Fort Oak
Trust has been my #1 favorite restaurant in San Diego ever since it first opened in 2016. The quality of the food is amazing and I love their wood-fired approach on everything. Ever since my first time there, it’s been my go-to restaurant recommendation to anyone and everyone, and nothing has topped it for me.
Therefore, when I learned that Trust is actually part of a San Diego hospitality collective called the ‘TRUST Restaurant Group’, I was beyond excited to visit other establishments of the same caliber.
The ‘TRUST Restaurant Group’ was formed by Chef Brad Wise, who is quite the industry wizard, as he was previously the executive chef at JRDN before he decided to create his own empire. Now, I’ve never created my own restaurant, let alone a few, so being deemed one of San Diego’s most talented chefs with multiple successful restaurants must be a crazy feat on its own.
Yesterday, my family and I got to experience Fort Oak for the first time together. We celebrated my cousin’s birthday, who just recently moved from Austin, TX, and even as a new San Diego transplant, Fort Oak was one of the main spots that immediately caught her eye.
Upon walking into the restaurant, the architecture is stunning. I found it really cool that the bar area is situated under a cute little brightly lit dome titled the ‘Gilmore’ in bright red lettering, and that the restaurant portion is separated in an attachment building, but still very close in vicinity. It provides a great separation if you just want to grab a drink, or if you’re waiting for your table to be ready. I’m also a huge fan of Jonathan Segal’s architectural work, so this mid-century decorated eatery being right next to his ‘Fort’ apartment project just really captures my attention (and low key makes me want to break my lease, so I can sign one there).
Since my boyfriend and I came early, we ended up getting a cocktail at the bar, and the bartender kindly recommended the Durango and the Rebel. She let us know that the Durango is the current bar favorite, so I opted for that one, and I’m so glad I did! I’m not a mezcal girl, but it was smooth, and the froth was really light too. I would highly recommend this one :) For the Rebel, a banana leaf is garnished within the entire interior of the glass, which is a super unique and creative approach. Although the cocktails are more on the pricey side (averaging ~$16-18/drink), you can clearly tell that these bartenders are highly experienced, and that the quality justifies the cost.
When our entire group arrived, we were promptly seated at a circular table that seated a party of 8, and it felt really intimate. Our server, Jeff, was wonderful, professional, knowledgeable, personable, humorous, thorough, and patient. He presented different dining options, which were the kitchen’s choice of 3 dishes for ~$70-80/person, as well as going the a la carte route. We opted to go a la carte and he took the time to detail his top recommended dishes to us, which was highly appreciated.
From Jeff’s starter recommendations, we ended up choosing the Scallop Aguachile, Ahi Tartare, Chicken Liver Mousse, Hearth Roasted Carrots, Charred Pea Salad, and the Charred Caulilini. If you have a large group like us, I recommend getting 2 starter dishes each, so that you have a sufficient amount of food for everyone. Just like Trust, the vegetable dishes at Fort Oak are incredibly well done. You can tell that the vegetables they use are seasonal and organic, and as my boyfriend always says, “you know a restaurant is good if their vegetables are amazing”. It’s seriously true though and this really makes a restaurant stand out!
We loved every starter, but I would say that I loved the Chicken Liver Mousse and the Hearth Roasted carrots the most. The hush puppies that came with the Chicken Liver Mousse were SO freaking good, tasted like sweet corn bread, and the mousse was so silky and flavorful. The carrots were also highly praised by our server, and I can see why, as they’re roasted really nicely and have a nice charred flavor.
For main entrees, we decided to share in pairs, and my partner and I chose the Hearth Grilled Branzino and the Heritage Pork Chop. My goodness - they were both so good, but there is a clear winner here, and it was the Pork Chop. The Pork Chop comes with black garlic sauce, coal roasted shishito peppers and potatoes, ginger, garlic chips, and herbs, and the black garlic sauce was semi-sweet and salty, so it paired really nicely with the juicy pork. The Branzino was paired with peperonata, salsa verde, fried herbs, and grilled lemon, and was basically boneless. Nonetheless, both dishes were beautifully plated and both were delicious.
Towards the end, since we were already feasting like there was no tomorrow, we said screw it, and ended up treating ourselves to a nice variety of their dessert menu as well. We got the Lemon Meringue Pie, the Berry Crisp, and the Cookies N’ Cream Beignets. Holy moly, I’m not a huge desserts person, but everything was superb. Their pastry chef is an artist and has mastered the curation of decadent treats, and our entire group agreed with this sentiment. My favorites were both the Lemon Meringue Pie and the Berry Crisp. The Berry Crisp felt like an enhanced Pizookie by.. I would say about 5,000 levels?
Also, since it was my cousin’s birthday, they brought out their house made peanut butter ice cream with a little candle in it, which was adorable and was the cherry on top to a perfect family celebration. It was also the best peanut butter ice cream we’ve ever had.
As indicated earlier, this restaurant collective also has an ice cream parlor called ‘Wild Child’, which happens to be a ~1-2 min walk from Fort Oak. I would love to try this place if the ice cream is even remotely similar in quality to the peanut butter ice cream.
Throughout the night, I kept hearing positive remarks about Fort Oak within our group, like “wow this place is seriously so good” and “dang, they really know what they’re doing”. In my opinion, one of the best feelings ever is being excited to try out a new place and just being absolutely wowed by the experience, but ESPECIALLY with the people that you love most. There is a powerful aura that comes from that kind of experience, which I always cherish.
We all loved Fort Oak so much, and sorry to say Trust, but I think we may have found a competing restaurant that ties with your greatness. So.. good thing you both got the same DNA coming from the same solid foundation ;)
This definitely won’t be our last time here, and thank you to the ‘TRUST Restaurant Group’ for giving us even more to look forward to together, as we continue to venture though the entire restaurant portfolio.
Also, as an FYI, for the dinner reservation, we had a party of 8, and with that, you will need to put down an $80 deposit fee to ensure your spot. However, the $80 will be deducted from your final cost at the end of the dinner, so be aware of that!
