2 for $30: White Oak

The White Oak's stuffed vegetable platter is an affordable option. (Credit: John Rott)

I am an omnivore. Well, I call myself an omnivore. Really, I’m a carnivore who occasionally eats fruits and vegetables, if we’re to count green peppers and onions on pizzas. So ordering a vegetarian dish at a restaurant is a stretch for me. This brings me to The White Oak, which opened this spring to replace Artemisia, following the trend of offering dishes prepared with fresh, unprocessed foods from nearby farm partners.

The White Oak is a classy establishment — the art on the wall, the knowledgeable server, the $6 minimum glasses of wine — which means it certainly isn’t a cheap eat. But enjoying a fine dinner for less than $30 is easier than I expected. Omnivores like me just have to give up their precious, precious meat — and The White Oak’s delicious meals make going vegetarian, however briefly, easier than I had expected, too.

I arrived at The White Oak a few minutes ahead of my wife, and the host promptly sat me at a comfortable booth and presented a menu. Waiting, I scanned the list of appealing entrees — a Southern-style Louisville Fried Chicken; chicken-fried grass-fed beefsteak; cornmeal-dusted catfish. Too pricey, one and all, ranging from $15 to $17. I moved up the list to the appetizers, which were similarly appealing — chicken and dumplings ($6), fried chicken livers ($7), a local cheese platter ($11). Combining cheaper appetizers into a dinner is often the best way to enjoy a fine restaurant — sometimes it’s the only way — but The White Oak offers two vegetarian plates that were appropriately priced.

My wife arrived, and ordered the stuffed vegetable platter with a side of green beans ($12). I ordered the ragout ($11) with a side of sweet potatoes.

The food took a tad longer to arrive than we’d hoped — the server kindly apologized, and the speakers played Sufjan Stevens and other interesting music to distract us — and any minor disgruntlement was washed away by the beautiful dishes placed before us.

The stuffed vegetable platter consisted of neatly arranged squash and pepper shells filled with cheese and bread crumb stuffing. The tart vegetables complemented the cheese and bread crumb stuffing perfectly. The ragout was a puck-sized cake of herbed grits topped with greens, beans and stewed green tomatoes. The grit cake’s lightness mixed well with the vegetables, making for a delightfully light dinner. And the mashed sweet potatoes were the best I’ve tasted. Good stuff, all around.

The only negative — and this is a light criticism — was a labyrinthine pursuit for the men’s room from the front dining room. Follow the path behind the bar. Go left. Go right. Look to your right. It’s confusing, but at least I could admire the artwork as I searched.

The bill came to $24.38. We left a $5 tip, mostly because the server didn’t seem too upset that we weren’t ordering an appetizer, alcohol, dessert and such. In total, $29.38 for a tasteful dinner at a fine restaurant.

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