The OAK Long Bar + Kitchen is an American brasserie style restaurant set inside the Fairmont Copley Plaza in the heart of Boston’s Back Bay. From hand crafted cocktails to extensive wine offerings and waiters and managers who know what to recommend, you’ll find an old historical hotel that is perfectly located in Boston’s city center, but with all the new world conveniences of a modern hotel, and its restaurant is a notch above others in the immediate vicinity.
Their goal is to source local ingredients from local purveyors, so farm-to-table in nature, they’ve definitely thought of the details, from the freshness of taste to the presentation of their plates, whether you’re dining here for lunch or dinner. Since we were testing this restaurant out for lunch, I didn’t expect to have an elegant dinner experience on a sunny patio that would last over 3 hours. Let’s just say…it was fabulous and pleasantly surprised the palette!
Inside, the decor couldn’t be more traditional and old world and in the fall and winter months, is where you want to be.
On the sunny veranda on a lazy August day, the exquisite dishes started coming out from the culinary gems of the OAK Bar’s kitchen. Imagine a Kobe Meatball dish with exotic mushroom gravy and melted brie. Crazy right? We opted for some lighter options although I was most definitely tempted by the meatballs, not to mention the calzone, which they serve with Maple Brook Farms mozzarella, prosciutto cotto and san marzano tomatoes!
We shared the Ahi Tuna Tartare with an avocado puree and crisp wontons. They also have a delicious tuna with truffle mayo, san marzano tomatoes and arugula leaves and a special Bay of Fundi salmon which was exquisite! Two thumbs up and a must try!
Their Cold Sweet Pea Soup served with garbanzo beans and grilled shrimp (pictured below) is to die for. Whatever soup they have on the menu for the day, order it!
Other lunch options included a Semolina Angel Hair pasta dish with roasted teardrop tomatoes and nasturtium butter, various salads where you could add add hearth roasted chicken or chilled Gulf Shrimp (above), a yummy Baby Kale & Watercress with spiced walnuts and goat cheese, the Heirloom tomato salad with maplebrook burrata, sherry vinegar and roof top basil and a smoked bluefish pate with market greens and warm country bread.
More classically American choices would be the short ribs with swiss cheese and carmelized onions, the burger with aged cheddar, prosciutto cotto, market greens and balsamic vinegar, a batter fried Atlantic cod or even Kobe hot tubs with Chicago mustard. It doesn’t get much more American than that!
On the French side, they offer a Charcuterie, with cornichons, country olives, seasonal fruit jam and the Chef’s selection of meats and cheeses. To remind you that you’re in New England, they offer clam chowder and lobster one handers, which they serve with yuzu mayo and tobiko on steamed Chinese buns.
When the desserts arrived, we had a “wow” moment since we didn’t expect the presentation to be so outstanding and they seem to love color – the presentation and the taste equally popped! Next time you’re in Boston, put it on your must try list — and after all, it’ sso centrally located, that you can get there by T (metro) or simply drive. It’s a great area to walk around either before or after your meal as well.
Details:
The OAK Long Bar & Kitchen
The Fairmont Copley Plaza
138 St James Ave, Boston, MA 02116
Note: we were hosted however all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
