Fort Oak advertises itself as an ‘ode to fire and the sea’ with Chef/Owner Brad Wise using a wood fire to cook much of the food. They supplement that with a large raw bar for seafood. They are open for dinner every night but Tuesday. In a separate room where the wood-burning hearth/kitchen is they also have a Chef’s Counter for 10 guests on Thurs and Fri nights. The tasting menu also has optional beverage pairings. We were not able to secure a place at the tasting counter but our server walked us by the window to the room to see the chef and his team in action. The main dining area is in an historic former car dealership space with the horseshoe shaped bar being in the old showroom and then various dining rooms are in and outside. A lion statue was supposed to be a tribute to the actual lion that the car dealership owner brought with him to work. Tile, glass and wood make up the various stylish spaces filled with music. The menu is designed to have shared small plates and we did just that – sharing a number of items. While they were creative, I would say the food was mixed in tastiness, but the fun in lots of little plates is that some will delight you while others are just food. Let me know what you think when you visit.
Set-up
Food
Lamb Merguez kefta were on cinnamon sticks with the plate decorated with pistachio muhammara, harissa garlic crunch, pickled shallots and herbs. The order came with 4 juicy merguez sausages, which generally have less fat content than traditional sausage. These were full of flavor and excellent. The tender meat was great, especially with the tasty adornments. A winner.
Endive salad was piled high with Asian pears, apple butter, glazed pecans, pickled grapes, aged gouda and a preserved orange vinaigrette. The pears and nuts were terrific with the mixed endive. The pickled grapes were a treat to eat alone but also fine with the other ingredients. A nice dressing made this dish another winner.
Chicken fried quail was stuffed with cornbread and plated with cabbage, local red beans, red eye gravy and dates. The frying kept the quail pieces juicy inside and crispy on the outside. The red eye gravy was tasty but not a version I’m used to. This was not spicy nor smoky but tasty enough.
The Heritage pork chop came sliced with black garlic sauce and topped with coal roasted brussels sprouts and potatoes, ginger, garlic chips and herbs. The crispy garlic chips on the top were my favorite part. Parts of the pork were somewhat dry but it was mostly smoky. The potatoes were good and you could detect the wood cooking but you could not on the charred Brussels sprouts. I was glad to have the sauce to dip the pork into, to add moisture.
Charred caulini was with fermented chili aioli, shallot vinaigrette, smoked almonds, currants and herbs. Caulini is a baby cauliflower that is a cross between broccolinni and cauliflower. Part of the Brassica family, it is known for its tender stalks. This bunch was well charred mixed with the almond and currants with the sauce on the side of the bowl. This dish did taste of fire-cooking and was good and slightly spicy, especially with the sauce.
“Almond Joy” was a dessert made with chocolate ganache, toasted coconut and brownie brittle. Highly recommended by the server, it was a bowl that you had to dig down through the layers to get all the flavors. Surprisingly, it was not too sweet. The cookie layers added some crisp texture but overall I would not order this one again.
