Ravens Tavern located at Oxnard, Seabridge Marina Center, is an English and Irish restaurant serving delicious meals that aren’t found at other restaurants nearby. While walking into the restaurant I was greeted with a lovely dim-lighted scenery. The restaurant has dark- wooden tables that contrast the charming outdoor setting you can see through the window. The vintage light bulbs hanging outside along with the buildings that just bring a lovely display while eating.

Sides to try
One of their appetizers is their Raven Fries. The Raven Fries come in a variety of different flavors consisting of Old Bay Fries, Curry Fries, Garlic Fries, and Sweet Potato Fries. When ordering, all these fries sounded good but we decided to try the Garlic fries which came with a cheese sauce. The fries are delicious with their soft inside and crunchy-salty exterior. The fries at the bottom contain more oils or salt so when ordered it would be good to mix the fries all together before digging in. The hints of garlic flavor balanced the saltiness and made the side full of flavor.

More appetizers on their menu include onion rings, hot wings with additional sauces, mussels, spinach and artichoke dip, and charred brussel sprouts. There are also soups and salads that can be served as an appetizer. The soups are Manhattan Seafood Chowder and French Onion Soup. The varieties of salads are the House Salad, the Caesar Salad, Pear and Bleu Salad, and the Cobb Salad.

The French Onion soup is a uniquely balanced appetizer that contains a salty, caramelized onion, beef broth with parmesan and gruyere cheese floating on top. Inside the soup there is soft shredded beef that is soaked with the broth giving it a juicy texture. Along with the minced onion pieces in the soup, the cheese and dried basil leaves add more taste but not to the point where it overpowers the other flavors. .

Braised Short Ribs
During the visit, we ordered their Braised Short Ribs that were delicious and easy to chew. The ribs were surrounded in a red wine demi-glaze sauce that pairs well with the side of mashed potatoes. On top of the meat are leaves of rosemary that give off a pungent taste and outstanding flavor, which help to combine the flavors of both the short ribs and mashed potatoes. The sauce is not too thick but has a savory feeling that remains in your mouth for a good while.

Raven Hand Pies
The Raven pies that are available on the menu are the Steak and Mushroom Pie, The Cornish Chicken Pie, and The Veggie Pie.
The Cornish Chicken Pie brings a whole new experience to the table which you can order regularly or a small size for those with smaller appetites. This Cornish Chicken Pie has a scoop of mashed potatoes on the top with a golden salty-gravy surrounding the whole dish. The pie has a crunchy crust that makes the soft vegetables and chicken on the inside weigh well together. The vegetables that are minced in this dish include carrots, corn, peas, potatoes, sage, and thyme. With all these different flavors, they all combine together and are astounding and create a delicious taste. The gravy topping brings a delicious meat scented aroma and when in your mouth, the flavor is highly pungent of meat and herbs.

Desserts
Ravens Tavern’s dessert menu consists of the Big Chocolate Cake, the Apple Pecan Crumble, and the Lemon Poppyseed Cheesecake. The Apple Pecan Crumble is a warm flakey, yet soft dessert topped with ice cream and salted caramel. The dish consists of an apple cinnamon sauce with pecan chunks at the bottom of the crumble cake. The cake has a soft taste due to the sauce on the bottom and the ice cream melting from the warm cake. The salted caramel is evenly drizzled on the entire dish but doesn’t take away from any flavors.

The Lemon Poppyseed Cheesecake is a well proportioned dish with a soft moose consistency. The sweetness from the lemon zest stands out but also has a creamy essence that combines together deliciously. The balance between the garnish poppy seeds and creamy cheesecake center contributes to the flavor and texture. The raspberry drizzle adds to the confections of lemon tart along with a little more flavor than just mostly lemon. The crust was not too thick and still had a soft yet crispy texture.

The whole experience was enjoyable and the customer service was very kind and helpful. Their dishes all have delicious flavors that I have not found anywhere else in Ventura. I would highly recommend having a visit with family or friends and enjoy the delicious meals Ravens Tavern has to offer.