Chef Timothy Fitzgerald directs the wine program at Foundations restaurant at Tulsa's Platt College. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World
Foundations restaurant at Tulsa's Platt College has been selected to the "World's Best Wine Lists" for 2012 in the August issue of Wine Spectator magazine.
Other Oklahoma restaurants to make the list are the Polo Grill and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, both from Tulsa, and Oklahoma City-area restaurants Boulevard Steakhouse & Martini Lounge, Mickey Mantle's Steakhouse, Nonna's Euro-American Ristorante and Opus Prime Steakhouse.
Polo Grill and Opus are among 878 restaurants worldwide to receive Best of Award of Excellence. The others are among 2,842 to receive an Award of Excellence. Only 75 restaurants received the top rating, Grand Award.
To be considered, restaurants must submit copies of their dinner menus and wine lists, write a cover letter explaining their wine programs and send a fee of $250.
Chef Timothy Fitzgerald, instructor and wine director at Foundations, said sending in the fee does not guarantee making the list.
"We were on pins and needles until the magazine came out," Fitzgerald said. "We dramatically brushed up our wine list this year and made selections to complement our menu. The guiding light on our wine list was a Chateauneuf-du-Pape."
Fitzgerald said developing a wine program has proved beneficial in a number of ways for the culinary students.
"When you study wines you end up covering geography, soil, geology and a introduction to seven or eight languages," Fitzgerald said. "Then there is proper table service. At first they were dumbstruck about that, but they are coming along."
Fitzgerald said wines at Foundations generally cost $25 to $75 per bottle, and "there are some great values in the $30 to $40 range."
Culinary students serve lunch and dinner Wednesday-Friday at Foundations, 3801 S. Sheridan Road. Dinner reservations are recommended: 918-828-0980.
