Location(s) Being Reviewed: 3330 S. Peoria
Date/Time of Visit: 6/23/11, 7pm
Quality of Food (1-5): 5
Menu/Food Options (1-5): 4
Quality of Service (1-5): 5+
Atmosphere (1-5): 4
Overall Rating (1-5): 5
Price ($-$$$$$): $$$$1/2
What makes this restaurant unique: Celebrity chef-influenced franchise restaurant in Tulsa
Tell us about your experience:
I generally avoid national chains when it comes to dining and 90% or better of my dining out is locally-owned or small regional operations. I'd not tried Puck's yet and it was my mother's birthday so it was really her call on where we ate. I cast a critical eye on operations like this or Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill as it's one thing for a celebrity chef to own a restaurant, but if they are not cooking, how good a job does the in-house chef do to emulate their taste, presentation, and recipes?
I had the special which was a tenderized chicken breast in a garlic caper sauce with veggies over fingerling potatoes, Mom had the pizza margherita. The flavor was great, but we both picked meals which are not overly visually challenging to make a nice presentation. Mom has had the bacon-wrapped meatloaf on a previous visit and loved it. I saw a few of those being served and the presentation was very good on them.
I wasn't aware that Puck's relies heavily on the wood baked pizzas on the menu, there appears to be a wide variety, and the margherita was outstanding. It's obvious they use high quality ingredients. My chicken was very tender and the sauce was excellent without being overwhelmed by the capers. FYI, the pizzas are about 12" diameter. With appetizers or a salad you could split it with a dining companion, otherwise, it's just about meal size for one person if that's all you are having.
We also had a crab cake appetizer which was very tasty, though again, the presentation is nothing special, at least not what I expected for a place like Puck's.
We split a double chocolate bread pudding for dessert which was on the house. That was some awesome goodness!
The biggest surprise of all is the food prices aren't what I'd expected at all, they are quite reasonable and in-line with a place like Charleston's. There's only one food item on the menu over $20 and that's a filet of beef. Most items are in the mid to low teens, the pizzas range from $9 to $16.
A few notes: the menu is somewhat limited, but it's better to have fewer items you do really well than to have too many items and not be able to do any of them very well. I like the interior design in the place, but it has little consideration for acoustics which is a pet peeve of mine. I don't like sound splashing at me from every direction. The booth seating is very comfortable and almost over-stuffed. It's definitely not designed for hurried table turns. It was not overly crowded for a Thursday, but my understanding is you might want to make reservations on a weekend night.
Our tab with appetizer, meals, a glass of wine each, and tax was $58 & change which seemed stupid cheap to me.
I would definitely return.
http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/casual-dining/wolfgang-puck-bistros/59005
