Oak Steakhouse

A pair of good friends are moving next week, and invited Maggie and me out to dinner, conveniently on Thursday, for a goodbye. We initially settled on Hall's Chophouse, a relatively new steakhouse offering on upper King St, we switched to Oak because we had never eaten there.

(Hall's, incidentally, is great.)

I'm struggling to say something about Oak that wouldn't apply to any upscale, expensive, well-executed steakhouse. That's not an insult - the atmosphere was refined, but decidedly Southern. Oak feels like Charleston, while also feeling like a thousand other high-end restaurants.

Maggie's filet mignon was delicious (though that's not my favorite cut), with a really well-flavored crunchy crust. My osso buco was seasoned nicely, but the bed of thin polenta it sat in absorbed and obscured the marrow and juices until I felt like I was eating a lamb soup. The perfectly cooked shank deserverd more. Drinks were well made, if a little slow to arrive. Service was otherwise impeccable.

The side dishes do deserve a mention; a light and wonderfully sweet butternut squash puree was a great dish to usher in the Fall. I had heard rumors of a lobster macaroni and cheese that was rich enough to kill, but no one at our table had the guts to try it. Next time.

I also commend Oak for a having more variety on the menu than a typical steakhouse. Between the wide variety of salads, sides, seafoods, and appetizers, even a vegetarian would come away happy. That said, most food was nonetheless steakhouse-like in terms of richness. Think The Palm or Ruth's Chris, with a lot more Southern flair.

In the end, it's hard for me to get excited about spending that much on dinner for anything less than a perception-altering meal. I think steakhouses are just not where you should spend your money in Charleston when looking for a great dinner. Almost any other restaurant will be cheaper and more interesting. Oak is good at what it does, but I just don't care.