When mom and dad are in town, it’s good to take them to a nice restaurant to show off your great city. Waterfront Grill in Tulsa is tops for places to take someone from out of town. The restaurant, located
alongside the Arkansas River, serves great steaks, seafood and its signature prime rib. Juniper and Palace Café tie for second this year. Juniper, with its emphasis on fresh and local ingredients, provides inventive menu items and a glimpse at the food of Oklahoma. Palace Café offers a menu that includes everything from steaks to vegetarian options. A stylish décor and great cocktail menu make it a very impressive place. Stonehorse Café and Dragonmoon Tea Co. round out this year’s list. Located in Utica Square, the dishes that emerge from Chef Tim Inman’s kitchen at Stonehorse are as beautiful as they are tasty. Dragonmoon’s luncheon offerings, such as curry chicken salad and quiche, are best accompanied by a pot of tea. Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse is a terrific place to take out-of-towners, not only for a taste of great steak, but also for its view of the Bricktown Canal. The Metro Wine Bar and Bistro offers a taste of France in the heart of Oklahoma. Guests are treated to culinary delicacies as well as a stellar wine list. Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, located in Oklahoma City’s historic Stockyards District, is truly a taste from the
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Oklahoma Magazine | JULY 2013
Salads Salads are the perfect way to begin a great meal, or for some, they are the star of the evening. The tableside Caesar salad preparation at Celebrity Restaurant earns it the top spot yet again as Best Salad in Tulsa. This historic restaurant’s combination of classic Caesar flavors still wows patrons. With creations such as the Rotisserie Turkey Cobb, Roasted Beet salad an the Butter Lettuce salad with tomato goat cheese crostini, Wolfgang Puck Bistro earns the second spot on this year’s list for its salads. CharlesnD Foods, Best Deli ton’s Restaurant, BRENT FUCHS a perennial favorite for salads, rounds out the list this year. Walt’s Champagne Chicken Salad and the Chicken Club Salad are just two reasons Charleston’s receives recognition year after year. The fast-casual local chain Coolgreens wins Best Salads in Oklahoma City. With specialty salads as well as a build-yourown option, diners can make sure their salad is catered to specific tastes. Cheever’s Café, whose Southwest spin creates salads like the Quinoa Avocado Salad and a Cowboy Rubbed Salmon Salad, earns the second spot on this year’s list with Oklahoma City diners. Charleston’s Restaurant, once again, completes the top three in Oklahoma City.
Salsa A tortilla chip is just not the same without its best friend and closest ally: salsa. When it comes to the best salsa in Tulsa, Los Cabos Mexican Grill and Cantina takes home the blue ribbon. Los Cabos has the mix of tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic and vinegar perfected, and diners agree. Mi Cocina slides into second for having the best salsa in Tulsa. Café Olé rounds out the top three for Best Salsa in Tulsa. Spicy salsa lands 1492 New World Latin Cuisine the top spot in Oklahoma City. Ted’s Café Escondido, with its mild and hot varieties of salsa, follows. Iguana Mexican Grill, along with complimentary salsa, also offers a salsa bar that includes salsa verde and citrus habanero salsa.
Seafood Living in the heart of the country, one may think
it’s difficult to find great seafood. But Bodean Restaurant & Market will have none of that talk. The restaurant and fish market sell seafood that is flown in fresh from the coasts. Oysters on the half-shell, Hazelnut Crusted Alaskan Halibut and Pan-seared Jumbo Sea Scallops are all highlights of Bodean’s menu. Bonefish Grill is also a great place for seafood. With entrees like Pecan Parmesan Crusted Rainbow Trout drizzled with lemon butter and a variety of grilled fishes, Bonefish can satisfy any seafood craving. White River Fish Market & Restaurant, conveniently located near the Tulsa International Airport, is a great place to go for the catch of the day. Buy seafood to prepare yourself, or let White River do the work for you. If it swims, Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse likely serves it. The steakhouse’s wide variety of seafood on the menu includes Cedar Plank Salmon, Pan Roasted Sea Bass and Alaskan King Crab Legs. Turn that steak into a surf and turf by adding a lobster tail. Pearl’s Oyster Bar, a seafood restaurant with a little bit of Creole influence, serves up great dishes, including oysters on the half-shell, crab cakes and Cioppino. Hefner Grill, serving crab bisque, fish and chips and other seafood staples, rounds out this year’s list.
Steakhouse A great steakhouse offers a few things: a great cut of meat, fine wine and stellar service. In Tulsa, the restaurant that does the job the best, according to readers, is Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. The most prime cuts of meat combined with a carefully cultivated wine list makes Fleming’s a great place for a steakhouse experience. Mahogany Prime Steakhouse and Prhyme both grab the second spot. Mahogany prides itself on only providing the finest ingredients and wine to its patrons. Prhyme ages its own beef in-house, ensuring that everything served is to the exacting standards of Chef Justin Thompson. Freddie’s Bar-B-Que & Steakhouse and McGill’s round out the third spot. Freddie’s, the legendary Lebanese steakhouse, provides great meat in addition to the hummus, barbecued ribs, cabbage roll and tabouli that are served standard with nearly any entrée. McGill’s is still the place to go for a business lunch. Settle it over steak, and all will be well. In Oklahoma City, Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse is the place to go for a great piece of meat. The restaurant also boasts an impressive array of fresh seafood as well as a stocked bar and great wine list. With a distinctively Western theme and a stellar reputation for great steaks and service, Ranch Steakhouse has delivered to Oklahoma City customers for over a decade. Prime beef that is aged in-house and locally raised bison are two highlights of this steakhouse. Red PrimeSteak, winner of several national recognitions for its high-quality steak and wine list, rounds out the top three.
Stylish new Restaurant Lots of restaurants open their doors within a year; only a few can be named the most stylish. Prhyme, located in the Brady Arts District, garners first place votes for its stylish ambiance and delicious meals. An
KENNETH M. RUGGIANO
Place to Take Out-of-town guests
past. Steaks are accompanied with hearty sides and a salad with that signature salad dressing.
BRENT FUCHS
mushrooms, roasted chicken and figs. Inventive pies, like the Flying Pig and Kick A** Pie, topped with fresh mozzarella, roasted tomatoes, calabrese peppers, soprassata and fresh oregano, are what makes Upper Crust the upper crust of pizzerias.