Today I was meeting Bryan & Janet, a couple of suite holders, for lunch. It wasn't technically a stewardship visit; I just hadn't seen them in a really long time, and I really enjoy spending time with them. Bryan is the one who keeps me stocked up on my wine for my wine keeper. And I failed miserably by forgetting to send him a list of what I need. Won't make that mistake again.
Bryan recommended that we meet at The Hen Bistro. He's a big foodie like me, so I knew if he recommended it, it would be great. It's located in Brookside, a very trendy area of Tulsa. There's so many great shops and restaurants in the area. It kind of reminds me of a big city. I really need to come out here more often, because it's a fun place to be. I just don't very often, because more of my friends live in OKC.
It's a very cozy restaurant with a very unique layout. There's 2 entrances, and what I would consider the main door is on the side road. There's a couple of tables out front, and floor-to-ceiling windows along the whole front wall. The door leads you into the main dining room, with seating for maybe 40. You take a couple of stairs up to a small bar area; just beyond the bar there's a small private dining space that seats maybe 20; and before you hit the private space there's another door that leads to another patio with more seating. It's a super unique space, in that it's in the courtyard that houses some other businesses. I've never seen anything like it. They definitely make maximum use of the space. I arrived before Bryan and Janet, and chose a table inside because it was pretty windy and a little chilly outside. I really like the big windows up front because they let in so much natural light. There's also a wall of wine, and as I learned from Bryan, it's temperature controlled. That's really cool. We didn't have any, but he said they have a great selection.
As I mentioned, Bryan is a huge foodie. So he was giving me lots of recommendations of other places in Tulsa for great food. And of course he knows the owners and/or chefs at most of them. Including the owner of the Hen. It's a good thing I don't live in Tulsa, or else I would weigh 500lbs hanging out with them!
The menu isn't huge, and that works really well for me. I told them about the food blog, so we decided to get a couple of dishes to share. My only request was the deviled eggs, because they sounded really good. So we started with them
These were some of the best deviled eggs I've ever had. The yolks were whipped, and so light and fluffy. They were topped with a spicy remoulade and fried oyster. The remoulade wasn't kidding with the spice, but the eggs toned it down. The oysters were fantastic. Lightly fried, and just melted in your mouth.
Bryan and Janet suggested we split a couple of salads. Have to admit, that wasn't what I was thinking, but I went with it.
I was really surprised at the size. These were definitely entrée-sized portions.
The black and bleu was the favorite of us all. The steak was so well seasoned and tender; just enough of a kick. I absolutely love gorgonzola and avocado. The onions were red, which is a little different than most restaurants would do. The dressing went really well, and kind of reminded me of a Caesar dressing.
Bryan and Janet suggested we split a couple of salads. Have to admit, that wasn't what I was thinking, but I went with it.
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| BLACK & BLEU: blackened tenderloin, gorgonzola, avocado, crispy onions, parmesan peppercorn dressing |
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| CRISPY CHICKEN: butter lettuce, tomato, bacon, avocado, sharp cheddar, mustard vinaigrette |
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| CHILLED SALMON: Strawberry, chèvre, almond, champagne vinaigrette |
The black and bleu was the favorite of us all. The steak was so well seasoned and tender; just enough of a kick. I absolutely love gorgonzola and avocado. The onions were red, which is a little different than most restaurants would do. The dressing went really well, and kind of reminded me of a Caesar dressing.
The crispy chicken was our second favorite. The dressing was light, and you really couldn't even taste the mustard at all. This salad also had avocado, so I was really happy. I can't figure out how they breaded or battered the chicken, but it was really, really good.
The salmon was good, but our least favorite of the 3. I like that it was made with baby spinach. We couldn't figure out what the cheese was. I thought it was ricotta, Bryan thought it might have been feta. Turns out it was chevre. And fantastic. I must find some of that stuff at the store. I really liked the almonds in there, and the contrast of textures they provided.
In the grand scheme of things we didn't eat a ton, because they were salads. So at first we turned down the offer of dessert. But when our server mentioned that one of them was cinnamon roll bread pudding, we couldn't resist. So we shared one
Oh my. This was absolutely amazing, and tasted just like a cinnamon roll. The bread pudding was super hot, and the ice cream provided a great contrast. It's really not a very big piece, but it's a good thing we were sharing because I never could have eaten a whole one. But I certainly savored every single bite of my share. 
Will I go back? Absolutely. And next time I'm having a glass of wine, sitting on the patio, and trying a few different things on the menu. And I definitely want to try their other restaurant, The French Hen.
