Paired with a movie, Oak Barrel a mostly tasty option

Valley View restaurant offers so much to like, but value not high on list

The entree was a pretty accurate representation of the place as a whole.

My plate of meat and potatoes at the The Oak Barrel — Brasserie and Taphouse had a down-home feel while being tasty and well-prepared. And, just like most items on the place’s very appealing menu, it probably wasn’t quite worth its price tag.

Know, first, that I’ve been to the Oak Barrel in Valley View many times since the locally owned restaurant opened in 2012 by Fadi Chamoun and Chef Demetrios Atheneos in the former home of barbecue joint Hoggy’s. It lies a few feet from one of Northeast Ohio’s large, centrally located movie theaters, Cinemark at Valley View and XD, a place where advanced film screenings often are held and a nice option for meeting friends from the other side of town. So I’ve grabbed a quick bite before a press screening or walked over with a friend for a drink and a snack after meeting for a movie plenty of times.

However, I’ve never really put the place through the paces — cocktail, appetizer, entree, etc. — that is until a recent dinner before, yes, a screening early on a recent Tuesday evening.

I had been running around all day for work and dined alone, first grabbing a table in the bar area, a space I prefer to its morerustic general dining area. The bar area is warm and comfortable, with wood and brick, a three-sided bar against one wall and a few fun touches, such as holiday-style lights strung above and three flatscreen TVs above the bar.

I sat at the table awhile, however, without anyone coming to serve me — frustrating, but, I’ll note, not an issue I’ve had before. I moved to a spot at the bar and was quickly helped by a friendly bartender.

Because the Oak Barrel has an impressive and regularly changing selection of draft beers, I usually go that route. Instead, I thought I’d start with a cocktail, settling on the High Ball ($12), featuring Four Roses Bourbon, muddled lime, ginger beer and orange bitters, over the 10 or so other choices. Served in rocks glass, the cocktail’s first sip hit me like a punch in the face. I must have gotten all bourbon, because after a little work with the cocktail straw that came in the glass, the concoction came together quite nicely.

I’d also put in an order of the Annapolis Crab Balls ($15). The five fried balls of Maryland jumbo lump crab meat arrived, quickly, on a long, narrow plate complemented by pommery mustard aioli and micro greens. They were very tasty, both alone or with the various elements working nicely together. Again, though, this is not a bargain item. Rather them order it on a future visit, I’d more likely return to the Truffled Pomme Frites ($9) — very tasty fries — or the Crisp Calamari ($14), served with wasabi honey and sweet chile. While the latter is only a buck less than the crab balls, it’s a more filling option.

For a main dish, you have myriad choices aside from entrees, including burgers, sandwiches — I recommend the delicious Cuban ($13) — interesting tacos and a few wood stone oven pizzas. Two of those — the BBQ Amish Chicken ($14) and the Croque Monsieur ($15), featuring housesmoked pork belly, gruyere, béchamel and a locally raised egg — sound really good, but I cannot recall ordering them.

For this visit, I wanted to pick an entree, one I’ve not had. That eliminated two items under the Pit Master Smoke House section of the menu: the Dr. Pepper Braised Pork Shank ($20 and quite delicious) and my go-to, the Open Faced Pulled Pork BBQ ($15), served on top of jalapeno cornbread with house slaw and tobacco onions. While I think the kitchen sometimes overdoes it with the fried onions, it’s a hearty, spicy and satisfying dish.

Under Big Plates, the Oak Barrel offers choices that include the yummy Amish Chicken and Waffles ($16 or $20, depending on how much chicken you want), Fish and Chips ($19), Double Thick Cut Ohio Pork Chop ($24), Woodstone Roasted Icelandic Cod ($22) and the intriguing Duck Confit Mac N Cheese ($18).

I chose the Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin ($27), which boasts Ohio beef, bleu cheese whipped potatoes, arugula and what’s listed as “north coast old rasputin gloss.”

The two tenderloins — ordered medium-rare after feeling out the bartender to make sure it was wise — sat atop the potatoes, which I don’t exactly mind or love. The dish really feels like a cross between something a trained chef and Mom would make. The flavorful, tender meat, accented nicely by the aforementioned gloss, certainly is above Mom’s level of expertise, but the plate just doesn’t look like anything fancy. As with the crab balls, I enjoyed it but wouldn’t pay that price again.

Before I get off price, I need to mention that you’ll pay more for a draft beer here than at many other establishments. You can get most drafts in three sizes, the largest of which is 16 ounces — the standard size at many places. That pint will set you back at least $6, with a handful of beers at the time of my visit going for more than $10 — one for $15.50! The selection is outstanding, very varied, and no doubt kegs of certain beers cost the restaurant a pretty penny. Just know you should pay attention to beer prices when ordering. I quite enjoyed a pint of the nitro version of North Coast Red Seal ($6) with my entree.

The bar area, at least, was fairly crowded when I was there, further evidence the prices don’t keep people away. (I will note it was during happy hour, when a handful of food and drink choices are discounted nicely.)

And I’ll certainly back, most likely enjoying a premovie bite or a drink and a snack afterward. I just won’t be looking forward to getting the check.

MARK MESZOROS — THE NEWS-HERALD Like the restaurant itself, The Oak Barrel’s Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin entry mixes sophistication with a rustic vibe.