The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

Location(s) Being Reviewed: 6th and Peoria
Date/Time of Visit: lunch on December 19th
Quality of Food (1-5): 4
Menu/Food Options (1-5): 3
Quality of Service (1-5): 5
Atmosphere (1-5): 5
Overall Rating (1-5): 4
Price ($-$$$$$) $

What makes this restaurant unique:

Eclectic decor with books as walls and lamps hanging upside down from the ceiling. Lots of solid and mismatched chairs and sofas. A separate dining area built into a room filled with bookshelves. Probably the most stunning aspect of the space is the great windows facing the west and the north. They give a great view of the park and the skyline.

Tell us about your experience:

I ordered the Monte Christo sandwich with chips and cottage cheese. The bagel sandwich and chips were $8 and the side $2 more. The restaurant has only been open a week so the ordering effort took a little while. They punched the register keys a whole bunch of times to personalize the order.

It took about ten minutes to get my food. The waitress saw that I was sitting with the owner so I don't know if my experience was normal. She was great and offered to get me some citrus water.

The sandwich was good. A typical Monte Christo is fried and covered in powdered sugar and very ubhealthy. This one was just on a plain bagel but it had excellent flavor. The chips were homemade crispy bagel slices as well.

The place has a great feel to it. My mother says it is her new favorite hangout. My son asked if we could go there after school so he could do his homework there. I loved looking at the view through the walls of windows.

I predict this will be a cool place to hang out and grab a bite, especially after downtown shows and ballgames.

The best Monte Cristo in Tulsa was Metro Diner.  Is there any place around town which still serves a great MC with a side of jam?

Tally's:

Monte Cristo ................................................ $6.95
Roasted turkey and hickory smoked ham with two cheeses on
fresh bread, battered and lightly fried, with strawberry preserves,
dusted with powdered sugar,  with Fries

Damn it! You just had to tell me EXACTLY where to find it...

Must. Resist.

The Bistro at 101st & Yale serves a fantastic traditional Monte Cristo.

A Monte Christo must be the food equivalent of Marshall's beer.

Back to the Phoenix...

I really like that they have water jugs filled with cold water, water with orange slices, and water with cucumbers. I tried the last two and liked the citrus water better.

My son loves the scones they sell. I can't wait to take my daughter to have homemade marshmallows and fondue.

Will have to try the place out.  I love all the neat decor/design accents.  Hear there is a really kewl looking sky on the ceiling of the library room.

My wife had a Monte Christo at Cheddar's today.   (We met there for my son Ian's 31st Birthday Lunch).   She loved it and had to share it with our youngest son who had never had one before and he loved it.

Went for coffee and drinks a few days after it opened.  Loved the atmosphere.  I spent a lot of time just looking around noticing the cool decor.  (The upside down lamps crack me up.  The scalded wood makes a fun visual play on the Phoenix motif.  And it's the best use of books used as structural elements since the movie "The English Patient....") 

I like that you can choose between the cafe area, the bar area or the library area.  (All it lacks is Professor Plum with a candlestick!)  It's also nice to have a place for people who want both coffee and adult beverages.  We had already eaten, so didn't try the food, but the menu looked fun. We'll be back for the tabletop s'moores.

Thought the crowd was interesting... refreshingly diverse.  This is good, since downtown is being infiltrated by south Tulsans who, sadly, have realized that they won't be murdered by roving gangs of...uh...brown people?  Too bad.  I liked it better when they remained ensconced in their asphalt wonderland at 71st and Mingo, and didn't crowd my favorite downtown eateries.  (Whoops. How do I tell them that because of the unfreezing process I have no inner monologue?)

In any case - go Blake!  The Phoenix is phantastic!

Remarkable.

How about you simply give your review and refrain from racial/regional stereotyping.

Perhaps we can name an oversized parking lot after you.   ;D

. . .and screen for Southies.

No need to screen.  Urban folks would rather die than visit South Tulsa.  Driving through on the way out of the area is scary enough for them.  Zoom.  Those drivers not stopping at red lights... urban folks scared to death to stop in suburbia.   
 
 ;D

Someone might say "Good Morning" or open a door or something.  :D

Actually, I love the downtown experience, and find very little difference between the new urban and Southie venues.  There are snotty people everywhere, but they are easy to ignore.

I don't know about hordes of Southies invading downtown, but I stopped by the Phoenix for a drink on Friday night after dinner and really liked the place.  It has a great vibe and a different room to hang in depending on your mood.  I look forward to trying the food

I never lived south of 17th street until this past summer when I moved to 56th street south.

I am not a southie, I am an undercover agent trying to infiltrate their ranks and get their trust.

56th St is still north of the border.

Bring on the Southies!

Do you have a currency exchange?  I'm not sure my money is legal tender downtown.    ;D

I like this place but I have a real issue sitting 20 feet away from where a friend of mine died from a drunk driver.

You'll never find our secret headquarters.

Passport, please...

I used to have that problem driving past the spot where my brother was killed.  I finally had to quit thinking so much about how he died and think more about how he lived.  I'm assuming you are talking about Missy.  She was a very good soul.

I also have an issue with sitting too close to the corner at The Palace.

How about the Japanese sushi/steak joint going up overlooking downtown at 14th and Peoria? Looks close...

With Tulsa's drivers? I don't blame you.

I have heard rumors that their living facilities (I believe the natives refer to them as McMansions) have something called "walk-in closets". Only the Gods can know what those are for....

For walking in, of course.   ;D

Aren't those for storing the crap that people in older houses put in their garage?

Many older houses didn't have garages.  People had to put that stuff in the attic.  If you live in one place long enough, you have the attic, garage, and closets full of valuable possessions. 
 
 :D

Speaking of stuff........

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac[/youtube]

I saw George live once a long time ago.  Very funny man.

Won't see him that way again.  ;)