First & Oak — Restaurant in Solvang

Wife and I came to Solvang for the first time and we had the luck of staying at an Air bnb next door to First & Oak… I am a corporate paralegal… my “culinary experience” is limited to consumption and doing my best to make “nice” meals for my wife on the weekends… my love of food is more on the consumer side lol.

First & Oak’s five course menu tasting gave my wife and I a unique experience. I feel like I got to taste Solvang in each of the ingredients that was prepared for us. Everything tasted like it had been grown next door… that’s how fresh it felt and tasted… and that’s probably because the ingredients actually are next door as they are locally sourced… everything tasted and felt fresh and vibrant. The ingredients weren’t placed within the context of the plate (they absolutely were), as much as they felt like each ingredient was elevated in respect for each ingredient itself on the plate, and then was elevated AGAIN within the context of the 5 course meal as a whole, rather than just the plate.

The Chef is a wizard with an imagination big enough to prepare local fresh ingredients in a way that takes the guest on a theme park ride through Southern California with a particular respect to Solvang (this is especially true with regard to the wine list as much as the food), and an imagination that is still grounded enough that each ingredient is appreciated to its fullest. Chef doesn’t get carried away with the ingredients, he definitely blew my mind… but I never felt like I needed to be a chef myself to really appreciate what he put on my plate. I enjoyed an awesome meal… not a concept of a meal.

The service was perfect. My wife and I honestly felt like welcome guests in Solvang. And we graciously enjoyed everything First & Oak had to offer.

I’m just a random dude who loves food… and this is just an anecdote of my experience at First & Oak. If you’re visiting CA, First & Oak will give you an honest and authentic idea of what CA tastes like… and what the community in Solvang feels like. In my humble opinion, if you want to experience the Golden State on a plate, First &...

First & Oak is a very charming, eclectic French restaurant located on the first floor of the quaint hotel, Mirabelle Inn. The menu is limited with a few choice items a special for the day.

The restaurant had a nice selection of wines and three different beers. The Gervese wine was served "corked." When it was brought to their attention another bottle was quickly opened and poured. The matre de quickly offered that the wine had been "sitting too long" which is why it had turned. Not the case.

I started with the oysters on a half shell (which is served with four oysters on a bed of ice and chopped roulade. No cocktail or a horseradish to accompany. However, each table seemed to have placed the same order, so must have been enjoyable for some.

The Brussel Sprouts was an enjoyable surprise. Perfectly roasted and tossed in a green caper roulade. Very interesting combination and it works.

For the main course I chose the seabass which was their special catch for the evening. This dish is served with caviar and a squid ink mashed potato sauce. Very interesting combination and could have been played off if the fish was over cooked and dry.

For dessert our table split the chocolate mousse and a small cobbler. True to French dishes the mousse was a two bite sampler. Our cobbler was not hot and bubbly with a flacky crust, but dense, and doughy. An item to pass on.

The restaurant was busy and reservations a day or two in advance is best. The matre de informed us he would take our drink order as they were short staffed. Service was extremely slow. We were there for three hours. Waited a good half an hour for our check.

My 3 stars are offered here due to the corked wine, unflavored oysters, over cooked seabass, and the extremely slow service. Perhaps if invited I would try again, it could have been an off night seeing that the restaurant was...

Sensational experience. My girlfriend and I celebrated our 4-year anniversary here with a 5 course meal.

I should start by saying- the ambiance was incredibly warming. Very friendly staff, the structure was tasteful, with a beautiful herringbone patterned flooring to welcome visitors, greeted by a warm staff member at the reception desk centered in the room. High ceilings and a beautiful crystal chandelier complemented the foyer, paired with the era-inspired french timey posters, we love the place before we were sat.

Speaking of, this visit, having been our first time in Solvang, we arrived a solid 45 minutes early, believing the walk may have been further. Our host sat us on an indoor front bench and promptly warmed us with a fine glass of bubbles while we took in our surroundings.

Shortly after, we were sat at a lovely two top bordering the beautiful windows looking out onto the dimly lit and lonely main street. It was lovely. Following our drinks came an exquisitve five-course meal. We ordered opposites to enjoy all, however, if I were to do over, I would have stuck to my roots and had the carnivore courses, not to speak ill of the halibut, which was perfectly seared with a great tableside caraf of jus, but the braised short rib was divine. Having a culinary background, now non-existent as I have since, turned sails and work in healthcare, my knees were truly keeled with two things mainly, the affinity and embrace the chef/chef de cuisine had with truffles and their appropriate (not overwhelming) use, and the non-existent fear of salt, we were entirely thrilled, filled and satisfied with the meal, wine pairings offered, and plating of each dish. Thank you First & Oak, we highly recommend this establishment. Complements to the chef, staff, owner, and our server, who took hia time gracefully to navigate us through...