Take 2: A Resonance Cafe (Impressions' Tom Butcher is back!)

[joiei]

Resonance is a local non-profit that primarily helps women who were incarcerated for non-violent crime as they re-enter society.  Helps with job training, mentoring, substance abuse, etc, etc.  http://resonancetulsa.org/whatwedo/

They've operated out of a cool old mansion near 16th and Elwood for decades.  This is a new project to help teach job skills while also providing supervised living quarters above the restaurant.

Impressions was a Tulsa institution since the 70's.  The original restaurant looked like a ski lodge with lots of sky lights and natural wood--located at the corner of 15th and Lewis (Albertsons bought them out and demolished the restaurant).  The owner, Tom Butcher, briefly ran a small pizza place downtown called Pizza Dot Tom (which was amazing!).  It operated out of the little space just to the east of the Brady Tavern, which is now part of their kitchen.  At the time, it was a separate space.  You could also order his pizzas from the Bowery next door (where the Tavern is now) and have a drink with your pizza.

Tom wanted to expand the pizza space but couldn't reach agreement with the landlord, so he re-opened Impressions at 5th and Main.... just in time for the multi-year demo / re-construction of Main Street.  The restaurant survived through all of that, due to the loyal customers who were willing to walk across plywood gangplanks through mud and a construction zone for Tulsa's best prime rib sandwich.

Everything Tom makes is consistently of the highest quality.  He's the kind of guy who gets up every morning at 4 am so he can go select fresh produce from the vendor.  He doesn't want a truck delivering something less than perfect and just dropping it off.  It's that kind of place.

THanks, most of this was before my time in Tulsa.  I appreciate the explanation.