Oz-some!

The fact that all I will ever remember about my meal at Oz is the fried Oreo is truly a disservice to the entire experience. I was already very pleased with every aspect of my lunch at Oz – and then the dessert arrived out and blew everything else out of the water.

I started noticing Oz recently on my bus ride to work. From its website, it looks like a mediocre bar food place that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner all day. When I walked in, I was still expecting mediocre bar food as it was totally empty and there were no visible indicators that food was its focus. All plates are in the $12 range, max.

Rarely do I order breakfast for lunch (except for weekend brunch), so I opted for the smoked salmon omelet. My parents went the same route, my mom ordering mushroom & cheese, my dad the Ranchero. I was thrilled with my mine. The smoked salmon was piled super high and not diluted by any other toppings. The two pieces of toast and side of hash browns make this dish an absolute steal at $10. My parents were similarly impressed with the quality and quantity of their plates. We also all raved about the home-made spicy pineapple jam that comes with the toast. I think my dad ate eight pieces. Sorry, Doc Atkins.

The lunch could have ended there and I would have been more than happy. I had seen the dessert menu on the website and knew it would be a mistake to walk out without giving the fried Oreos a try. Fried Oreos are on my bucket list (along with swimming with dolphins and eating at the French Laundry, hint hint) and I don’t think I’ve seen them on any other menu in SF. I just got a huge grin on my face thinking about eating them. For $4.95, you get four Oreos topped with home-made cinnamon whipped cream and drizzled chocolate sauce. The taste is such an unusual sensation; I’d say my taste buds registered about 50% of the fried batter and 50% of the classic Oreo taste in each bite (ie, one flavor doesn’t overpower the other). The cookie part softens from the hot oil so a tiny, delicate fork is all you need to cut through it. Now I sound like a fatty, but they were incredibly “light” – I felt like I could have eaten several without a stomach ache. They were delightful. And so fun to share.

Everything I look for in a restaurant – service, quantity, quality, price, ambiance, “it” factor, noise level – are executed at Oz. Oz-some! Tremend-oz! Stupend-oz! Oz-inspiring!