Blue Moon Bakery & Cafe -Tulsa Tasting

April 12, 2012Katie

Blue Moon Bakery & Cafe
3512 S. Peoria Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74105
(918) 749-7800
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When I asked co-owner Alan Fusco what his dream was when opening Blue Moon Bakery and Cafe on Peoria Street in Tulsa, he paused for a moment, unsure of his answer. Then he got called away to the kitchen to help and I kind of forgot about the question as I was busy taking in the view and the business of this little cafe quickly filling up on a Sunday morning.

Moments later, Alan popped back out of the kitchen, sat down and said firmly. “I know why we did this.” Intrigued, I leaned forward and listened to him describe his and Kim Nelson’s (co-owner) vision of opening a small cafe where people could come and feel comfortable, eat delicious and wholesome food, and enjoy their friends and family in an unprententious and lovely setting.

“We have runners, that stop in their running garb, and parents who want to drop in for a glass of wine and good food with their kids without having to worry about dressing up or their kids being too noisy,” Alan told me. “We like our customers to interract, and be involved in our restaurant, even to the point of suggesting menu items they wish us to have a go at”, he said.

From what we saw, Alan and Kim have done just that…created a neighborhood cafe that regulars feel easily at home at.

The cafe has a quaint, one-room diing area with bright punches of color from the local artists display on the walls and tables.

Noticeably, one particular table draws your eye, especially as it’s painted differently than the others.

The table is the symbol of the artsy family feeling at Blue Moon. When an artist asked to paint one of the tables, Alan and Kim were all for it and it has become a reflection of restaurant’s playful spirit.

Now, when you walk in the door, you’ll notice the two large chalkboards displayed overhead.

The first is the menu, written in colored chalk, as it can change from week to week (or even day), and well….it’s easy to do that with an eraser and chalkboard. Alan told me a local had suggested a fun play on the classic Egg in the Hole menu item they offer. The patron had suggested they do it with pancakes, and …

They liked the idea and did it.

How’s that for customer/owner interraction?

There is a bar that lines the front of the dining area where you can go and grab a bite to eat, order a drink or a glass of wine and chat.

And that brings up the 2nd chalkboard..the drink menu.

You can order classic drinks like a Bloody Mary, a glass of wine or choose a beer off of this board. We noticed locally brewed Marshall’s as an offering. And we like those who support local offerings!

Let’s move over to the far side of the dining room to a collective display that we found whimsical and fun. For you see, the customers at Blue Moon somehow started bringing salt and pepper shakers from all over the state and world.

They line one side of the dining room, housed on shelves, and some of them are pretty unique.

While we enjoyed seeing some of the electic collection, it was time to move on to the food!

Mr. Wonderful and I were pretty hungry, and it was sort of the brunching hour, so we opted for a lunch and a breakfast item that day. He, being the fan of Eggs Benedict, ordered Blue Moon’s version, and it came out with some oven fries and some fresh asparagus.

From the perfectly poached eggs to the hollandaise drizzled over top, this was delicious. But true to most of our restaurant visits, Mr. Wonderful ending up coveting my meal that came out next.

Now let me tell you, the Tabouli pictured to the right was wonderfully fresh and fabulous, but that Reuben Sandwich?

To die for and quite possibly the best Rueben I’ve ever had.

From the homemade bread, fresh from their bakery, to the house-cured, homemade corned beef, this sandwich was fabulous! We still talk about it almost a month later.

And going back a step to the reason why the eatery name houses the word “Bakery” in it, I would be neglect if I didn’t tell you about the baked goods.