Bill Parkey (left) and Michael Denson are the new owners of S&J Seafood Cafe & Oyster Bar. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World
The revival of S&J Seafood Cafe and Oyster Bar nearly is complete.
The restaurant, founded 30 years ago in Brookside by Michelle and Howard Smith and closed in 2004, has reopened under new ownership at 308 E. First St.
The new S&J is staging a “soft” opening, It is receiving customers after 3 p.m., has no set closing time and is offering a limited menu. The grand opening is Tuesday, when the restaurant will begin regular hours, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. all week.
“We technically are still in a training period for our staff, both our kitchen staff and our waitstaff,” said co-owner Bill Parkey. “If anyone comes before Tuesday and has a long wait for a table or if something isn’t right, I hope they will be patient with us.”
Parkey, whose father was a former business partner of the Smiths, and Michael Denson, a former S&J general manager, are the new owners. Chris Stevens, a former 10-year employee, is the new general manager.
“We have about a dozen former employees — in the kitchen, servers and at the bar — working for us,” Parkey said. “That says a lot about Howard and the restaurant.”
Smith, who has been serving as a consultant, came out of the kitchen Tuesday night wearing an apron covered in flour.
“I’m just watching over things, making sure everything is how it is supposed to be,” Smith said.
The menu has been updated somewhat, but it also contains many of the old favorites.
Some of the items include New England fried clams, oysters on the half shell, shrimp Louie salad, oyster stew, broiled salmon, crawfish tails, fish and chips, red beans and rice, etouffee and gumbo.
Prices range from about $7 to $20. Most entrees are in the teens.
S&J also offers full bar service.
The ground-floor dining room features wall hangings and clocks from the original S&J, a marble bar, glass block and black tile, giving the room an art deco look. A second-floor dining area will open next week.
“It has been a lengthy process and a challenge to get it all dialed in right,” Parkey said. “But it also has been exciting.”
S&J Oyster is located on the south side of First Street (a one-way street going west) between Detroit and Elgin avenues.
