Sometimes first impressions aren’t exactly correct.  After one brunch a few years back Josh and I both had Oasis Cafe pegged as a mostly vegetarian restaurant. Nothing is wrong with that except for its just incorrect.  Oasis Cafe has slowly transformed into a meat-loving place to gather, still maintaining excellent vegetarian and fish selections. And they are not just a good spot for brunch, as they have amazing salads at lunch time and a dinner menu with so many tasty entrees its seriously hard to choose.  So as it turns out, Oasis Cafe is much more than we’d hoped.

Josh and I dined at Oasis for dinner.  We sat in their cosy dining space, longingly looking out at their beautiful patio that the high winds kept us from enjoying.  We started off our meal with their Wild Mushroom and Sausage Canape, which is four buttered pieces of toast topped with generous amounts of crispy sausage and boursin cheese. They were light on the mushrooms but we enjoyed it none the less.

As we scoured their menu we both found too many good choices to make a decision so we had our waitress, who has been working at Oasis for over nine years, help us decide on what we’d be eating this evening.  I ended up with the Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna served with pho rice noodles, julienned vegetables, and a carrot ginger lemongrass broth. This is a great dish for any gluten-free folks out there or anyone who loves fresh ahi tuna like I do.  The sauce was light and the tuna cooked perfectly with a crunch of seeds on the edges.

Josh ordered the Chicken Phyllo Tart, which came served with watercress cashew sauce spilling over the top, wild mushrooms, marinated tomatoes, a hidden pile of mashed potatoes and juicy chicken, all topped with a balsamic vinegar reduction.  This plate was as delicious as it was intriguing.  I had a few bites and it reminded me of my favorite meals as a child where I got to enjoy all of my favorite things in the same bite… chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy.

And for dessert we couldn’t ignore the upside-down peach cobbler with blueberry whipped cream and orange caramel sauce.  It was the perfect size for us each to satisfy our sweet tooth at the end of a meal.  Alongside the cobbler we sipped on decaf lattes with Baily’s Irish Cream, which were delicious but even more so beautifully made by their talented barista.  Who knew you could make a panda bear with foam?! I just felt bad drinking the cute little character up.

You know a place is good when you leave thinking about what you want to try on your next visit.  We left perfectly full yet talking about a return visit to the patio this summer and getting to taste their Wild Mushroom Strozzapreti Pasta and their Slow Roasted Chicken.

So if you’re like us and had a preconceived idea of Oasis Cafe, now you know that they offer more than fish and vegetarian options, plus they have an amazing heated patio and are located right next to a quaint book store which you can roam around before or after a meal.

Oasis Cafe

151 S 500 E

Mon-Fri: 7-8:00am (Coffee & Pastries)
Mon-Thurs: 8:00am – 9:00pm
Fri-Sat: 8:00am -10:00pm
Sun: 8:00am – 9:00pm
http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/54/591524/restaurant/East-Central/Oasis-Cafe-Salt-Lake-City