Tulsa Food

Everybody loves Mondo’s. That genial Italian trattoria was a south Tulsa mainstay for almost thirty years until its closing in 1997. Half of Tulsa, it seems, has treasured childhood memories of family meals eaten there. And so, when the Tulsa World announced that Mondo’s was reopening on Brookside, the ecstatic comments on the Internet suggested [...]

As a chef, I’m constantly asked for my restaurant recommendations. While I like to tailor my replies to each asker, I have a few favorites that I share with everyone. Herewith, my personal guide to eating Tulsa: The Palace Cafe 1301 E 15th St, Tulsa | 918.582.4321 One of the things that I appreciate most [...]

I used to walk four miles to go to Ron’s. Back then, Ron’s was located in what looked like, and probably at one time was, a little country shack out near Harvard. There was a long counter with about 12 stools. No tables. The place was always packed and there’d be a line of people [...]

The gluten free stars have aligned in the Cosmos. Well, they have aligned at Cosmo’s…on Brookside! I arrived late as usual fashionably late to meet my girlfriend Abby a couple days ago and was pleasantly surprised to see a gluten free menu waiting for me. Yes, you read that right. Not a gluten option list, [...]

“Noooo, don’t order that! It has raw fish in it!” Some of the waitresses heard me and cringed, or perhaps snickered. This is not the best line to use in a sushi restaurant if you want to show the world your sophistication. But last night it made sense. There have been quite a few reviews [...]

There’s a new chef in town. Veteran chef Steve Howard has left the building and Matt Owen rode in from the west to replace him. Owen looks a bit like a young Clark Kent, but put him near an oven and he transforms into Superchef. He’s worked as chef at the Living Foods Market in [...]

Everyone has a story or two that involves a grilled cheese sandwich, I know I do. From throughout my childhood, through my bachelor days and now at the new Sage Rage Melt Bar on Brookside. The star of my stories has always been the sandwich which has interestingly evolved and while maintaining simplicity it has [...]

When I’m in the mood for sushi I become an unstoppable force. Nothing but a straight line and time separate me from fulfilling this craving. With a variety of fish flown in twice weekly, Fuji’s sushi menu is where I look for some of Tulsa’s freshest sushi. Fuji has been serving authentic sushi for 25 [...]

Yes lunch and yes a breakfast hotspot, Brookside By Day. I am always surprised at how amazing lunch can be at well known breakfast spots. I really shouldn’t be surprised, think about it, if you’re a breakfast restaurant, you are going to have the best bacon and a seasoned grill. The Burger – crispy, seared [...]

Do you have an unusual love for cheese, or ever wonder what goes into giving cheeses such distinct flavors and textures? Here’s an opportunity to try numerous kinds of cheese and learn how to cut it, taste it and what to serve it with. Check out the info below. These classes are a great opportunity [...]

In Tulsa, fine dining does not mean pretentious. It does mean dramatic spacious decor and flawless elegant cooking technique. It can be flamboyant, swaggering and purely Oklahoma. It can mean a dish like this. A Red Deer Chop flown in from Australia served with an Oaxacan Mole Coloradito — a rich complex sauce from southern [...]

I think the Brasserie is one of the finest restaurants in Tulsa. Certainly, it’s one of the nicest dining spaces. Sneak around the corner from Peoria, walk through the paneled door, and you’re suddenly transported to a fantasy evocation of a bistro in Paris, complete with leather-backed banquettes and mirrors misted over by time. It’s [...]

I can’t remember a Tulsa without Lambrusco’z.  But I never ate there. I’ve had people tell me, oh you must go try it, and one of my friends sent me an impassioned recommendation months ago. But the setup, which is a lot like a medieval London cook-shop, put me off. Until last night. Now I [...]

I have a secret to tell you. I love macaroni! Although it is a love that stems from my love for cheeses, macaroni has been the best vehicle to deliver many different types of cheeses into one dish. Here are a few macaroni confessions ranging from the best Mac-N-Cheese in Tulsa to an awesome macaroni [...]

Are you as sick as I am of hearing about Wolfgang Puck and his Bistro that opened on Brookside? I mean I’ve had his pizza before. Years ago out of town. Was good. Ate it all. But still, its just a thin crust pizza. When WPB (Wolfgang Puck Bistro) opened in Tulsa a while back [...]

I can’t remember a more exciting time for Tulsa dining than these bleak snowy days that began the new year. Four new restaurants opened, each offering elegant polished perfection, and each time I’d order a meal thinking, oh this just can’t be better than the last — and it was. It was as if what [...]

“We must cultivate our garden,” said Voltaire at the end of his novel “Candide”. Towards the end of his life, he did just that, at his huge farm in Ferney near the Swiss border. He was onto something. Local food tastes better. The fine rich flavors of farm-grown vegetables put bland supermarket chow to shame. [...]

Lately, I’ve been pouring over some of my favorite food websites, cursing the shipping costs and wishing that I had a Fox and Obel (Chicago) or Zabar’s (NYC) down the street for me to shop for delectable and beautifully-wrapped food gifts. Let’s be honest, I waste way to much time with this, hoping that someday [...]

If cupcakes are your weakness, then prepare to be obliterated. Tulsa is about to get a few new cupcake store-fronts which will accommodate any cupcake lover, regardless of which side of town you live on. You may already be a fan of Tulsa’s established bakeries that serve cupcakes such as Ann’s Bakery and Merritt’s Bakery [...]

This is not a review. My friend Mark Stenner ate what he says was the best meal of his life at The Kitchen, a long and fabulous bacchanalia which he thinks was eight courses though he lost count somewhere along the way. So he should write the review. But this is Tulsa Food after all, [...]

Take advantage of a night dedicated to the shops and restaurants of Center 1 on Brookside. There will be Jazz music, food, shopping and best of all – a percentage of the evening’s earnings will benefit Family and Children’s Services. What: A Global Celebration and Silent Auction to Explore all the shops and restaurants of [...]

I always eat before I drink — I learned that the hard way — but I never seem to eat WHERE I drink. Dinner at home and then a night on the town is more my style. But if you want to combine the two, with an emphasis on the liquid part, you might want [...]