White Oak Tavern & Inn

Stopped by the new White Oak Tavern & Inn (http://www.whiteoakchicago.com/) last night. Well worth it for those intrigued!

Warm, inviting layout--exposed brick, old-timey decor, etc. They're serving the now-standard "share-able plates w/ locally sourced ingredients," but the execution & flavor combinations are definitely step-up from most new places I've tried recently.

We started with the mozzarella appetizer & vegetable tartar, and shared the 1/2 chicken as an entree. Enjoyed both the apps, but the chicken truly stood out. Perfectly seasoned, very moist, and paired well with a yogurt/brussel sprout sauce that balanced out the heat. I'd call it a must-order, although the Pork collar at the table next to us looked very tempting as well..

Anyway, a great new spot (in the old John's Place space) for those in the area. I hope it does well.

White Oak Tavern & Inn
1200 W Webster, Chicago, IL

Fans of the sadly departed Panozzo's will at least be happy to know that John Asbaty, Panozzo's former chef, is now the chef at White Oak Tavern. He brought at least one trusted kitchen person over with him (forgot her name, but she presides over the bar). And White Oak is owned by John Manilow (brother of Check, Please! producer David Manilow) and his wife. Though you may recall John's cooking at Panozzo's to be less complex and more rustic, don't forget that he previously cooked at both Trio and Alinea.

It was my love of John Asbaty's cooking that initially attracted me to White Oak Tavern, but it was the almost perfect dinner last night that will ensure my quick return. If you asked me to best describe White Oak Tavern, I would say it's the north side's answer to Nightwood. That's just what it reminded me of, although I might have enjoyed the food even more. I suppose Perennial Virant to some degree (both excel at highlighting the bounties from Midwestern farms), though there was far I enjoyed at White Oak Tavern. And though it's only a few weeks old, I'd say this place is nailing every aspect of the restaurant experience, from the design, to the welcome, to the pacing, to the very detailed aspects of service, and most importantly, the food.

I suspect some people might initially be put off by the menu, which lists snacks, breads, boards, plates and platters. I've sensed a growing frustration with non-traditional menus -- i.e., the ones lacking three clearly separate categories. Yes, I believe the menu was created with sharing in mind, and I know many people hate sharing. That being said, the "platters" are entree size (generously sized), and the "plates" are generally sized as appetizers (though the house made spaghetti and the burger (and maybe a couple of others) could certainly satisfy many persons demands for an entree. But if you don't feel like sharing, you don't have to share. It shouldn't affect your experience.

Anyway, our group of four ordered quite a bit. Wedge fries were just that, but the double frying was most evident with the brittle, crisp exterior and the creamy interior. Fans of great Belgian fries will definitely want to snack on these. The accompanying thin cheese sauce and chipotle ketchup are just fine, though hardly necessary.

Biscuits are apparently served with nduja butter and plum preserves. I vaguely remember enjoying the tart plum preserves, but it was the hot, crispy yet tender biscuits that stick in my mind. These were drizzled with honey, something I ordinarily don't care for, but these were outstanding.

We also shared the two boards. The La Quercia Prosciutto board, with local cheese, pickled vegetables, blueberry preserves and house made crackers was exactly as described, and there was nothing wrong with that. But it was the duck board that stole my heart. There was the cracking of the brittle, crisp skin, and the delicious and moist meat; an incredibly rich, smooth duck liver moose that would be the pride and joy of any French bistro; sour cherries, pickled cauliflower and bread (four slices to be exact) rounded out what may be one of the best things I eat in 2015. If you're reluctant to share a duck leg, you may consider order this board as your main course. It was sensational and about as good a duck leg and duck liver mousse as I've ever tried.

As for plates, I don't know that anything about the seasonal vegetable tartare stood out, but there's nothing not to like about vegetables served with a melting egg and crisp toast. I preferred the Grain Salad, which had beets,‎ kohlrabi, mushrooms, cranberries, pecans and some greens and herbs. It seemed light, yet rich and earthy at the same time, with just the perfect touch of acidity. I could happily make a light dinner of this and some bread. The house made spaghetti with rapini, egg, sheep’s milk cheese and black pepper was also terrific, particularly the perfectly al dente spaghetti.

We also shared two entrees. The pork collar was easily my favorite, served with creamy, mashed sweet potatoes, kale, apples and mustard. For a moment, I forgot that my favorite porchetta in town (from Panozzo's) is no longer available. This was absolutely the pork of dreams. I keep going back and forth between the pork collar and duck board in terms of my favorite dish. But don't ignore the grilled chicken mentioned above, which was also terrific. It featured an aggressively seasoned and delicious crust, and the meat was incredibly moist.

Having eaten seemingly half of the menu, perhaps we should not have had dessert. But in fact did (and tried every one of them including a comped dark chocolate pudding, which is more of a black forest cake with vanilla whipped cream, chocolate pudding, cherries and chocolate cake (the menu says rye, not sure if it's some combination or if it's changed)). The cake was terrific. As for the cookies with milk jam, think warm chocolate chip cookies sans chocolate chips, and served as thumbprint cookies with a thick, dulce de leche-type milk "jam" in the middle (four to an order I believe). They were also excellent. But my favorite dessert was probably the buttermilk tart, with apples, bourbon maple, and a pecan cracker, though I also really enjoyed the warm brown butter cake.

There's plenty more of the menu to explore, so I look forward to returning soon. Service was great, and so was the atmosphere - energetic without being too loud, dim without being too dark, and nicely designed. I'd be stunned if White Oak Tavern does not become a huge success.

I have no pictures to offer of the food, but below are links to their social media links if you'd like to get an idea.

https://www.facebook.com/whiteoakchicago
https://twitter.com/whiteoakchicago
http://instagram.com/whiteoakchicago

Joined BR and mbh for dinner at White Oak last night and was blown away--fantastic food, excellent cocktails (and a nice list of specialty vermouths) and, most of all, some of the most engaging service I've had at a restaurant in a while. Some places just have a great vibe--staff who are clearly enjoying even a slow Tuesday night. It made for a really fun evening.

So the food and bevs...

Started with cocktails--saw they had the Canas Chinato D'erbetti on the list which I really like so asked the bartender to make something with it--he was happy to oblige and mixed up something that he described as being like a Flintstone vitamin--we were off to a good start! Not sweet, minerally, tangy--very nice. I tried a sip of my companions' drinks as well and everything was well made and balanced. The Manhatten, Old Fashioned, German, Chipper Jones is a Hillbilly (!!!) and the flight of Vermouth were all terrific.

We had a little fun with the menu. First up--we ordered the burger at BR's insistence--as our appetizer. Cut in quarters and then cut the last quarter in thirds. YES it was worth fighting over. Terrific beef topped with a mixture of aged cheddar & butterkase, smoked chili ketchup, aioli, and pickles on a house made bun. Sounds like a lot but the cheese was like a spread-not thick or clumpy--and the ketchup and aioli were sparingly applied as well. Add very thinly shredded pickles and you had a perfectly balanced burger with the beef as king. Woke up thinking about that burger and that's not usually my thing.





Next they brought an order of Focaccia with onion, creme fraiche and dill. I wasn't that enthusiastic about ordering this--so many great things on the menu and this just didn't sound that exciting. WRONG. This got scarfed down too. So simple--just the ingredients described. But the onions were semi-crispy and pickled and the creme fraiche was sweet and creamy--and the bread was sinfully rich. So good.

With the Focaccia came pickled veggies with homemade ranch dressing (wow--so ranch dressing can actually be good!!) and the Duck Board. Hard to award any of the dishes with "best" but if pressed, this was it. The smoothest, meltiest, most perfectly balanced duck liver mousse I've ever had. Wonderful house-baked rye with a touch of something sweet in it (meant to ask but forgot). And perfectly fried, just ever so slightly salty, fried duck leg. Sour cherry mustard and pickled carrots for garnish. A piece of the rye smeared with the mousse and topped with a bite of the fried duck and cherry mustard and I was in heaven.

After the first 4 items, things settled down into just "great food"--not that anything wasn't fantastic, just that the first 3 courses were so ridiculously good. We finished with the Roasted Carrots with Romesco,‎ lemon-mint yogurt, pea shoots, hickory nuts, sunflower seeds and a special that evening--in honor of St. Patrick's Day--corned beef tongue, wrapped in sauteed kale, with roasted veggies. Not sure what else was on the plate. Both were terrific--the tongue was on the fattier side as tongue can be. And would definitely order the carrots again--they were nutty, crunchy and a satisfying substitute for meat any day.

Last and certainly not least, we shared another special--the bread pudding--also inspired by the holiday. This was not your typical bread pudding. Not a shred of boozy, sticky goo in sight! A light square of cake with milk caramel, sour cherry sauce and a quenelle of cream (BR/mbh--if either of you remember any more of the details please fill in!!). I'm usually not a fan of bread pudding but had a hunch that White Oak's would be different and I wasn't disappointed.

Very quiet on a Tuesday night--go and make sure that this place gets the opportunity to continue doing great things!!

First, let me just say that I love everything about this place. Okay, now here's another look at the burger:





And it really is a fantastic burger. I tend to be a "less is more" type guy when it comes to burgers but I agree that the beef flavor was front and center here and I loved it.

This was the second time I've had White Oak's duck board and it's one of the best duck dishes (if not the very best) I've ever had. Just when you think you've eaten the most delicious fried duck leg ever, you've got that amazing duck liver mousse to finish. It's really spectacular. That I might prefer it to the best Peking duck I've ever had has even me shaking my head.

Here's the bread pudding:





I really enjoyed it too . . . not much I can add beyond what Jen said.

But the service at White Oak really deserves mention. Very rarely do I walk into restaurants where I get the feeling that all of the people that work there really enjoy being there, enjoy one another and are having fun. In fact, I may get that feeling only once every few years. But you really get the feeling here. And they're extraordinarily proud of what they're doing . . . and they should be. White Oak is really delivering at a high level that merits close attention. No detail is overlooked, and that includes the bar, wine list and particularly the vermouths. They're even making their butter in-house, just like a couple of our favorite bakeries (Cellar Door for example). And they could not be a better advertising vehicle for midwestern farms - stellar produce!

When I think of the best upscale, primarily non-tasting menu restaurant in town, Boka is at the very top of my list. Perhaps it would be unfair to deliver such high praise to a spot that is so new, but based upon my two visits to White Oak, I'm fairly confident it will be giving Boka a run for its money in this category. It's just that good.

Lord, that burger! I'm well know among my friends for disliking excess on burgers to the point of often not liking cheese, but this one stole my heart. The restraint shown with the toppings and the quality of the beef made it one of the best burgers I've had recently. The duck board was everything BR promised it would be and he won the fight to gnaw on the bones while I finished the burger. The pickled vegetables really cut the richness without being too acidic. The corned tongue, one of my Irish born mothers favorite foods was a thing of beauty, lovely and soft, with a rich almost melt in your mouth quality. She'd never eaten tongue corned before arriving in the US and she came to like it more than corned beef, it was nice to have a stellar version on St. Patricks day.

As BR and boudreaulicious both point out it was the service that stood out for me also. The people who waited on and guided us were so proud and engaged with their food and drink that I was excited to try what they suggested. Overall a wonderful dining experience. I hope they flourish and I can't wait to go back.

BR - glad to find our tastes are similar! After my first visit to White Oak, I mentioned to a friend that the current iteration of Boka (w/ Lee Wolen as chef) is the only better a la carte game in town. And I'm not even sure "better" is the right word - I'd choose Boka for a bit more upscale atmosphere, and White Oak if I'm in the mood for something a bit more casual. Luckily I live about equidistant between the two

White Oak is a truly fantastic addition to the neighborhood.

Is this place uh...family friendly? I guess what I'm asking is can I bring my two year old? You'd think so based on the neighborhood but wanted to be sure to check first

Commbrkdwn wrote:Is this place uh...family friendly? I guess what I'm asking is can I bring my two year old? You'd think so based on the neighborhood but wanted to be sure to check first

After eating there (and really enjoying it), my thought is that you'd probably be more comfortable doing so on the early side.

=R=

I think it would be fine--it was pretty quiet when we were there on a Tuesday night--only a couple of other tables. I'm guessing it's busier later in the week but the tables are well-spaced. Assuming you're looking for a kids menu--no idea if they have kid-friendly food but a call would answer that.

http://chicago.eater.com/2015/8/5/90954 ... -char-more

Really bummed to hear that Chef Asbaty is leaving, but really happy for him that he's moving on to something that will allow him for more time with his family.

Went here for the third time last weekend. The food here was still as amazing as the other two times even with the new chef.

marothisu wrote:Went here for the third time last weekend. The food here was still as amazing as the other two times even with the new chef.

The menu on the website does not look like it has changed much . . . do you know if it accurately reflects the current menu at the restaurant?

The menu hasn't changed much. Many of Chef Asbaty's dishes are still around with a few additions from the new chef. They added an elote dish and a Cobia dish. The wine list is changed and improved, cocktail list unchanged, and dessert menu unchanged as pastry chef David is still there.

Happy to share details about food quality on my most recent visit via PM.

Royal Lichter wrote:Happy to share details about food quality on my most recent visit via PM.

Why via PM? I think those details might be useful here on the thread.

=R=

I get sheepish about giving criticism, but since you asked...

I thought that what I had was not executed well. The Cobia dish had great flavor but wasn't presented well and it was $22 for what I'd describe as an appetizer-size portion. The elote dish was cold and not that flavorful and needed some salt and acid. The vegetable tartare was okay but had too much corn. I had some bread and wine a couple of nights ago. The bread was great.

I'll go back for the burger, as a neighboring party had it and it looked the same and fantastic. I'm hoping I was just there on an off night but for $100 I was kind of disappointed.

BR wrote:

marothisu wrote:Went here for the third time last weekend. The food here was still as amazing as the other two times even with the new chef.

The menu on the website does not look like it has changed much . . . do you know if it accurately reflects the current menu at the restaurant?

The server told us the menu might change due to the new chef. I don't know if she meant like it normally does or completely. Anyway, the new guy seemed to know what he was doing. Food was still amazing.

We went Friday night and thought it was fine, but not exceptional. Similar to Red Door or the Bristol nearer to us. A pleasant walk, lovely accommodating service, nice outside seating.

leek wrote:We went Friday night and thought it was fine, but not exceptional. Similar to Red Door or the Bristol nearer to us. A pleasant walk, lovely accommodating service, nice outside seating.

What did you have? They constantly change their menu in some way and just changed chefs. I've had things there that were pretty good but not memorable. However, the pork and chicken are both amazing. One of the guys with me from Asia has eaten at tons of Michelin places all over Asia and was salivating all night over the pork after he had it. For me, it's the best piece of pork cooked in that way I've ever had.

Hm. There is a White Oak Tavern in Maryland too (found when looking for the menu here)

Which pork dish did you have?

We had the Smoked Trout Bruschetta, the Grain Salad, and I think the Skate Wing (not on the menu I see online), as well as the Yogurt Cheesecake. I was hoping for more veggies in the grain salad, it was mostly grain and not much salad and the dressing I thought was overly acidic. The smoked trout was nice, but very filling. DH had the Skate Wing, and I didn't taste it because of the mushrooms in it.

^ Have to admit that I haven't had any of those. The pork dish I've had twice now was the Grilled Pork. It's honestly amazing - dined with about 12 different people at WOT now and everyone has raved about it. Many of my friends have eaten at Michelin starred places around the world (including myself) and we all agree that the pork is of definite Michelin star quality.

The Grilled Half Chicken is really good too and not far below on the "amazing" totem pole to me. It's one of the juciest pieces of chicken I've had. Love the Stracciatella too but that's not for everyone. I've been with people who've loved it and others who thought it was good but not amazing. I remember the Kale & Little Gem Salad as being pretty good too. The House Made Fettuccine is really good too, especially with that egg on top. Cookies/Jam Milk are pretty good too and the Chocolate Pudding the first time I had it was super good, but the second time I had it they changed it up and wasn't as good (but still pretty good). The raw and pickled vegetables were a surprise too.

The first time I went was when ramps were in season and my friends and I had some amazing stuff with that. Sadly, ramps are only in season for about a month per year.

The recent comments echo a feeling I had about this place when I made a string of visits in late May/early June: the cooking was at a really high level, but at the prices they were charging--$16 for the asparagus and ramps dishes--I would be pretty unforgiving if even a small slip occurred. Asbaty is a serious talent, but I thought everything was a good three to four dollars more expensive than usual and/or even warranted--that's nothing if it delivers, but egregious if it does not.

After 25 years in Lincoln Park, the owner of White Oak Tavern & Inn is closing his restaurant to pursue other interests.

https://chicago.eater.com/2019/2/7/1821 ... ose-depaul