Bodean Seafood: Seafood showplace enjoys new berth
BY SCOTT CHERRY World Restaurant Critic
Thursday, November 06, 2008
3/20/13 at 6:07 AM
See a video interview with Tim Richards.
Bodean Seafood has been
in its new home for a little
more than a year, and the
40-year-old restaurant has
never looked better.
Bodean always has fielded
a talented kitchen staff,
and the food today, under
the steady hand of executive
chef Tim Richards, is
first-rate. The ambience is
understated and elegant,
and the service — at least the
night we were there — is as
impressive as any we’ve seen
in the Tulsa area.
It is pricey, out of range
for the average Joe the Reporter,
except for special occasions.
But you know what
the guy said about getting
what you pay for.
Diners also aren’t going
to be overwhelmed by the
size of the servings, but the
preparations are creative,
and the wide range of fresh
seafood is unmatched in this
landlocked market.
An appetizer of broiled
oysters ($9.95) included four
hefty Gulf oysters on a bed of
rock salt and prepared four
ways — Rockefeller (spinach,
cream cheese), casino (bell
peppers, Parmesan, bread
crumbs), pepperado (serrano
pepper, bread crumbs) and
Irish (Yukon Gold mashed
potatoes, Bushmills Irish
whiskey, Parmesan).
Oysters and potatoes is not
an uncommon pairing, but I
can’t recall seeing it on the
half shell. It was quite tasty,
and the cheesy Rockefeller
was just plain luscious.
Leading up to our entrees
we also shared an outstanding
Caesar salad ($6.95) and
a cup of shrimp-and-lobster
bisque ($4.95). The Caesar,
made with tofu instead of a
coddled egg base, included
large mushroom slices and
grated Parmesan in a light
garlic vinaigrette and was
served with a tapenadecovered
crostini. The pretty,
salmon-colored bisque had
layers of flavor and a little
bite, possibly from a bit of
oregano or cayenne.
From among the 10
seafood entrees — the menu
also had a beef filet and a
ribeye — we selected seared
jumbo sea scallops ($29.95)
and hazelnut-crusted
Alaskan halibut ($30.95).
The fish in both dishes had
a sweet flavor and was perfectly
cooked.
The halibut plate was
stacked, from bottom to top,
with a pool of thick tomato
soup, a brioche and fourcheese
sandwich and the
piece of halibut topped with
a small basil salad. For me,
the sandwich was a little
superfluous, but overall it
was a wonderful dish.
The scallops circled a
bowl of oyster mushrooms,
ricotta salatta, Port wine
and penne pasta. The menu
didn’t mention the sliced
grape tomatoes, which were
fine, or the purple onion
slices, which were a bit too
abundant.We plucked out
some of the onions to suit
our taste.
Desserts were a real treat.
The trio of chocolate ($9) included
a serving of chocolate
panna cotta (eggless custard),
chocolate-and-toasted
almond ice cream, and a
miniature chocolate truffle
cake. The vanilla creme
brulee ($6) had a cool, eggy
custard with a brown-sugar
topping expertly seared with
a branding iron.
Bodean has full bar service
with an extensive wine list,
including 40 by the glass.
The long, curving bar seats
20, and more tables and
curvy banquettes are available
in the lounge area.
Our server, Michelle,
seemed to know the ingredients
and preparation of every
dish on the menu, down
to some minute details.
She was on the spot when
needed and absent when not
needed.
She also was friendly
and informative but not too
chatty, and she paid attention
to details. For instance,
one diner had forgotten
her reading glasses, and
Michelle must have noticed
because she soon showed up
with a pair of cheaters so we
could read the menu.
The decor, which includes
three fireplaces, is sleek and
filled with art objects — wall
hangings, draped-fabric ceiling
decorations, hand-blown
glass light fixtures — in
various mediums by local
artists. Bathrooms have slate
floors, walls of ceramic brick
and small glass tiles, large
mirrors and vases of fresh
flowers.
A private room has a 60-
inch television and room for
40 diners.
The whole effect is “nautical
in a vague sort of way,”
according to chef Richards,
and it is.
Richards said moving
virtually just across 51st
Street from the old site was
a four-year process, after the
restaurant learned it would
have to go because of the
widening of Interstate 44.
“We were supposed to go
to another space in the shopping
center, and it would
have forced a lot of compromises,”
he said.
“Then Blockbuster closed,
and we got this corner space
at the last minute. It has
turned out to be the perfect
spot for us.”
Bodean also has boosted
its Sunday night audience
with live music and special
chef’s tasting menus. Call
the restaurant for details or
reservations.
Bodean Seafood
Market
The first thing one
notices are the rows of
seafood in gleaming glass
display cases at Bodean
Seafood Market, which is
connected to Bodean Seafood
restaurant and has a
dedicated entrance facing
51st Street.
Gene Pounds, Bodean’s
operations manager, gave
us a recent tour and pointed
out everything from the
sushi-grade yellowfin tuna,
the highest-priced item
that day at $21.95 a pound,
to the little neck clams, the
least expensive at $5.90 a
pound.
In between we saw such
items as Atlantic salmon,
king salmon, halibut,
flounder, rainbow trout,
cod, John Dory, walleye,
live lobster and fish patties
made to cook like hamburgers,
most of it priced
at $10 to $19 a pound.
The market also offers
a variety of side dishes to
take home, such as crab
cakes, dips, sauces, bread,
chowder, gumbo and apple
cobbler, all made in-house.
It even has prime beef if
you’re not in the mood for
fish, as well as dry pastas,
capers, olives, gourmet
rice and soup beans.
Hasty-Bake charcoal is
available for grilling enthusiasts.
Pounds also pointed
out that the Bodean staff
is eager to provide recipes
or cooking instructions
for anything sold in the
market.
Market hours are 8 a.m.
to 6:30 p.m. Monday-
Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday and noon-5 p.m.
Sunday.
BODEAN SEAFOOD
3376 E. 51st St. 743-3861
Food: Seafood
Price: dinner entrees, $18.95
(cioppino) to $45.95 (9-
ounce coldwater lobster tail);
lunches, $5.95 to $17.95
Credit cards: All major
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.
to 10:30 p.m. Friday; 5-10:30
p.m. Saturday, 4-9 p.m.
Sunday
Food: ****
Atmosphere: ****
Service: ****
Associated Images:
Sesame-crusted Gulf yellow fin tuna with a soba noodle salad strikes a stately pose at Bodean Seafood.
The hazelnut-crusted Alaskan halibut topped with a microbasil salad sits over a pool of tomato soup and a brioche and four-cheese sandwich.
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