I keep ending up in Tulsa.
Over the past decade, while it seems an unlikely a place to keep ending up, I have found myself working, learning and teaching there somewhat frequently. Over that time, I've done some of the best research for my as yet unwritten book about Dive Bars of the World (and thanks much to my friends around the world who have helped in my research efforts!) and also had a couple of the best steak dinners in recent memory.
After spending the last 5 days in the center of our great nation, I thought it would be a good time to give an overview of the quality culinary diversity that is available and share some of the best options in the other city in Oklahoma.
Sushi: Why not start with the unexpected? In The Raw is a great sushi restaurant with a great view looking over the south end of Tulsa. ITR sits up on top of a hill, has a great patio, awesome service and an impressive staff (Even more impressive in costume on Halloween). Trust them to make you something creative and good. Strawberries and eel? Who knew...
Korean: Until my recent trip to NYC, I didn't even realize I liked Korean food... and I don't usually look for great restaurants in strip malls. Luckily, my friend Mike has spent a lot of time in Asia and he vetted the menu at the Korean Garden off of 41st st. We actually arrived a couple of minutes late and were meeting some other friends... the text message I got from them read when they arrived was: "Looks... ?? Have you eaten here??" . It turned out to be a great meal. Service was sketchy and the setting is Subway, but the food was excellent. I'm not a huge fan of spicy, so I stuck with mild Bulgogi and Galbi and was very happy. My friends with more adventurous palates also enjoyed the food.
Irish Pub: Kilkenny's on Cherry St. is pretty legit. While they don't actually have the hard-to-find-in-the-US Kilkenny (Guinness Light... go find some.), they do everything else well from setting to pub food to a well poured Guinness. Try the little potato appetizer things. If you go with a group, be aware that this is really a pub not a bar... seating is mostly set up for small groups dining, with a relatively small bar area.
American FOOD: Charleston's is the go to spot for lunch or dinner with standard american fare. Soups, salads, chicken friend steak, burgers and the like can all be had at a-bit-above-average quality with great service.
Steakhouses: Fleming's used to be my favorite steakhouse in Tulsa, but I have recently become more fond of Mahogany Prime (of course, you can't mount the PF Chang's Horse after dinner if you eat at Mahogany...well, you could, but you'd have to drive across town.). It might simply be because I've been staying at the Doubletree which is less than a mile from the latter. Both have nice settings, with Mahogany offering a darker atmosphere with smaller sections and more secluded tables and Fleming's having a more open floor plan with a look that reminds me more of a high end Italian place. Keep this in mind if you want good steak with a group in Tulsa: Fleming's probably caters to a group larger than 6 much better. That said, Mahogany offers a private room with a round table that seats 6 comfortably, 8 by specification. ("comfort" having a lot to do with the company you are sharing and how much they want to question you about spurious indiscretions from your youth... but that's a story for a different blog...). Which reminds me to advise you never to ask for a table for an odd number of people. No tables are made for odd numbers of people, which means you are rolling the dice on having extra room at a table for one more or not enough room by squeezing into a table for one less. Just own it, claim a person is running late or in the bathroom or invisible and tell the hostess you need the larger table. Then tip well. Anyway, the steaks at both places are world class.
Starting tomorrow, this next couple of weeks will include my first extended road-trip since starting the HBC Blog... New Jersey - Virginia - Tennessee - Michigan - Ohio. Lots of friends and family time around the Thanksgiving Holiday. Should be fun.
-RJP
Hotel: Doubletree, Tulsa
Restaurants: See Above.
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