Review: Oak Barrel Bistro and Artisan Bakery in O'Fallon

Oak Barrel Bistro and Artisan Bakery, 957 Waterbury Falls Drive, O’Fallon, Mo., 636.329.8250

In the past few years there’s been a mini explosion of West County and St. Charles County indie restaurants. Strip malls aside, the prospects for fine dining out west are now as numerous as Lady Gaga’s costume changes. But even as strip malls go, The Shops at Waterbury, along busy Highway K in O’Fallon, is particularly dismal in its vacancies.

This should not deter you in the least from visiting Oak Barrel Bistro and Artisan Bakery. To do so would be to deny yourself a rare experience – and I say that without the qualifier “for St. Charles County.”

In June 2010, owner-chef Todd Kussman took over the French Gourmet Bakery, changing the name in February 2011 but keeping the bakery’s popular breakfast and lunch service and full bakery operation. In a gutsy move, Kussman added evening dinner service Wednesday through Saturday. Judging by the charcuterie plate, it was a very good move. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Two glass cases, stuffed with breads, tortes, cookies, cakes and hard-to-find European pastries, greet you at the front door. If you’re there for dinner, take note of the selections; you’ll want to remember them for dessert. A cup of mushroom-Brie bisque proved a fitting start to lunch one afternoon: chewy, earthy mushrooms in a perfectly balanced rich, fragrant broth. There are several sandwiches from which to choose, each elevated by different breads made on-site and meats like turkey and chicken roasted and grilled in-house. The Bistro Gobbler with a side of house-made red-skinned potato salad consisted of juicy slices of turkey, thick bacon and a fat slice of peppered tomato served between two slices of soft country French bread. What it didn’t have was the advertised Havarti cheese.

But a good in-and-out breakfast or lunch does not do justice to Oak Barrel’s potential. For that, out come the white tablecloths, dinner menus and that charcuterie and cheese board: thin slices of locally procured lomo (cured pork tenderloin), Genoa and cotto salamis and Amish blue and Spanish Iberico cheeses. Slices of herbed flatbread with a drizzle of truffle oil, a pile of cornichons and a ramekin of Dijon mustard round out the deal. There is a beautiful rustic salad with chopped romaine, sweet roasted yellow beets, toasted sunflower seeds, bits of crunchy guanciale and tossed with a sweet onion dressing that offsets the earthiness of the beets and the bacon’s saltiness. The shot glass-sized serving of carrot flan – warm, creamy, sweet, delicious – nestled on the side is a lovely surprise.

Fresh Scottish salmon en papillote was delivered by the chef himself, who proceeded to slice open the parchment paper pouch, releasing a rush of fragrant steam from the slivered leeks and fennel, chopped tomato and sauce of white wine, lemon and olive oil. The whole dish was beautiful to behold, joyous to eat. But I would have gladly paid an extra buck or two for a side starch.

For entrée-sized starch, Kussman and sous chef Dallas Pursley make their own fettuccine, on my visit it was tossed with shrimp, yellow squash, tomatoes and gaunciale in a cream-sherry sauce. But it was the risotto that drew my attention. Like any good risotto, Kussman’s is simmered to the proper point of softness. Versatility makes risotto endlessly appealing. During our early spring visits, Kussman used seasonal butternut squash, shiitake mushrooms and parsnips with aplomb in this creamy, rich dish. Ladling a bright orange carrot-sage reduction cream sauce around the rice further punctuated the dish’s flavor; a fat slice of Parmesan and topping of microgreens was the exclamation point.

There was a beautiful chicken pot pie, all golden, flaky and homey looking, that will have to wait until next time. As will those big, plump seared sea scallops we eyed at the next table. Price-conscious wine drinkers will appreciate the $18 bottles of Canyon Road wines; pickier connoisseurs will find the rest of the list anemic.

Only a fool will wave off dessert at Oak Barrel. There are four desserts listed on the menu. Or take a second look at that bakery case you passed earlier: German chocolate cake, a mini Budapest pastry, perhaps a Parisian cookie bursting with white, dark and milk chocolate chunks. From the menu we selected bread pudding and a mousse parfait, neither of which fit the standard expectation. Kussman’s version of the former stacks three dense half-inch squares of bread pudding, serving it with a ramekin of crème anglaise and a smattering of confetti-like bits of strawberries. Dip bites into the ramekin or dump the whole thing over the tower; either way, you will finish this dessert. The parfait, served in a martini glass, was a terrible, delicious tease: Reaching the bottom of the glass, after spooning through the smooth mousse and bottom layer of chewy chocolate crumbs, you have to flip the spoon over, using the narrower end to scoop out the final tempting crumbs. You feel like an addict licking the last bit of salt from a pack of airline peanuts.

But it hardly matters. Neither does the fact that Oak Barrel will have a new menu by the time you read this. Based on the quality of these early meals, it seems Kussman and the team have all the bases covered. It just goes to show that once you get past the notion you’re eating in a strip mall, all that really matters is what comes out of the kitchen.

When: Tue. – 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wed. to Sat. – 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Don’t-Miss Dish: Salmon en papillote
Vibe: Bakery (and lunch spot) by day, white tablecloth restaurant by night. Not overly upscale, but comfortable and quiet.
Entrée Prices: $16 to $34