Steve Alkhatib probably could not have chosen a worse time in recent memory to open an upscale steak and seafood restaurant.
Almost four years ago, with the economy tumbling into recession, he opened Bluestone Steakhouse in far south Tulsa.
"It has been slow at times, but we have a pretty solid following now," Alkhatib said recently as we chatted at Bluestone's 10-seat granite bar on a steamy afternoon. "This summer has been so hot people aren't going out much, but things always pick up in the fall."
We didn't wait for fall to slip in for a weeknight visit. Our party included a grandson, who was fresh from high school football practice and ready to put away some groceries. And he did.
We shared a Brie appetizer ($10), and it was plenty for the table. It included a big round of Brie that had been pan-fried and served with a sweet raspberry sauce, sliced Granny Smith apples, raspberries, red grapes, blackberries and toasted pita points. The whole thing was served on a bowtie-shaped dish that matched the rest of the white china.
Salads come with entrees; some are free, and some carry a $2.50 upcharge. Ours included a fresh baby spinach tossed with warm mustard pancetta dressing and topped with fried crimini mushrooms, diced tomatoes and the thinnest, most delicate onion strings I ever have seen.
We also had a standard garden salad and a half wedge drizzled with blue cheese dressing and topped with crumbled Maytag blue cheese. The salads had a fresh flavor and came with sourdough bread and butter.
Prime rib (14 ounce, $28) was a special that night, so we ordered it medium-rare along with an aged rib-eye ($29) cooked medium. They came out cooked the opposite, but the diners agreed to swap meats, and each went away happy.
When I received our bill, I could see that our server, Todd, had turned in the order correctly, so the mix-up must have occurred in the kitchen.
We had absolutely no problems with the seafood.
Mahi mahi ($23) and halibut ($30) both were thick, flaky and flavorful. The oven-roasted mahi mahi was walnut-encrusted and topped with a citrus vinaigrette, while the halibut was a big, rich dish topped with two jumbo shrimp and lump crab meat in a caper-and-lemon-butter sauce.
A new item, artichoke chicken ($20), was another winner. The flavor of the big artichoke hearts melded perfectly with the oven-baked chicken breast and mushrooms sauteed in lemon butter. It came with mashed potatoes and asparagus.
Bluestone has a full bar and a serviceable wine list at moderate prices.
Alkhatib, a native of Syria, and his wife, Glea, of Scottish-Irish descent, are around to visit customers both at lunch and dinner.
The surroundings are elegant and comfortable with lots of dark woods, small candle lamps on the tables and low lighting from hand-blown blue pendant lights. Heinz Christian is at the piano Thursday-Saturday nights.
Jose Garcia, who has been with the restaurant almost since the beginning, is kitchen manager.
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