Blue Rose Cafe

[Conan71]

Location(s) Being Reviewed: 1900 S. Riverside
Date/Time of Visit: Feb 8, 2011 12:45pm
Quality of Food (1-5): 4
Menu/Food Options (1-5): 4
Quality of Service (1-5): 5
Atmosphere (1-5): 5
Overall Rating (1-5): 4
Price ($-$$$$$): $ to $$
What makes this restaurant unique:

Unless you've been hiding under a rock or totally out of step with Tulsa development, you'd know this is one of the most anticipated openings of the last year.  Set on a coveted piece of real estate adjacent to the River Park trail and set on piers out over the river bank, it's THE place to see.  It's got a major cool factor.

Keep in mind they are still in their soft opening mode.  There is still site work being done and final touches on the building and surrounding site which means there's still torn up parking lots.  Parking is definitely still an issue, with part of the lot directly east of the restaurant still closed off to construction equipment.

I arrived at 12:45 and the place was packed.  The wait looked like 20 minutes so I took a seat at the bar and ordered.  I had the tried and true Blue Rose Special (hamburger with crumbled bleu cheese & bacon on a kaiser roll) and hand cut fries ($8.99).  As luck would have it, someone apparently had mis-ordered and I had my burger in 2 minutes which made the jaws drop on the people I was sitting next to  

Great food just as I remembered it.  It's pub grub so it's not gourmet and it's not the best burger I've never had, but it never was that way.  Some of the same wait staff is back and I recognized several patrons from the old days.  The interior is a lot lighter than the old BRC and the layout is entirely different with new memorabilia and some of the old stuff.  The look and feel reminds me a lot of a ski lodge at a Colorado resort.  It especially looks like that with all the snow right now.

This is a place I will be spending a lot of time at in the future.  I think Tom Dittus has got another hit on his hands.  The only problem will be having the ability to serve everyone who will want to hang out here for the view and cool factor.

[Townsend]

The dual level Patio is a plus for seating in the nicer months.

Did you notice the decor from Bell's?

[Conan71]

Not sure which part was their's.  I could have spent an hour looking at stuff on the walls.  I noticed a large golf ball like you'd use to write on your score card at a hole.  Was that from their putt putt course?

[Townsend]

Not sure which part was their's.  I could have spent an hour looking at stuff on the walls.  I noticed a large golf ball like you'd use to write on your score card at a hole.  Was that from their putt putt course?

Yes.  There was another piece on the South end of the interior too.

[Breadburner]

Place looks great....

[DTowner]

Stopped by for lunch yesterday.  The food was good - I had the blackened chicken salad.  It wasn't spectacular, but it was what I expected and the menu had a wide selection of items.  The service was efficient.  The crowd was larger than I expected for a Monday this time of year.  The rock-n-roll memorabillia was interesting.  I will take more time to look around next time I'm there.

The inside is very nice and it will be awesome when the weather warms up and the river gets some water in it - especially when they open up those garage doors to the top deck.  Parking will be a big problem on nice days simply because so many people will be there - a good problem to have.  A great addition and example of what quality river development can be like in that area.

[SXSW]

I look forward to going once the weather is warmer.  I can just see summer evenings being really busy with Blue Rose packed, people listening to live music at Elwood's, and joggers and bikers whizzing by.  I'm hoping it generates more of a buzz for the neighborhood and some of the older apartments are fixed up or torn down/rebuilt.  It's a cool area for sure.

[Conan71]

I look forward to going once the weather is warmer.  I can just see summer evenings being really busy with Blue Rose packed, people listening to live music at Elwood's, and joggers and bikers whizzing by.  I'm hoping it generates more of a buzz for the neighborhood and some of the older apartments are fixed up or torn down/rebuilt.  It's a cool area for sure.

That ground lease is basically a license to print money.  If Tom will stick to the principles he founded the original Blue Rose on, the food quality remains good, service is a top priority, and he keeps a hand in the day-to-day operation it will be wildly successful.  

Tom screwed up in the past, he got too strung out on the Steamroller Blues concept and neglected what was his best asset.  Consequently, the BRC started getting shabby around the edges, service and food quality started to suffer, and a lot of his core crowd moved on to other places.  I'm not saying anything I haven't already told him several times.  I hope he realizes he's a big part in the formula for his success.  

[Breadburner]

That ground lease is basically a license to print money.  If Tom will stick to the principles he founded the original Blue Rose on, the food quality remains good, service is a top priority, and he keeps a hand in the day-to-day operation it will be wildly successful.  

Tom screwed up in the past, he got too strung out on the Steamroller Blues concept and neglected what was his best asset.  Consequently, the BRC started getting shabby around the edges, service and food quality started to suffer, and a lot of his core crowd moved on to other places.  I'm not saying anything I haven't already told him several times.  I hope he realizes he's a big part in the formula for his success.  

He knows he made a mistake....Won't happen again.....

[charky]

Took my wife and kids Thursday evening and we were incredibly disappointed. The place looks amazing...but the food was flat out awful. Kids had mac and cheese...which was obviously store bought Kraft...along with some warm veggies. There were starving and ate it...but for $5...come on.

We both had burgers...the Blue Rose and the mushroom and Swiss. Both were burnt to a hockey puck...no flavor...cold fries and way overcooked onion rings.

My wife and Tom are friends from way back and he was gracious enough to comp the burgers. I'll definitely give the place the benefit of the doubt; I know that the first few weeks are tough and it takes awhile for the kitchen to find its groove.

I have great memories of the old Blue Rose...and we'll be back...we're just going to give it awhile.

[DwnTwnTul]

Great location and cool building, but the food and service is horrible!  For me, it will serve as only a bar when the weather is nice. 

[brunoflipper]

Took my wife and kids Thursday evening and we were incredibly disappointed. The place looks amazing...but the food was flat out awful. Kids had mac and cheese...which was obviously store bought Kraft...along with some warm veggies. There were starving and ate it...but for $5...come on.

We both had burgers...the Blue Rose and the mushroom and Swiss. Both were burnt to a hockey puck...no flavor...cold fries and way overcooked onion rings.

My wife and Tom are friends from way back and he was gracious enough to comp the burgers. I'll definitely give the place the benefit of the doubt; I know that the first few weeks are tough and it takes awhile for the kitchen to find its groove.

I have great memories of the old Blue Rose...and we'll be back...we're just going to give it awhile.

went thursday as well... all burgers from "medium" to "medium well" were well done/charred, not good...

cheese fries and shrooms were good...
wings were great...
service was excellent despite it being packed...
i'll cut them some slack on the burgers... for now.

[SXSW]

Where was the old Blue Rose on Brookside?  What is there now? 

[Breadburner]

Where was the old Blue Rose on Brookside?  What is there now? 

35 th and Peoria.....Its now the Bru House.....

[GG]

The wife and I had lunch at the Blue Rose today.

We got there about 12:30 and the place was hopping.   

Service was good. 

I was disappointed right off the bat.   The sign out front said the soup of the day was lentil and ham.  But they were out. 

So I ordered the Chicken Salad with chips.   Jo got a hamburger with fries/onion rings mix.  We then split the sandwiches so she could try the Chicken Salad and I could try the burger.   

The Chicken Salad took us back right off due to it was yellow, they used a spicy mustard in the mix.   I liked it but Jo was not as impressed.   The burger was great, it was cooked perfectly and had a good flavor.   

The chips were home style and good.   The fries were very good, the onion rings not so good.  They tasted stale like they were left over from last night. 

Over all the food was very good.

The building itself is nice but when we first got there it was loud and the sound echoed off the windows, walls and ceiling.  With my mature hearing that makes it difficult for me to carry on a conversation.   By the time our meal arrived and we ate, the place was emptying out and quieted down so I could carry on a conversation. 

Next time, I will sit outside or order carry out.