If you’d asked us where to grab a knockout steak in Nashville a year ago, we’d have no problem sending you to Oak. It’s fallen off a bit recently, though. Which isn’t to say it’s bad—we still think it’s a good spot to escape Broadway for a night that doesn’t involve beer and Jäger. It just wouldn’t be our first choice for a fancy steak dinner. Inside, it’s still just as stately as ever. There are soaring ceilings that reach the top of the two-level space and a consistently humming open kitchen. The money spot is one of the booths in front of said kitchen, where you can watch a bone-in ribeye get fired up and make its way around the room until it reaches your table. The food, though, is inconsistent and punching below its former weight class. Over several visits, our steaks were delivered nearly well-done, when they were supposed to be medium rare. A promising potato and caviar appetizer comes out with cold, unpleasantly crunchy croquettes. But then there are snappy and crisp beef tallow frites, the still lovely white cheddar mac with lobster, and a gooey brown butter cake that tastes like all the best parts of childhood. We just wish we could say the same for all of it.
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