Review: OAKLEYS bistro
Author: WIBIA | Filed under: Food Reviews, Location: Indianapolis, IN, Recommended: Hall of FameOAKLEYS bistro
http://www.oakleysbistro.com/
Does the name ring a bell? You may remember when we did our “Get to Know” segment with Chef Stephen Oakley.
I will save you the suspense, but I am a big fan of OAKLEYS. A welcoming staff, casual/comfortable decor and most importantly, consistently good food. I had a day off of work and decided to take my six month old to lunch. Since it was special time with father and son, I wanted to give that boy some culture!
Soup of the day was Lobster Bisque ($6.25) and it is one of my favorites. Like French Onion, it is extremely easy to make, but there are many horrible versions out there, so I waited with fingers crossed. The soup arrived with an aroma and heat that cleared up my stuffy nose from the Indiana winter. The soup was combined with a mirepoix mixture, a little rice and garnish with a little bit of herb oil. It was a lighter bisque then average and had a hint of saffron in the broth. I really enjoyed this soup and I liked the interpretation of adding the rice and mirepoix to the soup. I have had three soups at OAKLEYS and this is my favorite. It is definitely one of the better lobster bisques you can find in this city.
For the main course, I ordered:
Chicken: $12.75. Potato Puree/Bok Choy/Mushroom Puree/Giardana Vegetables/Pear Relish.
Honestly, everything sounded good except for the pears. Chicken and pears, pears and mushrooms..not sure about this, but since I have been to OAKLEYS before, so I trust the chef and that is a good place to be in.
The chicken was grilled perfectly and I found the pear relish to be a surprisingly good addition to the plate. Very balanced spices and I usually find myself reaching for the salt shaker with white meat chicken, but that was not the case here. I used the mushroom puree as the “gravy” and the pear relish consistently cleansed my palate and added a nice crunch. I really enjoyed this dish. Probably one of my favorite OAKLEYS meals, second only to a braised beef short rib I had there last winter.
Would I Buy It Again? Yes, and I will add to our Hall of Fame. First review on WIBIA, but I have been there plenty of times before. OAKLEYS continues to be one of the better choices in Indy. I like the fact that you can make OAKLEYS a special occasion meal or you could go there in jeans as if you eat there everyday. I left the lunch with a continued affirmation that we truly have some great restaurants here in Indianapolis.
-WIBIA
Tags: bisque, Chicken, Food, lobster, mushrooms, Oakleys, pears, soup
While I agree with the fact that Oakleys is one of the better restaurants in town, they seriously need to update their menu more often. At most I go there once every 6-9 months because the menu rarely, if ever changes. About 75% of the menu is still the same as it was 3+ years ago. This isn’t a classic French place that should never change! He needs to become more adventurous and give us a reason to come back more often.
Thanks for your review. My husband and I are looking forward to trying Oakleys sometime in the next month and I’m glad to know our experience should be a good one!
One of my favorite resturants. Not only is the food outstanding I think they have some of the best service in Indy.
He must have a thing for mirepoix in his soup. I will never forget the first time I ate there and my waitress poured the soup over minced vegetables. Unfortunately the next time I went our service and food were not good. This soup makes me wonder if I should try it again.
Probably top 2-3 places for soup in the city, and, you can buy it by the quart. Their Butternut Squash Maple soup is off the charts good.
I agree with JR…usually excellent food and service…but..they need to vary the menu. I eat out often…but rarely go to Oaklies anymore. The most recent visit…about 6 months ago…I found the food to be over salted…as did my dining companion…a recent former smoker. This was mentioned to the server who shrugged it off. I think the food and service have diminished.