Oak + Swine debuts in Batavia as barbecue haven in enticing space
![[Byron Weber is the owner of Oak + Swine.]
BATAVIA – The new Oak + Swine craft meats restaurant in downtown Batavia brings the tangy taste of Texas barbecue to the Windmill City.
The fast-casual restaurant at 107 E. Wilson St. launched Oct. 14 and is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
Restaurateur Byron Weber of St. Charles is bringing his culinary expertise from Geneva’s Barrel + Rye and other area eateries.
Customers should bring a Texas-sized appetite, with Oak + Swine selling its oak-smoked meats by the half pound.](ddc1b566-e996-407b-9fcf-cde278efac97/image-pv_web.jpg)
[Byron Weber is the owner of Oak + Swine.]
BATAVIA – The new Oak + Swine craft meats restaurant in downtown Batavia brings the tangy taste of Texas barbecue to the Windmill City.
The fast-casual restaurant at 107 E. Wilson St. launched Oct. 14 and is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
Restaurateur Byron Weber of St. Charles is bringing his culinary expertise from Geneva’s Barrel + Rye and other area eateries.
Customers should bring a Texas-sized appetite, with Oak + Swine selling its oak-smoked meats by the half pound.
[Oak + Swine restaurant boasts a stunning new facade in downtown Batavia, the result of a complete redesign that energizes the aesthetic of the entire block of businesses.]
“This is my menu and food that I’ve been cooking for a long time,” Weber said. "It’s definitely inspired by central Texas. We think we will be known for our pulled pork and our brisket.”
In addition to those classics, Oak + Swine will feature smoked sausage, pastrami, salmon and turkey among its offerings.
Customers will be greeted by a butcher slicing up the fresh meats, as they proceed along a service counter to select their meat, side dishes and beverages.
“Fast-casual is where the restaurant business is going,” Weber said.
[A brisket taco nestled in corn tortillas is one of the offerings in addition to house-smoked barbecue served Texas style with the option of white bread on the side.]
Most of the seating is upstairs in an airy loft space overlooking the first floor and with a commanding view of East Wilson Street through the two-story glass facade. Flat-screens upstairs offer a variety of viewing choices.
The renovated space features a modern décor along with stylish wooden tables and chairs, but the emphasis is on the authentic Texas and Mexican flavors.
“It’s all about the food,” Weber said. “We use simple ingredients.”
Side dishes include Mexican-style corn, beans, chili, pasta salad, mac and cheese, German potatoes, frito pie and a slaw made of apples, carrots, radishes and green onion in an apple cider vinaigrette.
[Viewed from the second of two stories of dining space, wood accents echo the smokehouse theme.]
And then there are the street-style tacos, along with home-style salsa. They are served in two corn tortillas with a choice of pork, chopped brisket and salmon. Each table offers a trio of sauces to customize dishes.
On Facebook, the restaurant describes its barbecue fare as "similar to the central Texas style with its European influences; dry rubbed meats are smoked with oak over an indirect heat. We want the meat to be the star and the sauce to be a secondary attraction."
Beer, wine and soft drinks are among the beverage offerings.
Customers may dine in or carry out their meals, and Weber also plans to do catering.
[Apple slaw is among the array of side dishes. It's prepared with apples, carrots, radishes and green onion in an apple cider vinaigrette.]
In addition to Weber and a staff of servers, Diana Aceves of Aurora is the restaurant manager, who comes to Oak + Swine from Barrel + Rye.
Oak + Swine has a high-visibility location and features the completely new glass facade on the established commercial building that is now its home.
The restaurant is sandwiched between the newly opened Bocaditos Café serving take-out Argentinian cuisine, and the Wilson Street Tavern.
Just around the corner is the long-popular El Taco Grande Mexican restaurant. River’s Edge Bar & Grill, Tusk Thai Cuisine, Bar Evolution and Veritá restaurant are all nearby along North River Street.
[This before photograph of the building on the left shows what would become the home of Oak + Swine.]
Weber views those businesses as complementary to his own.
“The more options people have, the more they will want to come to downtown Batavia,” Weber said.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held by the Batavia Chamber of Commerce at 4 p.m. Nov. 15 at the restaurant.
If you go
WHAT: Oak + Swine craft meats
WHERE: 107 E. Wilson St., Batavia
WHEN: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week
INFO: oakandswine.com, 630-326-9173