Tom and Jerry's

[JakeZula]

Now I know. It's near OCU. I've driven by it many, many times and
it never occurred that it was a restaurant.

Yeah, it's a strange little building; I always figured it was a dive because it was in an old Captain D's. However, the original Tom and Jerry's is no longer there, as mentioned above.

[Andrea]

My husband did a wonderful thing- he made dinner reservations for Valentine's Day. Unfortunaly, it was at Tom and Jerry's! We did learn one thing- when the couple seated at the table next to you abruptly leaves...follow! Especially when the table is 3 inches away! There were MANY unhappy eaters that evening. Bar was slow, kitchen was slow, food was inedible and over-priced, the owner made me (a very pregnant lady), get my own coat from the back after the door person checked it, my husband's credit card was not returned when he paid.

Here is what others are saying on yelp.com...
Is there a no star option? My Fiance made a 7:30 reservation for Valentines Day, a month in advance. When we arrived, there were 10+ couples all huddled around the entrance. Apparently there was no wait staff. There was no explanation as to what was taking so long or what the problem was. After half an hour, a gal came over to tell us that now they were "just trying to get the tables cleaned off as fast as possible." We left after about 40 minutes of standing around and not even being able to check in. Did I mention that it was freezing?

I'm sorry, but if you give us a reservation and tell us there will be a $40 charge for not keeping it, you'd damn well better have a table ready when we get there. I'm considering sending Jerry a bill for $40 for not keeping his end of the bargain.

We ended up getting a couple of bottles of wine and a pizza from Hideaway. Our pizza was delicious, and the customer service there is great.

Oh, I have a $25 Restaurant.com - Deals on neighborhood restaurants. $25 Restaurant Certificates for only $10! gift certificate to Tom & Jerry's that's free for the taking. Message me if you want it. Maybe you'll have better luck.

[batistahome]

Check the inside pics of mexicasa at mexicasaokc.com

[metro]

That really surprises me, they must be having management or staffing problems as of lately. Perhaps the good waitstaff quit when they found out they were turning it into MexiCasa? This really baffles me as I've had nothing but excellent food and service there.

Oh and Andrea,

I'll take the GC if you still have it, I'd love to give them another shot. For some reason, your PM feature isn't enabled.

[mecarr]

For the record, my wife and I ate there the day before Valentines day. It was a friday night. Anyway, we had reservations for 6:30 and everything went great. Admittedly, the place was probably 33% full. One thing that was a bit annoying was that people were seated very close to each other, so it made it awkward because you felt like you had to whisper or else everyone would hear what you were saying. The food was really good, but pricey. We ordered two steaks, one appetizer which was small, and two $5 glasses of wine. Total w/ tip: $95.

[JakeZula]

For those of you who read my previous review of MexiCasa (it's since been removed), I would like to encourage you to give the restaurant a chance. Had I realized that the place had only been open for two days, I would not have rushed to judgement based on a singular dining experience.

I realize that every new business has obstacles to overcome, and my negative review did nothing to improve T&J's situation. I couldn't wholeheartedly endorse a restaurant based on a single good dining experience, so it follows that I can't bash a place based on one bad night. Tom and Jerry's has an impeccable reputation, and I only expect the new restaurant to improve.

I, for one, (as I stated in my original review) am going to give them another try.

[Karried]

That's very nice of you .....

[jbrown84]

Why was your review removed? What was so bad about your experience. I didn't get a chance to read it.

[JakeZula]

I asked the admins to remove my review because, in retrospect, I felt it was unfair.

To sum up, they were overwhelmed that night, and the food and service suffered greatly for it. The manager was very nice to us, and I could tell they were struggling with the new staff and menu. Like I said, had I realized it was their second day of business, I would have been more understanding.

[amaesquire]

Gird your loins, fellow restaurant goers, as the new Mexican eatery Mexicasa has just opened. Located at 1501 N.W. 23rd St. in Oklahoma City, Mexicasa offers all that you’d expect from a restaurant whose name is a conflation of “Mexico” and the Spanish word for “house”: a down to earth establishment filled with south of the border accents. Depending on your specific inclinations, however, those with eclectic tastes may find their dining experience more of an eclectic waste.

Upon first blush, the Mexicasa environment is an effectual hodgepodge of what it would look like if Alfred Nobel tested his first blasting caps on a piñata filled with pink paint. The walls are covered with what looks to be multi colored papier-mâché while the building itself and some inside effects are highlighted in a bright pink. Although this concoction isn’t necessarily displeasing, some may find it to be less than appealing. One of the dining members of our party pointed out one particular visual affront on the east wall: a cow-skinned hanging lined with poorly stapled paper streamers. Luckily, however, most customers do not go to restaurants simply for what is on the walls.

A huge positive came with the second thing you’d notice when entering: the staff. Our server was very nice and friendly, and although he did not know what number of one of the entrees (it’s the second day of operation, we can let that slide), he was always ready to help with any of our needs.

Like many Mexican restaurants (whether or not they are affiliated with any casas), chips and salsa were provided before the meal. The queso that Mexicasa is great. Seriously awesome. However, the normal salsa leaves something to be desired; while full of large bits of fresh vegetables, it’s a little watery for my tastes. But enough of starters, what about the entrees?

Unfortunately, little excitement can be had for the main course. Like the salsa, the main dish (two beef tacos with beans and rice) claimed no blue ribbons in my internal county fair. While two beef tacos with beans and rice are pretty much a staple of any Mexican restaurant, what was found here was a dish fairly devoid of taste, as if the Hadron Super Collider did in fact create a black hole but the vacuum only affected the taste of this rice, these beans, and those tacos. The meal was entirely edible and will satiate a growling stomach, but what you get my not be justified in the price.

The dollar amounts that are set seem to be above what one would envision for a lunch menu with some caveats. For the meal described above, I payed $8.66 (without a drink). Dinner entrees ranged at $10 and above. Mexicasa does do something that this reviewer has not seen before, and that is giving out complimentary sopapillas. For some that could help justify the cost, but on the whole, the value of the entire meal seems lacking.

Overall, the dining experience was not wholly unpleasant. Mexicasa is brand new and does have some rough edges, and most places do have some growing pains. The staff was good and it is in a location that does have a dearth of “sit-down” Mexican establishments. In the end, however, I would be hard-pressed to find myself back there if certain things like price and the quality of food does not change.

[metro]

Tom & Jerry’s finds sombrero fits well
by Kelley Chambers
The Journal Record March 10, 2009

OKLAHOMA CITY – With piñata colors of pink, blue and gold splashed on the walls, a Tex-Mex menu and a new name, many patrons of Tom & Jerry’s Steak and Fish Grill may think the owners of the upscale eatery have moved on.


Jerry Hency and Thomas Batista, owners of Mexicasa at 1501 NW 23rd St. The two opened Tom & Jerry’s Steak and Fish Grill six years ago. Two weeks ago they reopened the restaurant as Mexicasa. Plans call for a new Tom & Jerry’s on N. May Avenue set to open in about four months. (Photo by Maike Sabolich)

But Thomas Batista and Jerry Hency are still very much at the helm of the eatery at 1501 NW 23rd St.About two weeks ago the six-year-old Tom & Jerry’s officially closed and reopened as Mexicasa. Gone is the fancy furniture and elegant place settings, and in their place are baskets of homemade tortilla chips, dishes of salsa, colorful tabletops and chairs, and a lively Mexican décor designed by Batista.

Signature items like truffle fried chicken have been replaced by enchiladas and chimichangas, as well as a variety of tacos, nachos and salads.

Hency saw it was time to change the look, feel and cuisine at Tom & Jerry’s and reopen that restaurant closer to its customers from Nichols Hills and northwest Oklahoma City.
“We had a number of comments from clients over the last three or four years were ‘why don’t you move up north and we’ll eat there more often,’” he said.

The owners also knew the restaurant was out of place when its closest neighbors are Arby’s and a Chinese buffet.

But through the last six years they built up a loyal customer base, and the average check price with alcohol was about $50 per person. Meals at Mexicasa run from about $7 to $15.

Children rarely dined with their parents at Tom & Jerry’s. Hency said the new restaurant could better appeal to families than to people who would dress up and drive from across town to eat there.

Hency knew there are numerous Mexican restaurants around town, but none in close proximity to the area near NW 23rd Street and Classen Boulevard.

Since the changeover, Mexicasa has been packing in diners for lunch and dinner. Tom & Jerry’s usually only saw a handful of diners each day. Hency said there has often been a line over the past two weeks for the restaurant, which seats about 80.

“There have been lines out the door,” he said. “We haven’t had that since the restaurant opened six years ago.”

But it has not been without some backlash from customers who want Tom & Jerry’s back. Hency said for those who love the old concept, he does have plans to reopen Tom & Jerry’s at 8081 N. May Ave. in the next three to four months.

Restaurant owner Sean Cummings also knows a thing or two about changing horses midstream.

Last summer, he closed the doors on his nine-year-old eatery Boca Boca, at 9610 N. May Ave., and said business has increased threefold as Sean Cummings’ Irish Restaurant & Pub.

But many of his regular customers were thrown off when they heard their beloved eatery was going from gourmet fish and steaks to burgers and beer. “People thought I had lost my mind,” Cummings said with a laugh. Cummings said as a restaurant nears its eighth year, the owner needs to do a serious evaluation. In his case, Boca Boca has seen its better days and Cummings was ready for a change.

He said many restaurant owners get so caught up trying to constantly wow customers that they often forget that sometimes people just want good food at a good price. The check per person at Boca Boca was about $50, while at Cummings, it is about $20 per person.

“All of us in the gourmet business know how to make cheaper food and make it taste really good,” he said. “We were giving people what we believed they wanted.”

As consumers begin watching their wallets perhaps more closely than ever, Cummings said the demand for fine dining is waning, and those restaurants have to adapt if they hope to survive.

“In this economy we’re in, people are scared,” he said. “They still want to go out, they just can’t go out and spend $100.

“We have to change with the market or die.”

Hency is banking on his regular customers and families with kids continuing to drop by for affordable Mexican dishes in a fun environment.

The tone of the restaurant also has changed. At Tom & Jerry’s, the buttoned-down wait staff was seen but rarely heard. At Mexicasa, Hency encourages his team to fraternize with customers as they wait on tables donning bright pink shirts with the restaurant’s logo.

If the brand proves to be successful, Hency and Batista said they also are considering offering franchises.

Hency said in the restaurant’s first weeks, the chile relleno-a poblano pepper stuffed with meat and cheese and then fried and topped with ranchero sauce and sour cream-has been a big hit.

“That’s one of our favorite items,” he said.

The Journal Record - Article

[jbrown84]

he does have plans to reopen Tom & Jerry’s at 8081 N. May Ave. in the next three to four months.

Googlemaps can't find that address, but it could be this building that notoriously sat unfinished for years.


8080 N. May Ave, oklahoma city - Google Maps

[metro]

Don't ask me, I just copied and pasted the article....

[jbrown84]

I wasn't.

[icecold]

Went to mexicasa today for lunch. Needless to say I will probably never go back. The queso you get with your meal was pretty good. The salsa they give you is below average, fresh but no taste really. If you ask they do have a hotter salsa that they give you which is pretty good. I got the mexicasa tacos which are suppose to be like street vendor tacos they said. I had one steak and one chicken taco which came on corn tortillas. They were the greasiest tacos I have ever eaten. The meat in the tacos was not that good and the portion size of the meat was pretty small. All in all I thought everything was about $3 overpriced for what you were getting. I will not go back. San Marcos and Chelinos are too close for me to choose mexicasa over those two. Gave it a shot but all in all prolly a 4 out of 10 in my book.

[jbrown84]

Went with a friend last week and was not impressed overall. I got the tamales--on beef, one chicken--the beef was actually pretty good, although small. The chicken one was just okay. The queso was different, but noting great. Chips were greasy. My friend didn't like his food at all. Worst of all was the service. I ordered extra beans, no rice, but ended up with double rice. I didn't say anything because by the time the food came, we had been there over an hour. When we first got there, it was fairly busy (had to wait for a table), but within a half hour it had emptied out a lot, but it still took forever to get the food.

I know they are new, but I will probably not go back unless I hear that they've improved greatly.

[metro]

OK, so MexiCasa went under, and I never heard of Tom & Jerry's reopening near May or Nichols Hills as they intended to do. I drove by yesterday and someone was repainting their original building on NW 23rd. Anyone know what's going on?

[pickles]

I loved their idea of replacing one of the city's worst and least consistent restaurant values with an atrocious tex mex joint in a garish pink and yellow building. That was an interesting choice.

[john60]

A few weeks ago, my waitress at Hideaway on Western told me that a Tom and Jerry's restaurant was moving into the old Iguana Lounge space. Take that for what it's worth...

[Midtowner]

Who is "they"?

Does "they" = Mexicasa or Hideaway?

[jbkrems]

They are NOT moving into the old Iguana's Lounge space. That space is being converted into a new fine dining establishment owned by the same group as Pachinko Parlor. This is according to the bar manager at Pachinko.

[metro]

So basically it sounds like no one knows what is up with Tom & Jerry's group?

[khook]

It's dead.... they ran out of money.

[rfjeep12]

They are NOT moving into the old Iguana's Lounge space. That space is being converted into a new fine dining establishment owned by the same group as Pachinko Parlor. This is according to the bar manager at Pachinko.

this is true. supposed to open this summer.

[Platemaker]

They are NOT moving into the old Iguana's Lounge space. That space is being converted into a new fine dining establishment owned by the same group as Pachinko Parlor. This is according to the bar manager at Pachinko.

Iguana is the same people as Pachinko BTW.