My recent visit to The Oak Room was not my first go-around at the restaurant and brewpub, which is operated by Abridged Beer Company. A few weeks back, I hung out there with an IPA while waiting for The Grub Spouse to meet me for dinner at The Marlowe across the street. This time around, it was me and the elder Grub Sprout dropping in at the Happy Holler location to indulge in both food and drink.
The most notable aesthetic component of The Oak Room is its stacks of oak barrels, which are used for aging specific beers produced by Abridged. The containers are mounted on a series of tall racks in the main dining space, and the patron seating areas fill in the spaces between.
The Oak Room is known for its line of house-soured beers. On this trip, however, I reverted to my previous beverage order, the Toppy Rock hazy IPA. The Sprout ordered one of the craft cocktail specials for April, the Hattori Hanzo. We sipped on our respective orders while studying the concise menu and devising an ordering strategy.
I wasn’t compelled to try one of the three listed starters, which include a pimento cheese dip and a selection of mixed olives. Other options for shareables and small plates are a trio of meat-and-cheese boards, a couple of salads and three rotating specials, one of which was an appetizing turkey and avocado club.
The Sprout and I went straight to the heart of the food selections — toasted sandwiches and flatbreads. I could have made a strong argument for trying any of the former. Among the contenders were pan-fried chicken, an Italian, a pesto and tomato grilled cheese, and Rojo’s Cubano, The Oak Room’s take on a classic Cuban sandwich.
I was most tempted by the Italian sausage sliders ($15 for three sliders, but one may also get two sliders for $12). Those are topped with blueberry jam, goat cheese, arugula and red onion.
In the flatbread section, The Sprout considered the Carnivore, the Veggie, the Italian sausage and mushroom, and the house flat, which is made with red sauce, pan-fried chicken, bacon, mozzarella, onion, arugula and vinaigrette. He finally landed on the pepperoni pesto ($14.50), made with the eponymous ingredients plus ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, onion and hot honey.
The Sprout doesn’t often volunteer his thoughts on restaurants we try out together, but in this instance, he was impressed by both the vibes of the cozy barrel-filled room and the selection of both food and drink.
Thankfully, both opinions were supported by our hands-on research. The flatbread, which boasted a subtly oven-charred crust, was a delight, and the toppings distributed across its face were tasty.
Meanwhile, I really, really loved the sliders. I’m a huge fan of Italian sausage to begin with, but add some fruit jam, goat cheese and onions to those bad boys, and you’ve got a mini sandwich that delivers in a big way.
We also took advantage of The Oak Room’s lineup of desserts. We spotted a churro, a Belgian waffle sundae and three booze-enhanced floats up for grabs, but we decided to share the dark chocolate torte ($12), topped with house jam and sweet yogurt. The dense body of this rich wedge was pure sweetness. My personal preference would have been to enjoy it without the yogurt topping. There was something about the combo that didn’t jibe with my palate, but it wasn’t serious enough a clash to ruin what was otherwise a worthy treat.
I’m glad to see that The Oak Room is providing the Happy Holler ‘hood with another food-and-beverage option. And in this case, the restaurant comes through on both fronts — lock, stock and barrel.
The Oak Room
Food: 4.25
Service: 3.75
Atmosphere: 3.75
Overall: 4
Address: 109 W. Anderson Ave.
Phone: 865-444-1949
Hours: 4-10 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; noon-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Full bar service
Bottom line: This restaurant/bar/brewpub is giving Happy Holler patrons multiple reasons to feel happy — and holler.
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