Decisions at the Oak Tree
The Finest of Dining at Hard Rock’s Council Oak

The Seminole have a scared oak tree on their property – it’s tree where the tribe elders would gather when decisions needed to be made. It’s still there. The fine dining establishment that is the cornerstone of cuisine elegance at the Hard Rock Seminole is the Council Oak, and the wisdom of the elders seems to have been passed on to the service, decor and of course, the food.

I love French onion soup, probably more than any other soup, and decided I would try it since it’s always a good indicator of how sophisticated the chef is. In the case of great onion soup, less is more. The onions should be so finely chopped that they are almost a puree and the cheese so thick on top that you have to cut it with a knife to eat it. This onion soup achieved both and was absolutely excellent. It was so full of onions that were so finally chopped that it had a thickness to it beyond the usually thin broth.

Red velvet is the main design motif, and steaks and seafood are style represented on the menu. The menu has several steaks to choose from, the signature being the cowboy sirloin, which I ordered. This enormous slab was the size of a tennis racket, cooked to perfection, and the chef was nice enough to carve my initials in the bone. This was one enormous steak, but it was so good that you forget it’s big and you just keep eating.

Another person had the sesame seared tuna with Thai noodles. I quickly moved the plate in my direction and claimed half the fillet since I was writing the review. A great sesame tuna should have a very thick sesame crust – blackened on the outermost layer but on the inside the seeds should still be fresh. It should have a slight hint of teriyaki and be braised on the outside and raw on the inside. This tuna fillet was as good as the steak. It was simply spectacular.

The entrée dishes at Council Oak are all a la carte, and the sides are served family-style. We choose the braised asparagus, macaroni and cheese and potatoes au gratin. The potatoes were so cheesy that you almost didn’t know whether there were any potatoes in the dish at all. Each side was terrific. The portions were very generous. The braised asparagus took the vegetable to a whole new level.

For dessert I chose the cheesecake, which, like onion soup, is a marker of mine in fine dining. If you can create a scrumptious cheesecake and an elegant onion soup to bookend your 4-star entrée, then you have truly achieved world class dining.

The wine list is extensive and superb and any wine connoisseur will have plenty to discuss and order. Council Oak, under the direction of Chef de Cuisine David day Roach, is a dining extravaganza for the palate. Make sure one of your nights at the Hard Rock Seminole involves the Council Oak. It will make your entire trip!