Fire & Oak, Jersey City

Last Sunday, we had brunch at Fire & Oak before going to the mall to watch Gravity and do some window shopping. (Window shopping turned into real shopping for me. ;) New boots!) It was nice that both brunch and the mall were within walking distance.

The first things you’ll notice as soon you step inside are fire and oak. It’s a modern, but rustic space. A lovely mix of woody textures and clean lines. Overall, it feels more like a dinner date night place, but it gives brunch a more upscale feel. $10 for unlimited champagne. Our waitress refilled our glasses of champagne very promptly. I noticed it was Freixenet Brut Blanc de Blancs, which is actually Spanish cava. Pretty decent stuff for the price. Refreshing, creamy and easy to pair with many foods. (I work in wine industry and could babble on about wine forever.)

John ordered the Eggs Rancheros ($12.95), which included black beans, cheddar cheese, sunnyside up eggs, roasted tomato salsa, sour cream, and pico de gallo on a sun-dried tomato tortilla. Visually, it looked like a mess. But John assured me that it tasted good. I ordered the Fire & Oak Crab Omelette ($13.95), which had grilled broccoli, sauteed lump crab, aged white cheddar, and hollandaise sauce. Also came with home fries and toast. 

Umm, I was expecting the sauteed crab to be inside the omelet, not sitting on top. Tasted pretty good, and the crab was fresh, not fishy. Don’t know why they bothered with hollandaise sauce, which had already cooled off by the time my food was brought out. The omelet would have been fine without it. The home fries were cut very inconsistently, and all the smaller pieces were way overdone.

It was a fun brunch date for us, and the unlimited cava made us very happy. I have a feeling we’ll be back since we live in the neighborhood. Overall, Fire & Oak could work on presentation a bit. The food tasted better than it looked. They’re connected to the Westin Hotel, but the food looks like it came from a diner.

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