Cru Gastro Lounge offers upscale dining, wine experience in Oxford
Jul. 20—Mike Patterson is a veteran of the Oxford restaurant industry. When he and his wife, Michelle Patterson, moved to the college town in 2003, they purchased Uptown Bakery and Café and converted it into Patterson's Café.
Back then, the restaurant was still on High Street, but they soon outgrew the 24-seat location. In 2004, the pair opened Paesano's Pasta House on South Campus Avenue, and in 2009 they moved Patterson's from its original location to Stewart Square where it is now.
Four years later, Mike Patterson opened Cru next door.
Original known as Cru Wine Bar and Shop, the new upscale location didn't originally pan out.
"It didn't go well," Patterson said. "I thought people were ready for it because wine bars were kind of a kitschy term that everybody was trying to do. We did small plates and we did flights of wine and food and ... some live music as well, and it just didn't go."
Eventually, Patterson pivoted away from the full wine bar experience, renaming the restaurant Cru Gastro Lounge. The upscale atmosphere and bar each remain, though. Unlike most restaurants in town which cater to Miami University students, Patterson said he's intentionally targeting an older demographic.
"If you go to a college bar uptown, they're not serving wine. My goal was to make it more of an upscale adult destination, and that's really kind of where we hang our hat at this point," Patterson said.
Patterson recently updated the menu at Cru, which includes baked parmesan crusted walleye, crab cakes and filet mignon. He says they are most known for their ribs. The menu includes two options: short ribs marsala or a full rack of barbeque ribs.
Cru also sells some retail wine, and regular customers can rent wine lockers.
"They can come in and grab a bottle of wine out of their locker, put it on their table and drink it and it's no extra charge," Patterson said. "They buy it from me, and we stock the locker for them."
Beyond wine, Patterson also keeps the bar stocked with other alcohol, especially bourbon. The shelving itself is made from the remnants of an old barn which were stored inside the building when Patterson bought it.
While Michelle Patterson manages the front end of Patterson's Café, Mike Patterson is responsible for both the front and back end of Cru on his own. He said it isn't without its challenges, but he has a good core team. When people have a good experience in his restaurant, the effort is worth it.
"I've had several customers through the years [say], 'We don't know what we would do if you weren't in this town, restaurant-wise,' with the three restaurants that I have," Patterson said. "The gratification that you get that people are happy with what you're doing, it's a great feeling. Food is one of those things, it's instant gratification."
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How to go
What: Cru Gastro Lounge
Where: 105 W. Spring St., Oxford
Online: cruwinebaroxford.com
