THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Oak Tavern

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Oak Tavern Restaurant Review:

From chef/owner David Bracha of downtown/Brickell’s The River Seafood & Oyster Bar, this tavern has a more casual neighborhood-hangout feel appropriate to artsy midtown Miami. It’s also summed up in one of the small plates that are the menu’s strong suit, bruschetta with artisanal blue cheese and smoky-sweet bacon marmalade, and in lunchtime’s Vietnamese-inspired pork belly and foie gras banh mi sandwiches. If you’re with friends, grab an outdoor table (inside looks good, but acoustics are bad) and order a charcuterie board, changing assortments of four to six thin-sliced hams and salamis served with house-pickled vegetables and fruit mostarda, plus olives and artisan bread. Though the menu isn’t full of genealogical studies tracing each carrot’s family tree, Bracha does use the same purveyors that Miami’s louder pushers of the local/seasonal/sustainable mantra do, and it shows in prepared items like warm favas with heirloom tomatoes, slivers of duck prosciutto, a poached Florida farm egg and another bruschetta featuring heaps of local stone crab, creamy avocado, lemon and fresh dill. To accompany, the thoughtful new-world/old-world wine list includes numerous interesting bottles at very fair prices. One caveat: service is generally slow and inattentive.