Oak Barrel Wine Bistro & Artisan Bakery

After receiving many complimentary reviews of one of the newest upscale eateries in my area of residence, I decided to try it out for myself. The original plan had been to share a Chicken Pot Pie and then a dessert, but because the waiter advised that sharing a pot pie would leave a diner yearning for more, the plan was foiled. I got my own pot pie, but never made it to dessert.
I really love the atmosphere of this Bistro. There are cozy booths adorned with throw pillows. The tables are covered with cloth tables, which added a lovely upscale touch. However, the table underneath the cloth was apparently very slippery because the cloth (and all on top of it) threatened to topple as we had to maneuver to get around to our seats.
The waiter seemed to be the only one on staff on the Wednesday night, but we didn’t feel neglected or under-​serviced. He was a good waiter, and was able to provide answers to all questions we asked. He was very knowledgeable, and seemed to enjoy his job.
Now to the food. After taking our orders, he brought out freshly baked rosemary bread and butter. It was warm and soft on the inside, and perfectly crunchy on the crusts. The pot pie was worth a taste, and was definitely better than many I have tasted, but I am not sure if it was worthy of the $ 16 price tag. We were made aware that our food was freshly baked by the time we waited. It would have been preferable to have been informed of the cook time, but it wasn’t something that ruined the experience. The crust was thick… not overly so, but a great thickness. The crust should have been more flaky in my opinion, but was good. The inside contained a bit of a surprise. The creamy veloute was flavorful and left me craving more. The typical vegetables made an appearance. I would have been happy to see something a bit more unique, rather than the typical peas, mushrooms, and carrots. To be fair, however, I am not a fan of peas or mushrooms, so that is just my impression. The vegetables were cooked to perfection, as was the chicken, I would have loved to experience a departure from the expected.
I would recommend this establishment, but am not sure that it would be my first stop the next time a craving for a Chicken Pot Pie hits.
Happy Dining

Hot summer evening, a Saturday. Place was «alive», party in progress. Reservation saved us. Wine/​beer selection is good. Spirits more narrow — bunch of «tini» drinks. Guys prefer scotch. Service very attentive, prompt and congenial. White tablecloths, dark cloth napkins, table flowers, etc. Great menu selection. Portions sufficient. Presentation excellent. Drink or two, small salad, entrée, dessert about $ 40+/person with tax and gratuity (18%). Bakery makes leaving without «a bag of something» difficult! This bistro is a winner.
Now, July 30, am aware the business is CLOSING. Bummer!
***

Great restaurant! Good food, check out their desserts incredible.

Really outstanding cuisine. Just simply amazing. We’ll be back over and over again.

My wife and I stopped by early Friday night with our two young daughters, not knowing anything about the restaurant. Had we known such a spiffy restaurant could exist in an O’Fallon strip mall, we would’ve left the girls at home and thrown on some nicer clothes. Despite us being under-​dressed, without a reservation, and bringing along two toddlers, the staff was incredibly gracious and accommodating.
Our server was outstanding, staying on top of everything, even getting the kids food order in right away so they wouldn’t wait long to be fed. The pacing of our meal was perfect, with the bread, appetizers, main course and dessert all coming out at just the right intervals. I started out with the Thai Cucumber Salad, and was impressed by both the taste and preparation. My wife’s soup was solid, but not spectacular. In a mood for some comfort food, I played it safe with the Pot Pie while my wife ordered the Filet with a Cabernet-​shiitake sauce. Both were outstanding. The Pot Pie was herby and flavorful, with a perfectly flaky crust that wasn’t too buttery, and just the right amount of sauce. The filet was the perfect level of doneness, and the Cabernet sauce went very well with the beef. For dessert, we went with the mousse, and were not disappointed one bit.
I’m still in shock that a restaurant like this exists in St Charles County, in a strip mall no less. It’s a real gem, and I’ll be recommending Oak Barrel to everyone I know, even friends that live in St Louis County. The food is a great value, and I can’t wait to return. Oh, and the bakery items look fabulous too.

Love this place! I was traveling on business and stayed at the Residence Inn. Found this here on Unilocal… it did not disappoint. Added grilled chicken to my salad… it was moist and flavorful, the bread was amazing, but the best was dessert! An ice cream sandwich cookie with salty caramel ice cream, caramel sauce and chocolate cookie… wow! Wish I lived closer

Nice little bistro though it is in a strip mall. Had a meat & cheese platter for an appetizer, and ribs for the main course. Both were very good and they had no problems substituting sides. The server seemed like she was new (didn’t know how to make a drink) but was friendly. Not a bad option when you’re stuck in O’Fallon…

We went to Oak Barrel Wine Bistro this evening for an early birthday dinner. This was our first visit, though I’d long been a fan of the restaurant/​bakery that was previously at this location.
Like many others, I am thrilled to have an independent, fine food restaurant in St. Charles County. As such, Oak Barrel did not disappoint. The service was fantastic and the food was very good. My husband had the short ribs, which he enjoyed and I thought were amazing. I had the sea scallops. They were well prepared and very tasty. Portions are a bit on the smaller side — do not expect to share. With a couple of drinks, salad, entrees, and dessert our bill was just under $ 100.00. I felt that the price was appropriate for a special occasion restaurant. I hope to visit again, most likely for a lunch, in the very near future.

I was so excited to finally make it over to Oak Barrel after reading about it in Feast… in my opinion, the more locally owned cool joints in O’Fallon, the better! My parents live out there so my mom & I went over for lunch.
I totally was not expecting it to be in a strip mall, but we all know that sometimes they can house hidden gems. It was pretty empty but I’m sure most of the area was at the big St. Pat’s celebration down the street. Walking in, you can smell the deliciousness that is the bakery and the glass cases are filled with cakes, chocolately goodness, and fresh cookies. The interior also really threw me off and wasn’t at all what I was expecting… it’s very hodge-​podgy and not in the best way. Nothing really goes together well and it just feels very… pains me to say this… old-​folks home? The back of the place is SO MUCH cuter than the front, so I recommend sitting back there.
You order at the register and then they bring it to you at your table. The lady taking orders was super nice and you could tell she was overwhelmed but really trying to give us a positive experience. I ordered the Bistro Club with a side of bean salad and my mom had a mushroom brie bisque. The sandwich was so beyond good and the freshly baked homemade bread did not go unnoticed! The meat was very fresh and the cheese was pretty amazing… really satisfying, hearty stuff. The bean salad though… just don’t do it. We couldn’t figure out what the ingredient was, but something was so terrible about it. This sounds a little bizzare, but something in it tasted soapy. Soap is never a pleasant taste, so order a different side… they have a handful of different options.
Lots of potential here and if you live in the area I absolutely advise you check out the bakery and pick up some bread or some of the giant chocolate chip cookies they make! At ten bucks total for both of our lunches, I’d say Oak Barrel is doing a pretty okay job.

Went to oak barrel bisto for breakfast had the breakfast flatbread, which consisted of saugage, two eggs and parm cheese. The flatbread was very tasty, nice crisp bottom, crunchy edges the combo of the eggs, sausage bread and cheese made a nice twist on a breakfast sandwich. Coffee was also good, they had regular and a pumpkin flavor. There is not much other than fast food on hwy K so this place is worth checking out. Also got a few cookies to go – good as well. They have some beautiful looking cakes in they display cabinet. Nice dining area clean and décor is fine but nothing too special. Towards the back of the restaurant is a window that looks into the cake decorating area had kids fascinated. They seemed to get a little flustered when the line to order got more than 5 people but the food came out in a timely fashion and was good. Overall if I am out that way I will definitely stop in and try lunch or dinner.

I stopped here before work to pick up some bakery to take to the office. Oak Barrell is easy to miss in a sea of blando development; I was very glad to find it. Nice looking place inside. Behind the counter they’ve bricked in a large, modern oven, giving it a hearthy feel. Cookies and pastries were superior — a smash hit at the office.

In another heartland of Generica I found this place to be a refreshing alternative to the nearby Wendy’s, Arby’s, Cracker Barrel and Dirty Ron’s.
Upon entering the establishment you have the feeling of being in a bakery with lots of tsaty looking goodies in the glass case and an obvious working bakery behind. Above the counter are boards advertising the bils of fare for breakfast and lunch.
For lunch I ordered the Cuban Panini with the broccoli salad for a side. The salad was fantastic and I would highly recommend it. The panini… well… not so much so. IMO a panini should be pressed. This was not. It seemed like a grilled cheese with ham, garlic mayo, cornichons and American cheese. That’s right: American cheese. That was the truly painful part. On my way out I noticed that the board did make warning of that on the ingredients and I just missed it, but still… why would you ruin something with processed American cheese? How difficult is it to keep a block of quality aged cheddar around for this instead of inflicting some chemically produced molten goo on our taste buds? Must have something to do with the local taste expectations. It was a big disappointment.
Upon leaving I was distracted by a fine looking but lonely pain au chocolat in the case. I couldn’t resist and was rewarded with one of the finest baked treats I’ve had in a while. I’m a sucker for pain au chocolat and this one was right on the money. For the record, I ate it *without* any coffee and it was still that good!
Finally, I should point out that the French Gourmet Bakery & Café is under new ownership and will be morphing into the «Oak Barrel» american bistro and artisan bakery. I overheard Todd Kussman, the new owner/​executive chef, telling another patron that he is French trained but not planning to have a French theme for the restaurant. The signage should be changing in about two weeks (Feb 2011) and he will also be open for dinner.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Located in a strip mall front really doesn’t do this place justice. Its got quality great tasting food and service. Take a look at the baked goods display, you’ll find something you like. The worst part about this café is deciding what to order because everything is so good.

This place doesn’t look much from the outside so I was hesitant to go in. Now that I’ve been in I can hardly stay out of there. The lunch menu is small but everything is very good quality and yummy. The desserts are all decadent, I have a hard time choosing just one. The owners are very friendly.