Silver Oak Bistro: Ridgewood, NJ

Edit [20081005]:  Chef Gary is no longer with Silver Oak Bistro.

Edit: [200903]:  Silver Oak has closed.

BBQ seems to be popping up everywhere.  NYC has at least 12 BBQ places.  North Jersey has seen at least 2 come and go within a few years.  And there are others that have been around for a while (Hot Rod's in Wharton and The Mason Jar in Mahwah for example) , and new places opening up (most notably Front Street Smoke House in Elizabeth).  But there's one BBQ restaurant that's flying under the radar, and that's probably because it's not necessarily a BBQ restaurant.  That restaurant is The Silver Oak Bistro in Ridgewood, and their BBQ is super.

The Silver Oak Bistro opened in late 2005, in a small space that had previously housed a latin restaurant (Sazon?), and before that, um, another latin restaurant.  Each were quite good, actually, and I was saddened to see them go.  Silver Oak is an unpretentious neighborhood type of place, with a family-run vibe.  It seats about 26 or 30 and it's BYO.

Chef Gary Needham has some obvious strengths.  Least of all not being his excellent surname, which manages to encapsulate a desire for pork.  That's pretty cool, even if you weren't a chef at a restaurant serving excellent BBQ.  Most of the menu consists of southern-inspired dishes that are certainly unique to this area.  Cajun and creole flavors and influences are all over the menu. 

My experience with some southern food is that it can be somewhat heavy and busy, with lots of assertive flavors.  Silver Oak leans in this direction with most of their dishes.  However, it's the simple dishes that really shine to my mind:  the salad of beets and red onion (served with every entree, by the way),  the mac-and-cheese,  the transporting gumbo,  the slow-and-low smoked pork ribs.  All winners.

A recent meal consisted of the following:

gumbo

A bowl of gumbo, with what i assume was a pork "crouton."  I had no idea what this large breaded cube might be until i put a fork to it.  The chunk of meat just fell apart.  

I would say this would be  a welcome addition to *any* soup.

pork ribs

The ribs had a perfect amount of smoke flavor (real smoke, not that fake crap that comes from a bottle).  the "smoke ring" (that redish ring that permeates any meat that is truly smoked) was clearly visible (although this is not the most flatterning picture).  Chef Gary dry rubs the ribs and serves sauce on the side.  You won't need the sauce.  The ribs came with a julienne of vegetables.  I have no idea what the chef did to these vegetables, or what kind of vegetables they were, but they were outstanding.

mac and cheese 

Chef Gary absolutely rocks mac and cheese. he serves it not much unlike an omelet, with a crusty exterior and creamy interior. 
really delicious, and a very generous serving.  and it comes with the ribs.

I think they've added the BBQ ribs to the dinner menu permanently.  But I'd call ahead to make sure.  If you find yourself at Silver Oak and there's no BBQ, order the shrimp cocktail (quite excellent), "rags and fungus" (pasta with mushrooms with a light cream sauce), or the mahogany duck (crispy skin with an asian-influenced glaze).

Give Silver Oak a try.  Hopefully soon you'll be able to compare it to the local competition, which is opening right around the block:  Broad Street Smokehouse & Grill is threatening to open sometime this spring.  More BBQ can simply not be a bad thing.

Silver Oak Bistro - 26 Wilsey Square - Ridgewood, NJ - 201.444.4744 - BYOB - Free delivery available - www.silveroakbistro.com

update:

the pulled pork (pictured at the top) is super as well.

Another update:  Silver Oak Bistro made my Best Dishes of 2006 list.

Comments

[Rosie]

The mac and cheese is the best I have ever eaten. It's even better than mine! Only ate at Silver Oak once but I certainly want to return ASAP. If it was closer to home I'd eat there more than Tommy.

[Rail Paul]

Looks like an interesting menu.

Their website shows the ribs as a menu item, but doesn't mention the mac n' cheese as a dinner item. Mac'n'cheese is on the lunch menu, though.

[tommyeats]

the mac/cheese comes with the ribs as a side during dinner. we're ordered it at dinner in the past as an appetizer. it's the type of place that will facilitate any request if it's reasonable.

[chefshazz]

I never got a chance to try any of the food. When we got there tonight for our 7:30 reservation, there were several empty tables. My husband and I are both large people and were offered a table that a "little person" could not have accessed since the space between the table we were offered and the tables on either side measured a mere 3 inches, Ridiculous!
We inquired about a larger table and were told they were saving it to put with another table for a large party which was expected at 8:45. Since they could not and would not accomodate us, we left. Their customer service is horrendous and as someone in the food industry, I am a cookbook author and traveling cooking teacher, I dine out frequently and have never encountered such abhorrent attitude towards customers.

[tommy:eats]

Sorry to hear about that chefshazz.

Not to make an excuse for the restaurant, as I wasn't there to witness the transaction, but rather more in the way of a general rule of thumb:

Generally speaking, it's always a good idea to make any special needs/requests known at the time of reservation and then again at confirmation. The tables at SOB are incredibly close, but no closer than tables in NYC. Close for NJ standards though.

They no doubt run on a tight margin, deal with no-shows, and have a variety of other hurdles that might dissuade them from moving around reservations and tables at the time when people show up for the reservation. I wouldn't define this as "abhorrent" or "horrendous," but i can appreciate that everyone has different tolerance levels and expectations.

For what it's worth, no one is expected to squeeze through 3 inches of space to sit down. Usually the table is pulled out for easy access. I do it myself all the time as I don't like to rub my ass on my neighbors' table even if there is just about enough room for it. With my ass there's usually just not enough room.

did you end up eating in Ridgewood anyway? Friday nights are usually crowded. You would have been lucky to get a table anywhere at that point!

[Darren]

We ordered the ribs and baked beans to take-out.

Both were excellent. The ribs nice and smoky with great flavor and texture.

Beans had chunks of smoked pork in them. Excellent flavor.

It's a little pricey, but overall, I thought it was worth it.

[joeb]

My wife and I went to this place for the first time on Friday. I called at 6:30PM and surprisingly was able to book a table for 7:30PM.

As mentioned before the seating here is pretty tight both inside and out. This has never really bothered me since I lived in NYC for 20 years and am used to tight seating.

They sat us at the first table as you enter the restaurant, arguably the worst seat in the house. Considering they took us at the last minute this didn't bother me either.

The service was quite good. Our young waitress was friendly and knowledgeable. There was a gentleman (the manager I assume) who came around several times to make sure everything was OK.

The food itself was also very good. I had the skirt steak and my wife had a special jambalaya scallop dish (very spicy). Along with a bottle of Cabernet we brought along (nothing beats BYOB) it made for a very nice dining experience.

I'll have to go back soon and try the ribs.

[Colonel Mike]

Hi Tommy, Happy Holidays! We will be taking advantage of the soft economy and will be closing the Silver Oak for renovations as of Jan 1st 2009. Hope to reopen some time in the Spring with the new look and new Menu. All the best, Mike

[tommy:eats]

"closed for renovations" never sounds good in the restaurant biz. I hope you guys come back with some new fire!

[thetentman]

Renovations? Take a couple of months? Reopen in the spring? I can't imagine what they could do in such a small space for so long. It sounds like the end. How sad. I miss Chef Gary. With Gary the place had a story to go with his unique style. Now they have his recipes but no story and no front man. I will go one last time just to remind myself how good it was and how good it could have been if Gary was allowed to remain.