{"id":7649,"date":"2016-08-30T18:36:19","date_gmt":"2016-08-31T01:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=7649"},"modified":"2016-08-30T15:39:08","modified_gmt":"2016-08-30T22:39:08","slug":"first-oak-is-a-perfect-pairing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=7649","title":{"rendered":"First & Oak is a Perfect Pairing"},"content":{"rendered":"
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First & Oak’s Santa Barbara Spot Prawn with marinated cucumber, shrimp toast and sesame vinaigrette;\u00a0and Roasted Lobster with curried carrot puree, Livier’s Granola and Vadouvan Veloute. Photo by Leslie Dinaberg.<\/p><\/div>\n

A plethora of perfect bites can be found at Solvang<\/a>‘s new restaurant, First & Oak<\/a>. We enjoyed every bit of our meal, from our first taste to the last bite of the exquisite\u00a0summer menu created by executive chef Steven Snook with owner and\u00a0sommelier Jonathan Rosenson\u2019s carefully selected pairings of Coquelicot wines<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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First & Oak’s Truffle Roasted Cauliflower with chive vinaigrette, crisp quinoa and whipped cauliflower. Photo by Leslie Dinaberg.<\/p><\/div>\n

That menu, with an emphasis on fresh, wine friendly cuisine under the\u00a0\u00a0headings To Begin, From the Garden, From the Ocean, From the Farm, and To Finish, features small plates so tasty you won’t really want to share them\u2014but just try keeping your dining companions away from these tasty temptations.<\/p>\n

The idea is to be able to eat a perfect little bit from each of the categories without feeling overly stuffed. According to the website, “our recommendation is five\u00a0plates per person which is equivalent to a first and second course, and dessert.”<\/p>\n

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First & Oak’s Short Rib Bourguignon with pearl onions, wild mushrooms, espuma potato and braising jus; English Pea Risotto with brown butter snails, smoked bacon and wild mushrooms; and Roast Breast of Duck with red miso, crispy garbanzo and hazelnut. Photo by Leslie Dinaberg.<\/p><\/div>\n

The night we went our meal included a beautifully inventive selection:<\/p>\n