wellington | table
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Bistro Wine Bar whether they come in jeans or a nice dress,” she said. “If it was date night, or ‘I just got out of work and I need a glass of wine.’” Small, quaint and comfortable are the types of restaurants Brian and Lisa grew up enjoying back in Iowa, and the feel of Oak Bistro is reminiscent of this. The inspiration for Oak began almost 25 years ago, when Brian started his first job in the restaurant business and Lisa was in culinary school. However, it took years to become a reality. When the time was right, however, the entire concept came together quickly. In just six weeks, friends, family and employees helped the Jacobsens transform the vacant restaurant location into a welcoming and relaxing bistro. With amber lighting and soft, cozy seating, paired with an open atmosphere, Oak is welcoming and comfortable. There is a visual drift to the back, where a chalkboard wall grabs the eye, nestled behind the wine tasting area. “It’s one of the biggest points,” Brian said. “Everyone wants to go back there and have their picture taken by the wall, or take a picture of the sayings.” A big part of the atmosphere is the relationships between the employees. “I am very thankful, because all of
my staff, when they heard that I was opening up my own restaurant, actually came and sought me out,” Brian explained. “They had been employees of mine in the past.” In this way, the employees are far more like family. Everyone enjoys being there and working together, Brian explained, adding that the delicious, fresh food definitely plays a starring role. “Everything is fresh. We don’t have a microwave; we don’t have a freezer,” Lisa said, as Brian noted that everything is made from scratch daily. In addition to adjusting to meet cus-
tomers’ needs and desires, Oak offers a variety of menu items that are easily adjusted to be gluten free. “We had enough customers asking us for things like coffee, so we went out and bought a coffee maker,” Brian said. “Our number-one goal is to please our customers. We wanted to create a concept where our customers can help us dictate what direction they want us to go.” Oak offers more than 70 different wine varietals, with more than 30 available by-the-glass. The wine section varies from the house wine to wines that
Apple and Cheddar Panini
Hummus Trio: Onion, Spinach and Regular
Carne Asada Fries
Shane Johnson, owners Lisa and Brian Jacobsen, Eric Kepler and Marc Edgar.
wellington the magazine | march 2015
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