Restaurant Report: Live Oak
Because of wedding festivities, my plan to put the pots, pans, and fancy culinary tools we received as wedding gifts to good use, and our teams being extremely busy with work, I didn’t get a chance a try Del Ray’s Live Oak until very recently. It had been on my list since its August opening, though, so we headed there at the first opportunity. It passed all of our tests and now I cannot wait to go back for brunch.
We started with the local meat and cheese board, which offered an incredible Southern spread of three cheeses, three kinds of meat, benne seed crackers, pickled okra, apple butter, and honeycomb. Our favorite combination by far was the honeycomb paired with, well, everything on the tray. The apple butter, approached with high expectations as a Southern restaurant staple, did not disappoint, nor did the pickled okra or the salty wagyu beef bresaola. My least favorite part was the rabbit porchetta, but other members of our party enjoyed it; if you think you might be a fan, it’s done well and definitely worth a try.
Drink-wise, we chose red wine, a great dry cider from Austin, Texas, and the Bee’s Knees cocktail—a favorite of regulars and newcomers alike—consisting of gin, lemon, and a pomegranate-ginger-cider-infused honey that gives it a happy pink hue.
The service was fantastic. Our waiter, who followed the chef to Live Oak in a testament to his confidence in his culinary expertise, leadership, and sheer likeability, was happy to elaborate on the menu for us. He summarized it as “Low country cooking with the chef’s modern mind,” and explained that the menu and portions are designed for customers to eat two or three courses in one sitting.
Good thing, seeing as how several appetizers caught our eyes, including the braised Berkshire pork belly (amazing), fried green tomatoes with grits (absolutely do not miss these), and the hay-smoked Dragon Creek oysters (like no oysters we’d ever tried before—these are an experience!). The only reason we didn’t try the Virginia peanut soup, accented with crab meat and mussels, was because it would’ve been hard to split, so we’ll need to go back for this.
No Charleston-inspired meal would be complete without cornbread, which came out with maple sorghum butter prior to the main course. It was great, but we all agreed that it would’ve been better had the butter been served warm.
The long list of entrees makes it very hard to choose, so go with someone with whom you can split plates. We tried the 12-hour braised beef short rib, seared Rohan duck breast, cast-iron fried pork chop, and a special entrée of pork chops, apples, and mashed sweet potatoes. All were very good, especially the short rib and duck breast, but be sure to specify if you want your pork chops cooked tough. While we waited for the pork chops to be cooked a bit more, one of the owners brought out a fantastic beet salad to eat in the meantime. That was an excellent touch and showed an emphasis on customer satisfaction and enjoyment. Enjoy it we did, and then, somehow, we moved on to dessert, even though we were stuffed by that point.
The Hazel’s peanut butter squares, based on the chef’s grandmother’s recipe, were fabulous, and so was the seasonal spice cake served with ice cream. The petite lemon squares our waiter brought out at the end of our meal make my mouth water just thinking about them. Save room for dessert so you can eat more than we were able to by the end of the meal! It will be worth it.
The whole meal will be, actually, so try Live Oak for your next outing with friends! The bar is open daily from 4pm-close; dinner is served Sunday to Thursday from 5pm to 10pm and Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 10:30pm; and you can get brunch from 10am to 3pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Live Oak is located at 1603 Commonwealth Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301 | 571-312-0402
- About the team
The Patterson Group is one of the most experienced and trusted real estate teams in the area, serving Alexandria, VA for over thirty years. We offer professional, hardworking, detailed and friendly service and a large network of contacts and resources accrued over our many years in Alexandria real estate. Comprised of seven Alexandria locals, six of whom are licensed realtors and three of whom are accredited staging professionals, The Patterson Group is passionate and knowledgeable about Alexandria, VA and here for all of your Northern VA real estate needs. Allow us to help you find your home here and discover all that the Alexandria lifestyle has to offer.
400 South Washington Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.310.6201
