The Oak Table & Bar — Restaurant in Augusta

Just enjoyed my first meal at the chef's table here. The Augusta area has been sorely lacking a chef-driven restaurant offering more elevated food, and, boy, are we lucky we got Chef Irland and The Oak Table.

I've had my heart broken by other restaurant openings in the area that tried, and failed, to hit these same heights. (Nothing drives me crazier than somebody writing some "fancy" words on a menu to try and justify their pricing premium, then serving me a plate riddled with basic errors: knifework, seasoning, proper treatment of ingredients...) Chef Irland clearly knows what he's doing, because this meal was a joy from start to finish.

I went for the four-course chef's tasting menu. Now, disclaimer, Chef Irland said he's reassessing the menu twice a week right now. So don't go in with your heart set on any of the dishes I mention. But I think you're in good enough hands to order with confidence.

First, smoked mushrooms with garlic butter and herbs. I love smoked food, but this dish had a VERY deft touch with the smoke. Great cook on the mushrooms, well seasoned, great garlic note without punching you in the face. Great start.

Second course, burrata with tomatoes, radish, and...ginger? Unless you're more familiar with that pairing than I am, then this is a different plate than you're expecting from a burrata salad. That ginger was a revelation. Gave the whole dish a really unexpected and beautiful, almost fruity through-note.

Next up, the panzanella with spring vegetables and prosciutto. Good grief, this dish was simply outstanding. Assertive acidity, mellowed and balanced perfectly by the bread - pure summer on a plate. If this is there when you go, give it a shot. My favorite dish of the meal.

Fourth, halibut en papillote with carrots and ras el hanout. What a magnificent way to treat a piece of fish. Perfectly cooked, but a little unexpected on the flavor profile from the ras el hanout.

Finally, a little chocolate pudding with hazelnuts and strawberries that punched way above its weight. I thought "this will be fine." Cut to me frantically digging at the dregs with a spoon a minute later.

I can't say enough good things about this experience. This place JUST opened: for the kitchen to be putting out this quality and consistency already is impressive, to say the least. The space is already beautiful and has room to grow, the service was friendly and responsive without being cloying, and getting to watch Chef Irland work right in front of me was a pleasure. This is the neighborhood spot of your dreams.

Bravo, Chef. Thanks for taking a chance on Augusta. I sure hope Augusta realizes what...

I hesitated to share this, because I have enjoyed this restaurant in the past. The food is tasty, the atmosphere is great, service is usually pretty good, and it’s a wonderful place for a romantic dinner. -That being said, my last experience there was really disappointing. I reserved the chefs table for valentines, over a month before Valentine’s Day. I gushed to my partner about how wonderful it was. It’s over an hour drive from our homes on the Midcoast to Augusta, but I promised my date it would be worth it. Unfortunately, when we arrived, while we were seated quickly, the server was immediately distracted and rude. she was not present almost the whole time, we had to flag her down for drinks more than once, to which she huffily responded “I’m not ignoring you, I swear” -while ignoring us… and I actually just generally was made to feel unwelcome. - In such an intimate environment, I would absolutely expect much better attention. Since this was our only plan for valentines, we paid over $300 for our dinner for two; and drove the hour home, both feeling unsure about the experience we just had- myself feeling especially responsible for making the dinner choice in the first place.

Great restaurants in Maine are few and far between, and sadly after this experience they are fewer and further between, since I won’t...

I highly recommend The Oak Table! Although not perfect ,the food was a big enough hit to outweigh a few misses. The hit: The food was outstanding. We didn't realize that this is a small plates restaurant until we saw the menu. But any doubts we had about not "getting enough to eat" were pushed aside when the food arrived. We each ordered 2 small plates and it was exactly the right size for each person.. Compliments to Chef Eli, everything we tried was perfect, from the beet risotto to the farm raised chicken to the sausage and lentil soup. The cheeses from Fuzzy Udder were excellent. Everything on the menu is farm to table and you can taste the difference. Misses: The service was inconsistent. After our food arrived, we didn't see our server again. Another server stopped over and handed us our check at the end of our meal. When we asked about dessert and coffee we were told they did not have coffee and only two desert that night, panna cotta and something else that did not appeal to us. One of our guests was celebrating a birthday and we really wanted something sweet to end the meal. That was disappointing. Please offer coffee and more dessert options! Another miss, the decor is a bit plain for my taste, a lot of hard surfaces for sound to bounce off of. Overall, 5 stars because the food is really...