I am not always a fan of New American restaurants, but I cannot believe how great Oberlin is. What amazes me is that it brings such a novel combination of flavors that I never thought would go well together, but it is executed beautifully. It is pricey, but this is my go to restaurant for a special event.
Food I've tried: (* = my favorite)
- RAW RI SCALLOPS, CHERRY BLOSSOM MAYO, SESAME, RADISH* ($12): I thought I knew scallops, but boy was I wrong. This dish was so incredibly creamy, I was visibly surprised at my first bite. The texture of the scallops goes amazingly well with the sauce, yet the richness is not overpowering.
- KOHLRABI CAESAR, CURED BLUEFISH, CROUTONS, PARMIGIANO* ($14): I loved the crunch of the kohlrabi, and its slight slight bitterness really brought a refreshing touch especially with the other dishes. This dish really highlighted the kohlrabi. This dish is good by itself, but it truly shines juxtaposed with the richness of the other dishes especially the scallops. Note, we did not taste the bluefish at all and when we asked the waiter about it she brought another piece of the bluefish for us in a small plate for us to taste. The bluefish was delicious, but I still stand by my point we didn't taste it at all in the dish.
- RI LAMB TARTARE, CONFIT RAMS, CORIANDER CAPERS, LIME, SOURDOUGH CRACKER* ($18): I ordered this on a whim and I was blown away. The slight gaminess of the lamb pairs incredibly well with the slight nuttiness of the cracker. Every aspect of this dish was perfectly executed, from the plating to how well the flavors paired well together.
- FAZZOLETTI, LEEK CONFIT, AJI LIMON PEPPERS, EGG YOLK, PARMIGIANO, PROSCUITTO BROTH ($24): great pasta, and it filled the carbs I was looking for in the meal. The giant parmigian pieces are a great touch to the dish.
- HEIRLOOM POLENTA FOCACCIA ($10): it was good bread, but among everything we ordered this was the most average. If I were to go back, I don't think I would NEED to order this.
- WARM APPLE & GINGER TART, ROSE GERANIUM ICECREAM ($14): the tart was a good balance of gooeyness with crispiness. The icecream tasted more like vanilla, but still paired well. It wasn't overly sweet, and it was a great way to end the meal.
Atmosphere:
- I came here on a weekend evening, and the place was packed! We did make a reservation, and it was good that we did. The restaurant has a pretty funky decor (almost whimsical retro/vintage) and it is one of those dimly lit ambiance.
- Because it was so packed, it was pretty loud, especially because the space isn't very large. Note, the tables are pretty close to each other, and my party did share the end of a large table with another table.
Service:
- The service was amazing. The staff was extremely friendly and very knowledgeable about the dishes. We were in a time crunch because we had to make the train on time, and they very very kindly expedited our order so that we were able to get our dessert on time.
- I do want to acknowledge that the time to get the food was slow. I did see in some of the other reviews that people were not happy about the rate of the service and I definitely did see that the kitchen was backed up.
Overall:
- PRO: novel food profile, great execution
- CON: pricey (but honestly worth it), very crowded, slow service
- I would still give this place a green because of how incredible the food was, and that is my primary basis for reviews. I do recommend coming at an off peak time or getting a reservation.
