I decided to take myself out on a solo date after a stressful few weeks and had been really excited to try Oi Bar. It's super close to me, parking wasn't too difficult, and the space delivered immediately -- dim red lighting, cozy and moody, perfect for a night out solo.
They had a Passover specials menu that looked amazing. I was tempted by the open-faced Hillel sandwich with matzo, wasabi butter, apple, wine reduction, and pine nuts. The smoked brisket with Coca-Cola curry also looked great when it came out for the couple next to me -- until I overheard them say the meat was tough and they sent it back. That helped me decide.
I started with the freezer martini, ordered with both a twist and an olive. Clean, cold, and exactly what I wanted. I almost ordered a second.
For my first dish I ordered the saag burrata -- Indian-spiced creamed spinach with burrata and grilled baguette. Fantastic. The burrata was cool and creamy, the spiced spinach underneath was warm and deeply flavorful. My only note was the bread -- three very thin slices felt skimpy for the amount of dip. A couple more would've balanced it perfectly.
For my main I ordered the OG burger, mostly because I'm a horseradish lover and was excited about the horseradish crème fraîche. About two bites in I noticed it was extremely rare -- and I'm someone who appreciates medium rare, but this was beyond that. I let the server know, he handled it graciously, apologized, and had it remade quickly. I appreciated that. He also ended up comping it, which I genuinely wasn't expecting and went a long way.
At that point I was finishing my martini and ready to head home, so I took the burger to go. The next day I reheated it -- bun on, everything still on it, minute and twenty seconds in direct heat. The outside was noticeably darker and crispier than the first one, clearly cooked harder this time. The flavors were there. I added a little hot sauce and it was working -- until I got to the middle. Still raw. Chewy in a way that wasn't medium rare, wasn't even close. As a chef I know what a burger should feel like after that much heat. The fact that it reheated to piping hot on the outside and was still raw in the center tells me the issue was in how it was formed or how thick it was packed -- and I have the pictures to prove it.
I'll be honest -- it didn't stop me from wanting to go back. It just means I'm never ordering the burger again, which genuinely makes me sad because the flavor profile was there. The horseradish could've been punchier and the pickled onion more present, but the bones of the dish were good. It just couldn't execute consistently, twice.
What I know is that OyBar has something. The creativity is real, the vibe is real, the saag burrata alone is worth the trip. I wish I tried out the the Oy burger with hoisin ketchup and Dijon -- that sounds more like what I was looking for. And I already told a friend we need to come back to share a few dishes because the menu feels like it's built for that.
Highlights:
Freezer martini, saag burrata, moody atmosphere, creative progressive menu, server handled a tough situation with genuine grace
Could improve:
Burger temperature consistency (twice is a pattern, not a mistake), bread portion with the burrata, stronger horseradish presence read more