If you haven’t yet been to Scarlet Oak Tavern, you are in for a special treat. Situated in a beautiful 250-year-old house, the restaurant sources from local farms such as Webber Restaurant Group’s Gibbet Hill Farm and Scarlet’s own on-site garden.
We recently visited the restaurant, and to get started, we enjoyed a couple of cocktails with fun names like Satan’s Whiskers and a signature rum punch served in your own personal glass flask bottle. Our server recommended the oven-fired blue crab and sharp cheddar dip. We couldn’t get enough of this rich creamy dip served with crunchy lavash crackers. The Moosabec mussels come served with grilled onions, tomatoes and an addicting garlic toast that is perfect for dipping.
When it comes to entrees, we recommend the mammoth bone-in ribeye. The 20-ounce steak was cooked to a juicy medium-rare perfection and served with a choice of two sides (we chose a baked potato and roasted Brussels sprouts). One of Scarlet Oak’s signature dishes is the bacon-wrapped meatloaf, but this is not your mother’s meatloaf. Instead, this hearty, flavor-filled sampling is topped with a smoky tomato ketchup and side of succotash is served atop creamy garlic mashed potatoes sitting in a pool of rich blackstrap gravy.
Other dishes include a seared tuna sesame shiitake fried rice with wasabi aioli; lobster and scallop risotto with chorizo, sweet corn, roasted peppers; and a seasonal dish of butternut squash ravioli Swiss chard, lemon and capers. Be sure to save room for the fluffy carrot cake topped with a decadent cream cheese frosting. In the warmer months, check out the seasonal patio known as the Beer Garden that hosts live music.
