South Tulsa El Guapo's

[BKDotCom]

Yep, Charlie Mitchell's was in the center on the SW corner in the space where Hideaway Pizza is now was.

Fixed that for you.

[DolfanBob]

Thanks guys. I like the El Guapo downtown. I think it will be tough to have the same ambiance but I hope they do well.

My same thought when Shogun moved from 51st and Harvard to 71st and Memorial. I went once and have never been back. It was just way to generic.

[Conan71]

A good chunk of El Guapo's appeal in the atmosphere, the building, the rooftop bar, etc

It sure as hell isn't the food.

[dbacksfan 2.0]

Wasn't this spot also an El Paso Barbeque at one time? Back in '84 the building south of this was a place called Bee Jay's Comedy Restaurant. Was kind of a cool set up. The floor you walk in on was the restaurant, down stairs was a game room with darts and pool tables, and the upstairs was a bar and stage.

[Conan71]

Wasn't this spot also an El Paso Barbeque at one time?

Yes it was.  That may have been the next venture after Furrs.  I believe Steamroller Blues BBQ came after that.  El Paso moved to 71st St. in the Easy Rider's center if memory serves me correctly.

I think the whole El Paso BBQ chain went tits up some time back.

[dbacksfan 2.0]

Yes it was.  That may have been the next venture after Furrs.  I believe Steamroller Blues BBQ came after that.  El Paso moved to 71st St. in the Easy Rider's center if memory serves me correctly.

I think the whole El Paso BBQ chain went tits up some time back.

Think so, Googled El Paso BBQ, and there may be a couple of locations in SoCal near the LA area, but there are too many other places to go eat at including BBQ for me to even think about them.

[Townsend]

It sure as hell isn't the food.

I've heard that has improved.  Have I heard wrong?

[DolfanBob]

I've heard that has improved.  Have I heard wrong?

I went there and ate the opening night this season of the Ice Oilers game. We were pleased with the food and service. It had been some time before that and we dined on the roof. But back in the day and several drinks later. Who tastes the food past the chips and salsa? 

[sgrizzle]

El Guapos has been decidedly average overall. Not real consistent. The Wet Burrito was the awesome item for awhile, but it has shrunk in recent years. It used to be the "I can't finish it" item on the menu, now it's headed towards an appetizer.

[Conan71]

I've heard that has improved.  Have I heard wrong?

No idea, it's been a few years since I've been.  Lately, when we want Mexican we venture over to the barrio or hit a taco truck.

[Gaspar]

Yes it was.  That may have been the next venture after Furrs.  I believe Steamroller Blues BBQ came after that.  El Paso moved to 71st St. in the Easy Rider's center if memory serves me correctly.

I think the whole El Paso BBQ chain went tits up some time back.

El Paso BBQ.  Brings back memories. . .

Was invited out to Scottsdale, AZ to meet the owners, about 14 years ago.   Very nice California couple with lots of very successful restaurant concepts.  That location at 81st had already failed and they had moved to where Chuy's is now (71st and 169).  They couldn't understand why their BBQ chain wouldn't take hold in Tulsa.  They had already arranged franchise licensing for the entire SW and wanted someone to fix what was wrong.  We reviewed their menu (ridiculous high prices and nothing that anyone in Oklahoma would associate with BBQ) and provided them with recommendations and a marketing plan.  They refused to admit that cold smoked salmon and pressure cooked ribs were not bbq.  They also refused to accept that Okies were not going to pay $19 for ribs.  There was a bunch of stuff on the menu that had no business there. They had a whole 6-pack of sauces on the tables that made no sense and really tasted awful.  The waitstaff was instructed to "train" the customer as to what sauce could be used for what, and it took at least 2 minutes just to get through that diatribe before you ordered your meal.

Needless to say, what we offered, they rebuked, and quickly went out of business after going through all kinds of ridiculous undulations (I think they even tried to become a biker bar with the same menu). They had some great equipment in that location, and spent a fortune on fixtures and custom painted murals.  They had two large Southern Pride smokers, they just had no clue how to use them.  That's one of those businesses that would have been really easy to fix (because it was all recipe & technique).  Some people just get a dream in their heads and will follow that dream all the way into the ground, because to admit that even a fraction of their vision is wrong is just to painful for their ego.

[dbacksfan 2.0]

El Paso BBQ.  Brings back memories. . .

Was invited out to Scottsdale, AZ to meet the owners, about 14 years ago.   Very nice California couple with lots of very successful restaurant concepts.  That location at 81st had already failed and they had moved to where Chuy's is now (71st and 169).  They couldn't understand why their BBQ chain wouldn't take hold in Tulsa.  They had already arranged franchise licensing for the entire SW and wanted someone to fix what was wrong.  We reviewed their menu (ridiculous high prices and nothing that anyone in Oklahoma would associate with BBQ) and provided them with recommendations and a marketing plan.  They refused to admit that cold smoked salmon and pressure cooked ribs were not bbq.  They also refused to accept that Okies were not going to pay $19 for ribs.  There was a bunch of stuff on the menu that had no business there. They had a whole 6-pack of sauces on the tables that made no sense and really tasted awful.  The waitstaff was instructed to "train" the customer as to what sauce could be used for what, and it took at least 2 minutes just to get through that diatribe before you ordered your meal.

Needless to say, what we offered, they rebuked, and quickly went out of business after going through all kinds of ridiculous undulations (I think they even tried to become a biker bar with the same menu). They had some great equipment in that location, and spent a fortune on fixtures and custom painted murals.  They had two large Southern Pride smokers, they just had no clue how to use them.  That's one of those businesses that would have been really easy to fix (because it was all recipe & technique).  Some people just get a dream in their heads and will follow that dream all the way into the ground, because to admit that even a fraction of their vision is wrong is just to painful for their ego.

Interesting. There was a BBQ place that opened up in '04 in Phoenix that their hook was a six pack of sauces on the table so that you could try sauces from different regions of the US. The sauces were good, but the rest of their product was underwhelming. No real smoke flavor, very little dry rub. Place lasted about 8 months and no one really noticed it was gone.

[Conan71]

I think we tried El Paso twice.  Once at 81st and once on 71st.  Underwhelmed both times.  I'd forgotten all about the six pack of sauces.

I've often wondered if Steamroller would still be at 18th & Boston if Tom hadn't opened the second location.  He got spread too thin and it seemed like his employees weren't real good at employing his touch when he wasn't around.

[Gaspar]

Interesting. There was a BBQ place that opened up in '04 in Phoenix that their hook was a six pack of sauces on the table so that you could try sauces from different regions of the US. The sauces were good, but the rest of their product was underwhelming. No real smoke flavor, very little dry rub. Place lasted about 8 months and no one really noticed it was gone.

Yeah. That was one of theirs.

[Gaspar]

I think we tried El Paso twice.  Once at 81st and once on 71st.  Underwhelmed both times.  I'd forgotten all about the six pack of sauces.

I've often wondered if Steamroller would still be at 18th & Boston if Tom hadn't opened the second location.  He got spread too thin and it seemed like his employees weren't real good at employing his touch when he wasn't around.

He had some family issues to deal with too. I'm glad to see him back with Blue Rose. He's a great guy and a smart marketer.