Table Ten, Tulsa, OK

Tony and I tried a brand new restaurant in Brookside called Table Ten for lunch today. We were anxious to try it, since it's a joint venture project of several people including the young, CIA-trained chef-owner of the French Hen. It's in a completely redone building across the street from Aberson's (the place in Tulsa where one can buy Armani clothes) and the Doran Gallery. The street-side wall is completely glass, and the decor is minimalist and practically all white. As one enters the restaurant, there is a floor to ceiling glass waterfall which serves as a partition separating the entry from the restrooms. The dining room is a large, simple room with a row of six two-tops on the far wall with a banquette all along the wall, and eight four-top tables evenly spaced in the rest of the dining room. There is also a bar with six rough-hewn wood barstools. I found the place to be potentially very noisy, since there was a painted concrete floor, essentially bare walls, and very little fabric on surfaces to deaden noise.

The menu was interesting, and seemed to have a lot of dinner-type and -price entrees, and only a couple of big salads and sandwich options for lighter appetites (and pocketbooks). We were served a very tasty basket of cheddar cheese and jalapeno biscuits, which were thin and about two inches square, accompanied by a plate of slivvers of butter (instead of the usual square or rectangular pats). We had too much to do to drink any wine, but I noticed they were serving their wines in stemless wine glasses. Interestingly, they were out of my first two entree choices, a pheasant pot pie and the chicken and cheese gnocchi (dumpling), as well as an artichoke appetizer. So, I ended up with a bowl of carrot jalapeno soup, which was very very good. It was served in a round bowl with a square-shaped rim. There was a good, slightly sweet carrot flavor and the jalapeno was present but not devastatingly hot. I also tasted creme fraiche, nutmeg, and white pepper.

For my main course, I had the two cherry bourbon lamb shanks, which were presented on a bed of succotash and garnished with a few leaves of flash-fried spinach. The lamb had a fine flavor and was good, but I wasn't blown away by it. There was a distinct bourbon flavor to the glaze, and I found several dried cherries. I think perchance if the lamb had been braised a touch longer, it would have had a more impressive tenderness to it. I liked the succotash. It was a bit lima bean-heavy, but there was also corn, red bell pepper, and onion in the mix. Tony had the same entree, but opted for a caesar salad instead of soup. It appeared to be nicely made and I saw distinct shavings of actual parmesan cheese, and Tony reported the dressing to be freshly made and with a touch of mustard taste.

We wanted dessert, but their only three options--a turtle cheesecake, a chocolate sundae, and strawberries and cream--didn't ring our bell, so we did without. Tony liked the place a lot and says it has potential, but I wasn't quite so impressed. For a $64 lunch for two that did not include alcohol or dessert, I expect to be more awed.