Located at 100 W. Washington Street in Downtown Greensboro, Liberty Oak offers upscale cuisine for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday and a brunch menu on Saturdays. There is a full bar, food and drink specials rotate regularly, and patio seating is available. Reservations are recommended.
Liberty Oak is a venerable name within Greensboro’s dining scene, and it isn’t hard to figure out why. The restaurant goes back several decades, and its current location – the historic Vernon Building – is convenient to just everything downtown. Add to that the restaurant’s potentially revitalizing acquisition by chef Kristopher Reid, and all the ingredients are here for Liberty Oak to continue to thrive. Unfortunately, the actual dining experience falls short of realizing this potential.
First, the good: Liberty Oak has a fantastic menu. Apps include the ever-popular dynamite shrimp and a selection of ravioli that rotates daily while dinner offerings feature new interpretations of classics (i.e. buttermilk fried chicken with a tropical fruit and black bean salsa and a chipotle glaze) as well as several permutations of risotto. Options run the gamut from entrée-sized salads and vegetarian plates to 10-ounce strip steaks with two sides.
For the most part, the kitchen executes well. The salmon in my wife’s salad was grilled perfectly, and the accompanying citrus vinaigrette was bright and tangy. My seafood risotto carbonara was nicely plated and seasoned and featured sizeable shrimp as well as a welcome hint of sweetness from the corn. However, the risotto was al dente verging on undercooked and not as creamy as expected.
Liberty Oak recently received an interior remodel, and though the palette isn’t terribly exciting (lots of tans and beiges), this isn’t a bad-looking space (though my wife was convinced that it smelled like an old school). Staff are courteous and service is efficient if a bit distant.
When it comes to pricing, however, Liberty Oak’s reach definitely exceeds its grasp. Entrees run in the twenties, which puts Liberty Oak in Undercurrent/Print Works/Green Valley Grill territory. Unfortunately, compared to those establishments, Liberty Oak lacks the precision, creativity, and depth.
If a walkable downtown location is important and bang for your buck is not, then Liberty Oak offers a chance to enjoy a mostly satisfying meal in a historically significant venue and experience what was probably once the best restaurant in Greensboro. These days, however, there exist better options.
7.5/10
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