The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

Looks like they started earthwork construction on the main section of the Village on Main this week. The Hillcrest Clinic section of the Village is done and the riverfront restaurant owned by Los Cabos is getting close to being done. They are now moving a lot of dirt on the back side of the levy, so I assume they got approval to remove a section of the levy as they were wanting to do so they can better tie together the riverfront/aquarium area and the section closer to downtown Jenks. Eventually you will be able to turn left at the stoplight at the end of the Jenks bridge coming from the Tulsa side and drive directly to the Aquarium and riverfront.

http://www.villageonmain.com/

Was it this place that caused this guy to burst into song?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmRXH7RkCZQ[/youtube]

Seriously, I am going to head over there and check it out.

I hope not.  A levy crossing would be OK.  The levy kept Jenks from becoming Lake Jenks in 1986.

They are talking about opening it but having large metal panels that could be installed during high water.

Requiring an action during an emergency doesn't seem as failsafe as not cutting the levy.  The levy isn't all that high that approach ramps couldn't be built.

The levies aren't well enough constructed to tolerate much traffic. They are mostly pre WWII, non-reinforced, sand and debris piles. They were constructed to mitigate flood damages, not hold in a flood. They proved inneffective and would have been rebuilt had the dam not solved the problem. Now they are even less effective because of erosion, rodent burrowing, beavers, shrubs and trees.

I doubt much would save Jenks/Bixby if the water levels challenge the levies. May actually be better to cut through them and make plans for a metal gate.

The water got pretty high on the Jenks levy in '86 and I believe kept Jenks from getting pretty wet.  My brother and I were among the last allowed in to Jenks before they evacuated.  We had some stuff to get from the airport.  I'll agree that without Keystone Dam that the levy may have washed away by now.  I think Bixby would be toast anyway.  We had a space in a mini storage in Bixby in '86 that managed to be on a local high spot.  Water all around but our stuff stayed dry.

How about building a "bridge" over the levy at levy level?  I'll agree that the levy itself probably couldnt take much traffic.  What did "they" do at the north end of 5th st where the road goes over the levy to avoid the parking lot for the high school?

Edit: I was thinking about making a crossing the same way Peoria/Elm crosses the levy just north of the turnpike.

Based on RWC, the aquarium, adjacent hotel, and centers on the east bank, I believe developers are simply acting on faith there will not be another 1986 flood or if there is, it will be long after they are gone.  

Jenks dictates that all riverfront buildings be built at something like 6” above a 300 year flood level. 1986 was a 250 year level event.

Faith is good, but knowing the age of that dam I think Jenks is prudent to plan for a flood in that area. Keystone was a 50 year dam, built in what? 1964? The lake has silted up, the surrounding watershed has changed since the fifties and we're planning on impeding water flow even more in the next decade. Some of the housing developers along the East side of the river in that area have been gambling in my estimation.

Some of them would be smart to keep everything of value as high as possible and make sure their flood insurance is kept paid up.

The new restaurant from Los Cabos is set to open March of 2011
Check it out at www.waterfrontgrilljenks.com

Don't know if anyone has said this to you, but welcome aboard!!!

I may be the only person in town that thought Los Cabos food just isn't that good. 

One of at least 2. Way over rated. Put it at 31st and Mingo and it fails.

At least 3.  Went to the one in BA twice, hoping the first time was an anomaly.  It wasn't.  I won't go back.

Because it's Tex-Mex or Okie-Mex rather than Mexican or is it just not that good?

I had lunch there about 4 years ago for an office function.  I don't remember being impressed either favorably or unfavorably.   I don't go out to eat much so the fact that I haven't been back is not particularly relevant.

I'm with you.  Been to both and there are way too many places in Tulsa to waste my time again.

I went to the Riverwalk Los Cabos a couple of times after it opened and just never understood why people where there.  But I don't go to Olive Garden, Cheesecake Factory and Texas Roadhouse for the same reason.   But apparently some folks just love the atmosphere,  that must be it because the food is just mediocre. 

"Okie-Mex" might be a good term for it.  It's the same taste as Chimi's and Mexicali's downtown.  These places all survive and do well, so it must be something that Okie's really like, but its just not for me.  I was raised in South Texas with authentic Mexican food, and maybe I'm a snob about it.  I would much rather eat authentic Mexican from one of the taco trucks or dives in the Kendall Whittier neighborhood than any of these "Okie-Mex" restaurants. 

According to some friends in Uvalde, TX a lot of "authentic" Mexican food is cooked with lard which us gringos can't handle too well.  Even the "authentic" Mexican food for gringos around Uvalde uses vegetable oil I guess. It is different than Tulsa-Mex.

Haven't been in ages but I always liked Cancun on Lewis.  Biggest burrito I ever had was there.  It was as long as my wrist to my elbow and nearly as big around as that section of my arm.

The latter. I think folks around Jenks must like the ambiance, want to support it or enjoy their margaritas. Maybe there aren't any other Mexican restaurants near by.

My background includes having been married to a hispanic family (some family from Mexico, some from Spain). Their food was authentic but only from the areas they came from in central Mexico. Chiliso, Mole, spanish rice. I imagine if you were from the gulf or pacific areas of Mexico the food would be substantially different than the stuff around the New Mexico border.

I went twice to Cabos. The shrimp coctail was average to poor, the live music was way too loud, the margaritas average and the enchiladas similar to Chimi's. It was crowded, service was okay. Just nothing special other than the patio experience.

Oh, yeah, authentic in my case did not include seafood and very little beef (cows are rare I'm told in the central parts of Mexico. Mostly yard bird, rice, peanut butter(moles) and jalapenos.

The flavor is neutral enough at Los Cabos to appeal to a wide variety of palates.  It's just like any of the bigger, trendier restaurants like Abuelos, OTB, El Chico, Chilis, Fridays, etc.

I don't eat out near as much as I used to as I feel like FMC and I serve up some damn good grub when it comes to SW, Mexican, BBQ, steak, etc.  Why pay someone else to cook for me who doesn't do it near as well. (Yeah I know food snob). Plus I know exactly everything which has gone into that meal.  I've become a processed food and food additive phobe, so I rely on whole ingredients every bit as much as possible. 

When I do go out, I like my Mexican joints like my BBQ joints: the skankier the building looks and the seedier the neighborhood, the better the food. 

Cancun surely fits that bill...LOL.

Ha! At first, I thought you said "Conan" surely fits that bill.  I must have re-read my post 10 times trying to figure out what was so funny.  I used to go to Cancun when they first opened.  Stupid cheap prices on great seafood offerings.  It's not as cheap as it used to be, but it's quite authentic.  I believe you can also order goat meat there.

Then you would probably like this place.....

http://www.rockypointreview.com/ad10268.html (http://www.rockypointreview.com/ad10268.html)

http://www.jjscantina.com/ (http://www.jjscantina.com/)

Last I was there (which was admittedly some time ago) they were serving goat meat.  I remember seeing that and saying 'wow, that's authentic'.

Just make sure you check the health departments ratings on those skanky places before you go.   

That looks a bit sanitary for me, how about this:

(http://nightskypictures.com/antarctica/Mac_Shack.jpg)

I think there is a small Mexican restaurant in "downtown" Jenks on Main St.  I haven't been there and have no idea whether it is any good.


You didn't have enough average margaritas.   :)

Looks like Sarah Palin's childhood home where she could see Russia from her front porch.  ;)

I wish I had a picture of this van that would pull up on the beach at the hotel I was in, in Rocky Point. They cut the driver side of this old Chevy van open to serve through, and they were there until they sold everything. The best part were the tortillas, they were fresh made that morning, and the beef machaca was like nothing I've had before or since.

It's terrible and they don't even serve margaritas. So what's even the point of it existing?

I just know it's there since I drive on Main St going home from work.  That is all.

Yeah, but I bet they serve sweet tea and endless baskets of bland chips with bland salsa too. I bet you can even get some warm re-heated white flower tortillas. Appeals to the palate of the trailer trash crowd quite well.

I'm not aware of anyone that's ever been to Juanita's (the joint in Jenks).
not sure how they've remained in business.
And their hours seem to be most random.   sometimes they're open when you drive by.. other times they're not.

Nope...you aren't alone....

when we first moved to Jenks, my husband made the mistake of going in there...once....

If it wasn't for the beer then Los Cabos would not be missed if it closed.   

I can buy better beer for a lot less within a mile of my house and enjoy it in the bliss of my back yard.  That might explain why I only eat at Los Cabos about once every year and a half.  I started going to Facebook reunions with old Jenks friends, but once I realized they had no intentions of going anywhere but Los Cabos and the Cigar Bar (Ghack!), I quit going.

And the Village on Main finally comes back to life.

http://jenksjournal.com/news/council-action-paves-way-for-village-on-main/article_15ccd2e0-c900-11e0-b78e-001cc4c03286.html

Interested to see what this GreenAcres Market is all about. Even more interested to see camping and outdoors store is going in as well. My guess would be another Backwoods.

Village on Main has had work going on for months, it's never stopped. They have been working a lot on drainage and on reworking the levee.

The sporting goods store is probably Lewis and Clark Outfitters, they were supposed to be in phase II of the Riverwalk but wisely didn't.

http://www.gooutandplay.com/

This article from Channel 2 says they have signed 15 tenants

http://www.kjrh.com/dpp/news/local_news/new-village-on-main-project-moving-forward-in-jenks

The developer must be taking big risk. Lewis and Clark has no credit, is a start up, and the consumer (who would have trouble getting to this location) is spending less and less. Maybe the Sporting Goods store is Davis Brothers?

15 tenants. What The Fool? How many antique dealers?

Sorry, not big on Jinx. :D

So no love for Tulsa or Jenks.  Check and check.

I love Tulsa....not all of it's make up and certainly not many of our past decisions. Tulsa has it's priorities out of whack, a dysfunctional city government, and a questionable security force. Tulsa has overcrowded and mediocre public schools. Jenks has good schools. Jenks has a dry riverbed and weird site lines.

By 2013, GreenAcres will not be a destination point except for the immediate area. Lots more health coming to south Tulsa.....

Who would have trouble getting to this location?

They've completed a lot of drainage work.  People forget the Aquarium, Waterfront Grill, etc sit in the flood plain on the river side of the levee.  Part of VOM's plan was to cut the levee, which required Corps of Engineers approval.  They didn't want to go over the top of the levee because the hope was for the street to remain level and the sight-lines to be better.  I think it was great planning and foresight on their part.  They also had some easement issues they had to work out.

Apparently it is Kansas City-based and this will be their third location.  (Currently, one in Kansas City and one in Wichita)

 www.greenacres.com (http://www.greenacres.com)

My parents have a second home in the area and my mom will likely love that Green Acres.

Looks like the health food store war in tulsa has claimed its first victim.  Just received an email that the jenks greenacres is closing.

http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/1149383/d72e2d024f/543356305/7578291324/

That place was doomed from the start.  Poor location, very high prices from the couple of times I was there.  I could see absolutely nothing compelling about their offerings.  I figured the new Whole Paycheck at 91st & Yale would drive the final nail in their coffin.

I stopped by Fresh Market (81st and Yale) a few weeks ago and it was pretty slow.  Drove by Whole Foods on the way home and the lot was packed.

I never think of Fresh Market.  They have really good meat and produce, but with Sprouts now open at 41st & Harvard, there’s not much need to venture further south.

Ditto:   visited during grand opening.   Thought "good luck with this" and never returned.

The “grand closing” ad claims a 20% discount off their “already low prices”?  pancakes?  Do they shop their competition?

I will go tomorrow and stock up on their selection of high end root beers.

Getting to the location wasn't difficult but the entrance was deceiving.  What appeared to be an inviting entrance on the east side of the building was marked one way out with a curve toward going the wrong way on the one-way portion of Main St.  By the time you saw that, it was too late to go in the west entrance.  I never got around to stopping in as they have/had the "upscale" look which means high prices without justification to me.

I go to Fresh Market for 3 Guys Smokin' Razz and for the house brand Blue Corn Tortilla chips.  I also have purchased 100%/no-preservative fruit juice for some meads I have made.

The chips are low in saturated fat and salt and reasonably priced compared to many other chips.  Tostitos has a blue corn tortilla chip with similar saturated fat and salt but more expensive.  Unfortunately, FM has had some supplier problems with their house brand and the chips haven't been available for a while the last time I checked. 

We use the Razz with baby back ribs in the crock pot.  Not attempting to be BBQ, just an easy way to make some tasty dinner.  It's even easier than Ron Popeil's Rotisserie, the Set it and Forget it product. (A friend actually has one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLq27iOW0R0)

I am favorably impressed with "our" Sprouts at (approx) 101st & Memorial. I mostly get produce there.  It's good and frequently less expensive than WalMart.  I also like it when the Mahi-Mahi is on sale.

Do they have Hires Root Beer?

Crock pot is also a great way to fly with pork butt and brisket.  Nothing like coming home and smelling the aroma from the crock pot throughout the house.

Help me out here guys. Sprouts is opening right across the street from my Reasors here in B.A. Why should I go to them?

Better prices on produce.  They have really good specials on meat and seafood, make their own sausage with no preservatives, and charge a fair price for it.

Reasor’s still gets some of our business, but we’ve become “small market” shoppers.  We don’t do a big grocery buy all at once.  MC or I will go every few days to keep things fresher and to exploit different specials at different grocers.  We have many good choices in mid-town now.  If anything, we are probably over-served to a degree.

"It's not Reasors" isn't enough?

Sprouts is good for perishables...  everything else, not so much

Sprouts seems to be organic stuff without the wacky Whole Foods prices.

They also have a good selection of "conventional" produce at good prices.

Apparently the chain itself must not be doing too bad.  I saw a notice on one of the construction news feeds I get they are remodeling the Green Acres in OKC.  No idea where it’s located.

The location of the Jenks store.  I forgot it existed unless I took the bridge into Jenks to go to Sams.  By then I'd already gone to the grocery.

Sprouts will commonly have really amazing meat deals, and the quality of the meats is excellent. The store at 101st and Memorial has a great meat counter staff.  I can call them and have them pick out stuff for me and hold it (because when they have a sale, it goes fast!).  I really only go for the meat sales.

Thanks for the info guy's. My Reasors are already posting prices with better than "Sprouts" signs on certain produce. I thought, geez let em open first.