Learn about the menu, the players, the wine list and more at Oak Park before you visit

Oak Park, the 98-seat restaurant that just opened at the corner of Ingersoll Avenue and 39th Street in Des Moines, has been the talk of the town with its menu of new American fare using French techniques for dinner. It might be fair to call Oak Park the biggest restaurant opening since Bubba debuted with a menu of Southern fare in 2016 in Des Moines.

Oak Park has some lofty aspirations, deservedly so. The restaurant elevates dining to a new realm in Des Moines and gives the Midwest, if not the country, a destination for dining that could bring in food lovers across the nation to try the dishes made with a delicate hand using vegetables grown in the garden steps away from the kitchen. Whenever possible, Oak Park uses Iowa vendors for everything from microgreens and proteins to a locally roasted coffee blend.

The restaurant is part of a project dubbed Block 39 from Kathy Fehrman, who wanted the space that includes the restaurant as well as a retail space and a garden to blend into the bungalows and oak trees in the neighborhood. Fehrman is managing partner of Fehrman Investments and a community philanthropist who likely will greet you at the door at Oak Park.

Here's a look at some of the things you need to know about Oak Park.

What's on the menu at Oak Park?

Oak Park opened on Oct. 17 with a menu of seasonal dishes that wowed from night one.

Small plates include dishes such as bourbon candied bacon for $19, charcoal roasted oysters for $26, a roasted acorn squash for $14, and the potato gnocchi for $15.

You can also order bread service, a brioche with vindaloo curry butter and black lava salt, for $8.

A caviar service ranges from Royal Ossetra with smoked lemon for $25 to a classic service for $150.

Try butternut squash and king crab bisque for $18, or the Oak Park Caesar salad for $15 from the short list of soups and salads.

Entrées include a roasted chicken for $34, skate meuniere for $34, duck fettucine for $36, and a carrot Wellington for $32.

The Josper charcoal grill enables the kitchen to fire filet mignon for $59, a bacon glazed chop for $44, Skuna Bay salmon for $38, and more.

The menu changes seasonally, so expect a different set of dishes about every six weeks to two months.

More: Oak Park restaurant opened in Des Moines. Here's a first taste of the menu and what to expect.

What is an amuse-bouche?

It seems everyone is talking about the amuse-bouche, a gift from the chef, presented to every diner at Oak Park. Some think it's snooty. Others love this welcoming touch. Some don't know what it is. One thought it was a bribe.

An amuse-bouche is a dish sent out by the chef, usually two or three bites at most, as a thank you to diners for coming into the restaurant. It gives diners a taste of what's to come.

Some things to note: You cannot order it. Everyone gets one. On opening night, the chef sent out crab croquette with a smoked aioli, and that can change at any time.

What's on the dessert menu?

Jess Robertson creates sweets that range from $4 to $15 for dessert. The Oak Park doughnut comes with a brown butter glaze, crème fraÎche, mousse, gingerbread crumble, and crème fraÎche ice cream, while the apple pie combines poached apples, butter crust, lemon crema, and masala chai ice cream.

For just a taste of dessert, order the oatmeal cream pie or chocolate hazelnut bar.

Who are the players?

Damon Murphy spent 16 years at 801 Chophouse as the general manager, among other roles.  He’s the general manager at Oak Park.

Ian Robertson left 801 Chophouse in 2017 to work at restaurants in New York and Chicago such as ABC Kitchen from chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Daisies with new American cuisine focusing on seasonal pasta and vegetables, and Deer Path Inn. He has also “staged” (trained in the kitchen) at Daniel Boulud’s eponymous Michelin-starred restaurant Daniel in New York City. He is the executive chef at Oak Park.

Jess Robertson worked at the former Baru 66 in Windsor Heights as well as Eleven Madison Park, the plant-based restaurant from chef Daniel Humm with three Michelin stars in New York, and The Peat Inn Restaurant with Rooms in Scotland. She is the restaurant’s executive pastry chef and married to Ian Robertson.

Billy Dohrmann is the director of operations for the entire Block 39 development, which includes a garden and possibly retail space. He also has a great photographer's eye and shot many of the dishes as the restaurant tested its menu.

The décor and architecture of Oak Park

Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie style, inspired by the broad, flat landscape of America’s Midwest, informs the architecture behind Oak Park. Even the restaurant's name is a nod to Wright's studio in Oak Park, Illinois.

Inside, diners sit in the solarium, a U-shaped section of the building designed by Brad Hartman of Hartman Trapp Architecture Studio in Des Moines. In the center sits a cozy bar with built-in booths. Plenty of windows line the solarium and transom in the bar area.

The chef's table at Oak Park

A six-seat chef's table in the kitchen gives diners a view. No one misses a second of the action; every seat faces the kitchen.

Here four to six diners will order a prix fixe menu prepared by executive chef Ian Robertson. The first seating of the chef's table is from 5 to 8 p.m. and the second seating begins at 8:30 p.m. Tickets start at $250 per person.

Oak Park also has a private dining room with its own wine cellar. Here, find a special six-course tasting menu for six to 10 people that highlights special dishes from the Oak Park menu. Tickets here start at $175 per person.

Diners can also opt to rent out rooms in the solarium. Each have hidden doors to partition sections off.

What's on the wine list at Oak Park?

Oak Park plans to showcase 7,000 bottles of wine to pair with the new American food on the menu. Many have a home in the bar or the private dining room, but most live in a temperature-controlled room in the basement. Already, the leadership team passed the introductory sommelier course, a two-day training and test, so everyone has a good base knowledge of wine.

Sam Tuttle takes on the job of wine program director at Oak Park. The certified sommelier opened with 500 wine labels in the cellar, with plans to grow to 1,000 within the first year.

Oak Park has a menu of wines by the glass kept stable with a Coravin Wine Preservation System, as well as a lengthy list of bottles.

More: Meet the man who plans to stock Oak Park restaurant with 7,000 bottles of wine

Is it hard to get reservations?

Yes, but Oak Park just opened up the books for more reservations into next year. The restaurant intentionally started with fewer openings for reservations so staff could give diners the best experience.

Some tips: Be flexible with the time if you have a particular day you want to dine. Sometimes reservations are open early or late.

The restaurant does accept walk-ins.

You can dine at the bar, which has several built-in booths for diners as well as bar seating to peeping at everyone walking through the space.

Where to find Oak Park

Location: 3901 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines

Contact: 515-620-2185 or oakparkdsm.com

Hours: Open Tuesday through Saturday from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Reservations: Exploretock.com.

Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Everything you need to know about the new restaurant Oak Park in Des Moines