Ralph’s Fish & Burger Shack

Talk about truth in advertising. Ralph’s Fish & Burger Shack, 1801 N. Lewis Ave., is indeed in a shack. But there’s nothing ramshackle about the food.

We at Indie Tulsa are always interested in no-frills restaurants. That’s because they concentrate on the food instead of the ambience. Driving on North Lewis one evening, we saw Ralph’s, with its corrugated metal siding and handpainted signs, as a promising beacon.

We became even more intrigued when we saw this review on the Cheeseburger in Paradise site for Ralph’s: “I’ve had the best burger I’ve EVER had!!!!!!!” We later found out that Ralph’s was voted “best burger” by Grand Lake Visitor Magazine for seven straight years.

On a warm November evening, we drove up to Ralph’s to see (and taste) for ourselves. One of us had a codfish sandwich; the other had the burger special, which is a hamburger, fries and drink for $3.25. You order at one window and pick up your food at another. There is no indoor seating at Ralph’s, but it has a few concrete tables under a canopy to shield you from the rain and sun.

I tried the fish sandwich and was surprised how much I liked it. It was not your typical square of fish. The breading was crispy on the outside, and the portion was good-sized.

The fries were crisp and seasoned with a pleasing salt-sugar-spice mixture.

The Ralph’s burger was freshly made, tasted great, was good-sized, and had a toasted bun — good things all. It was not the best we’ve had in Tulsa. But it’s perched in the upper echelon of great burger joints in the Oil Capital, including Arnold’s Old-Fashioned Hamburgers, Brownie’s Hamburger Stand, Weber’s Root Beer, Claud’s Hamburgers and Hank’s Hamburger’s. Considering that Tulsa does hamburgers better than any town I can think of, that’s saying something.

Ralph’s, despite its Spartan size and amenities, doesn’t skimp on its menu, which includes stuffed crab, catfish, shrimp and a slew of side orders. It even has a one-pound burger for those with big appetites.

Service was fairly prompt — less than 10 minutes from the time the order was taken to the time we got our bag of hot, freshly made food.

One of the employees said Ralph’s took over a Lot-A-Burger that had been at the site for more than 40 years. Before then, Ralph’s was at Third and Utica.

Ralph’s is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It’s closed Sunday. The phone number is 582-5866.

Ralph’s is about two miles north of Interstate 244 east of downtown, and its flashing sign and red LED lights make it easy to spot.

Grades:
Products: A
Service: A-
Value: A
Convenience: B+
Overall: A

Special event

If you’re interested in sustainability, solar energy, or ways to cut the heating bills this winter, you might want to set aside a few hours this Saturday to participate in the Tulsa Solar Tour.

The tour, which will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, will include a Brookside residence that’s being built to use geothermal energy; an office that uses passive solar heating and has been retrofitted with solar panels for energy; and The House of the Lifted Lorax, a.k.a. my house, which has a grid-tied solar system and boatloads of little gadgets and gizmos and techniques designed to keep our power consumption low.

You can start at any of the three locations and visit them in any order you like. The tour is free, and the property owners will be around to tell you all about their experiences with alternative energy — what worked, what didn’t, what they like, what they don’t like, how to get started, etc., etc., etc.

Click here to see a PDF with directions, contact information, and other details about the tour.

I’m not sure what everybody else is planning, but here in Red Fork, Ron and I will be giving tours of our house and back yard (including peeks at our beehive, chicken tractor, and newly upgraded compost heap — which should be heating up and breaking down nicely by Saturday) and handing out refreshments, including salsa made from homegrown tomatoes and peppers, cookies made with eggs and honey produced right in our backyard, and — if the weather is cool enough — hot cider and herbal tea made right on top of the woodstove.

Of course all our Indie Tulsa readers are invited. Bring the kids and come on out to see how the crunchy-granola crowd lives!

Emily

Center 1 Market

With the farmers’ markets winding down for the season, it’s getting a bit harder to find local organic produce, but a recent addition to Brookside should be able to fill the gap nicely this winter.

Center 1 Market, which opened this summer at 3524 S. Peoria Ave., offers a wonderful assortment of locally produced, organic fruits, vegetables, artisan breads, cheeses, meats and seafoods.

Set up much like a farmers’ market — but with the advantage of climate control and longer hours — Center 1 features products from Bodean Seafood, Council Creek Cheese, Farrell Family Organic Bread, Kokoa Chocolatier, Lava Noshery, and Nuyaka Natural Farm. The nearby Fuji In the Raw sushi bar recently started offering to-go boxes of California rolls and other goodies at the market as well.

On a recent visit, I picked up salad ingredients, a baguette, and a few other odds and ends for dinner. Everything I bought was very fresh and of excellent quality, the service was friendly and helpful, and the prices were generally very reasonable — in most cases, lower than I’m used to paying for organic produce at the grocery store.

Hours aren’t quite as convenient as the grocery store, but they’re far better than most farmers’ markets: Center 1 is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Parking is available in a lot just down the block, and the store is small enough to allow for easy in-and-out shopping on the way home from work.

Center 1 is named for the shopping center in which it is located — which, coincidentally, is holding a special celebration from 6 to 9 p.m. this Thursday, Nov. 8, with live music, special events, and a silent auction to benefit the children’s hospital at St. Francis. The market will hold food demonstrations as part of the festivities.

For more information, call 743-4214.

Grades:
Products: A+
Service: A+
Value: A
Convenience: A
Overall: A+

Sam’s Offroad Equipment

In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit, right up front, that I don’t know jack about the stuff they sell at Sam’s Offroad Equipment — which is why I’m not going to bother trying to grade their products or prices. I don’t know enough about them to give a fair evaluation.*

I do, however, know a thing or two about customer service … and the customer service at Sam’s is exceptional enough to warrant special recognition from Indie Tulsa.

I recently removed several worn-out bumper stickers from the back of my car. Predictably, they left behind a nasty, sticky residue that proved nearly impossible to remove, even with the aid of an ice scraper and some citrus-oil-based potion I bought at a franchise outfit.

Ever the mom-and-pop enthusiast, I wandered into Sam’s Offroad the other day to see if they could sell me a more powerful potion to get the goo off my rear window and bumper.

A nice guy named Rick waited on me. He could have sold me a bottle of magic snake oil, but instead, he simply advised me to use “WD40 and elbow grease” on the bumper. When I asked about the window, he said, “I’ve got just the thing for that,” and he proceeded to go out to the parking lot, pull a razor blade scraper out of his truck, and remove a thick layer of filthy bumper-sticker goo from two spots on my back window. He didn’t charge me anything. He didn’t try to sell me anything. He just scraped that gunk off my window and asked me to keep him in mind next time I needed an oil change or something.

I certainly will.

Sam’s is located at 4345 Southwest Boulevard. To get there from the superslab, take the 33rd West Avenue exit off I-244 and hang a right on Southwest Boulevard. Sam’s will be on your right, just before you get to Arby’s. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call 446-5535 or (800) 446-5503, or visit their Web site.

Oh … and that WD40 thing? I tried it this afternoon, and it works way better than the stuff I bought at the franchise joint. My car has never been so clean.

* I would, however, welcome a guest review from someone who does. You can either post it in the comments or e-mail it to me at sundayjohn66 at mac dot com.

Jim’s Coney Island — Never on Sunday

I don’t, as a general rule, believe in vulturing for a parking space. But I make an exception at Jim’s Coney Island — Never on Sunday.

That’s because it’s hard to find a parking space outside the little restaurant in an aging strip mall on the east side of Harvard Avenue. The food is too good, and too many people know about it. If you want to have lunch at Jim’s, you have to be willing to wait for a spot.

Once inside, you don’t have to wait long for your food — everything from spicy Coney Island hot dogs covered in shredded cheddar cheese to delicate spanikopita (spinach pie) served on a bed of rice and accompanied by savory green beans, Greek salad with feta and olives, and thick slices of bread — because the staffers at Jim’s know how to handle a crowd efficiently.

On a recent trip, Ron had a Frito pie, while I stuck to my usual vegetarian dinner. I’m off the veggie wagon at the moment, but I still go for the vegetarian option whenever I’m at Jim’s, because it’s as good a meal as you’ll find anywhere … and I like to pretend it’s diet food, which sort of cancels out my inevitable decision to top off my meal with a big slice of French silk or coconut cream pie.

Prices are very reasonable (you can stuff yourself for under $10, including a drink and dessert), and the service is quick.

According to a 2002 Tulsa World article by Scott Cherry, Jim’s has been in its current location at 1923 S. Harvard Ave. since 1968. Hours sare 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 744-9018.

Grades:
Product: A+
Value: A
Service: B
Convenience: B (parking can be a little tricky during lunch rush)
Overall: A-

Beto’s Mexican Grill

If your vision of heaven involves tortillas covered with meat, cilantro, and onions, then Beto’s Mexican Grill, 1709 Southwest Blvd., is a little slice of paradise.

This is especially true if your concept of the perfect taco includes barbacoa, which I think is Spanish for “I’ll have three of those, please.” (OK, so I just made that up. Barbacoa is actually Mexican barbecue, and around here, it frequently involves goat, which is what beef wants to taste like when it grows up.)

Beto’s offers an extensive menu that includes terrific enchiladas, quesadillas, menudo, American-style tacos, and my personal favorite: traditional Mexican tacos, which consist of small, soft, gently fried corn tortillas topped with meat, cilantro, and finely chopped onions. Tacos are available with a variety of meats, including the usual steak, pork, and chicken, along with several more exotic options (we’re fond of goat and beef tongue). Dine-in orders are served with chips and fresh salsa made just the way I like it: with plenty of cilantro and a respectable kick.

On our last visit, Ron tried the fish tacos, which include grilled fish and fajita-style peppers and onions, while I had the barbacoa tacos and a bowl of menudo — a simple, brothy soup made from tripe, pork, and whatever else the cook feels like adding. Beto’s version is served in an enormous bowl, accompanied by a couple of lime wedges and several little dishes containing dried oregano, chopped jalapenos, and dried New Mexican chiles, all of which can be added to the bowl at the diner’s discretion.

Upon learning that this was my first encounter with menudo, the restaurant’s owner — an affable guy with a quick smile and a friendly manner — gave me a crash course in the finer points of making and seasoning this traditional Mexican dish. He suggested squeezing a lime wedge over the bowl and adding some Tabasco, which turned out to be good advice.

The prices are very reasonable (you can stuff yourself for under $10), and the service is friendly. On very hot days, it might be advisable to eat late or take dinner orders to go, as the orientation of the windows is such that the restaurant can get a little too warm just before sunset.
Beto’s is open 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It closes at 3 p.m. on Sundays. Dine-in, carryout and delivery are available. For more information, call 599-9300.

You can read more about Beto’s in this Tulsa World story.

Grades:
Product: A+
Service: A
Convenience: A
Overall: A

Updates

1. Sorry I didn’t post anything during the entire month of August. I have a good excuse, but it’s too long and off-topic to go into, so I’ll just promise to do better in the future. Upcoming posts will include: Naturalfarms; Freeway Cafe; Ollie’s Station Restaurant; Beto’s; and Jim’s Never On Sunday, among others.

2. I finally updated the Table of Contents to include the last few posts. Go me!

3. I’ve added a page called “Support Indie Tulsa” that tells how you can promote this site, thus (hopefully) sending more business to Tulsa’s great indie businesses. The page had some kind of technical glitch a few minutes ago, but I think I’ve got it fixed. I’ll check it again this evening to make sure.

Old Time Pest Control

It about killed my organic hippie soul to do it, but I had to do the unthinkable this summer and call an exterminator after the House of the Lifted Lorax experienced what I can only describe as a miniature re-enactment of the Plagues of Egypt.

In the span of three months, we found ourselves sharing living quarters with mothflies, ants, grain moths, fleas, spiders, a few stray waterbugs, and a lone cockroach.

I fought the good fight on my own for several weeks, trying a plethora of homemade and organic treatments to get rid of the unwanted critters, but the fleas were intractable — and were making my dogs miserable — so I finally gave up and asked Ron to find us a good exterminator.

Being a proud West Sider and a diehard indie business supporter, he called Old Time Pest Control, 5502 S. 33rd West Ave.

Old Time is a family-owned west Tulsa business run by knowledgeable people who are willing to spend colossal amounts of time reassuring an apprehensive hippie about the procedures involved in treating a home and yard for six different species of vermin without harming the gerbil, goldfish, chickens, honeybees, dogs, or humans who live on the property. The owner’s wife was very sweet and actually faxed me a set of Materials Safety Data Sheets for our vet to look over after she found out our greyhound spends roughly 22 hours a day sleeping with his face against the floor.

The actual application proved to be very effective, eliminating our bug problems in a single treatment. The price was very reasonable (I forget the exact amount, because Ron paid the bill, but he said it was somewhere in the neighborhood of $90 to treat the house and yard), and we even got a call from the owner’s wife a few weeks later to make sure all the bugs were gone.

I’m still not keen on the whole spraying-for-bugs thing, but if I ever have to do it again, you can bet I’ll call Old Time first. I can’t say enough good things about their performance, and their customer service is just spectacular.

Old Time Pest Control can be reached at (918) 446-0474.

Grades:
Product: A
Value: A
Service: A+
Convenience: A
Overall: A+

Dwelling Spaces

Every hip little neighborhood has to have at least one hip little boutique selling rugs, furniture, and home decor suitable for installation in a hip little apartment.

I’ve seen them in Albuquerque. I’ve seen them in University City, Mo. And I recently visited one here in Tulsa’s Blue Dome District.

Dwelling Spaces, located at 119 S. Detroit Ave. — just down the block and around the corner from the Blue Dome Diner — has everything a hip little boutique is supposed to have: tin wind-up toys; kitchen goods that look like something the early iMac designers would come up with; shag rugs; artsy clocks; furniture that looks as if it beamed in from Planet Eames; and my personal favorite, an extensive collection of MikWright cards.

As with most boutiques, the prices are a bit steep, but it’s a good place to find unusual gifts, and many of the items are functional as well as fun, which makes it a little easier to justify splurging.

Among the items I found interesting: Holga camera kits; “I Love Tulsa” baby onesies; a collection of Uglydolls; and a drain plug designed to look like the aftermath of a Mafia hit, with a chain connecting a little plastic man’s feet to the plug.

Dwelling Spaces is open noon to 3 p.m. Monday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Free parking is scarce in the Blue Dome District, so bring quarters.

Grades:
Product: A
Value: B-
Service: A
Convenience: B
Overall: B+

McNellie’s Public House

When you get right down to it, McNellie’s is a bar.

But it’s not just any bar. You’ll be hard-pressed to find many watering holes that serve 60 or more draft beers (many from Europe) and dozens more by the bottle. The wine list is impressive, too.

McNellie’s also boasts an impressive food menu, ranging from pasta to fish to pork loin to shepherd’s pie. McNellie’s clearly has a chef on the premises.

It’s for these two reasons that McNellie’s, 409 E. First St., is one of downtown’s most popular hangouts. You can drop by after work to quaff a quality beer in peace, or you can sit down with a companion for a nice, mid-priced meal.

We stopped by on a weeknight for dinner. McNellie’s has the feel of an old neighborhood tavern, with brick walls and wooden trim. It reminded me of the old corner taverns you commonly see in the Soulard neighborhood just south of downtown St. Louis. Dozens of personalized beer mugs hang on the wall; you can buy yours for $25. There also is a club for ambitious imbibers who manage to drink 100 different beers (not all at once, of course).

Emily ordered a glass of cranberry juice, a cup of potato-leek soup, and the European cheese platter (shown above). At $12.99, the platter seems a bit pricey. But the portions of the four cheeses were generous, and the platter included strawberries and grapes to help cleanse the palate.

I ordered a Pilsner Urquell on tap and the artichoke dip, which came with toasted pita bread for dipping. It was cheesy and good.

We finished our evening with a slice of pina colada cheesecake, of which I forgot to shoot a photo.

I’ve heard that McNellie’s most popular food item is its sweet potato fries, and our evening there seemed to confirm this — I saw at least four helpings served during our time there.

I’ll be back, if for nothing else but to sample a few more of those exotic brews.

Grades:
Value: B+
Product: A-
Service: A
Convenience: B- (the one-way streets sometimes make it difficult to get to)
Overall: A-

(Review posted by Ron.)