Harvest bounty

Standout dishes from 10 Tulsa restaurants’ new fall menus

Fall is upon us and winter is knocking, which means Tulsa’s top chefs have launched their new fall menus. The TulsaFood writers have thoroughly enjoyed dozens of new dishes over the past couple months and compiled a short list of Fall 2014 favorites. In no particular order, here they are:

Veal Osso Buco ($38)
The Tavern, chef de cuisine Matthew Bailey
Provided you like beef and heartwarming stew, if this dish doesn’t get you in the mood for fall and Thanksgiving, nothing will. The rich, super tender, bone-in veal is moderately coated in a red wine demi-glace and sits on a thick bed of stewed red potatoes and carrots. Order this with caution, because it might affect how you judge every “beef stew” you eat again in your life. In terms of a fall dish that is hearty, rich and filling, this stew comes in as our favorite. 

Crispy Duck Confit ($15)
SMOKE, executive chef Erik Reynolds
There is something about the balanced combination of colors in this dish that makes you want to just curl up beside it with a full-bodied pinot noir. But the dish is every bit as delicious as it is visually stunning. One local chef told me this week, “A lot of people in Tulsa seem to be afraid of duck for some reason.” So, for those who struggle to take the plunge and order away from their comfort zones, this is the dish with which to take the risk and learn to love duck done properly. The Brussels sprouts and butternut squash arrived perfect in temperature and texture, and the crispy sage was a great touch to the overall flavor profile of the dish. Every tender bite of this bird—with its brown and crisp exterior, cooked in its own fat—will leave you wondering why you always order the steak. 

Braised Beef Short Ribs ($24) 
Palace Café, chef/owner James Shrader
Tulsa has enjoyed the consistent quality of this farm-to-table owner/chef concept for more than a decade. The short ribs, which sit atop wilted greens, are as tender as you can imagine and the veal gastrique ignites the rich, savory flavors. The fall vegetables that accompany the short ribs are the classic grilled carrots and the innovative roasted cauliflower mash. This dish wins most delicious and unique vegetable accompaniment; the roasted cauliflower mash is a nice vacation from the traditional potato. 

Roasted Turkey, Bacon & Havarti sandwich ($9) with a side of Bison Chili ($6)
Juniper, chef/owner Justin Thompson and chef Tim Slavin 
Who doesn’t love chili on a cold fall day? This meaty bison chili has just enough heat to please almost anyone, and the large cornbread crouton holds up ’til the last bite. The Justin Thompson Restaurant Group (Juniper, PHRYME, Tavolo, 624) now has a full-time chef baking all the bread, and you can tell the ciabatta bun came out of the oven that morning. Within that fresh, warm bun are the roasted turkey, black pepper, brown sugar and bacon coated with melted Havarti cheese. Beneath the local greens is a pesto mayo spread proportionately across the bread. 

Grilled Local Organic Blue Prawns ($32)
Tallgrass Prairie Table, chef Michelle Donaldson. 
Leave it to executive chef Michelle Donaldson to source local seafood from the Tulsa area. Wow. The prawns are raised organically by Lake 11 Fisheries in a 50-acre private lake 15 miles south of Bixby. As food columnist Brian Schwartz says: “[The prawns] have a wonderful flavor, all you’d want a prawn to be, and they have huge heads and tiny bodies. I devoured the whole thing, gamely crunching sharp spines and thick skulls. Although many diners choose not eat the heads (or at least pull off the spines first) I couldn’t pass on this delicious aspect of the dish. The prawns are served with a squash leaf pesto and recline on an heirloom pepper risotto, surrounded by rich, creamy ‘American’ sauce.” 

Masala Lamb Chops ($16)
Cumin, chef Shifali Bhullar 
The thick red sauce poured over these chops give the dish its distinctive Punjabi flavor. The tender chops are cut thick, and grilled to a perfect medium rare. The masala sauce is rich, mellow and toasty with the savory flavors of the lamb drippings it’s cooked with. Prepare yourself for medium heat from this sauce; its foundation is paprika and tomato with a bit of cream. This wonderful dish deserves to be listed among this fall’s best. 

Parisian Mac and Cheese ($10)
The Hen, chef Grant Vespasian 
We have a soft spot for chefs who can transform this simple childhood favorite into something special. This mac and cheese comes piping hot from of the oven. The combination of chèvre (goat cheese) and boursin (much like cream cheese in flavor and texture) makes this French-influenced dish unique in Tulsa. The baked bread crumb crust gives the perfect contrast in texture to the rich and creamy cheese and shell pasta. This dish is available on both the lunch and dinner menus and wins best fall vegetarian dish. 

El Bracero Ranchero ($19)
Calaveras Mexican Grill, owners David and Angelica Molina 
The founders of El Rio Verde recently opened this new authentic Mexican restaurant at Admiral and Lewis in the Kendall Whittier District. The El Bracero Ranchero, which translates to “ranch hand,” includes ribs, carne asada, chorizo links, potatoes, grilled green onion, pickled cactus and roasted tomato salsa—all served in a mini portable charcoal grill to keep it hot at the table. This beast of an entree is served with warm tortillas and all the usual fajita-style toppings on the side. The ribs are delicious and prepared with a homemade barbecue sauce made with brown sugar, mulato pepper and spices. The pickled cactus, prepared simply with salt, carries a unique but pleasant bitter savoriness that might set it apart from anything you’ve ever tasted. This is a unique and delicious play on the typical fajitas entree found at most Mexican eateries.

Yaki Gyoza ($8)
KEO, chef Dustin Logan
These duck breast potstickers with scallion and ginger are presented on fresh local greens. True story: Dees’ 12-year-old son wanted to go to KEO for his birthday and try the new fall tasting menu. He grabbed his chopsticks, picked up one of the dumplings, dipped it in the sweet soy sauce and took a bite. I watched as his eyes grew bigger than they get on Christmas morning. “Wow, that’s incredible; oh man!” he said. The cooked and ground duck breast is packed inside the thin dough. It’s lightly fried then finished off by steam cooking in its own duck fat, giving it a perfect exterior crust. We love this dish and intend to start a petition to see it permanently on the main menu. Yaki Gyoza wins best badass Asian-inspired hors d’oeuvre. 

Roast Beef Po Boy ($8) with a side of Gumbo ($4)
Lassalle’s New Orleans Deli, owners Chris and Amanda West 
One of the essential elements to this authentic sandwich, the bread, is shipped directly from a bakery in New Orleans. It has a distinct crispy exterior and fluffy interior. The roast beef is slow-cooked, locally sourced Angus beef in a rich gravy. It’s easy to see why this sandwich sells out every day. The gumbo is thick and packed with true Cajun flavors and a medium heat.

Still hungry? Peek inside The Chalkboard restaurant in the classic Ambassador Hotel or venture further afield with the rich tastes of Cumin.

Find this and other delicious morsels at TulsaFood.com, covering restaurants, products, events, recipes—everything a Tulsa foodie needs