Blog de Puree

We decided we’d treat ourselves this past Saturday to a nice dinner out at the Mission Oak Grill (Web site still under construction), one of Newburyport’s new restaurants and our waitress told us that it identifies itself as a steak house. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as good as we had hoped.

The restaurant is in an old rehabbed church and is the site of the former Kiwi Grill, a dining establishment that was absolutely fabulous. The Kiwi Grill had great appetizers, entrees and the desserts were phenomenal. The wine list was very good as well–not vast, but the wines were all very good vineyards, quality and taste. Diners were guaranteed a delightful culinary experience from beginning to end.

The Mission Oak Grill, however, has been open about six weeks and seems to be working out the kinks, as any new dining establishment has to do. The appetizer we had, crab cakes for $12, was very tasty, with a delightful presentation. Randye had the lamb for $28 and I had a prime rib for $26. The lamb was a treat–delicious and cooked perfectly, but the sides of brussel sprouts and sweet potato cubes were luke-warm to cool in temperature. We found the prime rib was tough and a bit on the fatty side. It was slightly easier to cut once I requested a steak knife from one of the wait staff. But for grain-fed beef (All the steak on the menu is naturally raised), I did not find it to be worth $26.

We did not receive a wine list, so chose from the “By the glass” choices on the main menu. The wine we had with the meal was a pinot noir from Chile, and I was excited to enjoy a glass because Chile has a unique micro-climate along the Andes mountains that is perfect for growing that grape. But the wine was a bit of a let down as well. The bottle must have been from young grapes because while it was very floral and fruity and was not very complex. It also seemed that it was going slightly bad because the wine had a hint of champagne bubbliness. And furthering my disappointment, there were flashes of Manischewitz Passover wine as I sipped it.

However, the staff at the Mission Oak Grill was very pleasant, accommodating and attentive. And the food came out quickly, which might explain the cold veggies with the lamb dish. I don’t think there is another steak house in the immediate area, so we hope that they get things sorted out and eventually improve the quality of their entrees, as well as select a new pinot noir.