Lucky's Restaurant

Lucky's in the News

Lucky Strike

The best thing I can say is, “Lucky us.”

Brooke and Matt Kelley’s new restaurant, Lucky’s, is a smart, stylish addition to the upscale dining destinations in Tulsa. It is located on Cherry Street in a space that was home to Camerelli’s for 15 years. It also has sentimental value for Matt Kelley.

“If you remember, before it was Camerelli’s, this is where Philippe Garmy started Back Bay Gourmet, and Joe Tierney was cooking for Philippe then,” said Kelley.

“My dad (Steve) knew them, knew Joe had gone to the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) and took me in to meet them when I was a CIA student. We’re all still friends, and I do business with Joe.”

Tierney has Progressive Produce, which supplies many of Tulsa’s high-end restaurants, and Garmy is teaching at Oklahoma State University.

This conversation took place about a week after we slipped in among a group of six for a weeknight visit to Lucky’s.

The food here – from the Cherry Street fry appetizer to the T-Town filet and rosemary lamb chops – drew raves all around, and I don’t think historical vibes or luck had much to do with it.

The Cherry Street fry ($10) included a trio of onion strings, marvelously tender calamari and okra, all fried to a golden brown, crispy but not greasy.

The food, held in a paper cone inside a glass tumbler, came with a tangy Chinese mustard and mellow herb-buttermilk sauce for dipping.

Grilled flatbread ($12) was a yummy pizza-type starter that was topped with pears, goat cheese, figs, crispy sage leaves and a sprinkling of truffle oil.

Competing with the fry dish and flatbread for early accolades was Texas quail ($10), four pieces of fried quail served with a spicy sage gravy. Some at our table thought the breading was tasty but a little heavy, and others thought it was perfect.

It says something about our dinners that the quail breading was the major point of contention.

Many dishes here have a “down on the farm” quality to them, not the least of which was beef short ribs ($20), meaty and tender, and with enough fat left to give it flavor. This entree came with ancho chilies, ranch-style beans (more like traditional baked beans), nicely textured cornbread and a zippy jicama slaw.

The rosemary lamb chops ($30) included four tender chops with pine nuts and maplebrowned butter, along with green beans and white-cheddar cheese grits. Those grits and a slice of pan-grilled ham would make a great weekend breakfast.

A fire-roasted wild salmon ($23) was given a Southwestern preparation with Hollandaise verde, black beans and a roasted onion-and-corn salsa. The combination was delicious.

Three pieces of chickenfried rabbit ($24) had a mellow flavor. They were spiced up with sides of cilantro-tinged chunky mashed potatoes with chipotle gravy, plus long, whole red grilled peppers that added flavor and color to the dish.

The thick, fork-tender TTown filets ($32) came with roasted corn, wild mushrooms and baked Vermont cheddar- and-macaroni. The latter inspired us to bake our own version of mac-and-cheese at home a few nights later.

One of the filets was ordered with an add-on of rich, panseared foie gras in a pomegranate demi-glace ($9), which proved a fine complement to the filet.

Instead of the usual sourdough and butter or something similar, triangles of flatbread with a bean puree, like hummus, was the complimentary bread dish.

The only other debate of the night was waged over whether the seared sugar crust on the almond brulee ($7) was just right or a tad thick. Regardless, all agreed the warm top, cool custard center and nutty almond flavoring made for an exceptional brulee.

More showy were the chocolate gateau (cake) topped with thick whipped cream ($7), and the pine nut-caramel tart ($7), like a pecan tart except with the more delicate fl avor of pine nuts.

A separate lunch menu is served until 5 p.m., and a latenight menu is available from 10 p.m. to midnight.

Lucky’s full bar service includes 11 beers and an inviting list of about 75 wines. This list includes a special group of 20 wines for $20 each, as well as a nice selection of splits (half bottles). More than 20 are available by the glass.

Our server, Bruce, was enthusiastic but not obtrusive and was well-versed with the menu.

Matt Kelley’s chef resume includes stints at Arrowhead Yacht Club on Grand Lake, Grille 51 and the Summit Club.

He and Brooke owned the Atlas Grill downtown before leaving the restaurant business a couple of years ago.

“Brooke and I had decided we wanted to open a restaurant on 15th Street with a menu that was a collection of our favorite things,” said Kelley. “We were thrilled when this place became available.”

In addition to Brooke and Matt, the Lucky’s staff includes general manager Johnna Hayes, chef J. Scott VanTuyl and manager Jesse Mares.