Freshening up

What’s on the menu at Palace Café depends on the season

James Shrader got his introduction to Tulsa and its restaurant scene while interning at The 15th Street Grill in 1992. When the Seattle native fell in love with the city, he decided to make his way back to Cherry Street, eventually founding Palace Café in 2002. Since then, the name has become synonymous with fine dining and innovative cuisine, a mix perhaps best defined by the lobster corndog that, during just the right season, graces the menu. 

The Tulsa Voice: What’s the premier dish on the menu at The Palace Café for summer? 

James Shrader: We follow the seasons. Fried green tomato salad will be our first release. We do fried green tomatoes and house-made mozzarella over a bed of arugula (from the farmer’s market when possible), and then we do a golden cherry tomato relish on the top with a buttermilk herb drizzle. It’s like a fried tomato capresa. 

TTV: How do you keep ingredients local?

JS: We started [working] with Cherry Street Farmer’s Market in 2003. They had a need for prepared food items at the market to get people there in the morning directly at 7 a.m. [when the market opens], so we started doing breakfast burritos. I was there at the market, and all of the sudden, I’m immersed in this local food. We source all of our eggs locally. I’ve been sourcing a lot of my greens from the market—baby field greens, frisee, basil, arugula, romaine—most of my kale comes from the market right now. I love it as an owner because it’s what I want to put out there as a good, nutritious meal for my guests. 

TTV: Who’s your biggest influence?

JS: Tom Douglas Restaurants in Seattle. I went to a high school culinary program, and I was fortunate enough to work under the president of the Washington State Chef’s Association. Through him, I’ve gotten to know Douglas’ restaurants. At the time he had two—Etta’s and The Dahlia Lounge. I would save up my money and cruise off to The Dahlia to see what kind of food he had on the menu to blow my mind. All of his food is just incredibly good and well-thought-out and executed. I do find him to be a big influence because of his strong business sense—he has multiple restaurants. Maybe I’ll open more than one restaurant one day.

TTV: What would you serve him if he came into Palace?

JS: I would probably serve him my pan-seared duck breast with Hoisin sauce. It takes a lot of technique to make that duck breast properly, to get that skin rendered and crispy without overcooking the duck. We do our house-made Hoisin, which I think he’d find interesting. And then the quinoa tabouli for the protein and the salad. I’d probably push the fava bean succotash for his side. 

TTV: What about tips for the home chef, specifically summer cooking?

JS: When you’re cooking meats, you want the metal stem thermometer. The number-one thing the home chef does is overcook the food, so I recommend investing in a good-quality digital thermometer. We use Comark thermometers [available at Smalley Equipment Company and Curtis Restaurant Supply]. If you just put that tip right to the center of what you’re cooking, it’s going to keep you out of trouble as far as the overcooking. Once you take it off the grill it will do this thing called carry-over cooking—it will carry over 5-10 degrees. If the grill is crazy-hot, your carryover tends to pop higher. So a good sear and then slow cooking it somewhere else keeps it under control. 

TTV: How do you spend your spare time?

JS: This industry is prone to unhealthy lifestyle—high-stress, alcohol. I saw what the old-school chefs were doing, and it’s high-stress, screaming at people. Chefs were always pissed off and sleep deprived and didn’t have a life. They actually taught us about that in culinary school. We talked about some of the great chefs and what their personal sacrifice was. That really hit home with me. As a result, I make sure I have a clean staff. I’m an avid biker so I like to get out there and engage with the biking community and enjoy our 100-plus miles of trails and acclimate to the seasons. I think that’s what they’re trying to do at the culinary school—promote this healthy lifestyle.

Editor’s note: This interview has been condensed and edited.