Tulsa Restaurant

Lucky's in the News

Lucky's Cheeseburger

As my profile states under "Burger Essentials" I'm a not so average Joe that loves his burgers. That doesn't mean that is all I eat. I'm a foodie at heart. I've spent a ridiculous amount of time reading various books about the industry (favorite was Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain), watching years and years of food documentaries and tv shows, and even trying my hand at varioud dishes over the years. I also love to go out for a great meal at some of our top restaurants in Tulsa (including are Polo Grill and Bodeans). Rarely do my foodie desires of top quality restaurants and burgers collide - till now.

Lucky's is owned and operated by Matt & Brooke Kelley. Matt's culinary education includes the prestigious CIA. For those that are not foodies that's not the Central Intelligence Agency, instead the Culinary Institute of America having graudated in 1991. After that he worked at Mustard Grill in Napa Valley where his love of cooking on a live fire and accompanying his food with wine was mastered. In the mid 1990's Matt and Brooke opened the Atlas Grill in the Atlas building in downtown Tulsa which they sold in 2006. Atlas Grill has been one of my favorite lunch spots downtown for many years. Soon after that they opened Lucky's on Tulsa's historic Cherry Street (15th St.).

Matt and Brooke's love of food is shown in all aspects of their restaurant. The beef for their burgers is procured from a couple of all natural meat suppliers purchased in bulk and processed on site. An example of this is that their burgers are made from a blend of tenderloin, strip and chuck that is cut and ground on site. The burger is then cooked on a live wood fire grill with pecan wood and the burger buns are made daily on site.

On this burger search I was accompanied by Brian McCullough of The Tulsa Food Blog. Having scouted Lucky's before I came I knew there was a difference between burger served at lunch and dinner. I asked out wonderful server Katie what the differences were, then about the meat on the burger, and a few other things and she volunteered to bring the owners Matt and Brooke Kelley over. Both Matt and Brooke were pleasant and answered all of my questions. After Matt mentioned the face that their burgers are grilled on a pecan wood fire I asked if he was okay with me taking a peak. He gladly gave us a tour of the kitchen. What a great place.

Since there are differences between the lunch and dinner burgers we decided to go for both. Brian went with the lunch burger - Fire Roasted Cheeseburger with lettuce, tomatoes, home made pickles, fried onions and smoked cheddar cheese on a fresh baked sesame seed bun. I went with the dinner burger - Lucky's Burger with maytag blue cheese and truffle french fries on the same fresh baked sesame seed bun. I also added some bacon. I'm shocked I overlooked adding the fried onions. Both burgers were amazing. The blend of tenderloin, strip and chuck produces an amazing burger. The flavor even held up to my burgers maytag blue cheese. Brian went with the sweet potato fries while mine came with the truffle french fries where the truffle actually comes from the truffle salt. Again as a foodie I love what specialty salts can add as a finishing product to a lot of foods. These were great. The truffle fries were accompanied with an orange mayo and tarragon ketchup for dipping. I absolutely loved my burger. It did not need the bacon at all. Between the wonderful beef flavor and the blue cheese I was in heaven. I was 'lucky' enough to get a bite of Brian's burger also. It was fantastic. It's hard to say enough about these burgers. All I can say is I'll be back to get the regular lunch burger that includes the fried onions and home made pickles and add bacon to it. Plus for $10 you get a great burger and fries.

Lucy's is a burger lover and a foodies dream come true. This must be why Lucky's burger has been voted best Tulsa burger the last two years in Tulsa People.

The restaurant name can only mean one thing - I'm the lucky one.