Elite Event: New Menu Tasting @ Black Oak Grill

What an exciting Elite only event! Being a Unilocal Elite member really has its perks! I really enjoyed myself and the selection of food that was presented at Black Oak Grill.
I will say that after reading the reviews, I was a bit worried about coming here. But staff seemed very friendly!
As far as the food goes, I was pretty impressed. I didn’t think the selection though was unique in any way, nor did the food stand out as above other similar restaurants. The ribs were the most disappointing as they didn’t have that «fall-​off-​the-​bone» goodness. My favorite were the garlic mashed potatoes!
I think I will check this place out. It’s in a prime location and Cold Stone is right across the street!

Will S. certainly knows how to throw a tasting! I absolutely loved this event, it was fun and delicious. And of course I got to meet more Omaha Unilocalers!
I had seen Black Oak Grill when heading to Crave for happy hour but knew little about it. Once we got here I immediately thought that the place was nice has an interesting décor that mixes contemporary with eclectic art pieces. Us Eliters took the area in the back and it was a nice way to provide an area to mingle and chat with other Unilocalers.
The manager who talked to us about the restaurant and the menu was friendly and provided a great atmosphere for all of us. I felt super lucky that we were provided a four course meal with dessert. Thank you Black Oak Grill for your service and the opportunity to try a few of your dishes.
I normally don’t order appetizers or salads before my meal because I get really full and don’t have enough room for the entrée. But I did my best and was able to taste everything.
It started off with the fried goat cheese with toasted french bread (i think) with red peppers. I couldn’t handle the bread with the cheese, but I loved the cheese! I love how rich it was the fact that it was fried made it even better. Yumm!
Next: the Seared Ahi Tuna Salad with mesculin greens, toasted almonds, fuji apple, blue cheese with maple pecan vinaigrette. This was my absolute favorite! I sure hope they keep this on their menu and make it exactly how they made this one. There were 3 strips of the tuna and several slivers of apple and just the right amount of blue cheese where it didn’t become too overwhelming. If I could eat a whole salad like this for lunch I would. It was THAT good!
Next: the Rib-​tini. I loved that they added this to our menu so we can try it. It was so clever and cute to put some smashed potatoes in the glass with two pieces of ribs. Genius! I loved the sauce on this and it went well with the flavorful potatoes.
Next: We had a choice of the Iron skillet trout or the whiskey sirloin steak. I ordered the steak, but felt so bad because I was so full already! I managed to eat a few bites and enjoyed it. I loved the garlic smash potatoes with it. It was a full 8oz so you certainly get a lot in this order and it’s marinated in Jack Daniel’s. You can taste the whiskey but it didn’t overpower the meat. I liked it very much.
Lastly: the Kahlua Ding Dong. I rested my stomach for a bit and went for the dessert. This was a great runner up to the salad. It comes with a dollop of Kahlua cream and chocolate ganache top, cinnamon dusted plate with strawberry. The cinnamon and chocolate was a wonderful pair as I swirled my caked around my plate to taste everything. I really liked this dessert and I found it unique compared to other desserts restaurants have.
I give this event an A+!! Will S. has done it again, thank you and thank you Black Oak Grill for hosting us Unilocalers and providing such a yummy meal! Will tell all my peeps about this place :)

My first and not last Unilocal elite party! I am so honored to be called elite for Unilocal.2 years ago while vacationing in San Diego a friend of mine got me hooked on this application called Unilocal!
Black oak Grill was very vibrant and had a great relaxed feeling. I really enjoyed the décor around the restaurant. I feel it fit the surroundings.
The general manager Mike was very informative on how the night would go about, which was nice to know. Not knowing how everything worked. Great planning on Mike and his staffs part made the night to remember with great service and food tasting.
To start we tasted the Fried Goat cheese. Pomodoro, fresh basil and toast points.
Very fresh and not over fried goat cheese ball went very well with the marinara it laid on. The toast points had a great flavor with red pepper flakes. Some thought it was a little spicy but I think it accommodated the goat cheese well!
Second course– Seared Ahi tuna salad
Mesculin greens (arugula) with toasted almonds, fugi apple, blue cheese crumble with maple pecan vinaigrette.
The ahi tuna was seasoned perfectly. Salt and pepper! A very decorative presentation with a maple syrup dressing. Awesome taste. I’m glad that the tuna wasn’t steaming hot and placed on the lettuce. Lettuce becomes wilted quickly when hot. All in all great salad to start off with!
Third course– Rib– tini
Danish pork ribs with garlic smash potatoes.
Very nice presentation. Easy to eat and tender to the bite. Mashed potatoes really went well with the BBQ taste from the ribs. The BBQ sauce can be worked on.
Tasted like your basic nothing fancy sauce.
The entrée I choose was the Iron Skillet Trout!
The whiskey sirloin steak sounded delicious also but I can have steak anywhere in Nebraska!
Saffron lemon– buttered and toasted almond encrusted. Served with green onion basmati rice and pinot infused cranberries and toasted almonds
The trout and the breading went very well with each other. Not over fried and moist to the bite. I really enjoy fish and this really did it for me.
The rice wasn’t over cooked and the flavors went well together. The only thing my pallet disliked was the pinot infused cranberries. I don’t drink wine a lot but I thought it was a little over powering. I had to brush these to the side and finish the meal. The trout was huge and I’m glad I choose this. I was very pleased!
Dessert– Kahlua ding dong
Chocolate cake ding dong topped with a dollop of kahlua cream. Chocolate ganache served on a cinnamon dusted plate with strawberry garnish.
Nothing to special here. Basic presentation for a dessert. Not my strong suite either
The ding dong was baked perfect and the ganache tasted very moist. The drizzle of kahlua over the ganache made the dish look prettier. Not to much or to little of a dessert. Just right.
Great experience, loved every moment. So happy to meet new people at this event. Thanks Will S for putting on this awesome event. Thanks Unilocal for everything you do.

What an amazing event! It was wonderfully executed by Will. The staff at Black Oak Grill were incredibly friendly and attentive. They offered a veggie menu for me since I don’t eat red meat.
I started off with fried goat cheese which was so good. The only thing I would change was using less red pepper on the bread. It was incredibly spicy.
The black oak salad was delicious. I loved everything about this salad and will definitely order it next time I’m back.
The hummus with sun dried tomatoes was great too. There was just more than I could possibly eat. This would be a great app to share with others.
The fried eggplant was yummy. It’s not a 5 star restaurant but it’s a good veggie entrée in a cool atmosphere. It’s the place you want to go and get some comfort food and have a beer with friends
The kahlua ding dong had kahlua poured over it once it was brought to the table. It was really good. This isn’t a dessert I would order for myself but I enjoyed it.
I was so impressed with this event and how Black Oak went out of their way to make it a great night for us. I definitely plan on returning.

Will did a great job putting this event together. Thank you Will! It was a totally fun night.
Being a self-​proclaimed foodie, I was especially pleased with the full sized portions.
The salad was fresh, but nothing to write home about. Something was missing, but not sure what.
Beautiful presentation on the Rib-​tinis, but the sauce tasted jarred and ribs lacked seasoning.
I enjoyed my first few bites of the trout, but soon realized it also was under seasoned. They are on to something there, just needs some type of seasoning to make it stand out in the crowd.
My favorite was the yummy chocolate dessert and the the great peeps at our table.
GM and staff were very welcoming, because of this fact, I’ll be back to try some items from their regular menu.

I was super excited for this Unilocal Elite event and Black Oak Grill did not disappoint. Definitely one of the better meals I’ve eaten in a while.
So let’s kick this off…
Starting off with service, because seriously, it’s one of the biggest things I base my reviews off. The wait staff here was awesome. They were all super friendly and attentive. Whether it was fetching a drink menu in seconds or making sure we were had what we needed to enjoy our dinner, our waitress rocked. The GM spoke at the beginning of the meal and gave us a run-​down of what to expect. He was great too. Someone at my table got their steak too well-​done and he was quick to fix it, and with a smile on his face. He also mentioned that they try to get their food locally, which is pretty awesome.
Okay, food time.
First courses:
* Fried Goat Cheese and bread: My favorite appetizer from this tasting menu. The goat cheese was a bit much if you ate it by itself, but it paired perfectly with the bread. The bread was sprinkled with seasoning and red pepper, and it tasted fantastic smeared with tomato paste and goat cheese. If I could change something, I’d go lighter on the red pepper. I am not a spicy fan. This was pretty heavy, so if I ordered this again, my main course would probably be a salad.
* Seared Ahi Tuna Salad: I am so not a fan of tuna. But because this looked so pretty and hey, I’m at a food tasting, so I put my distaste for tuna aside and tried this salad. The dressing was a maple vinegerete and it was really delicious. Topped with blue cheese and almonds, this was a great treat. And guess what? I actually liked the tuna! I mean, I still picked it off my meal after the first bite, but… points for Black Oak Grill!
* Rib Tini: Okay, who wouldn’t enjoy spare ribs in a martini glass, with a dollop of mashed potatoes? Um, someone who isn’t my friend. This was so delicious and a cute play on getting us to try their ribs. They were saucy, tender, and really flavorful. I don’t think this comes normally as an appetizer, but the chef wanted us to try this meal — what a fun way to try it.
Main Course:
I went with the Sirloin Steak and it was fantastic. Coming from Nebraska, I eat a good share of red meat and this was one of the best I’ve had in awhile. Seriously. My cut was super tender and had a great, great flavor. The meal came with a side of broccoli and mashed potatoes and gravy. The broccoli was boring and the gravy was pretty heavy. Not my favorite sides.
Dessert: This dessert was pretty heavy for me, but to be fair, I had already eaten three appetizers and a steak with potatoes. A small chocolate «cupcake» or «ding dong» filled with cream, topped with whipped cream, and drizzled with Kahula. I could only eat one or two bites, but it probably isn’t something I would order again.
Décor: I love, love, love the outside patio! What a perfect place to grab a drink and eat some dinner. Facing Turner Park, it’d be a great place to listen to outside music and relax. The inside was more of a rustic feeling, but it was nice and a perfect place for a more «celebration» type of dinner.
I’ll definitely come back — thanks for hosting us! What a great experience!

This was a great event and I had way more fun than I probably should have. I think it is great that Black Oak Grill gave us a preview of the new menu so we could test run it before it hits the menu. The GM, Mike, gave us a great introduction to the food and the service was extremely friendly and efficient throughout the night. To start off I decided to try their special drink: frozen Jack and Coke. This was a huge risk for me because I actually hate Jack Daniels but the waitress sold it pretty hard so I decided to try it. I LOVED this drink. The sweetness of the frozen Coke really cut the bitterness of the whiskey, making this drink awesome! I will definitely be back to order this again. The first food item we tried was the fried goat cheese. This was absolutely delicious and the pomodoro, toast, and goat cheese perfectly complemented one another. The cheese was crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. The only thing I would change is to cut back on the red pepper. I like spicy food and this was a little hot even for me. The next thing we tried was the seared ahi tuna salad. This was another excellent course. The tuna on the salad was perfectly seared (something that can be difficult to accomplish) and delicious. The greens were fresh and the almonds, apple, blue cheese, and maple dressing all combined to put this salad over the top — I would not change anything about it. The next course was the rib-​tini. While I loved the garlic smashed potatoes it was served with, I was not a huge fan of the ribs. The sauce wasn’t anything special and the meat did not have much flavor. For my entrée I chose the iron skillet trout. I enjoyed the basmati rice it was served with but the trout was disappointing. The saffron lemon-​butter flavor did not really come through and the texture was a little off. It would have been better if the almond crust was crispy and the inside was more tender, with more flavor throughout. I tried some French fries from one of my tablemate’s meals and really enjoyed those — crispy and delicious! The meal was finished off with a Kahlua Ding Dong. This was also a miss for me because I was not a fan of the texture of the cake (this may just be a personal preference), but I found it to be slightly dry. I think making it more cake-​like would improve this dessert. The presentation, however, was outstanding! I have eaten at Black Oak Grill before and really enjoyed the food and the experience. The restaurant is gorgeous and the service is consistently good and friendly. I think the food we tried will make a great addition to the menu (although a few of the dishes could probably use some tweaks first). Thank you to Black Oak Grill for having us and to Will for putting this event together!

Kudos to Will for another stellar Elite Event last night at Black Oak Grill! The GM Mike was helpful and ever present for any questions. I was very impressed with the timing of the courses, I never felt rushed and the servers were attentive without being pushy. Overall, the food was quite good although the Sirloin Steak (as others have mentioned) was tough almost to the point of being inedible. I took two bites and gave up. Appetizers, salad and dessert were very good and I would certainly consider a return trip.

While this isn’t my first foray into the Black Oak Grill it was my first time eating here. Normally my diet consists of hops and water based drinks. I arrived pretty early to the event so that I could take a small tasting tour on Midtown Crossing and started on the other side of the crescent. Nice and relaxing, getting ready for the concert was enjoyable. My phone started to ‘blow up’ with other Unilocalers checking in and met up with some that I had met at a previous event. We ended up rolling into BOG right on time and were greeted by the staff and Will S of course. So many smiles on everyone’s faces. This was just the beginning, mind you. We grabbed a table and I started to take in the locale. It was much different than when everyone was rooting for Creighton basketball earlier in the year.
Upon checking in I opted to use my free drink for the recommended Frozen Jack and Coke. ‘Crap’ I thought. Brown liquor. F bombs aplenty began flowing. I was approached by Mike the GM and he confirmed for me that I was to receive the Vegetarian menu. ‘F, yeah!’ I said to myself. After a little razzing by some of the others I was ready for the night to start to rock.
The Fried Goat Cheese w/​toast points was awesome. Leave it as is. Maybe make the ball of Chevre a bit smaller. The taste was decadent. the spice was fine to me and I would have even been down for a drizzle of Sriracha. Creamy and rich. Really just right.
My Black Oak Salad was the same as the others’ sans the tuna. It was really good, too. I would have like a little more Bleu or rather Gorgonzola or Stilton. It might be pricier, but would have added a layer that wasn’t strong enough for me. It was a good size for our meal. So far I was pretty amazed at the offerings and super stoked to be there.
My 3^rd plate varied from everyone else’s as I didn’t get a ribtini, but instead got a full plate of Hummus and Pita. I imagine I was supposed to get a smaller plate so I was more than happy to share. the hummus felt as if it was just opened from a bulk container. Maybe it was also gotten at Wohlner’s, I don’t know. The added sun-​dried tomatoes were a little much as the hummus already was red from the blended in sun-​dried tomatoes. I suppose I would have only used a few in a sense that was more like a garnish or notifier. I got a handful. Fair in taste, but a little overpowering. Tablemates were not enthused by it. I forfeited about a third of it.
The choice of entrée for me was either Eggplant Parm or a veggie burger. Damn. I usually don’t do veggie burgers as they are hit or miss, but I really hate eggplant more, so burger it was. Of course it was served on the prerequisite pretzel bun. Most likely it was a MorningStar patty (purchased at Wohlners, I presume) and fried crispy. Initially I didn’t like it, but then the rest of the offering started to show through. If I had to come here to eat I would most likely get it again. Nothing really stood out on it.
The Kahlua Ding Dong was a miss for me. 2 bites and just didn’t dig it. By no means is this a flaw on BOG, but rather on the foam company that made the chocolate ‘cake’. We have Molton chocolate cake at work and it is really unremarkable as well. the addition of Kahlua get kudos, but get outweighed by the drizzle of Hershey’s syrup. By the end I was also very full.
Our waitress put up with a lot from our rambunctious group. I mean after all, who orders Fireball at a bar? After a little research we were able to get a drink very similar to KC Tea and found out that my table is FULL of Tech N9ne fans. Lols, we were having such a good time and pretty full so we hung around for nearly an hour after the event ended.
All in all, It was a really great event, yet again pulled out by Will S, I forgot to get some swag when I arrived so I think I will be looking forward to the next event and hope I can get in to that. BOG can look through these reviews and fine tune some items and leave what’s good to stay good.
TL;DR: Some really great food and fun times.

First, I will have to say thank you to Black Oak Grill and to Will for putting this event together. It was absolutely wonderful! The manager was very warm and friendly and very accommodating! Although I did not mention to Will that I would prefer a vegetarian menu due to the switch to a plant based diet, I was still able to have the vegetarian menu! Another great thing about this event is that it was smaller so I was able to meet a few different people!
The atmosphere of Black Oak Grill was interesting. I really liked the entryway and the bathrooms.
The food…
I was able to have a few different things than my counterparts on the table I was sitting. I did have the the fried goat cheese with the toast points. I did not eat the goat cheese, but I did try the toast points. I have to say that if it was going to be covered in peppers, they should put it on the menu since I was totally caught off guard by them! They were not bad, just shocking.
Next, I had the Black Oak salad without the tuna. The Salad was really good and I really liked the dressing. I wish I had said I did not want any cheese since I do not like bleu cheese. I wasn’t overpowering with the cheese, so it was still good.
The third entrée I had, different from the others, was a plate of hummus and pita bread. I was not a fan of the hummus because, to me, it tasted as if there was cream cheese or something in it. Not the best sun dried tomato hummus I have had, but not horrible. Many of my new Unilocal friends tried it so I’m glad I received such a large portion.
The entrée I chose for this night’s occasion was the eggplant parmesan. This entrée was really good! I really hope they keep this on the menu. At this point, I could hardly eat anymore, but this was my favorite dish thus far.
For dessert, we had the Kahlua ding dongs. It was loaded with flavor outside of the cake part. The cake itself not so much. Still, as a dessert fan, it was pretty good. I would possibly order it again. Wait, I probably WILL order it again. I also do love chocolate. The Kahlua topping was a great addition.
For a drink, I got a raspberry lemonade which was really really good. Not too sweet, not too sour. It was a perfect drink especially for summer.
Great event Will and Black Oak Grill! Thank you!

I had a lot of fun at this event! I was a little nervous at the start, as I didn’t expect to know anyone there, but joined a table with a great group where the conversation flowed and we had some good laughs. Shout out to Tutti and Alyssa!!! I really appreciate the opportunity to meet some new people and get a free meal! The general manager was very kind and accommodating. In regards to the food, My two main suggestions would be that the toast points served with the goat cheese have less red pepper flakes. It was really too spicy for my taste. Second, I ordered the trout and it was too salty. The ribs, salad and dessert were all pretty good.
Thank you again to Will and the staff at Black Oak Grill for putting this on and making it such a fun event!

I don’t really have much to add here as others have done a great job! This was my first Elite event, so I was a little nervous at first since I was there by myself. I had a ton of fun, though! I sat at a lively table and enjoyed getting to know everyone!
The evening officially started with the General Manager coming over, saying hello and running through the menu with us. He seemed very nice and was glad we were there to try out some new items for their menu. I give the event 4 stars, because, as some have said, there were a few improvements and consistency items that could be made with the food, but I’ll get to that.
Now, I’m not quite sure what black Oak is trying to make as their image. On one side, there is whitewashed brick with a large marlin on the wall, on the wall behind us there was what appeared to be some Native artwork. Then, at the bar, there was baseball on TV (which, of course, I didn’t mind, as I’m a Royals fan and we are in the hunt for the playoffs). It just all seems a little dis-​jointed, that’s all. The noise level was good, though. I was able to have conversations without talking in any louder of a voice than normal, so that was nice.
Now let’s get to the food. Course #1 was the fried goat cheese, pomodoro sauce, and toast points. I thought the pomodoro and the goat cheese were really on point. The toast points were COVERED in red pepper flakes. I posted a picture of them as well. Now, I don’t mind spicy food. I really don’t. There was so much red pepper on my toast points that it completely took over everything, though. There were even other folks at our table coughing because theirs were so spicy. I think if they cut back just a little on the red pepper, this appetizer would be right on point.
Course #2, I thought, was really delicious. Though I had never had Ahi before, I have an understanding of how it’s prepared (just a light sear on each side, and rare in the middle). I thought it really tasted delicious. I thought the dressing on the salad was also very good. I heard from some folks that they either did not get enough, or had too much dressing. This could be a consistency issue in the kitchen. Mine, however, was very good.
Course #3 was the Rib-​tini. It really wasn’t bad, though nothing completely to take my breath away. I thought the rib was covered in a little too much sauce, and the meat was a little dry. The potatoes underneath were a little under-​seasoned, but it wasn’t a terrible experience.
Course #4 was the main dish. I ordered the Whisky Steak, and I asked for it to be cooked medium, It came out somewhere in the nature of medium to medium well, but no real complaint about this It’s typical at a restaurant to go up a half notch on cooking levels. I don’t fault them for this. Let me start by saying that the flavor of the meat was very good. It was marinated in Jack for 24 hours before being grilled. However, I could only have a few bites of steak. The steak was so tough, I could barely chew it. In conversation with other folks at my table, it seemed like they all had the same experience with their steaks. While I did not order the trout, I did have a bit of two different pieces of it. One piece was VERY salty, and the other piece seemed as if it hadn’t been seasoned at all. Once again, this goes back to the consistency issue.
Finally our meal ended with Black Oak’s take on a ding dong. Overall, it was good! Everyone at the table seemed to enjoy theirs. I thought the cinnamon was a nice addition to it!
Great event! Huge thanks to Black Oak for hosting us and sharing some new menu items with the group! Everyone was extremely friendly there! I enjoyed getting to meet folks at my table and look forward to some more Elite events in the future!

Will definitely knows how to treat the Omaha Unilocal Elite members. This was yet, another huge successful Elite Event. I’m giving this event 4 stars and not 5 stars because a couple of the tasting items weren’t up to par IMO.
Walked in and checked in with Will, who is always extremely nice. I picked up some swag and ordered my free drink for the evening, the Sip and (something) Margarita’. It was pretty good, nothing too special about it.
The GM gave a quick presentation of the menu items that we were going to be tasting. He was very nice and was always around to answer any questions.
The menu had a variety of different proteins to satisfy all facets of your taste buds; from fish, to ribs, to steak.
The menu was:
Fried Goat Cheese
Seared Ahi Tuna Salad
Rib-​tini
Iron Skillet Trout or Whiskey Sirloin Steak
Kahlua Ding Dong
The fried goat cheese was pretty good. The goat cheese was fried to perfection and the cheese inside was nice and soft. The toast point with the cheese and red pepper flakes, were perfectly crispy.
The Seared Ahi Tuna salad was awesome. The seared ahi tuna was cooked perfectly and the maple syrup vinaigrette was just awesome.
The Rib-​tini was just okay. The ribs didn’t have any cooked in flavor, definitely seemed like they were just spun in sauce after being cooked, and there wasn’t that much meat on them. The garlic mashed potatoes at the bottom were good though.
The Iron Skillet Trout, (had a bite from my sister), was okay. The portion was big and the breading was perfectly crispy, but the skin was still kind of soggy and their wasn’t that much flavor, the fish was kind of bland, even with the saffron lemon butter and almond crust.
The Whiskey Sirloin Steak was pretty dang good. The steak, which was cooked rare for me, was very tender, and the Jack Daniels glaze was awesome; perfect balance of sweet and salty. the garlic mashed potatoes were great and the broccoli was cooked nicely as well.
The Kahlua Ding Dog was okay. The cake was a tad dry and the whip cream could have been more sweet. But the presentation looked great.
Overall the food was pretty good, the service was top-​notch, and everything was set up perfectly. The timing in between the tastes was absolutely perfect. This event was amazing and I can’t wait for the next one

Tonight was quite the culinary treat! I enjoyed this Unilocal outing especially: a five-​course meal as opposed to «bites.» There’s something to be said about that!
Immediately I was impressed by Black Oak Grill’s tall ceilings, open outdoor space and dark wood; cool atmosphere. This is the type of place you go after work for a drink (or two).
General Manager Mike Cizek did a beautiful job of efficiently describing tonight’s menu. Too, I was impressed to learn at how everything is made in-​house. Also, much of Black Oak’s ingredients are locally sourced (i.e. their steak is from Wohlner’s). Throughout the evening he was personable, warm, and more than once asked that any questions be sent his way. Black Oak Grill did a fine job in bringing him onboard.
I settled in a comfortable booth, ready for a delicious meal. And I must preface all this by saying everything was delivered in appropriate intervals; I had time to digest each item before the next was delivered.
The Raspberry Cosmopolitan was my complimentary drink of choice, and it surpassed my expectations. It was full of flavor, but wasn’t too sweet.
The Fried Goat Cheese was on point. The bread was, to my delight, heavily though appropriately seasoned. The pomodoro sauce was incredibly flavorful, and that fried ball of goat cheese was perfection. The plating was pretty. Definitely a keeper of an appetizer.
The Seared Ahi Tuna Salad was a real treat too. The helping of tuna was generous, but to me the real star was the salad. The mix of almonds, apple and maple pecan vinaigrette was reminiscent of a caramel apple, an autumn staple. Usually I am not enamored by salads, but I devoured this down to the very last bite.
Now, the Rib-​tini — I was torn on this. I very much enjoyed the ribs and the mashed potatoes, but quite frankly was a little confused by this as an appetizer. The ribs were tasty and not too messy; the smash potatoes were good, but not amazing.
The Iron Skillet Trout was my main dish. To me, the perfect baked fish would be tender inside (which this was), but with a crunchier coating than this had. I did like that the crust had a subtle flavor, as it suited the fish, but a contrast of textures would have made this amazing. I was not crazy about the rice with cranberries and almonds; perhaps just a preference. The rice had a sweet taste, perhaps from the pinot, that didn’t quite sit well with me.
The Kahlua Ding Dong was a nice capper to the meal. The cake did in fact remind me of a ding dong, but unfortunately a packaged one. I would have preferred a more buttercream-​style chocolate frosting en lieu of the chocolate ganache (though it wasn’t a hard ganache, it was soft). The plating was impressive; fun and appealing.
It was exciting to be a part of shaping a restaurant’s menu. I hope us Unilocalers can offer insight to what Black Oak Grill is doing well (and what they should do away with). (Also, I hope everyone tipped.) Thanks for hosting us, and thank you Will for orchestrating another cool event.

I really enjoyed the event. I think it is neat and smart for a business to test their menu items before placing them on the menu.
The event was great. I loved talking to everyone. Noise level was great and conducive for conversations. Excellent idea… As stated before.
I hope more restaurants do this…
I loved the photography and think it was a great touch to have photos taken. Makes for great albums for others to very across the world. Photo opps are always fun. I get to feel like a star for a couple of hours lol. The photographer was great. I realize that multiple pics are needed so that the best pic can be used. I had no problem with the photographer. He was friendly and professional.
As for the food.
Goat cheese… Sauce had too much red pepper. It didn’t need to be overly spicy… Just seasoned… That distinction needs to be made. So that should be altered before it hits the real menu.
Salad… Good. But go lighter on the dressing.
Ribtini — over baked. Sauce didn’t taste homemade. Wouldn’t order.
Steak… My husband is a trained chef and he says that sirloin is difficult because you can easily get a bad batch… And this def was. It was tough… And was bordering the beef jerky category. I didn’t want to give myself lock jaw so I ceased chewing. The sauce on the steak was tasty. I would put more and also use a different cut of steak… One that had more fat so the steak can have more juice and be more tender.
Dessert… Good. No changes.
The gm was very nice and welcoming.
All in all… Excellent event.
And it was great mingling with everyone.
Will is doing a fabulous job with these events!!!

This was probably the best Elite Event yet, and that’s certainly saying something… Everyone showed up for yummy eats and treats… Saw some new faces, a couple of whom I was privileged to sit with… Checked in and picked up some nifty schwag, including a water bottle… finally lol… the GM spoke briefly to fill us in on the menu and to thank us which was nice… loved the starter appetizer of crunchy bread, toasted goat cheese and a great tomato based sauce… the red pepper seasoning was awesome and the goat cheese was actually pretty good… next came a maple vinaigrette topped salad with seared tuna slices… I’m really not a seafood fan, but the tuna was pretty good as was the rest of the salad… the ribtini was pretty cool but the mashed garlic taters were my fave… the sirloin steak was cooked the way I wanted and tasted really good… and finally the choco dessert with Kahlua drizzle on top was also quite good. the waitress for our table I thought was very friendly and seemed to do a good job as did her coworkers. they cleared our plates quickly and efficiently… Will continues to outdo himself with these Elite events… He makes a real effort in making sure the attendees are having a great time, especially any new faces… I very much look forward to the next Elite Event…