Oak Steakhouse Puts Down Roots in Downtown Easton

Chances are, you’ve heard about Oak, the new steakhouse restaurant in the Valley. Before it even opened, there was a buzz—Oak was and is a tremendous undertaking, occupying four floors of a building in Downtown Easton, just off Centre Square. It’s owned by Mick Gjevukaj, along with his brother Bekim and Arti Kamberaj. (You probably know other restaurants that share some degree of ownership with Oak—River Grille and Ocean.)

Oak climbs up two additional floors beyond what you see when you walk through the door to the 128-seat restaurant—and goes down a level, too. It’s atypical for a steakhouse—guests won’t encounter excessive formality in the service or table settings. “This place doesn’t feel like a stuffy steakhouse,” says chef Ryan Kor (formerly of Ocean), who runs the very open kitchen with chef Steve Schwier. “People are sharing steaks; it gets warm and cozy in here.”

The name fits on many levels, notwithstanding the metaphorical value of calling your restaurant after a tree that stands tall and weathers any storm. But it also hints at the outsize nature of the structure, whose design was helmed by Easton architect Jeff Martinson. So much wood has been repurposed. There’s a faux tree inside and each floor offers varying degrees of dining and lounging options (groups and business meetings are welcome here). An inviting rooftop lounge with a retractable glass ceiling offers a bar, soft seating, high-top tables and plenty of greenery.

Enormous barn doors separate sections of the second-floor dining room for private events (there’s also an outsize fireplace in that space). Detailed murals by New Jersey artist Lily Solis tell the restaurant’s story, from possession of the building to celebration of its completion, and position Oak within the history of Easton, too. It’s possible to spend hours in the space and not see everything. It’s also possible to work there and not see everything, as both chefs attest.

Many visitors are so smitten with the interior that a certain section of the restaurant receives repeated requests for seating—far more than what can be easily accommodated. Bekim and Laura Streubel, the general manager, were reluctant to tell where, exactly, in the restaurant this referred to, for fear of adding to an already insatiable demand. “We try really hard to grant all the requests,” says Streubel.

Restaurants, if well designed and executed, create their very own world, one that sharply contrasts from our everyday lives. It’s culinary escapism, often with an element of theater at work. At Oak, steaks are the main draw, naturally, and all of the aging takes place in house in a temperature- and humidity-controlled room lined with giant blocks of pink Himalayan sea salt, which Kor says add to the flavor. Kor and Schwier are in there several times a week, rotating the several hundred pounds of different cuts and putting in new ones. The beef options start at a six-ounce petite filet ($24.95) and run up to the 48-ounce porterhouse steak for two ($79.95). There’s also an off-menu (but well known) item: the tomahawk steak. This visually commanding, rib-eye cut with a long, handle-like bone ranges in weight from 30 to 60 ounces and has a corresponding price tag of $68 to $135. As one might expect, it causes a small stir whenever it comes out in the dining room. “We can cut it to the size the customer wants, right on the spot,” says Schwier.

There’s an incredible attention to detail that pervades the service at Oak. When you order a steak, it is delivered on a plate that may be up to 500°F—the steak will be sizzling in a pool of unsalted butter and salt and pepper. Sometimes the plate is still fairly warm, even after a customer has finished eating. Delivering on a hot plate keeps the steak that way, but don’t worry—the steak doesn’t continue to cook, nor do you need to wait to cut it. “It arrives rested, but hot. It took a lot of work to figure that out,” says Kor. “We’ve evolved steak on a stone to steak on a plate,” jokes Kor.

Of course, steaks are what people come into Oak for, but the quality translates into other proteins, too. “We sell a lot of seafood and fish for a steakhouse,” says Kor. Take, for example, the seared sesame tuna starter—not exactly something one would expect at the stereotypical steakhouse. The tuna is served with a flavorful seaweed salad and wasabi. The menu also includes items such as a half chicken and swordfish with jalapeño corn cake. Salmon, scallops, crab cakes and a bone-in pork chop round out the entrees for those who want something other than steak. Another popular starter is the charred, thick-cut bacon—sliced so thickly it resembles ham. It’s served with just enough maple syrup to complement the sweetness of the pork. “You can’t go wrong with the bacon,” says Schwier. (He’s right. It’s a substantial cut and incredibly flavorful.)

A guest simply cannot go wrong with any of the specials that the team periodically comes up with, often using local ingredients. “It gives us something different to work with every day,” says Schwier.

“They are the engine, they are the support of this place,” says Bekim of his chefs.

It seems like a surprise that one could have room left for dessert, but that’s what multiple forks and spoons are for, right? “Most of them are as big as the steaks,” jokes Kor. About 90 percent of the desserts are made in house, including a rotating seasonal selection of sorbet options—blood orange, cranberry apple cider and, of course, bacon sorbet for Baconfest.

Oak Steakhouse

323 Northampton St., Easton | 610.559.5510 | oak-steakhouse.com

Hours

Tues.–Thurs.: 5–9:30 p.m.; Fri. & Sat.: 5–10:30 p.m.; Sun: 4–8:30 p.m.

Reservations

Recommended for the weekends about two weeks in advance

Parking

Street parking and nearby parking decks

Payment

Visa, MasterCard, American Express

What to Order

This is going to sound obvious, but—steak! The seared sesame tuna appetizer; the charred, thick-cut bacon. For a wow factor, you can order the chilled grand seafood tower, replete with oysters, lobster tail, jumbo lump crab cake, tuna tartar and colossal shrimp for three or six people. Don’t overlook the side dish of sweet potatoes au gratin, which may appear deceptively like the sweet Thanksgiving staple but is far more savory; those are goat cheese crumbles on top. “People love it,” says Schwier.