TulsaNow Lunch - Family Diner on Admiral - March 28

[RecycleMichael]

This Diner is on Admiral and Louisville (between Harvard and Yale).

It has recently reopened and is being run by Brian Prewitt (of the Blue Dome Diner fame).

He has a full menu including breakfast all day. I really like his breakfast. I usually order three eggs with hash browns and biscuit and gravy. His gravy and hash browns are really good and I get all that for under $6.

Club sandwiches and burgers are $7 with two sides. He also sells a Turkey Burger and a Black Bean Burger for fools who don't eat beef. I think he sells more pancakes and omelettes than anything.

I plan to get there around 11:30 and get a big table reserved in the middle of the room.

Who else thinks they can make it?

[davideinstein]

Do you guys ever do a dinner or weekend meal? I'd go if so.

[guido911]

Do you guys ever do a dinner or weekend meal? I'd go if so.

Funny you should mention that. TNF is meeting at RM's house tomorrow night for dinner. See ya then.

[RecycleMichael]

I have notified my security detail and given instructions to shoot the lawyers first.

[sgrizzle]

Bring the folding kind of money, they don't take the non-foldy kind.

[DolfanBob]

Bring the folding kind of money, they don't take the non-foldy kind.

Oh. The kind that crinkles. Not the kind that jingles.

[carltonplace]

Oh. The kind that crinkles. Not the kind that jingles.

No, crinkle and jingle are ok...but swipey-stripey won't work.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Geez, guys...get to the important stuff....

What's on the menu??

[sgrizzle]

Geez, guys...get to the important stuff....

What's on the menu??

Same things as Blue Dome, but slightly different.

I went this weekend and the fried potatoes were sliced instead of cubed and nothing mixed in.

I was actually able to finish an omelette in one sitting.

Service was about the same as before. Read into that what you will.

[RecycleMichael]

I mentioned quite a few menu items at the top of the thread. He also has stir fry dishes (vegetable, with chicken, or lemon caper aioli). You can get chicken tenders, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc.

Try a breakfast item. The pancakes are good or they can make you any kind of omelet you want. I think his biscuits are very interesting and tasty. They are not sweet and have a heavy cake like texture. His gravy is excellent as well. A full order of biscuits and gravy is just $3.50.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I mentioned quite a few menu items at the top of the thread. He also has stir fry dishes (vegetable, with chicken, or lemon caper aioli). You can get chicken tenders, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc.

Try a breakfast item. The pancakes are good or they can make you any kind of omelet you want. I think his biscuits are very interesting and tasty. They are not sweet and have a heavy cake like texture. His gravy is excellent as well. A full order of biscuits and gravy is just $3.50.

Not the restaurant... the one that guido promised at your place!!


I am gonna try the restaurant though...that sounds good.  Am always looking for a weekend morning breakfast event!!

[Conan71]

Not the restaurant... the one that guido promised at your place!!


I am gonna try the restaurant though...that sounds good.  Am always looking for a weekend morning breakfast event!!

If you ever ate at the Blue Dome it will be the same fare.  Between BD and Tally's there's your best pancakes in Tulsa.

[heironymouspasparagus]

If you ever ate at the Blue Dome it will be the same fare.  Between BD and Tally's there's your best pancakes in Tulsa.

They said today that it's the same people - Blue Dome moved to Admiral... got there at noon to eat a late breakfast.  Mixed bag.  Mostly very good - will definitely be back.  Biggest negative were the prices, but when I got past that, really enjoyed all but one little part of it.  And now we know what to order and what not to order.  Sausage is just the standard stuff Tulsa Beef supplies, but what they do differently is put it on the chargriller - over open fire they said.  Makes a plain old pretty good sausage into something exceptional!!  5 stars for that.  Gonna try that at home.

Gravy - tastes home made, and they say it's homemade!  Really liked the gravy, 'cause it tasted so close to what I make at home!  Downside - it was just a little too sweet.  Ya don't need sugar in gravy!!  Or any other sweetener other than lard!

Biscuits - when brought to the table, it was very dark brown compared to what I "expect" in a biscuit, so I thought it would be hard.  Instead, whatever they do back there is magic!  The well done biscuits have a "crunch" to them that complements the delicious insides beautifully!!  Again, they were just a little bit too sweet to my taste, but even so, some of the best biscuits I have ever found outside of home!

Bacon and eggs...what can ya say?  If done right, 2 eggs over easy with a few slices of bacon is Heaven on Earth!  This is it - they do it right!!  And the Homefries!!  Home made!  Even tasted like they were fried in lard!!  You cannot get better than potatoes fried in lard.

The Bad... blackberry rose pie!  Well, I guess ya can't expect perfection in such an imperfect world as this, and this was the disappointment point.  Gelled pie filling in a fruit pie is absolutely the worst abomination that can be done to such a delightful, magical berry as the blackberry.  Or any other fruit - apple, cherry, strawberry/rhubarb, blueberry, gooseberry, apple...any of them.  Had to try it.  Won't ever bother again.  As much as I love blackberries in virtually every manifestation - I couldn't even finish the one piece of pie.  Sadness!!

Hashbrowns - I can never understand how anyone can cook two almost identical dishes and get them so very different.  The hashbrowns were very mediocre - not good at all.  Contrast that to the unbelievable Homefries, and I just don't get it.  But since they have homefries, won't worry about it...won't need to do hashbrowns ever again.

Prices - well, it was fairly obvious that this place has a very "yuppie" clientele component.  $5 for breakfast is about the right diner price.  But when they add $2 for meat (bacon, sausage, etc), well that puts them on up there so that it won't be a two days every weekend event, but will certainly be occasional.  And we really like the atmosphere!  Very comfortable, welcoming place.  The people working there are great - the young girl who waited on us got a really good tip!!


Burgers looked good.  Will try that next time.

[rdj]

I've heard good things about his gravy.  Every time I visited the Blue Dome Diner for breakfast and ordered gravy I was told it wasn't ready yet.  Apparently, they don't want anyone eating gravy at 7a.

[RecycleMichael]

Lunch is tomorrow.

Nice review in the newspaper today...

http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=371&articleid=20130327_371_0_Itneve529584

By SCOTT CHERRY World Scene Writer
Published: 3/27/2013  9:52 AM

It never was a question of whether Brian Prewitt would open another restaurant after closing the Blue Dome Diner last year; it was just a matter of when and where. Those questions were answered recently when Prewitt revived the old Family Diner on Admiral Place, about three blocks east of Harvard Avenue. "The Shewmaker family had the Family Diner for many years, but the building had been empty for a while," Prewitt said. "A regular customer of mine bought the building and told me he had a place for me if I wanted it."

The menu is a blend of Blue Dome Diner favorites — herb turkey burger, Grandma's oats, quiche and black bean burger, for instance — and traditional American fare associated with a restaurant like the Family Diner. "We are still listening to the neighborhood regulars to see what they are interested in having on the menu," Prewitt said.

Dinner entrees were added to the menu a little over a week ago, and we slipped in one night to give a couple of those a try. We shared a bowl of chicken noodle soup ($4.99) to help warm up on a cold night before digging into rib-eye steak ($12.99) and meatloaf ($6.99) dinners. The soup was a flavorful blend of thinly chopped celery and carrots, shredded chicken, a touch of onions and green peppers, a very thin pasta and a broth heavily flavored with an Italian seasoning laced, I think, with thyme. I held my appetite in check and saved enough for a cup for lunch the next day.

The rib-eye, cooked medium-rare, was not particularly thick, but it was a sizable cut that filled much of the plate. It was tender and sprinkled with a peppery seasoning that gave the meat a pleasing flavor. The meatloaf was dense and dotted with tiny pieces of carrot and red pepper, which was a fine mix for me. I've never been a big fan of meatloaf loaded up with a lot of extra ingredients. This one was lightly seasoned and had a thin layer of ketchup across the top.

The dinners came with a choice of two sides. We both had mashed potatoes with a good cream gravy, along with green beans that seemed to have been cooked in a chicken or vegetable broth and a dinner salad of lettuce, grape tomatoes, purple onion, shredded cheese and chopped carrots. The ranch dressing tasted like a so-so bottle variety. A children's menu includes a mix of breakfast and lunch-dinner items from $3 to $4.99.

Family Diner used to be known as the "Home of the Heavenly Pie," and Prewitt said he hopes eventually to "live up to that reputation."

"Right now we are getting some pies from Antoinette Baking Co. and making some ourselves," he said.

A dark brick paver floor attests to the age of the building, but it otherwise has been spruced up with new tuck-and-roll green and white booth cushions and new ceiling tiles. The walls are decorated with a few posters, including ones for Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan and Mayfest. "The Rose Hill neighborhood — I don't know if that's the official name, but it's what we call it around here — has a strong neighborhood association, and I'm happy to be here," Prewitt said. "It seems everyone I talk to either grew up around here or has a relative who lived here."

One should note it is cash-only until the credit card machine is installed. Prewitt and his staff also provide lunches for the nearby Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences.

Find this and other restaurant reviews in Thursay's Weekend magazine or online at tulsaworld.com/cherrypicks.

FAMILY DINER
3535 E. Admiral Place
918-382-7866
7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday; temporarily cash only.