TulsaPeople / August 2010 / Table Talk

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Table Talk

The buzz on Tulsa’s tastiest products, restaurants and events.

This Onion is crying tears of joy

A Tulsa mainstay has new ownership and something to celebrate. The Green Onion is celebrating 25 years in business. Max Doyle, owner of other Tulsa restaurants, including The Chalkboard, Garlic Rose and the recently opened El Caballo (“wild horse”), took ownership recently and wants to continue serving the loyal patrons who have frequented the restaurant for so many years. He has given the space a much-needed freshening up and brought back the original menu and chef, John Farr, who has been in his stable for a while — cooking at The Chalkboard and most recently opening El Caballo. Doyle’s children, Josh and Shannon, run the day-to-day operations and hope to transport the restaurant back to its original glory.

The Green Onion, 4532 E. 51st St.,
481-3338, www.greenoniontulsa.net

A catering gem

Several events I have attended over the last few months featured a caterer I knew nothing about. After hearing rave reviews from several sources, I thought it was time to investigate. Angie Johnson opened Eats2u Catering in 1988 after many years of working for other local chefs (she was a sous chef at the popular Atlantic Sea Grill and helped open Capistrano’s at Utica Square with Rick Camp). Johnson won Best Red Wine Friendly Food at the 2010 Philbrook Wine Experience — no small feat considering the number of caterers, restaurants and red wine producers in attendance. Whether you are planning an intimate dinner party for 12 (try the Moroccan Feast for 12 — phyllo chicken “pies” with apricots and almonds; Casablanca couscous with lamb, lentils and parsnips; vegetable gratin; naan bread; and pomegranate with mint, yogurt and candied oranges) or munchies for 200, give this talented gourmet a call.

Eats2u: Angie Johnson Catering,
630-3350, http://eats2u.info

New (and not so new) spots for a spot of tea —
or a cuppa joe

Joebot’s Coffee Bar is not your typical coffee shop. Nestled in the corner of the quirky Dwelling Spaces gift shop in the heart of the historic Blue Dome District downtown, Joebot’s is named for the store’s resident mascot. The coffee bar features beans from Tulsa’s own Topéca Coffee (a family-owned roasting company with more than 150 years of experience growing specialty Salvadoran coffee from bean to cup) and offers typical drinks, including espresso, Americano, cold coffee and tea brews, and single-serve micro-lot brews (sample the Bourbon Amarillo from Topéca’s top-producing farm, finca el Manzano, one of the newest crop varietals Topéca is offering with a limited quantity from this season’s harvest). The high-end espresso bar has an uncompromised standard of quality and a strict focus on the art and techniques of specialty coffee, with a small menu of traditional espresso-based drinks, French presses and one of the first single-serve pour-over bars in the state. Joebot’s is locally owned and operated by Tulsans Mary Beth Babcock and John Gaberino. The counter is manned by a rotating group of the best baristas in the city — a coffee collective. Fresh treats will include scones, breads and fruit in a rotating selection every day. Open from 6:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Monday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday.

Dwelling Spaces/Joebot’s Coffee Bar, 119 S. Detroit Ave., 582-1033, www.dwellingspaces.net

We have the Boston Tea Party to thank for the surge of coffee consumption in America (we had to find something else to drink in protest), but tea is still the No. 1 beverage choice around the world. Stonewood Coffee and Tea Co. in Broken Arrow features possibly Oklahoma’s largest selection of loose-leaf teas. Have a cup brewed for you at the shop or take some home. However, if coffee is still your thing, owner David Fell knows his stuff — he is a certified barista from the American Barista and Coffee School in Portland, Ore.

Stonewood Coffee and Tea Co.,
449 W. Stonewood Drive,
Broken Arrow, 355-9399,
www.stonewoodcoffee.com