May’s Scene
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The Big Squeeze
Juicing has become popular in recent years. Whether used for detoxing or as meal replacements, it’s a great option for people on the go. Luckily for downtown Tulsa’s bustling workforce, there is a brand-new juice bar for that fast-paced bunch.
In February, Sam and Jennifer Johnson opened Jennifer Juice in the lobby of the Philtower Building. They built a large kitchen in order to serve not only retail customers, but also to produce pure juices and blends in bulk for distribution to select restaurants and bars.
The Johnsons moved to Tulsa from New York City in April 2013, but Sam Johnson is an Oklahoma native.
“The core of what we do is press juice from fresh vegetables and fruit that we source as locally as possible,” he says. “We typically press between 12 and 15 different juices each week, and the lineup varies seasonally.”
Juices are served as bottle blends and cocktail-style in shot glasses at the bar.
“Raw juice had become very popular in NYC over the past several years, and Jennifer became interested in it,” he continues. “Finding nothing like it in Tulsa and impressed by Tulsa’s farmers markets, we thought the time and place was right.” 472 S. Boston Ave., Tulsa. www.jenniferjuice.com
Lambrusco’Z to Go Downtown
Nancy Bruce, the owner of Lambruso’Z to Go in Tulsa’s Brookside neighborhood, was looking forward to retirement. She even made an exit strategy – a five-year plan to divvy up her duties among her employees – after operating the popular Tulsa eatery for almost 30 years.
That changed, however, when about three years into that five-year plan, a friend showed her a property in downtown Tulsa. As soon as she walked into the space, it spoke to Bruce. Lambruco’Z in downtown Tulsa was born, and the new location opened in March in the Blue Dome District.
Since 1985, Bruce has prided herself on serving lunch-hour favorites, dips, fresh-made sandwiches and salads, cookies and other favorites that one-up the average deli.
“We want to be able to offer our downtown customers the same menu items that they have come to expect so that they can grab their lunch and head back to work,” she says.
The downtown menu is the same as Brookside’s, but the process has been streamlined to accommodate the busy downtown lunch rush. 114 S. Detroit Ave., Tulsa. www.lambruscoz.com
Mamaveca Mexican & Peruvian Restaurant
You could go to any restaurant offering burritos, tacos and other staples of the Mexican food menu. Or, you could discover that there’s more to dishes from south of the border than quesadillas and refried beans. Mamaveca Mexican & Peruvian Restaurant has impressed Norman and the Oklahoma metro area with its Peruvian menu that includes varieties of ceviche and seafood-based dishes flavored with saffron, pepper sauces and traditions from the South America country. Mamaveca owners William and Monica Chunga, who are from Peru, spice up their menu with surprising takes on Chinese-style fried rice, sautéed noodles and tempura classics. And yes, there are Mexican classics such as tacos, fajitas and chiles rellenos, often served with sides of fresh sliced tomatoes, avocado, seasoned rice and refried beans. Ordered with a cool mango margarita or ice-cold Mexican beer and followed with the flan, dining at Mamaveca is a Latin American dining experience that many guests will remember well after the tab is paid. 2551 W. Hemphill Drive, Norman. www.mamavecasrestaurant.com
Tea With a Twist
When Stonehorse Café & Market owner Tim Inman and manager Amelia Eesley began looking for new ways to draw customers in during the afternoon between the café’s lunch rush and dinner, a longtime English tradition seemed the perfect fit. After three years of brainstorming, research and trial runs, Stonehorse’s by-reservation-only Tulsa Tea officially kicked off earlier this year.
Held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., Tulsa Tea has quickly become a favorite with Stonehorse guests. They can indulge in fresh-baked scones, a scrumptious assortment of sweet and savory treats, champagne, specialty cocktails and a variety of fragrant teas procured from Metropolitan Tea in Tulsa.
“It was Tim’s idea to make different things in bite sizes,” says Eesley, adding that the menu items, all of which are made in-house, include gluten-free options. “People have been really impressed with the food, and they want to try all of the different teas.”
A vacation to England in 2013 provided Eesley with the perfect opportunity to research ideas for the Tulsa Tea project. While she was in London, Eesley attended several teas and returned to Tulsa armed with ideas, many of which have been incorporated into or expanded upon for the Tulsa Tea afternoons.
“Ours is not a classic English tea – it’s a tea with a twist,” Eesley says.
Helping to put that Tulsa twist on afternoon tea, Stonehorse pastry chefs Morgan Barkley and Amara Gray frequently rotate tea menu selections and tailor them according to which fruits and vegetables are in season.
“We’ve had a lot of comments on the tea menu – people are amazed that we make things that small,” Barkley says, adding that the tiny treats are prepared fresh each tea day, with many of them going into the oven just as guests arrive.
Some of those tiny-but-tasty teatime treats include orange spice scones studded with black currants, mini red velvet cupcakes with cream-cheese icing, coconut-chocolate rochers, chocolate financiers, madeleines with lemon curd, strawberry Bavarian tarts, chicken salad profiteroles, goat cheese served on puff pastry with red bell pepper tapenade, deviled eggs, lox served on fennel crackers with cream cheese, red onion and fine herbs and prosciutto-wrapped asparagus spears.
The bite-sized treats are perfect for sharing and allow guests to sample each item as well as take extras of their favorites, Barkley says.
Guests also receive descriptions of teas and Stonehorse’s signature cocktails. A typical tea menu will include green, black, white, mint and Darjeeling tea varieties, Eesley says, noting a particular guest favorite, Lychee Congou, a leafy black tea infused with the flavor of lychee fruit.
Rather than being the stuffy, formal affair that some people picture when thinking of teatime, Tulsa Tea is designed to be a relaxed, fun event, ideal for both small get-togethers or group events such as birthdays, baby showers and business meetings, Eesley says.
“We’re really excited about the Tulsa Tea project,” she adds. “It’s a fun way to spend an afternoon.” 1748 Utica Square, Tulsa.
Stonehorse Café invites you to its uniquely Tulsa teatime.
Sweet On Mom
Every Mother’s Day, we celebrate all the wonderful women in our lives. Whether she’s a spouse, mother, grandma, mentor or friend, show her she’s appreciated by making her something delicious and guilt-free.
Take advantage of the fresh, juicy berries abundant at farmers markets and grocery stores. Full of antioxidants, vitamins and other essential nutrients, strawberries pack a nutritional punch.
Besides being low in calories and high in fiber, strawberries contain flavonoids, known to help fight heart disease. And along those lines, strawberries contain antioxidants that can potentially prevent strokes because they stop blood clots from forming. Those same antioxidants are also helpful in preventing cancerous tumors from forming.
Eating strawberries can help regulate blood pressure, blood sugar and lower cholesterol.
Indulge you moms – their hearts will be appreciative in more ways than one.
Chilled Strawberry Soup
3 c. fresh quartered strawberries
1 c. fat-free evaporated milk
½ c. light sour cream
3-4 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp. lemon zest
¼ tsp. orange zest
Low-fat whipped topping or light sour cream and strawberry slices, for garnish
Combine all ingredients except garnish in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Strain soup through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds. Repeat this step to remove as many seeds as possible. Chill soup for at least eight hours or overnight. Serve in small bowls. Garnish as desired.
Robert’s Grill
One day out of the year, the onion burger is placed on a pedestal, and the town of El Reno celebrates its existence by cooking one weighing more than 750 pounds. Lore tells us that El Reno’s Fried Onion Burger Day Festival was born when a local proprietor mixed onions into ground beef and patted it out to make it look bigger. It was the Great Depression, and meat was expensive, but onions were not. The result became a local favorite and tradition carried into today by small-town diners like Robert’s Grill. Route 66 favorite and long-time establishment Robert’s Grill has a basic menu of burgers, coneys, fries, tots, chili and sandwiches. What’s not advertised is the “show” – customers get to watch as the cook throws beef patties on the grill with fresh-cut onions and smashes them together before building the burger on a bun. With this kind of flavor, the onion burger deserves all the kudos it gets; and with each order, Robert’s Grill keeps building its hard-earned reputation for simple goodness. 300 S. Bickford Ave., El Reno. 405.262.1262
