Oh My Coffee: Perfect latte shows Bixby shop owner's loving care
BY SCOTT CHERRY World Restaurant Critic
Thursday, December 13, 2012
3/28/13 at 7:53 AM
Three young mothers were having coffee and watching their toddlers play together on the carpet when I made a midmorning visit to the new Oh My Coffee in Bixby.
Owner Christie Knipp was putting together one of her many specialty coffee drinks, her face just inches from the espresso machine. Knipp, you see, is legally blind.
"It's not a big deal that I can't see," Knipp said as she carefully pulled out bottles of flavored syrups for the drinks. "Part of doing this is to show my daughters they can do anything, but really it's no big deal."
Daughters Sarah, 16, and Amber, 4, both are legally blind. Christie and husband Phillip also have a son, Sol, 2.
"We are usually all here in the evenings," Knipp said. "My husband likes to work back in the kitchen, and I like to make drinks and work the front of the house. Sarah helps, too."
When I was there on a different day to sample some of the food items, Knipp was working by herself. Because I ordered so much, it was fortunate more customers - two couples and a man with a grandchild - didn't arrive until my order was nearly complete and another person arrived to give Knipp a hand.
We had a build-your-own grilled chicken sandwich ($6.50), a bacon-chicken wrap ($6.50), a garden salad ($2.50), a Caesar salad ($3.75), a 16-ounce latte ($2.75), a frozen white chocolate drink ($5) and a piece of cheesecake ($2.50).
The fresh-tasting sandwich included provolone cheese, mayo, lettuce, tomato and grilled chicken on a croissant. The wrap, which had a dominant cheesy flavor, was loaded with chunks of grilled chicken, cream cheese-cheddar sauce, minced garlic and bacon rolled in a garlic-herb tortilla.
The salads were fine. I much preferred the tangy, herbal, gritty Caesar dressing to the ranch that was ordered with the garden salad.
My latte was perfect. Knipp made it first, and I finished it about the same time the remainder of my order was ready. The chocolate drink was topped with real, house-made whipped cream, so superior to whipped toppings or the canned stuff.
The cheesecake, drizzled with caramel, had a pleasing flavor and texture.
In addition to sandwiches and salads, Oh My Coffee also has some basic breakfast items, pastries, cookies, giant pretzels, smoothies, Italian sodas and teas.
When I was there, blueberry muffins, banana nut muffins, cinnamon-apple muffins and big chocolate chip cookies were in the display case.
"I hope as we go along we can bake more," Knipp said.
Oh My Coffee uses coffee roasted locally by Topeca Coffee Co., and burlap Topeca bags are draped across the back of two easy chairs and one of two sofas. The remainder of the room has six tables. Walls display works for sale from area artists. Laura Fulton is the current featured artist.
The coffeehouse has a private meeting room that holds up to 10 people. A playroom for children has chalkboard paint on the lower part of the walls.
Knipp said she is working to book music acts on Tuesday and Thursday nights - and this Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the shop is hosting "Coffee & Crafts," a holiday crafts fair.
OH MY COFFEE
13160 S. Memorial Drive, Bixby
918-394-1230
Food: 
Atmosphere:
Service: order at
counter (on a scale of 0 to 4
stars)
7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Monday-Thursday, 7
a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday,
9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Saturday; accepts
Visa, MasterCard,
Discover.
Original Print Headline: Perfect latte
Scott Cherry 918-581-8463
scott.cherry@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Oh My Coffee in Bixby opened about a month ago. MATT BARNARD / Tulsa World
The chocolate peanut butter frappe at Oh My Coffee is as pretty as it is flavorful. MATT BARNARD / Tulsa World
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