Best of - Tulsa Restaurants That Are Gone

[Aa5drvr]

>>El Chico at 18th & Baltimore across from

When I was a kid (most of the restaurants were along 11th street), there were really only two prominent mexican restaurants in Tulsa.
El Rancho Grande on 11th and the restaurant on 18th by the fire startion and what was the Louisianne....
Eventually it was El Chico, but I believe originally it was El Charrito.

[waterboy]

It was El Charrito. They were bought out i think by the Chico chain.

What about that funny little diner on 15th just west of Peoria on the South side where Mcdonalds parking lot is now. It looked like a house converted to a diner. Closed back in the early 80's because his builtin refrigerator couldn't be fixed and they were going to have to tear a wall out to remove it so he just closed it up.

They had a great "brown derby". Salisbury steak covered with a scoop of mashed potatoes and brown gravy. Added character to the neighborhood.

[breitee]

Did Kal's Chop House close down?

[TulsaJayhawk]

Has anyone mentioned the old fancy date classic, The Louisianne on 18th at Boston?

[Breadburner]

How bout Shaw's Drive Inn at 22nd and Yale.....

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by breitee

Did Kal's Chop House close down?

Last Monday.

[breitee]

Any details on what happened to Kal's Chop House? His commercials were all over the radio and I thought that thery were doing good business. Anyone know?

[Conan71]

I had a direct conversation with one of the principal investors last Thursday night so my source is rock-solid.

I don't think it would be appropriate to say much more than: if I were to open a restaurant here, Kal wouldn't be my pick for a manager.

Sales were slipping the last six months very precipitously.  Vendors weren't getting paid, etc. Some of it was the "new" wearing off, some of it was regulars being run off over a variety of reasons.  They also had what sounded like somewhat of a constant turn-over in the kitchen.  

Pretty much what happens when any restaurant tanks in this town.  

The food was good, if not a little over-priced.  I've managed to drop 2 1/2 bills in there on a dinner for two.

[AMP]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

I had a direct conversation with one of the principal investors last Thursday night so my source is rock-solid.

I don't think it would be appropriate to say much more than: if I were to open a restaurant here, Kal wouldn't be my pick for a manager.

The food was good, if not a little over-priced.  I've managed to drop 2 1/2 bills in there on a dinner for two.

I had never heard of this place other than on this message board. I listen to KMOD and whatever that morning talk show station with Gwen Freeman and Chris Medlock is in the AM.  

Where was this restaurant located?  

Oh, I found it, 6800 South Lewis Kal's Southern Hills Chop House.  Sounds like they didn't get their fair share of the predicted $60,000,000 that was in town during the PGA.

Of course I  have also never heard of the River thing in Jenks or seen a photo or read anything about it either, other than on here and at Brownies Hamburgers when I asked where Gary had gone to again.  He went into Insurance sales at one time in history, then came back to Brownies for a long time, then they said he tried a place in Jenks at some River place.  He was an excellent silverware juggler!  I assume that was the same place somewhere way down in Jenks.

[Conan71]

The Kal's folks found out what everyone else figured out during US Open '01, PGA '94, TC '96 etc (or whatever years those tourneys were).  No one shops or eats around that area during the tournament due to the traffic or percieved traffic problems.  I specifically asked how that week went- "crappy" to loosely paraphrase the answer.

Either that or they are ready to go home or to their hotel to clean up and soak up some A/C when they are done at the course for the day.  Once you are on-site you really don't feel like walking a half mile to get something to eat.

You could close your place for a week and not miss much.

Steamroller Blues closed the week before the US Open.  They could have cashed in one last time.  The restaurants around 81st & Harvard did very well that week while 51st to 71st & Lewis suffered.

[aoxamaxoa]

quote:Originally posted by MichaelC

I went to Jamil's tonight.  Gone there for years.

Worst service, worst food, I've ever had there.  They've gone down hill fast, they can bulldoze it tomorrow as far as I'm concerned.

GAWD AWEFUL!!!!! went in there two months ago....it's like the health department quit stopping by....burn it down Tyrone. The only good thing in there is the picture of you and Frank Zappa.....

and what was that 24/7 diner on 11th between Denver and Cinn ave? Ate there after the Cain's many times in the 70's....

[iplaw]

Jamil's

The last time I ate there was Sept 10, 2001...

dum..da..dum..dum..

Really poor service.  The guy that waited on us was so old and he shook so badly that he couldn't even fill water glasses on the table without pouring water on our food.

[Gold]

He still works there. It's hit or miss.  I like it.

[AMP]

quote:Originally posted by Breadburner

How bout Shaw's Drive Inn at 22nd and Yale.....

Shaw's was at 32nd and Yale, sits across from the Egg Roll Express today.  

Man that ran it wore glasses, he and his wife ran the business.  They had one of the best tasting burgers I recall.  Me and Roger Rutz were involved in a traffic accident there one Saturday afternoon when I was around 15.  He was driving his dad's prized two door 50's small V-8 powered Ford T-Bird.  Jim Dillon came along heading north on Yale and stopped to let us out of the drive.  We most times went north and turned riight on 31st, I believe we took the BA to Sheridan exit.  Anyway, Roger decided to turn left and ran head-on into an oncoming car he never saw coming up the inside north bound lane.   I remember the red and white ambulance coming to get the person driving the other car.  I thought Roger was going to need a second ambulance once his dad arrived and saw his car !

My mom owned an Orange Julius business there before it was Shaw's Drive Inn.  My dad built the concrete block building there prior to 1956 for the Orange Julius Stand.  The glass front was not there when it was first opened.  It bacame a donut place, not sure what it is today.

Mom never worked there, she just owned it.  I always liked the frothy Orange Julius drinks we got there.  Back then they use a raw egg in them if you ordered it that way. Yummy to the MAX!


May be combined with Dariy Queen stores today.

[iplaw]

quote:Originally posted by Gold

He still works there. It's hit or miss.  I like it.

God he stressed me out.  Left him a really good tip though...I figure any guy that's waiting tables that late in life deserves some props.  Hell, he probably just loves working.