Fort Oak — Restaurant in San Diego

Our party (4) recently dined at Ford Oak and we came away feeling a bit underwhelmed despite a respectable dining experience with SOME standout dishes.

AMBIENCE: Cut from a former Ford dealership that is partitioned into four distinct dining spaces, which, curiously works well and feels open and airy. Sleek and stylish with perfect lighting and ample heaters. The distinct bar occupies the original dealership space and is a great centerpiece. All in all, very comfortable and inviting!

SERVICE: We were seated by a less than enthusiastic host with nary a smile who 'turned on' our heater without the least bit of concern for it actually functioning - it did not. It almost felt as if we were imposing on her 'alone' time. Suffice it to say we were a bit cold, perfectly matching our host's disposition. Once the wait staff joined us, the problem was quickly solved and we were happy again.

Our server was cool and calm - flawless execution with good suggestions and perfect attention to coursing out our meal. Our only complaint is that said server was a bit too cool and calm, lacking some personal touches that would have been nice - someone in our party had a birthday and there wasn't a peep or attempt by the staff to help us celebrate.

FOOD: Lamb mortadella: amazing presentation with unique flavors that all came together wonderfully - only complaint was the extreme saltiness that came through. Ample portion - so much so that we couldn't finish.

Sourdough bread: good - a bit too soft on the interior. Flavor did not shout 'sourdough' from the hilltops - a bit nondescript.

Burrata: loved the mixture of strawberry-balsamic conserva, mizuna, snap peas and pine nut relish. One complaint was that it was a bit heavy handed with the accompaniments - let the cheese speak for itself - the rest should serve a supporting role.

Hearth Roasted Carrots: wonderful mixture of Humbolt fog, quinoa, pickled fennel, pesto, smoky yogurt, etc. Great dish! But $17! That stung.

Beef Tartare: This fell flat on its face. One in our party was a native Parisian and has tartare practically every month - either dining out or prepared at home and was hoping for something special. Sadly, a preponderance of hazelnuts and the overly chunky texture of both the beef and nuts threw the whole dish off. Worse yet, the taste was bland and the nutty flavors and awkward truffle infusion did nothing to rectify its flaws.

Barbecued Half Duck: WOW! Just amazing!! Spectacular preparation! This was the highlight of the meal and something that we'd take a gamble on coming back, if only for this one dish. If only we had just gorged on this unique delight - we all would have been better off.

Cardamom Beignets: Words do not describe how disappointing this dish is. The cardamom doesn't even come through in the slightest and the blueberries, possibly the only redeeming feature of the dish, are pickled, adding insult to injury. All you have left to contend with is this offensively bitter and slightly citrus bolus of food posing as a beignet.

Tonight's Mr. Trustee Ice Cream: Wow!! Amazingly rich ice-cream. If chocolate gelato married insanely rich chocolate mousse and had progeny, this would be it.

In the end, the sometimes disjointed dishes, a couple offensive ones, uneven service, and extreme prices (especially the wine) make this an experience where you leave feeling like you've been taken advantage of, especially if spending close to $400 for a party of 4 (one child in the mix and without a hefty wine bill) is not something you are used to. We are not wealthy and it was a special occasion - something that was only mentioned by the staff once even though we mentioned it while making reservations.

On a good day, you may be extremely happy and come away jubilant. On a bad day, Fort Oak may leave a slightly sad and sour taste in your mouth with a wallet weighing dramatically less than when you first stepped foot...

Love the woodfired cooking at Brad Wise restaurants. Fort Oak was another great dining experience. The actual restaurant space is smaller, intimate with large windows along one side of the restaurant looking out into the patio. The ambience is classy, but cozy, in a dimly lit, and darker accented dining room. The bar looks like a cool spot to pull up and have a cocktail.

We had a slight issue in that our reservation was mistakenly changed from 8 to 7 after we made it through Tock, however, the hostess team took care of it and got us seated at a table inside. The table was set for 6, but cozily accommodated 8 and with the emphasis on group dining, it made for a great dinner out. May was a friendly guide for the night, highlighting the favorites and helping us order enough food to sample across the menu.

They have a great selection of whiskies on the shelf and a nice range of cocktails. Cocktails are San Diego priced, so around $16-18. The two cocktails (Roadmaster and Bel Air Nomad) that were tried were the one element of the meal that felt underwhelming, so the group transitioned to wine for the rest of the meal, which was a great complement to the outstanding food, especially the meats. The Chappellet was a great recommendation from our server and was a solid accompaniment.

The food was outstanding, nothing on the menu missed and the meat selections, as expected, were the highlights. Our server May provided expert guidance in terms of number of dishes for a group of 8 to share and we had just enough food to leave everyone walking away satisfied. We had two plates of each of the Sourdough bread, Sugar Snap Pea Salad, Charred Caulilini, Carrots, Lamb Kefta, and Chicken Liver, and then one each of the Pork Chop, Ribeye, and Wagyu. The bread was phenomenal, just a hint of smokiness, perfectly baked, with awesome butter to accompany it. The roasted carrots and caulilini were outstanding combinations of flavors and textures. The Sugar Snap Pea salad was a great recommendation to have something fresh and light amidst some of the heavier, smokier dishes. The lamb kefta and chicken liver were both excellent. The meats were perfection, with the Ribeye standing slightly above the Pork Chop and NY Strip. The Apple Crisp was sadly out for the night, so we did not end up getting dessert.

Definitely recommend for groups for a communal...

My wife and I returned to Fort Oak for another helping when we were looking to celebrate her birthday this past weekend. Reservations secured, we looked forward to a Friday out as a couple, sans young children. Upon arrival we were alerted that the restaurant was quite busy that evening and that our patio reservation would not garner us a seat on the featured patio from website photos, but rather another patio around the corner. The kind hostess did offer that we could “sit on stools at the bar if we preferred a more lively scene.” We conveyed that bar seats were not really in line with my wife’s birthday expectations, so we followed the hostess out to the sidewalk to access what will here-fore be labeled the “Afterthought Patio” where I can only imagine the rubbish bins had stood prior to Fort Oak needing three additional tables that evening.

We were pleasantly greeted by our server for the evening who efficiently took our cocktail order and we were off and running. Selections from the raw menu, greens, and shareable sections all graced our table, leading up to the star of the dinner, the $75 wagyu strip steak. All the food was quite tasty with meticulous presentation, though we did feel 2 hours from seating to entree delivery was a tad long. However, food does taste better when you’re hungry!

Apparently our server didn’t get the message that we were celebrating a birthday because after our entree, the check arrived and the kitchen lights that had previously been illuminating the Afterthought Patio through large windows, were extinguished. Our time was up, so it seemed, and it only required a quick search inside the main part of the restaurant to find our server so that we could pay our bill.

I can see why Michelin awarded Fort Oak a Plate Honoree, it’s just too bad that everything else about the customer experience beyond the plate has yet to catch up. At this price point, Michelin Star restaurant Jeune et Jolie in Carlsbad is the better choice and where we will head for future...