traditional Tiramisu; and the Ultimate Cheesecake with strawberry puree.
Oak is open every day for lunch and every night for dinner and they do take reservations for parties of six or more. Otherwise, it’s first-come-first-served but you can call a half-hour ahead to see how long a wait you might have. There’s a small but cozy bar where the food is also served.
Oak is not out to blaze any new culinary highways and they’re not about "experimental" or eccentric sauces. That’s not to say there are no pleasant surprises here, because each dish is well thought-out and created to maximize the main flavor of the fresh ingredients.
It’s a great addition to Providence’s East Side dining scene and understandably has become very popular very quickly. To call ahead for timing or reservations for 6 or more: 273-7275. Visit their website
www.restaurantoak.com.Bob Mariani is a Southeastern New England freelance author. Besides his "Your Table is Ready" restaurant reviews found here, he also writes jazz articles on allaboutjazz.com.
