Silver Oak Bistro

[tommy]

i love the name, if only because it's so odd that there was bound to be a .com URL available. and there was: http://www.silveroakbistro.com/

menu looks promising at this BYO. please, someone go there and talk about it on the internet so my google searches don't return only their website. or my query here.

BYO. where the cuban place(s) used to be. RIP.

edited for misspelling of "www".

Edited December 2, 2005 by tommy (log)

[Rosie]

When did they open? Very interesting menu.

He obviously doesn't want us to post on eGullet. Click Here: http://www.silveroakbistro.com/reviews.htm

[Double 0]

By their website it looks like less than 2 months ago

[whitetrufflechick]

Made our way over to Silver Oak tonite after reading (or not reading) about it here on Egullet. This cozy 25-seat bistro is located on Wilsey Square, on the OTHER side of the railroad tracks, away from Ridgewood's main drag. Keeping that in mind, its relatively easy to find in a row of storefronts with plenty of street parking, including a metered lot across the street (25 cents an hour till 8pm, free after 8pm).

We made reservations through Open Table and I'm glad we did, as we saw others, bottle in hand (its a BYO), turned away because the place was fully booked for the evening. Most of the clientele were groups of 4 or more, some who seemed to be known by the staff as regulars. Not bad for a place that's only been around 8 weeks, according to the wait staff.

Though the room is small and the tables placed with long banquette on one side with chairs on the other, there was ample space left between tables and we didn't have the feeling of sitting RIGHT on TOP of the table next to us which I usually have in setups like this (Les Halles comes to mind). Even with the ample space, there was some nice between table banter going on and as each dish came out, other tables would ooh, aah, and comment and ask questions. Overall, a very congenial atmosphere. The only drawback was that as the evening progressed, it became a little LOUD for my own personal tete-a-tete - then again, in a room full of happy diners in groups larger than two, that can happen and is, to me, an indication of good times being had.

Onto the food: Starting with the basket of homemade Barbeque potato chips with sides of homemade barbeque sauce and jalapeno green goddess dressing, we knew we were in for a flavorful night. Thinking it was a great substitute for a bread basket, were we ever wrong. This was merely an amuse of sorts...after the appetizer course, out came the breadbasket, full of crunchy on the outside, perfectly soft on the inside bread with a side of basil? and olive oil.

Appetizers that were had were the Shrimp with Grits (Fresh gulf shrimp sautéed with Kentucky Ham, red eye gravy and served over cheese grits) and the Gumbo special. Both dishes were well-seasoned and tasty, but a bit heavy for starters. These would have made a great lunch on their own, OR one to share between two people would fit the bill as well. Live and learn. A lightly dressed onion & beet over greens salad (included with the entree) followed. My entree, Craw-Cat-fish, was Catfish filet stuffed with lump crab meat in a straw potato crust & crawfish e’touffe served over sautéed greens & margarita marmalade dip. It was an outstanding dish... spicy, creamy, crunchy, yum. Again, two hungry people could have easily shared this dish and I took most of it home for tomorrow's lunch. The margarita marmalade dip was a great surprise and the cool sweetness of it enhanced the richness of the southern cooking.

My partner enjoyed his Lamb Four Ways (Grilled lamb chop, Stuffed rouladen, braised shank & sausage served with goat cheese bread pudding and yoghurt mint sauce) with again, the only criticism being such HUGE portions (is that a bad thing? the jury's out) We were stuffed to the gills by the end of dinner and the waitress offered an enticing selection of homemade pies, ice creams and sorbets. I succombed to an Orange/Rosemary sorbet, as it sounded so refreshing. And it was (though we could only finish half of it). Service was very friendly, accommodating and unobtrusive.

I'd go back to Silver Oak in a hot second and I would really like to try their lunch menu and brunch menu as well. Forewarned is forearmed and the only warning I can give to eGulleters is to either go with a huge appetite or split some dishes or leave with a doggie bag. Another warning? Get to Silver Oak quickly, because as soon as word gets out -- as I fear it already may have with the local folk -- I predict it will be very difficult to get a reservation at this absolutely wonderful southern-inspired-cooking-with-a-flair restaurant.

Edited December 3, 2005 by whitetrufflechick (log)

[ghostrider]

My entree, Craw-Cat-fish, was Catfish filet stuffed with lump crab meat in a straw potato crust & crawfish e’touffe served over sautéed greens & margarita marmalade dip. It was an outstanding dish... spicy, creamy, crunchy, yum.

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Channel cat or farmed cat? Just curious.

I despair of ever finding channel cat on the East Coast but it never hurts to ask.

[whitetrufflechick]

My entree, Craw-Cat-fish, was Catfish filet stuffed with lump crab meat in a straw potato crust & crawfish e’touffe served over sautéed greens & margarita marmalade dip. It was an outstanding dish... spicy, creamy, crunchy, yum.

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Channel cat or farmed cat? Just curious.

I despair of ever finding channel cat on the East Coast but it never hurts to ask.

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No idea and didn't ask. Sorry.

[whitetrufflechick]

Ended up back at Silver Oak again last night. Meal number two.

From the mozzarella hushpuppies and 'crabby chicken' apps to the chocolate pecan pie, the meal was again perfect. Entrees of Snapper sautéed with orange zest crust served with spaghetti squash and herb emulsion and the Craw-Cat-Fish were, again, wonderful.

At 6:45, we were the only two in the dining room and by 8pm, the room was filled to capacity. This is definitely some of the best southern cooking I've ever had anywhere, and certainly the best and most authentic, while at the same time maintaining an air of originality, in the NYC/NJ area.

[dumpling]

Checked out Silver Oak yesterday for lunch. Thanks White Truffle Chick for the tip.

There was no one there when we got there about 12:30. In the time we were there only two other parties arrived. Apparently lunch is not as busy as it dinner may be.

They served us(myself and Alanz) some nice Italian bread with herbed olive oil. We tried three appetizers and one soup between us. WTC had it right on the mark- 3 appetizers and a soup meant we had a fair amount of food; we did not leave hungry.

The soup, a creamy potato with corn and bits of spinach, was excellent and enough for both of us to have a reasonable amount. The first appetizer, "Rags and Fungus" was a lovely dish- wide homemade noodles(wider than most pappardelle), cooked al dente, with big pieces of wild mushrooms, all in a subtly bitter white truffle sauce. The next item was "Crabby Chicken", a melange of different taste sensations. There was a lump crab cake with a pumpkin seed crust served atop some green apple slaw that tasted something like a kim chi. On either side of the crab cake was a piece of smoked chicken boudin sausage. The crab cake by itself would not have been out of the ordinary but combining it with the slaw and sausage made it a more interesting dish. I liked the slaw more than the other parts;it was spicy but not overwhelming. Our last appetizer was the crawfish etoufee. Served over spinach rather than rice, the etoufee was vibrant and quite filling. Very nice.

We probably could have done with the soup and two appetizers. Each appetizer was really an appreciable amount of food for an appetizer.

They have a prix fixe $10 lunch that we did not get because the description of the appetizers seduced us.

Good place.

Edited December 15, 2005 by dumpling (log)

[whitetrufflechick]

Checked out Silver Oak yesterday for lunch.  Thanks White Truffle Chick for the tip. 

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You're welcome, Dumpling,

At the moment, I'm trying to come up with another excuse to make it up to Silver Oak. That would make it three Friday nights in a row. Mmmmmm... just thinking about it.

Then again, there's always Sunday brunch.

[whitetrufflechick]

Actually, it ended up being a Saturday brunch. DON'T even get me started on the concept of taking creamy, tangy mac and cheese, enrobing the macs in a high quality cheddar and putting it under the broiler. When they served it, it looked like a CHEESE OMELET (as opposed to an egg omelet) stuffed with mac and cheese.

Holy Moley.

Edited December 19, 2005 by whitetrufflechick (log)

[jwjojo]

We ate here on Friday night and I was impressed with the food and the service. I ordered the Catfish w/ crawfish etouffe and spinach, and boring Tom had the fried CHicken. I thought my dish was very unique and quite good. Tom's was good, moist and tasty. I will go again.

[Lutece]

We ate here on Friday night and I was impressed with the food and the service.  I ordered the Catfish w/ crawfish etouffe and spinach, and boring Tom had the fried CHicken.  I thought my dish was very unique and quite good.  Tom's was good, moist and tasty.  I will go again.

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4 of us ate there Sat nt and were not that impressed. Service was great, place is small and we won't go back. Food was mediocre and thats all I can say.

Different strokes .... But, all four of us agreed, not thrilled.

[Allura]

He  obviously doesn't want us to post on eGullet. Click Here:  http://www.silveroakbistro.com/reviews.htm

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Looks like it was just an oversight. There's now a link to us, under the label, "My appologies to eGullet...here is the link."

[whitetrufflechick]

We ate here on Friday night and I was impressed with the food and the service.  I ordered the Catfish w/ crawfish etouffe and spinach, and boring Tom had the fried CHicken.  I thought my dish was very unique and quite good.  Tom's was good, moist and tasty.  I will go again.

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4 of us ate there Sat nt and were not that impressed. Service was great, place is small and we won't go back. Food was mediocre and thats all I can say.

Different strokes .... But, all four of us agreed, not thrilled.

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Hi!

Wondering what it was that you and your party had ordered that you found lackluster. From the homemade barbeque chips with the barbeque dipping sauce to the chocolate pecan pies, etc., I'm just surprised to hear mediocre as a descriptor. Definintely agree on the different strokes theory, but could you elaborate? Would love to hear about dishes that might be missing the mark, since I plan on going back again soon.

WTC

[tkrongold]

i took a friend here sunday night for her birthday. service & food were very good. loved the potato chips w/the BBQ & Green Goddess sauces. my friend had the white cannelini bean soup which was great; i had the shrimp & grits, also great. for main courses, she had the duck - outstanding. i had the short ribs, which were good, but not as good as i had hoped. they were very tender, but i wasn't crazy about the flavoring. we shared the Dutch apple pie for dessert, which was very good. i would definitely go back, especially for the duck.

[tommy]

DON'T even get me started on the concept of taking creamy, tangy mac and cheese, enrobing the macs in a high quality cheddar and putting it under the broiler.  When they served it, it looked like a CHEESE OMELET (as opposed to an egg omelet) stuffed with mac and cheese.

Holy Moley.

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it's top-notch. not something i'd want to order more than once a month, but excellent. i had half for lunch and half for dinner the next day.

[mfeygin]

My entree, Craw-Cat-fish, was Catfish filet stuffed with lump crab meat in a straw potato crust & crawfish e’touffe served over sautéed greens & margarita marmalade dip. It was an outstanding dish... spicy, creamy, crunchy, yum.

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Channel cat or farmed cat? Just curious.

I despair of ever finding channel cat on the East Coast but it never hurts to ask.

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Hi Ghoastrider, just spoke with Chef Gary, he informed me that it's farmed Catfish. He can do channel cat but the way he does it is with the skin and the head on. He does not think that the Tristate area is ready for this delicacy yet - Please keep the comments comming and Happy New Year! Mike Feygin - Silver Oak American Bistro

[Rosie]

Welcome to eGullet mfeygin and be sure to keep us informed about new dishes that you will be serving at Silver Oak.

[Anonymouze]

We were thinking of going on New Years Eve to Silver Oak Bistro I was wondering if anyone knows are you limited to the prix fixe menu or can you order other things that catch your eye as well? Thanks! (Should we call?)

[mfeygin]

We were thinking of going on New Years Eve to Silver Oak Bistro I was wondering if anyone knows are you limited to the prix fixe menu or can you order other things that catch your eye as well?  Thanks! (Should we call?)

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Dear Anonymouze, we only offer the Prix Fixe Menu for 4, 6 8 anb 10 pm seating http://www.silveroakbistro.com/newyear.htm , if you would like something special, I can ask Chef Gary to make it for you. My wife and I will be there for the 10PM seating - table 39 (by the Kitchen). Happy Holidays, Mike Feygin - mike@silveroakbistro.com

[rooftop1000]

Damn does that look good

tracey

[Anonymouze]

Real REAL good... thats why I was thinkin of comin for the 6pm ... now I have to call 'em tomorrow... I just want hushpuppies I'm having one of those cravings for another "fun" item! LOL I wonder how many hushpuppies they can fit on that salad? (rofl)

[tkrongold]

we'll be there for the 8pm seating on New Year's Eve - menu sounds great.

[mfeygin]

we'll be there for the 8pm seating on New Year's Eve - menu sounds great.

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Thanks Tkrongold, we are now full for the 8pm but have 4,6 and 10pm available as of now. See you tomorrow at 8pm, Happy New Year ! Mike Feygin

[Anonymouze]

I hope to eat alot of hushpuppies... we're going to be there at 6pm! Hope to see some of you there too. (mmMMmm hushpuppies!)