The Oak Room — Restaurant in New London

From the very start it is a true culinary experience where the chef speaks to all of the guest in the living room of the inn and spends 20 minutes describe the five locally sourced courses in extraordinary detail - just one of his descriptions would put the Food Network to shame. From the couches in the living room all of the guests are escorted to their table in the dining room and enjoy dinner at the Inn at Pleasant Lake you do not have a choice of the courses, only an option between two entrees - course four. On and I should mention there is only one seating per evening - Wednesday through Sunday but it is certainly an experience if you are in town you do not want to miss.

On the night we were there in late September the menu consisted of a soup made of roasted parsnip from Spring Ledge Farm, with conflit leek, crispy brussel sprout leaves, a balsamic reduction, and a lemon créme fraiche. That was followed by a grilled wedge salad with white truffle tarragon dress complimented by blue cheese from Great Hall, bacon from Crispy Battles Farm, chimes, vinegar, onions, shaved radish, and sunburst grape tomatoes. As someone who usually opts for kale or spinach I enjoyed a romaine lettuce salad more than I have in a long time.

Those two courses were broken up by an intermezzo of tart cherries in vanilla bean foam and saba. Then after the delicious palette cleanser we had our choice of entree - my parents, my grandparents, and I all opted for the Pan Seared Canadian Scallops which were served with an orange horseradish berre blanc, grilled Cipollini onions, and micro greens served over a red currey acorn squash mousse. The scallops were delicious but since the food was so good I asked for a taste of the other entree and enjoyed my few bites of the marinated grilled hanger steak from Ioka Valley Farm that was served with roasted garlic chimichurri, lemon basil aioli, and roasted fingerling potatoes. YUMMM.

Then we ended the delicious dinner with bourbon spiced apple compote galette served with sea salt caramel chantilly cream and raspberry coulis. As it was in-between my birthday and my grandfather's birthday we both got adorable candles in our tasty desserts. Overall a truly...

My husband and I had a small wedding with only 26 guests. We were looking for a dinner location with a beautiful view and a multi-course meal, and we were so lucky when we stumbled upon Oak & Grain. The staff was so attentive and helped us plan an absolutely perfect evening. The view of Pleasant Lake and Mt Kearsarge was dreamy and each course was delicious and absolutely wonderfully prepared. Both of our families have enjoyed fine dining all over the globe, and every person was impressed with each course and the wine selection. Just an example of how sweet the staff was: I learned that my four-year-old niece had cornered a server and requested “lettuce and cheese” be brought to her table. This was obviously not a part of her menu, but, nonetheless, she was delighted when she was brought lettuce and cheese beautifully presented on a plate :) Our families will always remember this evening fondly. Thank you,...

My husband and I found the Oak Room with a simple Google search, hoping to find something new in New London. The reviews were positive so we thought we’d give it a try.

The meal we enjoyed was hands down the best dining experience outside of New York or Chicago that we’ve enjoyed lately. My husband and I both had the Black and Bleu Martini, which was delicious, followed by the charcuterie plate. Hats off to the chef for pairing the NY strip & tenderloin steaks with a variety of sauces to enjoy with our meal. It was absolutely delicious. We enjoyed the asparagus as a side, and honestly, I could show up and just get the asparagus and a piece of chicken and we’d be happy— it was just that good.

Thank you for the delightful meal this evening— we...