Oak at Laguna Seca

The website for Oak at Laguna Seca provides cause for intrigue. In a golf-course dining niche that tends to lean toward the basics – burgers, hot dogs, basic salads and club sandwiches – Oak’s online menu boasts a jambalaya burrito, reverse fried chicken and waffles and Korean short rib tacos.

I was curious: How does one make a jambalaya burrito? Are we talking andouille sausage and crayfish in a tortilla? What about reverse fried chicken and waffles? I pictured a turducken situation, with the waffle inside the chicken. Like all human pursuits into the unknown, I needed to know more.

Upon arriving, the menu was completely different in person, and the fare was more par for the course.

I went to Oak on a weekday afternoon for lunch with a co-worker. The restaurant enjoys a spartan clubhouse setting, with a large, open dining area that was sparsely populated. It offers a beautiful view of the adjacent valley through windows that stretch from floor to ceiling. The abundance of seating in an abundance of space led us to familiar territory, the bar. We were greeted by the sounds of trap music and pop techno, a surprising playlist for the mostly older clientele around us.

In the absence of the online menu excitement, there is still an attempt to keep it interesting from new chef Marc Jones, who introduced his food program in early May after stints everywhere from Pebble Beach Company to Carmel Valley Ranch. During the summer months he did regular “pau hana” luaus with live Hawaiian music, a buffet ($21.95) and full bar. Those are scheduled to return Saturday nights in March.

We started with wings ($10) which come with either blue cheese, ranch or Sriracha. There was some confusion as to whether the sauce was on the wings or on the side, but since my co-worker is not a fan of mayo-like sauces, we opted for Sriracha. We got a generous portion of wings, but the sauce was served on the side and the Sriracha we expected was actually a Sriracha-mayo. The wings themselves were medium-sized with a crispy, fried exterior and juicy, oily bites that reminded me of classic fried chicken.

Next up was a sampling of the popular salad bar ($11.95), which comes with a soup of the day. Empty plate in hand, I gazed through the sneeze guard at a lineup of 30 items, including sliced black olives, hard-boiled egg, shredded carrots and cherry tomatoes. I put together a bed of arugula topped with potato salad, house-marinated artichoke hearts, white bean salad, cucumber, tomatoes, pasta salad and beets. The dressing selection leaned toward the creamy side with Thousand Island, blue cheese and ranch. I opted for lighter with balsamic.

The soup of the day, vegetable beef, had a nice mirepoix and potatoes, but not much meat. The broth was light and flavorful, and accompanied the salad nicely.

For an entree I ordered the Alaskan blackened salmon ($14.95) while my co-worker opted for the rosemary chicken and Swiss wrap ($11). The wrap comes packed with a generous amount of chicken, hummus, spinach and fire-roasted red peppers. This classic combination of flavors worked nicely, but would’ve benefitted from a light dipping sauce (at least for a sauce proponent) and a couple of minutes on a panini press to give it a finishing touch. The menu advertised it would come with a side of salsa, so maybe they are already one step ahead of me as for the sauce, and were one step behind that day. There was a mysterious LTOP garnish on the side of the plate that didn’t seem to fit in anywhere: Are you supposed to unroll and then re-wrap it with those additional toppings? Confusing. The side of potato salad was tasty, and had a welcome and unusually strong vinegar kick.

The salmon entree offers up a large portion and includes steamed veggies, oven-baked potatoes and garlic bread. The salmon was cooked with care and served with a cream sauce that added nice texture, but not a ton of flavor. Compared to simply salted potatoes and mild steamed veggies, the garlic bread had the most flavor of anything on the plate.

On a second visit, I went all in and ordered the chili dog ($11), which comes on a Palermo Bakery bun. The chili is housemade and is heavy on the beans. Sides of relish and chopped onion provide a little more kick and some crunch. The bun didn’t stand a chance, through no fault of its own. About a third of the way through, I had to revert to fork and knife – not uncommon in the culinary realm of foods topped with chili.

The jambalaya burrito still rolls through my daydreams from time to time, the reverse chicken and waffles riding shotgun through a haze of uncertainty. I guess there are some things that are meant to be left unknown – though Chef Jones does say the jambalaya will be back, complete with Creole sauce.

OAK AT LAGUNA SECA 10520 York Road, Monterey. • 8am-3pm daily. • 373-3468, oakculinary.com.

Mark C. Anderson contributed to this review