Wild Side Organic Bistro & Bar
| Address: | 1551 Montauk Hwy, Oakdale, NY 11769, USA |
| Phone: | +1 631-791-1800 |
| Site: | wildsidebistro.com |
| Rating: | 4 |
| Working: | Closed Closed 12–9PM 12–9PM 12–10PM 12–10PM 12–9PM |
Location
Photos 1
Reviews 5
JA
Jason Smith
I popped in to the bistro before a class in one of the upstairs suites, and Im glad I did. Parking is plentiful, seating is cozy, decor is minimal and reminiscent of a vintage eat-in deli in the restaurant portion. The bar gets a good breeze from the front door on the south side, and warmth from the wood-burning brick oven on the north side, with Buddha in the middle. That stove gives the place a faint smell of a bonfire when getting it up to temperature, and the addition of a bit of incense reminds me of an outdoor yoga studio or the dinner circles at a renaissance or new-age fair after hours. A few people opted for outdoor seating on the front patio. The staff was friendly, and very helpful. The menu items were all organic, and fairly simple. Typical amount of choices you can expect at a bistro, but with good variety and vegan and gluten free choices were clearly marked. Drink choices include a number of teas, a selection of craft beers, organic juices, and a few cocktails. Now the food: I decided to skip the vegan options and order a burger. The dish was a hamburger, with cheddar cheese, a fried egg, lettuce, onion, tomato, and duck bacon on a bun, fried and salted sweet potatoes on the side. Not a complicated dish, but the produce was very fresh, the bun warm and soft, and everything from the egg to the fries was cooked perfectly. The cheese was just to the point of melting before it adds more to the mess than the flavor, the burger was spot-on rare, the yolk was perfect, the duck bacon was cooked and firmed up without being crispy, and not a single fry was burnt or undercooked. It was definitely the best executed dish Ive had in years, and the combination of tastes was amazing. Desert was lackluster by comparison, I ordered the gelato, which came in a small plastic cup and seemed to be from the Italian restaurant two buildings down the road. While $18 seemed like to much of a deal for the amazing entree, $10 for that particular desert was regrettable. Next time Ill be opting for one of the deserts made in-house.
PA
Pat Giancontieri
Wild Side has become one of our regular favorites so I am surprised and dismayed at the criticisms. I believe it to be a lack of understanding of what Wild Side is about. What you should know about this place in order to appreciate their distinct offerings: It is a small unpretentious place owned and run by Jay and Rachel who serve a unique style of fusion cooking. Subscribing to the "Slow Food Movement" it is a dining experience closer to what you find in Europe (so dont expect to run in and out for a fast meal). "Fresh Organic Ingredients" is not a publicity stunt; instead it is a philosophy of offering the freshest, locally grown, pesticide free, nutrition rich ingredients. This philosophy is important to us because of the great flavor and nutritional value it embraces; coupled with Jays Indian heritage and ayurvedic point of view we find it a delicious alternative to the myriad assortment of local restaurants serving the same processed "Italian-Americanized" offerings. The service ware they use is not plastic; it is plant sourced bio-degradable & environmentally friendly. If this matters to you then this restaurant is the place to go. "A rustic, flavorful, exquisitely delicious artisanal pizza in Oakdale. With a crust so tender I refuse to leave a morsel uneaten. Using the freshest organic ingredients, house made mozzarella, topped with basil grown and picked at the moment of serving and Jays signature ingredient "love"; Im in love. Wild Sides pizza and competition is in Brooklyn where the artisanal pizza movement runs strong. Now we only have to drive a few minutes to get the magnificently crafted pizza we so love! Not in a pizza mood, try the chick pea stew or the cauliflower balls, Debbies vegetarian options and mind-blowingly delicious."
DE
Dennis Pryor
Entering the restaurant, there was no one to seat me and my girlfriend, I almost thought we were supposed to seat ourselves until someone asked us if we were being helped... We were told reservations were running behind schedule or something, and then seated shortly afterwards. The table had outdoor folding chairs... Like the ones you would use at the beach... It also had plastic fork/knife. It looked like the restaurant had half regular chairs, and half of these crappy folding chairs. The service was very slow. We were never asked if we needed more water (or anything, for that matter), even though my glass was empty and in plain view... My pizza took a whole hour to come out, and my girlfriends burger came out 20 minutes after mine. We split my pizza to avoid letting it go cold, and then split her burger. Someone came over to ask if we were waiting on something while eating the burger, not realizing we just waited 20+ minutes for the second meal (even though they cleared the first one already). He also ignored our empty waters, and didnt ask if we needed anything else. Then, for dessert, the menu didnt show pricing and the spoonful of flourless chocolate lava cake ended up costing $9... The food was okay. The pizza was overly salted (I could feel salt granules crunching when I chewed occasionally). The pizza dough was very good. The burger was not seasoned, and the amount of ketchup provided for the sweet potato fries was equivalent to two little packets... The fries were decent... The tiny amount of chocolate cake tasted okay, but was insanely small, especially for the price. I love food and trying new places, but this experience has left me wishing I never went inside.
JE
Jenny P
This place has so much potential and the employees seem really sweet and friendly so I hate to give 3 stars. But being in the industry myself I cant help but notice the cry for help that is the service at this restaurant. Its a shame because in theory I would be a regular at a place like this. The pizza oven behind the bar is a very unique aesthetic. Unfortunately it was a bit of a drawn out wait to ultimately not receive a cocktail before being seated. We didnt particularly mind the lawn chair/plasticware citchiness but someone a little older might be perplexed. If only the food absolutely blew us away to make us forget that we didnt know who our server was and that we just dropped 100 bucks on a pizza, app, house salad and a round of drinks. Char on the pizza was amazing but the crust is soggy which caused the entire topping with cheese to slide off each slice. Excellent cappuccino which I actually appreciated being served in a to go style cup so you can sip it on the ride home. Maybe they were short staffed but you cant charge those prices if service standards arent raised, long island will eat you alive. Please do something! We want the best for this family! God bless.
MA
Matthew Siegelbaum
Wow this food is good!! The Curried Lamb pizza is an awakening. We couldnt Stop eating it. The Wild Side Burger is a sight to behold and tasty, but somewhat dry. Id order it cooked medium next time. And the waitress, Danielle was very sweet and informative. She explained that grass fed beef is a bit drier due to leaner meat. I think this place is a Great place for organic and locally sourced delicious food. The paintings hanging throughout the restaurant are fantastic and really add to the Namaste ambiance. I havent given the place a 5 star rating only because I want to back and try more of these food before making a final review. one suggestion, try the Duck bacon. Its different in a really good way. I met the owner, Jade, very nice guy. He was trying out a new pizza and let me sample. If they have Pork Masala pizza on the menu, go for it. Layers and players of flavors. Cant wait to go back.
