The Oak Barrel
I’m not really sure what to say about this relatively new place in the old Hoggy’s location in Valley View, but I should probably start with the positive. Heather, our server, was awesome! She was friendly, attentive and tried very hard to remedy some of the “issues” we had, but unfortunately some things were beyond her control. Sadly, that’s pretty much it for the “positive” aspects of our visit!
Now, it may be just us, but I can’t imagine anyone enjoying a visit to any restaurant where regardless of where you sit, you’ve got ice-cold air blowing down on you (and therefore your food doesn’t stay warm for very long – assuming it was to begin with)! That was the case here. The first table we were taken to was directly under an AC vent which was blowing so hard, the paper napkins were moving on the table. We asked if we could relocate to what appeared to be a better spot, but alas….another AC vent there as well. Feeling a little foolish and not wanting to ask to move again, we tried to move the table a foot or two out of the direct line of fire, but even that didn’t help. We asked Heather if she could have the manager do something about it and while she did deliver our message, it was almost unbearably cold the entire time we were there.
The menu wasn’t what we expected at all, but still looked ‘interesting’. I ordered the chicken and waffles, which was served with cayenne butter and blackberry syrup. This was really, really good! The portion was huge (2 large chicken filets on a pretty good sized waffle), the chicken was moist and very tender and the waffle was light and fluffy. The “heat” of the cayenne butter worked well with the sweet blackberry syrup! Definitely enough to share, which I did! I did think that it was pretty over-priced since it came with nothing at all; just 2 pieces of chicken and a waffle – for $18. Mr. Z ordered the ½ rack of ribs, which was served with fries and their version of coleslaw (?) for $15 – definite bomb here! When his dish was served, there were 4 bones on the plate. We couldn’t imagine anyone calling that a ½ rack, but a short time later, a server (not Heather) appeared with 2 additional ribs saying that the kitchen “forgot” the rest of the order! Ok, a little weird, but at least it was a more reasonable portion. Not only were they all cold when delivered (and that was even before the cold air started blowing on them), they were very tough and dry, with very little BBQ sauce. They were billed as baby back ribs on the menu, but I have my doubts!
Ordinarily, we’d give someplace a second chance, but other than our really great server, Heather, we can’t think of any reason to go back to The Oak Barrel – overpriced mediocre food in an uncomfortable environment!!! Seems like a no-brainer to me!
The Oak Barrel is located at 5975 Canal Road in Valley View.
(216) 520-3640