Oak Restaurant in Dallas Is The Next Jewel In Chef John Tesar's Crown.
In Henry Van Dyke poem, Trees, he gives his homage to “A
pillar of power, a dome of delight, a shrine of song and a joy of sight”. Just as Van Dyke was inspired to pen those words so many years ago, perhaps it was
this affiliation to the large Oak tree outside the bustling restaurant that
bears its name that created the inspiration of delight and deliciousness into
the very fabric of this innovated and chic Dallas eatery. Partnering with
acclaimed twice nominated James Beard Chef John Tesar, the Apheleia Restaurant
Group, continues to bring innovation and vision to the burgeoning Dallas restaurant
scene. Chef de cuisine, Ross Demers, and executive pastry chef, David Collier
are at the helm in creating a menu that
is highly creative using the best available ingredients to ensure freshness and
superb taste and texture on every plate
that emerges from the kitchen. On a recent trip to Dallas, we had the
opportunity to discover “Oak” and engage in some of the lovely and thoughtful
menu items.
The inviting open space is awash in browns and beiges
accented with silver-toned lighting that gravitates the eye to the unique
holographic tree that changes color, seasons and foliage throughout the dining
experience. The bar area is shrouded with rendering of a mighty oak etched into
the glass wall, sweeping you into the moment.
As trees provide shelter from the elements, you have that sense of
comfort and tranquility as you sip on one of the many hand-crafted cocktails.
We started with the “Antoinette”, a luscious libation that really accented the
fragrant dark muddled blackberries, impressing us with the freshness of
ingredients. One may want to try the “Mighty Oak”, as it is the namesake and
has the refreshing hints of lemon, ginger, and mint all perfectly intermingled
with the George Dickle Rye and topped with club soda.
After a few relaxing moments at the bar, we were cordially
escorted to our table to be greeted by our lively waiter, who proceeded to make
sure that we are informed on all specials, offering any answers to questions we
may have. We took a look at the
well-crafted wine list, and decided to enjoy a glass of the Lemelson, Thea’s
selection, pinot noir from the Willamette Valley. Pinot noir is usually a good choice in
pairing with seafood and some beef dishes, and this seemed to be the best choice
for our dining excursion. We began our meal with the Heirloom tomato salad
accented with refreshing tiny slices of watermelon, olive oil powder and black
olive oil. The combination of the unique forms of olive oil gave this salad an
elevated kiss of creativity.
We also were immensely impressed with the tiny
cones of Hamachi Tartare, with green curry and wasabi tobeko. Each miniature
cone, was filled with the delight of the ocean, as we gleefully indulged in
this playful rendition. The main dish of
Alaskan Halibut, studded with woody chantrelle mushrooms , added brightness of
acidity from the cabernet tomato, and accented
with summer truffles and maderia port invoked a chorus of om’s and ahh’s with
each forkful. The moniker of all the dishes rang true of the freshness of the
ingredients and the artful creativities of the Chefs as they brought an
abundance of flavors and passion to our plates.
We were not at our fini, although well satiated, when we
knew that a master was guiding the delivery of our desserts. James Beard “Best Pastry Chef” semifinalist,
David Collier, is the Executive Pastry Chef that loves to bring innovation and
expertise to the sweet part of the meal.
The Strawberry Pistachio with pistachio sucree, mousseline,
sponge cake, and strawberry sorbet was a spectacular way to end the meal. This take on the familiar strawberry
shortcake was incredibly whimsical and lovely to behold, but better yet the
strawberry mousseline gave a delicateness to the flavor, and played well with the
other elements. We walked away beaming
with yet another great find in the Dallas area.
Whether in Dallas on business or pleasure a meal at any the restaurants
that Chef Tesar has been pouring his culinary magic into including Knife, El
Bolero, and Oak. He and his partners continue to come up with more culinary
outlets and we are excited to see what is on the horizon as the leaves of the
organization continue to spread.
