Mystery Diner in Oswego: Oak + Bean brings a new atmosphere to the village’s downtown

OSWEGO – Whether you are looking for a boost to your morning or to wind down in the afternoon, Oak + Bean can help with both.

Oak + Bean in Oswego doubles as both a coffee shop and a wine bar. It provides a lively casual environment in the mornings for breakfast and coffee, and a sophisticated contemporary ambiance in the evenings for wine and conversation.

It is the most recent addition to the Reserve at Hudson Crossing storefronts, a commercial and apartment building on the north side of Washington Street (Route 34) between Harrison and Adams streets in the village’s downtown.

Oak + Bean is in the corner storefront and from inside you can look out onto Adams and Washington streets. Guests also can access the restaurant from the upper level of the building’s parking garage.

In order to give a full review, I stopped in twice, once for breakfast, and once for wine.

In the morning, the open concept cafe is filled with natural light. The east wall of the restaurant is a windowed garage door that will open to the restaurant’s patio in the summer.

While the restaurant implements an order and pickup window style of service, staff at Oak + Bean are knowledgable on their menu and quick to offer suggestions.

The gentleman who took my breakfast order first suggested the lumberjack, which he likened to a pancake breakfast in a cup. A mug of syrup sounded a little sweet first thing in the morning, so I went with his backup suggestion, the Aztec Mocha.

The Aztec Mocha is a play on Mexican hot chocolate, made with rich milk chocolate mocha and a kick of cayenne pepper to cut some of the sweetness and give the drink an underlying heat.

For breakfast, Oak + Bean offers a variety of toast options, including a couple different avocado toasts, a Mediterranean hummus toast, fig and prosciutto and more, all served on fresh baked bread.

I went with the Caprese Toast, which was topped with homemade pesto, tomato, basil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Everything from the toast to the glaze tasted fresh and light.

If I hadn’t also ordered an egg sandwich and washed it all down with what is basically spicy hot cocoa, one might have even considered it a healthy breakfast.

The breakfast menu also offers unique breakfast sandwiches, from lox bagels to goat cheese and spinach. I again went with staff recommendation and ordered the Brown Sugar Bacon Gouda sandwich.

As I said, I do not generally have a sweet tooth in the morning, so I was a bit hesitant about a breakfast sandwich with brown sugar in the name, but the Brown Sugar Bacon Gouda is the reason I will be returning to Oak + Bean.

This sandwich is everything the Starbucks bacon gouda sandwich wants to be. Fresh ciabatta topped with a perfectly cooked egg, brown sugar bacon, melted gouda cheese, and the best part: the spicy maple aioli.

Without the spicy maple aioli (think: spicy mayo meets hot honey), it might have been a touch too sweet, but the gentle kick of sriracha rounded the sandwich out perfectly.

On my evening trip, I brought a date. The two of us are no sommeliers, but we certainly know our way around a wine list and have plenty of wine tasting experience.

The menu at Oak + Bean is fairly limited outside of breakfast food and coffee. They offer three charcuterie boards, two small plates (hummus and pretzel bites), and a moderate selection of red, white, sparkling and dessert wines.

The wine selection at Oak + Bean offers all the standard red and white selections you might expect, as well as a few you may not recognize.

For reds, they offer the obvious Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlot, Malbec and a few other basics. They also offer a Spanish Garnacha, an old world wine that you don’t see every day.

As for whites, they of course offer Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc, but what caught my eye was a Spanish Tempranillo and an Austrian Grüner Veltliner, both of which are fairly uncommon, at least in the suburbs.

My date ordered a Pinot Grigio, and I stuck to my usual Malbec, but I will be returning to try the Garnacha and dessert wines soon, and the Tempranillo and Grüner Veltliner in the Spring.

My date and I enjoyed our wine with the Oak + Bean board, which was outfitted with three rotating cheeses, one charcuterie which appeared to be salami, mixed nuts, fig preserve, Cornichons, crackers and a sliced baguette.

Oak + Bean is a great place to stop in the morning for a boost or a hot breakfast, and a trendy place to meet up with friends for a drink before a night out downtown.

IF YOU GO:

Address: 100 W Washington St., Oswego, IL 60543

Hours: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday

Phone: (815) 210-9681

Email: Connie@oakandbean.co

Website: oakandbeanco.com

The Mystery Diner is an employee at Shaw Media. The diner’s identity is not revealed to the restaurant staff before or during the meal. The Mystery Diner visits a restaurant and then reports on the experience. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a story.