K H.
Yelp
Reservations months in advance are a must.
My wife and I were greeted upon entry and seated immediately. Our server, Ryan, was professional and prompt. However, my wife wore black, and the white napkins left lint on her pants- she said this was a simple thing, and for a place like this she would have expected them to replace her napkin with a black one.
We started with cocktails, a Tequila #7 (delectable) and a Lemon Basil Sparkler (refreshing, though a bit too sweet), and both the Spanish Octopus and Chilled Oysters as starters. The octopus was amazing, perfectly done, melt in your mouth. The oysters, while on the petit side, were some of the best I've had (and I love raw oysters on the half shell).
For mains, we both chose the 8oz tenderloin filet with bone marrow mashed potatoes. We paired it with a bottle of Andrew Will's Cabernet Franc
blend, which I gave a 4.5 out of 5 on Vivino. The filet was absolutely perfect, perfectly medium rare, full of flavor, and wonderful. The mashed potatoes were like nothing I've had before, outstanding.
The crème brûlée, champagne and strawberries, and hazelnut chocolate bar were dessert, which were the definition of outstanding as well. One wouldn't think that basil and crème brûlée would pair, but they're a match made in heaven.
Oak Park has earned one of my rare to award five stars.