Where there’s Oak & Smoke, there are also Asian ambitions, Californian cuisine, and creative soul food that defies conventions They say where there’s smoke, there’s fire. But at Oak & Smoke—the newest addition to Salcedo Village’s dining scene—there’s smoke, fire, explosions, and a frenzy of friendly fire coming out of chefs Anna Bautista and Sean Jorgensen’s kitchen. And why wouldn’t that be the case, when the photogenic space complete with a slanted glass ceiling as its defining feature plays second fiddle to the binchotan looming deep inside the semi-open kitchen.
“I want guests who dine with us to see us, to know that what we are doing here isn’t a cookie-cutter cut-out. It’s got a living vibe to it,” explains Jorgensen. “We’re only scratching the surface of what can and will be,” he adds.
“I’m excited to play with fire and the ideas of what I can do with binchotan as well as the open flames and smoke themselves.” This special type of charcoal may emit minimal smoke but like what its effects on food are, Bautista and Jorgensen’s approach at Oak & Smoke takes you to dimensions they’ve lived and thrived in; places that aren’t atomized by their differences but are instead celebrated for their distinction. “Oak & Smoke is really the birth of what Sean and I like to eat and how we like to eat,” explains Bautista.
“The cooking techniques and principles are where we draw from Californian and Southern cooking. But the flavors real.