Reconnaissance Mission

The restaurant B52 has recently opened a second location in Tulsa on the northeast corner of 31st and Harvard, Ranch Acres Center. (The other, first location is in Broken Arrow, 21910 E. Kenosha St.)

Some renovations were made to transform the former location of what had been a string of several nere-do-well Mexican restaurants into this "Casual Café."

Casual it is. The booths and tables are arranged differently, but they are the same furniture, and beware: some booths' exposed metal connecting devices require entering a booth from only one side--that is, unless one doesn't mind high stepping over these obstructions. I chose to go around and slide in from the open booth side.

Once that obstacle was overcome, my dining companion and I settled in to review the menu. When we entered, we noticed a chef tossing pizza dough through the air and knew that pizza must be a featured item. The fully exposed kitchen revealed pizza ovens in full use.

The menu favors an Italian cuisine, together with a variety of sandwiches. It's a broad range offered here--the menu includes Starters (Garlic Bread, Adam's Bread, French Bread Pizza, Mozzarella Stix and Elephant Wings); Gourmet Burgers; Pasta (Spaghetti, Fettuccini Alfredo, Lasagna, Chicken Parmesan); Sub Sandwiches (Classical Italian, Turkey, The Club, Ham & Cheese, Triple Cheese, BLT, Meatball, Sausage Sub, Grilled Veggie, Philly Cheesesteak, Pizza Cheesesteak, Chicken Cheese Steak, Chicken Bacon Ranch; Sides; Desserts; a Jr. Cadet menu; and yes, pizza.

The pizza selections command a large portion of the menu. "World Class Pizza That's 'The Bomb!'" says the menu. Hand Tossed Pizza, Chicago Deep Dish, Sicilian, specialty Combinations (such as BBQ Chicken Deluxe, Cheeseburger, Mexican Fiesta, Florence, One Pounder--one full pound of thick-cut pepperoni, Chicken-Bacon-Ranch, Kitchen Sink--onion, green pepper, mushroom, black olive, meatball, Canadian bacon, sausage, pepperoni, and more.

Or, customers may build their own pizzas with any of the more than 25 pizza toppings. Brick Oven Specialties are also available--Stromboli, Baked Calzone, Fried Calzone and Specialty Calzone. A Lunchtime Pizza Buffet is available for $4.95 and $7.95 with the Salad Bar.

Where to Start?

To begin, my friend and I selected a full order of Elephant Wings ($7.25). These wings were exclusively the upper, "mini-legs" portions, fried then tossed in a tangy vinegar coating. We did enjoy the tanginess, but the wings also bore the burden of tasting as if they had been fried in stale grease--you know that taste? It was challenging to eat just one of these because of this taste.

While we did not order the Garlic Bread w/Cheese ($3.95), our server left a basket of this hot bread on our table. It was good--a garlic butter mixture was spread on the bread, topped with Mozzarella cheese, then toasted.

For dinner, we selected a Philly Cheesesteak ($5.95) and a medium (14") Hand Tossed pizza with anchovies, jalapeno and pepperoni. We were pleasantly surprised by how good the pizza was.

The Philly sandwich was filled with chipped beef, grilled onion, mushroom and green pepper, and then topped with melted Provolone cheese. On a toasted hoagie roll, this sandwich was one of the best Philly sandwiches we have had. It was moist, tasty and hot--very enjoyable.

B52 is family friendly and definitely a casual place to dine for a good price. Coupons are even available at B52.com.

B52 Casual Café

3023 S. Harvard Ave.

286-8646

Hours:

Sun.-Thur. 11am-9pm

Fri.-Sat. 11am-10pm

Rating:

Atmosphere **

Food ***1/2

Service ***