Good choices: Roasted butternut soup with seeds; warm frittata; New York sirloin with Roquefort; crispy salmon with horseradish mashed potatoes; penne with sauce Bolognese; creme brulee.
Hours: Lunch: Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner: 5:30-11 p.m.; late night menu til midnight.
Reservations accepted. Non-smoking area; cigars allowed in smoking area.
Credit cards: American Express, MasterCard, Visa.
Access: Fully accessible.
OSKAR'S
107 South St., Boston
(617) 542-6756
Restaurant reviewed 01/06/97 by Alison Arnett
"Oh, you're going to Oskar's," a young acquaintance burbles. "Cool!"
"Cool" seems to be the working adjective for this newest addition to the South Street-Leather District scene. Or, as co-owner Jeffrey Unger says, a SoHo (as in New York City) kind of scene.
Definitely, Oskar's has attitude. It's noticeable from the moment one walks through heavy velvet curtains and up a few stairs into a little alcove. A bank of candles throws shadows along the walls and against the metal mesh room dividers up to the high ceiling. A hostess, smiling so hard her face muscles look weary, leans over a dangerously lit candle to check reservations.
"Do you want to be seated or were you going back to the bar first?" she asks, her smile never faltering.
It's a clue, we realize later. The long narrow room, with its high velvet-lined banquettes facing mirrors and gleaming metal sconces, is merely an anteroom leading one back to the bar. That's where the action is, where those cool and not-so-cool get winnowed out, as the martinis and white wine, beer and Scotches are sipped and the patrons three-deep along the bar jockey for position.
Who are those blondes? Haven't I seen that guy before, on television? Why are those men wearing more mascara than the women? The people-watching is definitely hot, or, rather, cool.
One thing is apparent: Oskar's is not about food.
Oh, there are people eating quite happily and there are dishes that are certainly good. But the attitude doesn't quite make it to the food, or perhaps "cool" isn't the proper adjective. Unless it's the chocolate marquise, which must have been pulled right out of the freezer and plunked onto the table.
Oskar's has a short, simple menu, another hint maybe, since the straighter the dishes are the better. Roasted butternut soup was a smooth, savory concoction, gentle on the tongue, and studded with toasted cumin seeds for texture. A salad of mixed greens was carefully handled, with a few chunks of roasted beets, a crouton covered with goat cheese, and, as far as could be detected, not a drop of the advertised balsamic.
All the virtues of aged New York sirloin with Roquefort shone in the quality of the meat, cooked just as ordered. The beef was nicely salted with a modicum of Roquefort that heightened the juiciness of the meat rather than drowning it in the cheese's strong flavors.
Although the menu described a cabbage salad, a hearty portion of tiny brown lentils, flavored with caramelized onions and garlic, arrived instead. They were a wonderful complement to the meat, but a little green on the plate would have added a nice color contrast.
The salmon dish (described as crispy skin-on salmon but for some reason there was no skin) was also quite good, the fish moist and plump. Horseradish mashed potatoes had a bit of a kick and were of the fluffy, sustaining variety. The dish, with its added fillips of broccoli, hit a pleasant balance.
Chef Dennis Young, who has worked at Al Forno and Biba, among other places, says he's aiming for simplicity and consistency. He also feels he needs to hook Oskar's young eaters with dishes that won't frighten them. "After 10:30, the age level drops about 10 to 15 years," he said.
Well, the very buttery brandied rock shrimp reminded one of a '70s party dish, an easy introduction to shrimp. A plate of penne pasta, tossed with a Bolognese sauce of tomato and a little beef, certainly wouldn't threaten the current pasta-crazed generation.
But several of the dishes seemed to be odd matchups. Strips of
portobello mushrooms were laid over a mound of red and black pepper fettucine. The pasta was bland, and the mushrooms, which had been grilled, got slippery and soggy from the pasta. The effect was to make eating a chore - not enough flavor, all one limp texture, nothing to look forward to in the next bite. It's one of those combinations that tend to give vegetarian dishes a bad name.
A very large plate of polenta was delicious, and the scallops perched around the side delectable. However, putting the two elements together, plus a very odd side of roasted potatoes (more carbohydrates), piled subtle tastes one upon the other, without much punch. The ingredients were obviously good, the treatment of the two pieces of the dish was fine, but why such soft textures and flavors together? Pablum for young diners?
The best of the desserts was creme brulee, a case where subtlety is best, with a thin crackly top and a classic custard. The Calvados-pear tart tatin flipped the usual form by having a roasted, caramelized pear atop pastry; the pear was fine although the pastry was a little tough. And although the menu read biscotti, the crunchy cookies tasted much more like very good mandelbrot.
The wait staff, dressed all in black and unfailingly friendly even when the courses trailed along slowly, are especially enthusiastic about the wine list. It's well-chosen and good, with a wide range of bottles at reasonable prices. Obviously a lot of care went into it; it's one of the best things about Oskar's.
The length of the room dictates much striding back and forth by staff and patrons. After awhile, the movement in the dramatic space, innumerable candles flickering, the reflections in the mirrors, the comfortable high velveteen-covered banquettes induce reverie.
Oskar's Internet address is right next to the address on the menu. A notation advises diners to tell servers of any food allergies, right above one telling them the place is cigar-friendly. So you see, there are lots of trendy, au courant things about Oskar's, and maybe food doesn't need to be the focus. Is that going to cool in the future?
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