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Blue’s News
By SCOTT CHERRY
The following article was published in the Tulsa World (SPOT) on March 7, 2008
Bluestone Steak House & Seafood adds fine-dining option to far south Tulsa.
 A sophisticated setting and delectable menu vault the new Bluestone Steak House & Seafood into the mix of Tulsa’s top fine-dining options — one of the few of its kind in far south Tulsa.
Owner Steve Alkhatib and chef Victor Melgoza have taken an old restaurant space with a 1970s look and turned it into an warm, modern, inviting destination.
Library paneling and columns stained a deep-red
mahogany, small oil lamps on white tablecloths,
sound-absorbing carpeting, a mid-room fireplace and soft piano music set the tone for our visit on a recent Saturday night.
Even though it was bone-chilling cold outside, we found it a trifle warm at a table next to the fireplace, so we asked to move to a nearby wall booth. The booth was perfect.
So was the baby portobello mushroom appetizer ($8). Crimini mushrooms — sometimes called baby portobellos or immature portobellos — had been sliced in half, breaded and deep-fried.
The tanginess of the horseradish sauce served with the dish balanced the saltiness of the breading. Twelve of these plump mushrooms were presented on a bow-tie-shaped white china dish.
Other preliminaries we tried included a thick, hot corn chowder (soup of the day, $4 cup, $6 bowl) that was worthy of a firstrate Southern diner, and a wedge salad ($9) that was drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette and topped with roma tomato slices, crumbled Maytag bleu cheese and yummy grilled green onions.
For our entrees we ordered the 8-ounce filet ($28) and the blue ribeye ($29), both cooked
medium-rare, and to get a taste of the seafood we selected an addon of scallops for $7.
The thick, bacon-wrapped filet topped with a few onion strings and the ribeye both were juicy and melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the flavor of the ribeye was kicked up with a hot, zesty three-pepper Maytag bleu cheese sauce.
I’ve never been a big fan of the jumbo-sized scallops when they arrive either on the raw side of done or overcooked and rubbery. These were exquisite, cooked through but not at all overdone.
Entrees come with a dinner salad or soup, a vegetable of the day and a choice of baked potato or garlic mashed potatoes. We chose the baked potatoes, packed full of cheese, bacon bits, sour cream and chives.
The mixed sauteed veggies — commonly a threesome at most places — included a buttery combination of broccoli, zucchini, carrots, red bell peppers, cauliflower, yellow squash and asparagus, all cooked al dente.
We shared a chocolate mousse ($6) for dessert. It had a grainy texture, mellow chocolate flavor and was topped with whip cream.
Alkhatib said some of the lunch items, such as burgers and sandwiches, eventually will be added to the dinner menu and are available now upon request.
Our efficient and exuberant server, Brian, automatically brought us glasses of ice water with lemon wedges and a basket of white and dark breads that had crispy crusts and soft interiors.
Bluestone has full bar service, including a selection of singlemalt scotches and about 35 wines.
In addition to the aforementioned interior highlights, Bluestone also features a 10-chair granite bar, hand-blown blue pendant ceiling lights and modern ceiling fans with turquoise light fixtures.
The dining room is on two levels, with the bar on the upper level.
Heinz Christian plays the piano on Friday and Saturday nights.
Alkhatib has over 25 years of experience owning and managing various Restaurants. Melgoza formerly had stints at Bistro in
Brookside, Bistro at Seville, Chalkboard and
Bartlesville Country Club.
Bluestone, which seats 105, accepts reservations.
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