This SA event was a great chance to try Tulsa favorites as well as explore new local restaurants.
Students swept in from the cold gathered in long lines, waiting eagerly for the variety of delicious eats from local Tulsa restaurants. It might have been freezing Thursday night, but inside it was cozy and cheerful as students gathered in small groups, enjoying all manner of foods, sweets and drinks.
Featuring 25 different restaurants from around Tulsa, Taste of Tulsa was a success. There was a plethora of options that appealed to all kinds of eaters, from vegetarians to meat-lovers. There’s no doubt that many of these restaurants are familiar to those who love exploring good eats around TU, but there were also businesses from the greater Tulsa area that students may have not been exposed to, such as Shawkat’s Grill, which offers Lebanese style dishes; Le Louvre — a French cafe; or Rendang and Co, an Indonesian Bistro.
As a vegetarian, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of options available. Although it wasn’t as extensive as the meat options, there were still quite a few foods to try, such as the cheese and tomato empanadas from Que Gusto, curry and rice from Bodhi’s Bowl and falafel from Shawkat’s Grill. The falafel was crisp and flavorful. Que Gusto never disappoints with the empanadas. Other restaurants, however, paled in comparison.
Bodhi’s Bowl could have chosen a better sample to provide the students. Despite the fact that I have greatly enjoyed some of their dishes at Mother Road before, this particular rendition of their curry and rice was lacking in flavor. Elote provided pico bites, which were essentially spicy tortilla chips, but a friend of mine, Heath Fusco, wished that they had brought something more representative of their menu, such as a street taco.
As delicious as the food was, the desserts really stole the show. Le Louvre, Big Baby’s Donuts and Rolls, Onifades, Rose Rock Microcreamery and Sweets & Cream offered a variety of delectable cookies, ice cream and other pastries.
But it was Le Louvre who stole the show. The pastries were beautifully made, from the pain au chocolat to the lemon custard tart. I tried the latter, which struck the right balance of lemon and was decorated with fresh blueberries and a delicate sugar daisy. There’s something about the combination of sweet treats, a cup of steaming coffee from Topeca and frigid weather that made the experience of trying the pastry so much better.
Taste of Tulsa was a chance to gather with friends and try a variety of free foods from around Tulsa. Although chain restaurants have their appeal, it was nice to try local restaurants and find new favorites. I will definitely be visiting some of these restaurants in-person again! Supporting local restaurants is a great thing to do, especially as the pandemic has placed a burden on small businesses. If you didn’t get a chance to go this time, make sure to check out Taste of Tulsa next year.
