***
Price: $$
Reviewed: Dinner
Attire: Snappy Casual (whatever that means)
Location: Warehouse District
Short Description: Affordable menu where the “ten” in tenOak stands for nothing being more than $10 dollars. Come here to share tapas before you head out for a night on the town. Or a fun ladies night.
ginger mule: ****
JENN:If you don’t do the frou frou martini, and you want a specialty cocktail with whiskey in it, the ginger mule cannot be beat. Almost erring on the side of savory (in a great way), the ginger mule spotlights basil simple syrup[1], Irish whiskey, and ginger beer. Then, a candied, chewy piece of ginger tops it all off. Think the consistency of the chewy candy Peachie O’s. Oh. So. Good.
pulled pork sliders: **
JENN: Management recommended that I try their pulled pork sliders. I was disappointed. While the kitchen paired the pork with a wheat bun (I guess to make it more appealing to the healthy, Austin crowd), they didn’t bother to brown the sides, which would have made it a lot better. Instead, I got pulled pork on Nature’s Own sandwich bread. The pork was tender, but a little too sweet for my liking. The coleslaw, as an alternative dressing, was a nice touch. I’ve had other things on the menu, and this was the only disappointing meal of the bunch. I’d still recommend TenOak any day (just not these whack sliders).
pop rock tini: ***
CAT: Management ordered a Pop Rock Tini for me. It was bring pink, covered in candy, and delicious. Comprised of Bacardi Raspberry Rum, Peach Schnapps, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, topped with prosecco, and rimmed in pop rock candy, if you don’t care for ultra-feminine, extremely sweet mixed drinks, then happy hour goers beware. If however, you’re craving something sweet, and yearning for a delightful combination of your childhood and your new-found sexy, this is definitely the drink for you!!
skinny dip mussels: **
CAT:Being a seafood fiend, I was excited to try Ten Oak’s Skinny Dip Mussels. The shellfish were purportedly cooked in bourbon, butter, garlic, and fennel. However, they tasted as if they were marinated in salt. For 25 hours. Twice. I was not pleased. That said, the mussels that were not covered in this shocking saltblock broth were delicious and tender with a hint of garlic. So...two of them. If you love overly-salted fish (which I clearly do not) you may enjoy this dish. If, however, you’re hesitant to risk high blood pressure, heart disease, edema or kidney stones, you should stay away from these unfortunate morsels.
truffle mac and cheese: ****
CAT: A winning combination of gouda, provolone, cheddar, and goat cheese, with a pinch of garlicy goodness, this extra cheesy delight had me craving more. In fact, I’m craving it right now. I ordered it without bacon (no swine on mine) and enjoyed every cheesy noodle. After having been assaulted by the mussels, this dish single-handily turned my evening around. A cheesy redeeming quality amongst an otherwise travesty of a meal.
service: **
CAT: Our waitress was useless and almost rude. The poor girl was seemingly more interested in wandering aimlessly around the restaurant than taking our orders. More importantly, she didn’t know the menu. She couldn’t recommend one dish. I’m not sure she even knew what her restaurant sold. “Um...It’s all good I guess...Again, can I take your order?” Or maybe she just wasn’t interested. Either way, she definitely earned this “Meh” rating by herself. Hopefully being a new restaurant, they’ll iron out the kinks (and the bad staff).
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