REVIEW: Chimera Cafe in Brady Arts District
BY SCOTT CHERRY World Scene Writer
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
I experienced a little angst about ordering the Teenage Riot, but Cinderella’s Big Score fit like a favorite pair of shoes as I scanned the menu at the new Chimera Cafe in the Brady Arts District.
We wound up ordering both of those dishes, along with the Back to Primitive and the Disappearer, giving us four of the five breakfast tacos ($3 to $3.50 each) on the morning menu.
We also had a bowl of granola ($4) with yogurt and a cup of granola ($3) with milk.
Teenage Riot had the most complex flavor, possibly because it had the most ingredients — scrambled eggs, caramelized onions, fauxrizo (faux chorizo), cilantro, cheddar cheese and avocado crema. This one also had some spiciness, probably from the fauxrizo.
I also liked the combination of feta cheese with scrambled eggs, spinach, tomato and crema, or cream sauce, in Cinderella’s Big Score.
My wife was the decider in choosing the Disappearer and Back to Primitive, both more basic than the aforementioned tacos. The Disappearer had bacon, egg and cheese, and the Back to Primitive had egg, potato and cheese.
The menu said those two also were supposed to have the crema, but we couldn’t locate any, which left them a little dry. They did have a sprinkling of cilantro, which wasn’t listed on the menu.
Cilantro also wasn’t listed for Cinderella’s Big Score, but there was a thick layer of the herb across the top.
The fifth taco available was Tokyo Eye, a mix of vegan smoky adzuki strips, tofu scramble, poblano sautee and avocado crema.
Tacos are served in triangle-shaped wire baskets lined with gold foil and white paper.
Golden raisins dotted the sweet, nutty granola, and paired well with a cup of hot, black coffee brewed from roasted Kenyan beans. This would be enough breakfast for me on most days.
Chimera, which makes its own tortillas and breads, also has scones, muffins and bagels on the breakfast menu, served 7-11 a.m. (tacos served to 3 p.m. on weekends). The lunch menu, featuring a couple of salads and three sandwiches with lots of veggies and cheeses, is served to about 5 p.m. and small plates after that.
Chimera has a full line of espresso and specialty coffee drinks, coffees from around the globe and full bar service.
“We use multiple roasters, so we can choose from all of the best coffees available,” said co-owner Rob Stuart.
Stuart started Chimera with Jack Wood, who oversees the bar. Zach Curren was brought in to run the kitchen, and Meredith Jones is coffee bar manager.
“People here want to learn, so there is a lot of cross training,” Wood said. “In the end, everyone does a little of everything.”
Chimera has eight seats at the bar. A long table in the middle of the room seats 10. Tables and a wall banquette account for the other 30 or so seats.
The room is mostly brick and dark wood, and large windows provide a good view of Main Street. A painting on wood showing a lion and other animals decorates one wall.
Generally, a chimera is an animal made from two different species, and the Chimera Cafe logo is a winged lion.
Read this and other restaurant reviews in Thursday's Weekend magazine. Read all of Scott Cherry's restaurant reviews at tulsaworld.com/cherrypicks.
CHIMERA CAFE
212 N. Main St.
918-779-4303
7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday; accepts all major credit cards.
Associated Images:
Dutch Farmer salad and a Bloody Mary served at Chimera Cafe. JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World
Breakfast tacos, Teenage Riot (top), and Tokyo Eye, served at Chimera Cafe. JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World
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