The Oxford in Raleigh

In the past month, I've had the chance to try both lunch and dinner at the Oxford (http://www.oxfordraleigh.com/), which is an English gastropub located on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh.  My typical visits to the Oxford are at night to hang out at their bar and listen to live music, but I was pleasantly surprised with their food, both in variety and taste.

For lunch, I tried their fish and chips, which is cod fried in a Newcastle Brown Ale batter.  The fish was extremely mild and fresh-tasting, with the beer-batter providing most of the flavor (as it should).  The crispiness of the batter was excellent, although it became a bit soggy just as I was finishing the huge portion.  I could really taste the beer used in the preparation, and I felt that with a little salt, the fish flavor was spot-on for an "authentic" dish.  With my meal, I had actual chips, which were homemade, rather than fries (as are traditional) and was very pleased.  Overall, I think their lunch menu has a lot of good options (my dad had a turkey reuben that he enjoyed) and the taste, at least for mine, was great.

Jessica and I shared dinner at the Oxford another night with friends.  We started with their calamari and also their polenta cake special, which was accompanied by a tomato and beef ragout.  Both appetizers had good taste and came fresh to the table, and were plenty large to satisfy the four of us.  The calamari was good though nothing overly special, but the polenta was a unique combination of textures and flavors that really pleased the table. 

For my main course, I had the cranberry and pomegranate glazed duck breast with butternut squash puree and mashed potatoes.  The duck was perfectly cooked to medium rare, and the sweet fruit sauce was a good compliment.  I would prefer the duck fat / skin to be a bit crispier, but it was flavorful and rendered down properly so I can't really complain.  Both of my sides dishes were executed perfectly; the squash puree was surprisingly sweet, flavorful, and smooth (a huge eye-opener for a non-vegetable eater like me) while the mashed potatoes were of the standard preparation but still very good.

I came away from my lunch and dinner at the Oxford very impressed with their food and service.  The menus are filled with authentic British choices while still being open enough for those wanting something more American, and the flavors on everything I tried were top-notch.  They executed familiar dishes well and also introduced a few new taste combinations that were very successful.  With its location in the heart of Fayetteville Street, with fun bars to both sides and all around, I'd highly recommend the Oxford as a great place for dinner to start the night out in Raleigh.