221 South Oak Menu

221 South Oak Restaurant Review:

Even in a historic town filled with charming restaurants, 221 South Oak stands out. Located in a quaint old home, the ambience is friendly and inviting yet seductive and intimate amid warm colors, candlelight and small tables set with crisp linens. It all reflects a wine country aesthetic that makes sense for owner Eliza Gavin, who attended the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley before discovering Telluride. It also explains the former "Top Chef" contestant's exuberant yet accomplished menu, which brings together the wholesome, produce-focused elegance of California cuisine with heartier, more rustic Rocky Mountain traditions. A salad of arugula, fried sunchokes, blood oranges and local goat cheese proves a vivid case in point; so do braised short ribs over pear farro or the elk rib-eye paired with butternut squash polenta and apple-beet relish. They're followed by desserts that, no matter how luscious, show a light side with garnishes like hibiscus mousse or melon sorbet. Naturally, the food works in tandem with the California-centric wine list, but craft cocktails have their place here, too.