When in Tulsa, try and find a local joint to eat at. That was the game I decided to play while in the Heart of the City. It was a weekend and downtown Tulsa was a ghost town. Only did it liven up after 10 o'clock. After attending a concert, I was a bit hungry, so I sought out a local place to dine. Staying close to my hotel, I was able to step into Joe Momma's, http://www.joemommas.com/, a local pizza joint, open late with formal dining, a tiny bar, and pizza by the slice.
Wanting something to spice up my life, I created my own pizza. It was made with the spicy arrabiata sauce, which had jalapeno pieces in it. Then I kept it simple and added mozzarella and andouille sausage. So spicy and delicious. Paired with a Mexican Coke, it was the perfect midnight snack.
Joe Momma's is an absolute must stop for Tulsa, especially on the weekend when they are open until 3am.
Grade: A-
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Daily Grill - Tulsa, OK
As you all know, or should have guessed, I am not such a fan of chain restaurants. With that being said, on a recent visit to Tulsa, many recommended places did not open until 6pm. Well when it is 5pm and my stomach growling, chains seem to be the only place open. I went back to my hotel and dined at the Daily Grill. A pre-concert snack, of sorts.
I sat at the bar, and with only 7 seats of the 25 filled, I expected the service to be spot on. That was my first assumption to go wrong. Being a fully stocked bar, I also expected there to be ginger ale or at least bitters. Wrong again. After perusing the menu, I finally decided on a side order of Mac & Cheese and a slice of the 6-layer carrot cake.
They came out at the same time, which was perfect. The mac & cheese was a blend of four cheeses including Gruyere and cheddar. A very nice combination and although it was baked, it retained the creamy sauce texture. The carrot cake was 6-layers with a nice cream cheese frosting. Overall, really a flawless cake.
Although the Daily Grill is a chain, with locations in a few major cities, the atmosphere and food masked the service issues and the chain issue.
Grade: B
Last Bite: Carrot Cake
I sat at the bar, and with only 7 seats of the 25 filled, I expected the service to be spot on. That was my first assumption to go wrong. Being a fully stocked bar, I also expected there to be ginger ale or at least bitters. Wrong again. After perusing the menu, I finally decided on a side order of Mac & Cheese and a slice of the 6-layer carrot cake.
They came out at the same time, which was perfect. The mac & cheese was a blend of four cheeses including Gruyere and cheddar. A very nice combination and although it was baked, it retained the creamy sauce texture. The carrot cake was 6-layers with a nice cream cheese frosting. Overall, really a flawless cake.
Although the Daily Grill is a chain, with locations in a few major cities, the atmosphere and food masked the service issues and the chain issue.
Grade: B
Last Bite: Carrot Cake
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Cardinals - Kansas City, MO
The Uptown Theater is in the heart of Kansas City, MO, located on Broadway. The marquee read 'Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Sold Out'. Boy do I love a sold out show. The crowd is usually in great spirits, the band is amped, and the set list tends to be one that would rival any other. The sold out show lived up to half of the statements above.
I was lucky enough to sit by another super fan, so we were able to geek out about Ryan, The Cards, Whiskytown, and tattoos, prior to the show starting. Although the band took the stage 45 minutes late, The Cardinals started off with the jams straight-away. Kicking of the set, 'I see monsters' was filled with emotion and life.
The Cardinals presented a grand mix from all of their albums. This evenings version of 'Born into the Light' was much more rock filled than the 'Cardinology' version. Another highlight was 'Rescue Blues' where the band changed it up a bit, Ryan on piano and Jon Graboff on guitar. A really great version, the best I have heard yet. Neal Casel was also able to showcase a tune from his brand new album.
Overall, the show was an A-, mainly because of the tardiness and the short show, they played for 1.5 hours. Nevertheless, the boys never disappoint and played plenty of my favorites.
Set-List
I see Monsters
Everybody Knows
Fix It
Let it Ride
Two
*Evening Joke with JonGraboff*
Dancing when the Stars go Blue
Come Pick me Up
Born into the Light
Wonderwall
Neal Casel Jam
Mockingbird
Goodnight Rose
Oh my God Whatever, etc.
Rescue Blues
Peaceful Valley
Bartering Lines
I was lucky enough to sit by another super fan, so we were able to geek out about Ryan, The Cards, Whiskytown, and tattoos, prior to the show starting. Although the band took the stage 45 minutes late, The Cardinals started off with the jams straight-away. Kicking of the set, 'I see monsters' was filled with emotion and life.
The Cardinals presented a grand mix from all of their albums. This evenings version of 'Born into the Light' was much more rock filled than the 'Cardinology' version. Another highlight was 'Rescue Blues' where the band changed it up a bit, Ryan on piano and Jon Graboff on guitar. A really great version, the best I have heard yet. Neal Casel was also able to showcase a tune from his brand new album.
Overall, the show was an A-, mainly because of the tardiness and the short show, they played for 1.5 hours. Nevertheless, the boys never disappoint and played plenty of my favorites.
Set-List
I see Monsters
Everybody Knows
Fix It
Let it Ride
Two
*Evening Joke with JonGraboff*
Dancing when the Stars go Blue
Come Pick me Up
Born into the Light
Wonderwall
Neal Casel Jam
Mockingbird
Goodnight Rose
Oh my God Whatever, etc.
Rescue Blues
Peaceful Valley
Bartering Lines
Arthur Bryant's - Kansas City, MO
Rated one of the best BBQ joints in Kansas City, MO, Artur Bryant's was a delightful treat after a 9 hour drive. I was headed to KC for a concert and the drive from Denver took about 9 hours with stops. I was good and really ate pita chips and hummus for most of the trip. So when I pulled into the lot at Arthur Bryant's the smell of smokehouse BBQ was overwhelming and my stomach immediately began to yearn for some tasty BBQ.
Never having tried KC BBQ before, I was pleased to see that the menu had some of my favorite choices; pulled pork open face, sausage, sliced pork, baked beans, slaw, and lemonade. The ordering was quite intense. It is cafeteria style, tell them what you would like, repeat yourself again and then hopefully you end up with what you ordered. The service at the check-out was great. The ladies behind the counter were speedy and able to adjust my order to add the baked beans at the last minute to my combo platter of pulled pork, sausage, and fries, with a lemonade.
Lets talk about the beans first. What a delicious treat. The flavor of the beans was heightened by the chunks of bacon that accompanied the sweet, smokiness of the beans. I am a sucker for lemonade at a BBQ joint, I just can't pass it up, and I am glad that I did not. It was a refreshing blast after bites of the spicy sauced pork. The pulled pork open face sandwich was good. Not great, but good. It was not as tender as I would have like for meet that should be cooking all day. However, even with the pork being just ok, the sausage made up for it 10 fold. I expected links of sausage and was surprised when my plate ended up with a Wonderbread sandwich with slices of pork in between. At first I was unsure, but in closer examination, it was truly sausage that had been cooked perfectly and sliced very thin, lengthwise. Clearly this was the best part of the meal. I chose the KC Original Sauce. A good amount of spice and heat balanced by a touch of sweet.
Overall the meal was an 'A'.
My last bite: The sausage sandwich dipped in the baked beans. Yum!
Never having tried KC BBQ before, I was pleased to see that the menu had some of my favorite choices; pulled pork open face, sausage, sliced pork, baked beans, slaw, and lemonade. The ordering was quite intense. It is cafeteria style, tell them what you would like, repeat yourself again and then hopefully you end up with what you ordered. The service at the check-out was great. The ladies behind the counter were speedy and able to adjust my order to add the baked beans at the last minute to my combo platter of pulled pork, sausage, and fries, with a lemonade.
Lets talk about the beans first. What a delicious treat. The flavor of the beans was heightened by the chunks of bacon that accompanied the sweet, smokiness of the beans. I am a sucker for lemonade at a BBQ joint, I just can't pass it up, and I am glad that I did not. It was a refreshing blast after bites of the spicy sauced pork. The pulled pork open face sandwich was good. Not great, but good. It was not as tender as I would have like for meet that should be cooking all day. However, even with the pork being just ok, the sausage made up for it 10 fold. I expected links of sausage and was surprised when my plate ended up with a Wonderbread sandwich with slices of pork in between. At first I was unsure, but in closer examination, it was truly sausage that had been cooked perfectly and sliced very thin, lengthwise. Clearly this was the best part of the meal. I chose the KC Original Sauce. A good amount of spice and heat balanced by a touch of sweet.
Overall the meal was an 'A'.
My last bite: The sausage sandwich dipped in the baked beans. Yum!
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