Kentucky Club (old Gabriella's)

[Pete]

I haven't visited this thread for quite a while. Is Gabriella's in the
place where that place called County Line BBQ was once located?

Is it Italian?

Yes to both.

[CaptDave]

Yes it is. Initial reviews were mixed but it seems to be improving. I tried to go for lunch one day but the wait for a table was too long. I hope to try it out soon.

[PennyQuilts]

Swung by there at 1:00, today. I'd been looking forward to trying their lasagne. Unfortunately, although the sign said they have new lunch specials, the sign also said they were open 3 - 10. Parking lot empty.

[foodiefan]

Swung by there at 1:00, today. I'd been looking forward to trying their lasagne. Unfortunately, although the sign said they have new lunch specials, the sign also said they were open 3 - 10. Parking lot empty.

Web site lists hours as Monday and Saturday 3 - 10/11; T - Fri 11:30 - 10/11. Some places aren't open on Monday at all.

[PennyQuilts]

Web site lists hours as Monday and Saturday 3 - 10/11; T - Fri 11:30 - 10/11. Some places aren't open on Monday at all.

I was sorry to miss lunch. I will try again another time when I am back in the area.

[foodiefan]

I was sorry to miss lunch. I will try again another time when I am back in the area.

I do recommend you try. . . but be forewarned, their red sauce is sweet. Understanding that, I enjoyed it. . .and the view is wonderful. . .even in the day time!!

[kevinpate]

I was sorry to miss lunch. I will try again another time when I am back in the area.

Next time you find them closed, pop down to 4801 N. Lincoln and give Italiano's a try. Not the prettiest place in town by any means, but it is tasty.

[PennyQuilts]

Next time you find them closed, pop down to 4801 N. Lincoln and give Italiano's a try. Not the prettiest place in town by any means, but it is tasty.

Oh, by all means, I will do that! Thanks, Kevin. I plan to swing over by the Bar Association sometime in the next few weeks about some CLE stuff and may aim for lunch time.

[ctchandler]

I just finished a meal at Gabriella's and it was really good. My friend Chris, from London enjoyed hers too. The service and food were better than I expected. I had the clams with linguini and Chris had the ravioli in marinara sauce. All good.
C. T.

[Debzkidz]

Had dinner there last night with some friends. It was delicious. Italian nachos were to die for.

[PennyQuilts]

Want to report that we finally got around to going out to Gabriella's today and thoroughly enjoyed it. We stopped there after going to the [Cowboy Hall of Fame] (if you haven't been in a while, you owe yourself a trip).

Thursday early afternoon, plenty of good parking although the lot had a very respectable bunch of cars. They asked if we had a reservation. Er, no. They seated us within 5 minutes and there was plenty of places but still a good crowd, I was happy to see. They put us in the back room that has the bar, fireplace, a great view of downtown OKC in the distance and was adjacent to the kitchen. That is not a bad thing - it is open and we enjoyed watching them work. It wasn't a bit loud and if we'd wanted a quieter spot, we could have asked to be seated in one of the cribs or in the open area in the front part of the restaurant. As it was, it wasn't distracting, at all and we liked it. In fact, it was cozy, we loved the fire and now that we've been there, it would be what we'd ask for. The kitchen had a bar along it so you could sit and watch them if you wanted to. I've been to the County Line quite a few times and eaten in the little stalls but liked this room better, actually. Having been raised on that side of town with a similar view from the pasture behind our house, it was especially fun for me to see DT in the distance, especially with the Tower and the Capital Dome. The fireplace was great. Really, really liked the set up, even down to the creaky floors.

They had an extensive beer list but quite a few things weren't available. Of course, Husband was asking for Octoberfest stuff on the off chance it would still be available so we weren't surprised and didn't hold it against them. He ended up getting a Kolsch from someplace in Texas and enjoyed it. I just got a glass of the house Red and it was spot on. Normally, we get an appetizer but at mid day, both of us decided to just eat the garlic bread and unwind with a drink after walking around the museum. The dipping sauce was outstanding - olive oil, herbs, balsamic vinegar. They kept the bread coming without being asked. Had it been later in the day and I was hungrier, I would have tried the lamb fries or the Italian Nachos.

I got the lasagne - not fancy but I love lasagne and I heard it was good. It was outstanding. The sauce was sweeter than some places but I really liked it and would get it, again. I got a side house salad for three dollars and it was huge. Just a simple salad of lettuce and tomatoes but it hit the spot. I noticed they had some good salads on the menu if I'd wanted something a bit fancier. My husband got the Classic Calzone and it was a huge portion. He brought about half of it home. It came with fries that had seasoned parmesan on them. They were good although a bit crisper would have been better. We noticed a lot of people had pizza and the smell of the pizza oven really added to the experience in a good way.

A couple of times our waitress disappeared but it wasn't a problem and she got us seated, watered and breaded before heading off someplace else. Sitting with a glass of wine with the fire and a view and that delicious bread was just the thing at midday after roaming in the museum for about three hours. Husband is not an Italian food fan but he said he really wished it was closer because he loved the atmosphere and would like to come back so I could enjoy the food and he could enjoy the beer/view/smells/etc.

I highly recommend it. It is the kind of place I would love to go to with a friend after a day of shopping or running errands. Unfortunately, it isn't near shopping places so would probably most appeal to the museum/tourist crowd or as a destination restaurant for a special occasion. I hope that is enough to keep them going. As I said there was a pretty good group of patrons coming and going - perhaps taking family to the museum who were in for the holidays. Hopefully, it will make a go of it. It is very easy to get to. If we lived closer, I could see my husband and I going there, regularly and I hope they have other patrons who feel the same.

[LuccaBrasi]

All Luca Brasi and his famiglia have to say about Gabriella's is Mama Mia!

[Dubya61]

All Luca Brasi and his famiglia have to say about Gabriella's is Mama Mia!

... yeah, but what about the red sauce? Too sweet? Just right? not your favorite, but variety is always good?

[GaryOKC6]

I also went there recently and everything was absolutely perfect. I am not a big Itallian fan but I must say I loved it and will go back.

[PennyQuilts]

... yeah, but what about the red sauce? Too sweet? Just right? not your favorite, but variety is always good?

I like their sweet red sauce. And just for bringing it up, I am meeting my best friend there, for lunch! She hasn't been so this will be especially fun.

[BBatesokc]

Finally tried their Italian Nachos - Very Good and lots of them! Our new foot place before/after a movie at nearby Tinseltown.

[Pete]

Sounds like Gabriella's is starting to hit it's stride.

I'm not surprised... Always a lot easier to fix service issues than the food and decor/setting.


I look forward to trying it on my next visit. I love the back bar area with great views across green NE OKC with the Capitol and downtown in the background.

[PennyQuilts]

Pete, I also like that room.
Yes, the place seems to be doing well. Quite a bit of business at 1:00 on a Friday and the food was outstanding.

[John1744]

The wife, and I ate here on Thursday early evening with our 8 month old son. We showed up right at 5PM and the place was fairly empty maybe a half dozen cars in the parking lot and we were immediately seated. Scott was our server and he was excellent, very prompt on helping us out with the menu and keeping drinks full and checking on us.

We sat and ordered the mozzarella stick appetizer. These were pretty good, had a nice mild marinara sauce to dip in them and were filled with plenty of cheese, covered in just the right amount of spices and cheeses fried very nicely and they were out fast within minutes of ordering.

After the appetizer we were brought the salad, bread and cheese tray. This was the only weak part of the night for me. I'm not a fan of house oily dressings and the dressing for their salad was had a strong vinegar and oil taste without much going for it. The actual lettuce and vegetables were great though. The bread was ok, but I enjoyed the oil dipping sauce. (My favorite bread and dipping sauce is at Zio's when it comes to italian.) The cheese tray was a thing I guess, two slices of I believe muenster cheese (I don't know my cheeses well), a few olives and two peperoncinis. Not bad, but I didn't see much point in it.

We were asked a couple times if we wanted refills on salad and bread, I accepted one refill on bread and the waiter was prompt in bringing it out to us.

The main courses arrived fairly quickly. Everything had a great pace to it, just quick enough to feel like we weren't really waiting on food but enough time to enjoy each course. The wife ordered Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo and I ordered the Chicken Parmesan. The wife loved hers, she really enjoyed the thin cut chicken instead of large hunks like most restaurants server in Alfredo. The sauce had a great aftertaste and felt very home made. My Parmesan was fantastic, perfectly fried with just the right amount of cheese on it and sauce, nice and crispy all around and again it had a very nice homemade taste that made it pop. I didn't care much for the spaghetti it was plated on it had a dull taste and seemed to be their for substance.

After the main course we shared a slice of cheesecake which tasted very nice but wasn't much more than a nice slice of original cheesecake. Had a good smooth flavor to it but was pretty much just cheesecake not that there was anything wrong with that.

All in all though the service was fantastic, not sure if that was effected by them being slow at the time though. The food had a great home made taste to it and had a nice burst of flavor with good seasoning.

Having been to Pete's Place in Krebs a few times, I'd say the flavors and the food were very comparable and it's nice to know we have a local place that has some great food now. We'll definitely be going back.

[SoonerDave]

Help me with a bit of confusion here - does Gabriellas require reservations? My wife was interested in going there for her birthday dinner tomorrow night, and I saw the reservation widget on their website. Wasn't sure if they were required or merely suggested...they had no reservation availability for the time we'd be able to arrive...

[Martin]

we had a party of 6 on a weeknight get in without a reservation. -M

[John1744]

I've been there 3 times and we always time it so we go early for dinner right at 5 or so. Every time we've gotten in but usually there's some sighs and shuffling around while they ask a few times if we made reservations or not. The last time we were there the place was nearly empty and they still took about five minutes to find us a table. With that said though the food and waitress service was fantastic.

[SoonerDave]

Haven't had any updates to this thread in a while, so I thought I would offer a "review" based on our experience last Friday (7/5/13).

Having wanted to try Gabriella's since it first opened, but just absent the opportunity, my wife and I took advantage of our kids' week at church camp for a rare date night at Gabriella's. Although I'll offer detail in the review to follow, allow me to offer the ten-cent version: We were delighted!

We had 6pm reservations for two on Friday, and arrived at about 5:45 as traffic wasn't nearly as thick as I'd expected. We waited at most ten minutes to be seated, and in that time we took the opportunity to enjoy the redone Gabriella's interior in contrast to the last time we'd been there, when the building was "Oklahoma County Line." Gone were the stucco walls, replaced by an open, quiet, dimly lit gazebo-like interior with vines and white Christmas lights woven throughout the ceiling framework. We were directed to one of the "side car" compartments when our table was ready.

As this was a "date night," we opted for a few treats we likely wouldn't on a more conventional dinner out. It took us some time to work through just the appetizer menu, although we finally decided on the Toasted Ravioli (8) over the Pepperoni and Arugula Flatbread (13) and the Bruschetta (8). The marinara accompanying the ravioli was absolutely superb, but we were both just a bit disappointed that the ravioli really wasn't "toasted" to the crispness implied in the menu. The flavor was good, but the pasta just didn't have a "toasted" flavor. I almost came away thinking the ravioli tasted fried, but I'm not sure about that. Ultimately, the ravioli was good, not great, but the sauce with it was outstanding.

Each of our entrees was served with breadsticks and a simple dinner salad, The salad was a simple green iceberg lettuce and chopped tomato salad with a smooth oil and garlic dressing, served with a dish of olives and cheese.

For entrees, my wife chose the Carbonara Americana (16), and I chose the Spaghetti Bolognese (16), and to say the orders are generous is truly an understatement. We could easily have shared either of the single entrees. Her Carbonara consisted of a delicious combination of bacon, chicken, cherry tomatoes, and green onions in farfalle (bowtie) pasta with a luscious cream sauce. Especially enjoyable was the chicken, as it was thinly sliced and evenly distributed throughout the dish rather than "chunked" and clustered in the bowl. The combination of flavors, served piping hot, was easily the favorite of the two entrees we ordered. My Bolognese, a three-meat sauce of beef, veal, and pork, was rich and delicious and every bit as generous as my wife's Cabornara. The pasta was cooked to a turn, and the rich meats combined for a delightfully robust flavor that had not the slightest hint of greasiness or excessive spice.

My wife and I each had to have to-go boxes for half of our entrees, and there was no way we could contemplate eating dessert on-site. As we didn't know when we'd be back to Gabriella's, we took an order of Tira Misu (7.50) home with us, and enjoyed (much) later that night. It was absolutely amazing, with its rich cream topping balancing the ladyfingers below. My wife is the true Tira Misu aficionado, said it was among the best she's enjoyed.

I'm not certain, but I recall that our server's name was Eric, and he was extremely pleasant and efficient, yet never implying the slightest bit of "hurry up" pressure. He knew his menu extremely well, even down to those dishes on the menu that were actually no longer available (Chicken ala Zingara) due to a pending menu change-up that had not yet been printed. We were primarily curious about this dish as it was the only offering that included Risotto, which Eric said was available as an a la carte item for $5 or as a pasta substitute. We opted to save that notion for our next visit.

We came away from our first visit to Gabriella's with our leftovers in hand and dessert in tow, both of us very pleased and looking forward to a return visit. Next time will probably include the appetites of our teenage kids, at least one of whom will almost certainly dive into one of their wood-fired pizzas. Until then, the tasty memories of this first visit will have to suffice!!!

Final assessment: Most heartily enjoyed and recommended!

[BBatesokc]

Didn't see it mentioned (may have missed it) but they only do dinner service now (starting at 3pm). Mon-Sat.

[Pete]

Thanks for the detailed review, Dave!

They really seem to have their legs now and I absolutely love their space and setting.