A club sandwich on the everything bagel at the Old School Bagel Cafe in Tulsa. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World
It was ice one day and boiling water the next for Aaron Quinton when he joined the ownership team of Old School Bagel Cafe shortly after it opened in Brookside.
“I came here from Phoenix in 2008 to work for the Tulsa Ice Oilers,” Quinton said. “I went back to school and worked in a bagel shop for a while, then I got to know the people here.
“I’ve loved it here. It’s a real family environment for staff and customers.”
The other principals in Old School, Joe Trizza and Paul Sorrentino, came out of the New York Bagel Shop chain that was popular here in the 1990s.
That means they adhere to the New York style of bagel making. They use a mixture of flour, water, yeast, brown sugar and malt to make the dough.
After the dough rises and is cooled, it is boiled, then baked on wood planks in a blazing hot oven.
Halfway through cooking, the bagels are flipped so both sides cook evenly.
That means the toppings, such as seeds, salt, garlic and onions, cling to both sides of the bagel.
I’ve had several different flavors at Old School, so on a recent visit I went old school with a plain toasted bagel with plain cream cheese, and it was delicious. The bagel was nicely browned, had a crispy crust and a chewy center.
We also had a 5th Avenue sandwich ($5.99), a pulled pork sandwich ($6.49), and a soup and salad combo ($6.99) of a Cobb salad and lobster bisque.
The 5th Avenue was stacked high with turkey, ham, Swiss cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and red onion, and the meats dominated the flavor of the sandwich.
The pulled pork sandwich was a chalkboard special and included a small portion of pork, a smaller dab of barbecue sauce, lettuce and purple onion. The flavor was fine, if a little bland.
Most sandwiches may be ordered with white bread, bagel, rye bread, wheat bread, sourdough bread or croissant.
The bisque pretty much stole the show. I didn’t detect any lobster in the bowl, but the broth delivered the correct flavor and had a creamy, thick texture.
The Cobb salad was super fresh and included lettuce, blue cheese crumbles, tomato, hardboiled egg and a creamy ranch dressing.
Old School has a wide selection of specialty sandwiches, salads, bagels and pastries. The lineup includes muffins, huge cinnamon rolls, sticky buns and cookies.
“We take pride in being fresh,” Quinton said. “We make our dough, cream cheese, breads, everything that we possibly can from scratch.”
Old School Bagel Cafe stores also are located in Stillwater, Edmond, Norman and Oklahoma City.
“It’s not exactly a franchise,” Quinton said. “They are separately owned, and each has a little different menu. For instance, I think we do more pastries than the others.”
Quinton also said his group recently signed for land next to Mahogany Prime Steakhouse near 71st Street and Yale Avenue.
“We will build the store from the ground up,” Quinton said. “It’s probably a year away from opening.”
OLD SCHOOL
BAGEL CAFE
3723 S. Peoria Ave.
918-743-7400
6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday; accepts all major credit
Food
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