Lava Noshery in the News, Voted Tulsa's Best New Restaurant of 2007

Posh Tastes
By Scott Cherry

At Lava Noshery, entrees hold their own against lavish appetizers

The word nosh means to snack, nibble or taste. Lava Noshery, a glitzy new upscale entry in Brookside, offers diners plenty of perky nibbles and lots of taste.

It has 21 appetizers in the "little nosh" section of the menu and nine entrees on the "big nosh" side, plus a variety of soups and salads.

"Some tables have been ordering a variety of the small plates and passing them around, which we encourage," said chef Geoffrey van Glabbeek. "Some prefer an entree, and some want both."

We fell into the latter group when we visited.

It was almost impossible to make a selection among the appetizers, items such as duck confit, scallop ceviche, buffalo quail legs and wild mushroom tartlet. So, sort of like picking a racehorse, I chose the one with the best name: fried oyster dirty martini with gin-spiked tapenade ($10).

Six big chunks of golden fried oysters arrived on a bed of greens in a large martini glass, and the ripe-olive flavor of the tapenade proved to be a perfect dipping partner for the oysters.

We prefaced our entrees with two other starters, French lentil soup with truffle oil and applewood-smoked bacon ($6) and grilled hearts of Romaine with blue cheese vinaigrette and pickled red onions ($7).

The peasant-style soup included lentils, carrots, onions, celery, dried tomatoes, applewood bacon and plenty of fresh thyme in a dark broth to achieve its earthy flavor.

The salad included four leaves of romaine and a sizable heart of romaine. The pickled onions added an unexpectedly pleasant flavor when paired with the cheese and lettuce.

Coarsely textured bread with a crisp crust was perfect with the soup and salad.

At many high-end restaurants the appetizers seem to outshine the entrees, perhaps because chefs have more creative leeway with the appetizers. But at Lava Nochery the entrees stubbornly held their own.

Dueling halibut ($23) was a stunning example. Three-ounce cuts of halibut had been prepared two ways, one en papillote with lentils and one grilled and served over "forbidden" black rice.

Steam puffed out when our efficient server, Stan, pulled back the top of the paper sack on the en papillote version. The fish was exceptionally moist with a distinct lemony flavor.

Next to it, the grilled halibut seemed a little dry. But it had a mellow flavor and went well with the large-grained, chewy rice, which had a flavor almost like black beans. It also was garnished with a blood-orange slice, which I stole off my wife's plate when she wasn't looking.

Peppered beef tenderloin ($28) included seven slices of beef tender cooked a perfect medium-rare and served with rough-mashed potatoes and five spears of fresh asparagus. The key here was the berry chutney, which added a slightly sweet edge to the beef.

Bailey's Irish Cream brulee with shortbread cookies ($7) and goat cheese cheesecake ($8), both made on the premises, we were told, were nice finales -- not extraordinary, but nice.

The restaurant has an impressive wine list (although the pours in the wines by the glass seemed less than generous) and a wide assortment of cordials and specialty drinks.

Lava Noshery still has the contemporary, white-washed look of its predecessor in this spot, Table Ten, but has added a dash of color to the interior and a row of bamboo plants to the exterior, the latter alleviating the fish-bowl effect this space once had and separating patio diners from people strolling the sidewalk.

Inside, a deep red-and-black stripe breaks up the white on one wall above a white leather wall banquette. White tablecloth tables hold black cloth napkins in modern stainless holders, white vases with fresh flowers and little candles in silver and glass holders. Chairs are molded white plastic.

Another wall holds a television that was showing a series of volcanoes, and two floor-to-ceiling water features round out the decor.

Van Glabbeek said new owners took over Table Ten about five months ago, and a month ago decided to change the name and overhaul the menu. Renee Roberts recently signed on as manager.

Originally Published by the Tulsa World on June 22nd, 2007.

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