Pros + Cons, Hits + Misses @ Oak + Almond – Norwalk, CT

Earlier this year (see our post for more details) we shared the news of Oak + Almond‘s opening and we were most excited about two things:

1)  The chef is Jeff Taibe, (brother of chef Bill Taibe from LeFarm and The Whelk) formerly of Southwest Cafe in Ridgefield.  He has received lots of great press, so we definitely wanted to try out his food.

2)  We love their beautiful patio and were excited for a restaurant to come in that could fulfill its potential.

So on a beautiful summer night, we decided to see if we were right on both fronts.

The vibe was lively, the fire was roaring in the patio fire pit, the service was attentive, and the drinks were flowing.  The space definitely felt revived from its Tuscan Oven days!  We started with some drinks, because, well, when don’t we? The wine list was pricey, the cocktails creative, and the beer list a bit disappointing.  Nowadays, I think we’ve come to expect some local beer on tap, or at least some awesome craft brews in restaurants that tout themselves as farm-to-table…yet there were none of these things.  So, with that, we both started with the Oak + Almond Cocktail which consisted of Four Roses bourbon, luxardo triplum, almond syrup, fresh lemon, Elemakule Tiki Bitters, and a smoked sea salt rim.  Wow, this is quite possibly our favorite Bourbon drink ever.  Above all, this drink had finesse and balance.  At first you get an orange-y kind of taste, but that quickly fades as the great quality bourbon comes to the front.  The nice touch is the giant ice cube that keeps the drink cold with less water diluting it.  This is a must-order if you love bourbon drinks.