Leander’s On Oak serves dinner Thursday-Saturday and lunch all week long. Above, tuna nicoise, a pepper-encrusted tuna steak served with roasted red potatoes, green beans, boiled eggs and tomato-and-wasabi lime vinaigrette. (photo by brian bohannon) |
Last fall, after a scant six months, and much to the chagrin of its fans (especially those of us in Old Louisville), the Chef’s Table closed, despite positive notices from every reviewer in town.
In look and feel, Leander’s is virtually unchanged from the Chef’s Table. Martin Alan Hirsch’s decorative walls evoke the broken plaster and rediscovered wall art one might find in the basement of an ancient European winery. Black tables, wooden chairs and dim lighting combine to create an attractively intimate dining room. Much of the kitchen activity seems to take place in the exposed portion of the kitchen (though the “chef’s table” theme has gone by the wayside).
For that matter, even the kitchen staff has links to the Chef’s Table: As the chef made his rounds the other night, chatting up the customers, he mentioned that he had served as one of the chefs in the defunct restaurant.
And that, my wife Mary and I decided after a very fine meal, is a very fine thing.
I started my meal with a bold, bright ceviche ($7.95) of shrimp, crabmeat, tuna and grouper, served in what looked like a big sundae glass surrounded by greens, a bed of onion relish and paper-thin wafers of lime and lemon. These days, I prefer a lightly marinated ceviche, barely kissed by the citrus juices in which the fish “cooks.” But many folks feel safer and more comfortable with fish and seafood that has steeped for seven or eight hours, a process that gives the fish a firmer, heartier texture. Those folks will be partial to Leander’s version; but even I delighted in the vivid flavors of lime, cilantro and wasabi. (And from a purely selfish perspective, given that ceviche is one of my favorite snacks, I’m delighted to find a good example just a few blocks from home.)
(photo by brian bohannon) |
Mary skipped over those things and opted for a healthy meal: a vegetarian plate ($8.95) that began with a salad and continued with a choice of three vegetables drawn from these choices: rice pilaf, green beans, a vegetable medley, asparagus, pasta salad, broccoli, and roasted red potatoes. The Caesar salad (available separately for $3.95 or $6.95) would have delighted the most stern purist: nothing but pristine pieces of romaine and crunchy croutons dressed in an honest dressing with the faint hint of anchovies. (Other salad options are available, including that steakhouse staple, the 1950s-style lettuce wedge for $3.95, or a spinach salad with feta, strawberries and pecans at $3.95/$6.95.)
The vegetables were adorable: perfectly grilled asparagus, tender but firm, and a medley that included glossy roasted carrots, deftly cooked squash and the cozy influence of fresh herbs.
My flank steak ($13.95) brought a plateful of long-marinated beef, sliced in macho wedges, but nearly tender enough to cut with a fork and charred around the edges. It was accompanied by a veggie medley and roasted red potatoes that also bore a fine char and the pungent aroma of rosemary.
Other dinner options include Thai salmon ($13.95), tuna nicoise ($15.95), vermicelli with shrimp, scallops and broccoli in a choice of sauces ($16.95), a vegetarian pasta option and grilled portabellas.
Service was earnest and charming, though woefully uninformed. Nearly every question required our server to get advice. When we wanted to know what sort of fish was in the ceviche, a trip to the kitchen was required. Observing that the wine list seemed short on by-the-glass options, we asked whether there were other possibilities. Yes, we were told — but a few minutes later it turned out the list was correct. When our food was delivered, we received an extra plate that, presumably, belonged to some other diner. Still, charm is harder to come by than technical facility, and everyone seemed determined to please us.
As for beverages, the restaurant has expanded to incorporate what seems a very pleasant separate bar area, complete with a handful of single barrel bourbons, a widescreen television and the same wine cellar atmosphere that informs the dining area. Though only a few wines are available by the glass (mostly the ubiquitous Bogle wines), the bottle list, which starts in the low-mid $20 range, offers a utilitarian set of options.
We ended our meal with a baroque take on bread pudding ($2.95), replete with sliced almonds, raisins and spices that would have been perfectly at home in a pumpkin pie.
Dinner is served only Thursday through Saturday, but daytime denizens of Old Louisville will be pleased by an assortment of sandwiches, wraps and discounted entrees available daily.
Leander’s On Oak is at 103 W. Oak St. Hours are Monday through Saturday 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday 5-10 p.m. Major credit cards are accepted. The restaurant appears to be fully accessible for people using wheelchairs. Call 569-6981 for more information.
BY MARTY ROSEN
toquedeville@gmail.com
Leander’s On Oak
103 W. Oak St.
569-6981
Rating: 3
