I can't believe no one posted the Bolero article from the Journal Record.

I can't believe no one posted the Bolero article from the Journal Record.

Then can you post it?

Fabulous Food: Not at Bricktown’s BoleroNovember 28, 2008

I am going to save you $100 ... maybe $150.Boléro is the most popular piece of music by French composer Maurice Ravel. It’s hot. It’s steamy. It’s climactic.If only I could say the same for the food at the new Bricktown restaurant by the same name!Our experience at the Lower Bricktown eatery, billed as a tapas bar and Spanish grill, was more reminiscent of the 18th century Spanish dance known as The Bolero. That dance, in 3/4 time, is moderately slow. Sadly, that’s a speed to which Bolero’s waitstaff might aspire.I shan’t recount all the reasons we were disappointed at Bolero; I am allowed only a limited bit of space.We arrived just a few minutes before our 7 p.m. reservation and were seated at a table positioned in front of the kitchen’s swinging door and an exterior door that opens to a breezeway. Across the breezeway is Bolero’s bar, so the waitstaff, carrying cocktails and glasses to and fro, must open the door approximately every 12 seconds. When the outdoor temperature is in the low 30s, as it was the night we were there, the resulting environment would make a penguin seek a warmer table.We asked to be seated at a table that had just been set. The request was met with a surly retort from the hostess who was about to seat another couple there. We had to be insistent but were eventually allowed to move to a table that didn’t require us to dine in our overcoats and mittens.We ordered drinks, a Manhattan for me and a Grand Marnier sangria for my companion. They arrived separately. Both were watery. My glass sat empty for more than 10 minutes before we could flag someone down to order another. That one was watery too.The menu looked appealing and we still had hope of great food. We ordered sizzling scallops in garlic sauce and empanadas with spicy beef and potato from the tapas menu and paella for our main course.Our hopes began to dim when 7:30 came and went, then 7:45. The 8:10 movie we’d planned at the theater next door was clearly off the table, but that was less an issue than the lack of food on the table. We inquired, as one might expect. Our server feigned surprise: “Oh – you wanted that before your meal?”Um, why, yes, we said. Generally we prefer that our appetizers arrive before our entrée.“Well, ya,” she said. “I know tapas means appetizer in Spanish, but for some reason here when you order tapas and a meal we bring it all out together.”At 8 p.m. – a mere hour after we were seated – the tapas arrived. The empanadas were tasty until my companion realized the white substance inside wasn’t cheese, it was raw dough, which made them slightly less appetizing. But they were better than the overcooked, rubbery scallops. Those were full of sand.No, I’m not kidding. True grit.The paella was OK, but at a Spanish restaurant, paella, one of Spain’s national dishes, should be outstanding. It’s made with saffron and olive oil – at least it’s supposed to be. In this version the rice was orange rather than yellow and all we could taste where the saffron should have been was tomato.There were two bright spots in this calamity. Joe, the manager, did everything he could to salve our displeasure. He comped the food and was thoughtfully apologetic without being defensive. And the mocha crème brûlée was oh-my-God good.That said, it was still the worst dining experience I’ve had in Oklahoma City.Save your hundred bucks.

On what night did you go? Were they busy?

I think that's a reprint of a review Ted did at the JR

What is the JR - ? Who is Ted?

Journal Record and he is a writer there.

Fabulous Food: Not at Bricktown’s BoleroNovember 28, 2008

Save your hundred bucks.

I hate to agree .... but

Here's the original link:

http://journalrecord.com/article.cfm?recid=94057

I went there last night to take some photos for my story today. The place was empty at 6 p.m.

story today

Where's the story? Didn't see it on your blog.

> empty at 6 p.m.
On a Tuesday? Might be my kind of place.

Crowd avoidance ... a wonderful way to enjoy a meal

Crowd avoidance ... a wonderful way to enjoy a meal

There are never crowds at crappy restaurants. If I were you I would come up with a new standard.

Where's the story? Didn't see it on your blog.

I think he meant to say that he took photos "today" for his story. That story will probably come out later.

I think he meant to say that he took photos "today" for his story. That story will probably come out later.


Ohhhhhhh, I took him at his word... since he's a "just the facts" kinda guy! ;-)

I really hope this place figures it out quickly and makes it. It's a very nice atmosphere and OKC really needs more tapas restaurants. I hate for the only true tapas restaurant to fail and then detour others who might want to open a tapas restaurant from doing so.

With all the criticism of Bolero, I do think it's important to emphasize that they have only been open a very short amount of time. I can think of countless places that open to a rough start but then get better as they get things in order. However, one thing they must change is their prices. I think they have priced themselves out of the market.

fail and then detour others

deter

Verb 1. detour - travel via a detour
deviate, divert - turn aside; turn away from

in this case, either spelling would work

in this case, either spelling would work

Go Metro! - wait, it that trademarked?

It's not a spelling issue. It's a different word. If you "detour others", that would mean that you send them around the long way, but they still get there. (I assume. I've never heard it used that way)

Alas, they finally have a website. BoleroIntro (http://www.bolerookc.com)

I saw a half page sized ad in the food section of the Gazette today (new edition). There are 1/2 price tapas all day tomorrow and $10 pitchers of sangria. Tomorrow is their Grand Opening celebration.

there is far more info in that ad than on the placeholder page for their as yet undeveloped website

Yes, tomorrow is the Grand Opening, and I will be there. I am looking at half-priced tapas and everything --- and looking forward to a nice crowd tomorrow night. I want to try fried oysters and other stuff.

With all the criticism of Bolero, I do think it's important to emphasize that they have only been open a very short amount of time. I can think of countless places that open to a rough start but then get better as they get things in order. However, one thing they must change is their prices. I think they have priced themselves out of the market.

Maybe, but I don't know if supporting a bad restaurant is the way to get a good one. It is fair to say that they haven't been open very long, but they have a ways to go to even get close to offering decent tapas. If they have a long lease maybe the slow start will force them to make a change in the kitchen and get it going before they have to hang it up.

The Grand Opening was wonderful. And Bolero was drawing a crowd. The bar was packed and the restaurant side (their dining room) had several tables taken. The food was great, the service was as well.

Anyone else go - ???

So it was a good turnout? Hopefully this will help keep it afloat until they figure things out. I'd hate to loose our only tapas bar, especially one with a cool atmosphere.

Metro,

I think that Curtis (the owner of Bolero) has things figured out. I actually thought they were over-managed for their Grand Opening. I would say they were to 80% capacity, at least in the dining room. The bar was packed. They also had a really good deal going on... all tapas were half off. So, one could eat a lot and save some money.

So, it was cheaper... was it better?

I'll have to try it at some point. I'm still mad about The Centennial though. Like the tenants but HATE the design and site plan.

The wife and I used a Restaurant.com gift certificate there the other day.

Overall we were very disappointed.

The best thing this place had going (on our visit) was the patio/open air dining, and the wait staff.

We wanted to just relax on a Saturday night so we got dressed up and decided to sit on the patio at Bolero and watch the people coming and going.

We started with a pitcher of White Sangria. Pretty tasty but tasted like it was made from Kool-Aid instead of wine. $24

From there we did the fried goat cheese with honey Tapas. Very tasty. Like eating dessert as an appetizer. $8

We also had a fried "Softshell Crabs in White Wine & Garlic" tapas. First - the word "Crabs" is a lie. It was only one complete crab. It was gross! Didn't taste like crab at all and the overall texture, smell and taste made us feel like we were in a food challenge in the show SURVIVOR. It was an entire crab fried. So you ate it guts, eyes, exoskeleton and all. To top it off it was like $14

From there we had salmon and scallop kabobs. They tasted pretty good. One scallop was under cooked. The problem was that this was advertised as an entree but was tiny. Maybe 3 salmon nuggets and three scallops for $26!!!!!!

For desert we did the Flan for $6. Now the Flan was to die for.

We enjoyed the salmon/scallops but it was only worth maybe $9-$12.


Its pretty bad when you spend $70+ dollars on dinner and leave hungry.

In the future we will eat at in The Raw and have desert and maybe drinks at Bolero.

We also had a fried "Softshell Crabs in White Wine & Garlic" tapas. First - the word "Crabs" is a lie. It was only one complete crab. It was gross! Didn't taste like crab at all and the overall texture, smell and taste made us feel like we were in a food challenge in the show SURVIVOR. It was an entire crab fried. So you ate it guts, eyes, exoskeleton and all.

I think that's standard for "softshell crab" no matter where you order it. Which is why I never order it anyplace. :dizzy:

A Beginner's Guide to Soft Shell Crabs | Serious Eats : New York (http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2009/04/a-beginners-guide-to-soft-shell-crab-season.html)

; )

BBates, unfortunately I agree with your review of the place, I hope it makes it, the atmosphere is top notch, the food vs. prices vs. quality is a whole other story. I did enjoy the fried goat cheese though.

oh great. I was so looking forward to using my Restaurant.com gift certif too!

hope they have nice steak or shrimp tapas!

I've never had white sangria, only red. I hope its better!

BBates, unfortunately I agree with your review of the place, I hope it makes it, the atmosphere is top notch, the food vs. prices vs. quality is a whole other story. I did enjoy the fried goat cheese though. Why would someone spend top dollar on atmosphere and on prime location of BT but, have poor quality of food at high prices. Sounds like the business owner needs a course in "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?". Or perhaps it's just another "fly by night" restaurant good for a great tax write off?

Why would someone spend top dollar on atmosphere and on prime location of BT but, have poor quality of food at high prices. Sounds like the business owner needs a course in "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?". Or perhaps it's just another "fly by night" restaurant good for a great tax write off?

I doubt the owner thinks his/her food is not very good.

People talking about not having good tapas places in Oklahoma should take a cue from tapas' home: Spain. In Spain it is rare to see "tapas places" other than in tourist areas. Rather, they are a staple of every bar and a lot of restaurants. Groups of friends and colleagues get together for drinks in the evening and will hop from bar to bar, taking a drink and ordering tapas to share (unless they're included with the drinks, but most places don't do that anymore except in Granada, where it's still very popular). In other words, it's an everyday thing, so just encourage your local bar to offer small bits of food with their drinks and...BAM! You have an authentic place that serves tapas the way they began...accompanying drinks!

I looked at the menu prices and saw an example of the portion sizes, laughed and went and ate somewhere else. I'm all for small portions as long as the price is reflective of the smaller portion.

I looked at the menu prices and saw an example of the portion sizes, laughed and went and ate somewhere else. I'm all for small portions as long as the price is reflective of the smaller portion.

Still decided to try it today - BailJumper is right, even though I enjoyed the price, the small portion should be reflected in the price.

Also, they charge $6.50 for a COOP Ale. Regardless of how much COOP is worth (love all their offerings so far), that's excessive. Even at McNellies the price is around $2 less.

I am posting this from an apartment in Spain right now. We haven't eaten at Bolero yet, but I am familiar with the menu, the prices, and the comments and reviews found here and elsewhere. I have spent some time in Spain, and I think the problem is that they are focusing exclusively on high-end/gourmet tapas. But, really, a lot of tapas are very simple and inexpensive. I think it would make sense for Bolero to serve a wider variety of tapas and include some of these lower priced tapas. We were initially excited when a tapas place (finally) opened in OKC, but this doesn't seem like a place we would go to very often. A better example of what I'd like to see here is a tapas chain located in the Washington DC metro area (JALEO) (Jaleo: authentic Spanish tapas in Washington, DC (http://www.jaleo.com)). The chef who started the restaurant (José Andrés) is famous in Spain and has a cooking show on PBS. But, in addition to some of the fancier tapas, he serves a lot of "regular, Spanish" tapas at pretty low prices (especially for the DC area). The full menu can be found at the website, but some examples are:

Ensaladilla rusa*
A classic Spanish salad of potatoes, imported conserved tuna and mayonnaise
5.50

Croquetas de pollo
Traditional chicken croquetas
6.50

Espinacas a la Catalana
Sautéed spinach, pine nuts, raisins and apples
6.00

Tortilla de patatas*
Spanish omelet with potatoes and onions
6.50

Gambas al ajillo*
The very, very famous tapa of shrimp sautéed with garlic and guindilla pepper
8.50

Escalivada Catalana
Roasted red peppers, eggplant and sweet onions drizzled with sherry dressing
6.00

Datiles con tocino 'como hace todo el mundo'
Fried dates wrapped in bacon
6.50

Papas arrugas
Canary Island‐style wrinkled baby potatoes
served with mojo verde
6.00

Jaleo was a regular standby when I lived in DC (to call it a chain is perhaps unfair -- the original Penn Quarter location was so overly packed at all times that Andres opened a second in Bethesda and now one in Northern VA). It might be the most solid, consistant restaurant I have ever experienced. Bolero, while an interesting concept and thus inherently great to have here, is not even remotely in the same league.

Also, the best tapas are the simplest. A skewered chorizo over garlic mashed potatoes, two sauteed shrimp in garlic butter, a date wrapped in serrano ham. It doesnt have to be all imported tuna and high end olives, driving the price too high for a small plate.

I agree completely! (and, no, it's not a chain...but it has been successful enough that he has been able to open multiple locations.) A lot of folks think Jaleo is pricey for what you get (although even in downtown DC, it is cheaper than Bolero). But I expect to pay a little more for tapas in OKC than I would here in Spain...as you point out, though, you can offer some "regular" tapas to go with the higher-end items...not only is it more affordable, it gives people a better sense of what tapas actually are...

Gamecock, Interested in knowing what you define a "chain" as.

Well, as I said, I don't think I should have used the word "chain" in my original post. I was just trying to convey that this was a restaurant that had more than one location. Really, I'm not sure how many locations you need to have before you become a "local chain" or a "national chain." But I guess I would call Charleston's a local chain, and Chili's a national chain. Jaleo isn't a chain, but there are 3 of them now in the DC metro area. I'm not really sure why you're curious, but unlike some folks who post around here, I don't have any problem with chain restaurants whatsoever. In fact, I'd like to see more of the ones that aren't in Oklahoma come here. I also wouldn't mind if some chains with only one or two locations would expand. For instance, I would very much like to see P.F. Chang's come to Norman.

Well, as I said, I don't think I should have used the word "chain" in my original post. I was just trying to convey that this was a restaurant that had more than one location. Really, I'm not sure how many locations you need to have before you become a "local chain" or a "national chain." But I guess I would call Charleston's a local chain, and Chili's a national chain. Jaleo isn't a chain, but there are 3 of them now in the DC metro area. I'm not really sure why you're curious, but unlike some folks who post around here, I don't have any problem with chain restaurants whatsoever. In fact, I'd like to see more of the ones that aren't in Oklahoma come here. I also wouldn't mind if some chains with only one or two locations would expand. For instance, I would very much like to see P.F. Chang's come to Norman.

Most of us don't have a "problem" with chain restaurants. I just prefer my money to stay local, and I'll bet that's what most others think as well.

Datiles con tocino 'como hace todo el mundo'
Fried dates wrapped in bacon
6.50



My all-time favorite!! YUMMY!!!!:bow:

Well, as I said, I don't think I should have used the word "chain" in my original post. I was just trying to convey that this was a restaurant that had more than one location. Really, I'm not sure how many locations you need to have before you become a "local chain" or a "national chain." But I guess I would call Charleston's a local chain, and Chili's a national chain. Jaleo isn't a chain, but there are 3 of them now in the DC metro area. I'm not really sure why you're curious, but unlike some folks who post around here, I don't have any problem with chain restaurants whatsoever. In fact, I'd like to see more of the ones that aren't in Oklahoma come here. I also wouldn't mind if some chains with only one or two locations would expand. For instance, I would very much like to see P.F. Chang's come to Norman.

Thanks, I don't have a problem with chains either. I do think we do need more local, established restaurants. I refer to Johnnie's and Charleston's as "non-chain" chains; local with multiple locations. As much criticism as there is there is out here about chain restaurants, it can't be easy managing 20-30 restaurants while providing consistency throughout the country. Something has to be said for that.

My stance is eat/drink local in case you were wondering.

Thanks, I don't have a problem with chains either. I do think we do need more local, established restaurants. I refer to Johnnie's and Charleston's as "non-chain" chains; local with multiple locations. As much criticism as there is there is out here about chain restaurants, it can't be easy managing 20-30 restaurants while providing consistency throughout the country. Something has to be said for that.

My stance is eat/drink local in case you were wondering.

Words to live by, Tuck. :yourock::kicking::kicking:

Bravo, gamecock and easternobserver - I'm a huge Jaleo fan myself. Which is why I hope for the best for Bolero - it takes a certain amount of courage to try a venture that isn't the norm for an area. I happen to think that the more variety of restaurants we get (particularly locally or regionally owned) the more the industry develops as a whole.

If you are a Jaleo fans, I suspect you're fully aware of the restaurants DC has to offer (I highly recommend Brasserie Beck). I recently had a professional counterpart from DC in town and took her to Red Primesteak - she was extremely impressed and commented how much it rivaled the DC places she went to regularly. Since then I've had other associates from DC in town who always call for restaurant recommendations - they have to a person left quite impressed with our dining options and the word tends to spread.

All that being said, my point remains that I hope Bolero does well and that folks who have had problems with them have tried to communicate their concerns to the owner(s).

I think that our restaurant options provide serious hidden treasure for those visiting the city. I'd put some of the meals that I have had at Red Prime, and especially the space itself, up against the best I've had in DC, Boston, New York or Las Vegas.

I also think that any city would be well served with an establishment like the Wedge, which is really a very special place. Same for Nonnas, which is a place that really does some pretty unique things, although I'm not sure quite puts the whole package together. Along those lines, let me mourn the loss (now quite a while ago) of Terra Luna, which I think is a place that really broke some ground here.

Red Prime in particular is somewhere I would take an out of town guest who might have some misperceptions about Oklahoma City.

Oh, I admire the Balero owners for taking the chance here, and I wish them nothing but the best. I think they may need to retool and reinvent a bit, but there is nothing wrong with that either.

Can anyone point me to a current menu? Thanks.

Having eaten at Jaleo (Penn Quarter in DC) a couple of months ago I have to chime in on this thread. That place is awesome! Much better than most tapas places I've been to. It was very busy late on a Wednesday night too. Another good place for small plates in DC is Zaytinya- in the same area of town.

My one trip to Bolero was pretty disappointing. Most of the dishes I remember trying seemed well-conceived, but poorly executed. I'll have to give it a second chance some time.

Yeah, I really enjoyed my NINE dollar beer. This is oklahoma city for godsake!