Bill and Sheila Eat Mediterranean

Dinner time yesterday evening found us in South Tulsa. Actually, Sheila and I avoid South Tulsa because the traffic is such a pain. But sometimes it cannot be avoided. We decided to have dinner down there before venturing back north.

I like familiar places. I have my list of places that I know are good and tend to return to them until I have a reason not to. Sheila is just the opposite. She will try anything new and always wants to go to someplace different. Last night was no exception. I was headed for a Vietnamese place that I know near 68th and Memorial when she spotted the sign for Becks and said that "fresh Mediterranean" (whatever that is) sounded good. So, that is where we went.

Don't be fooled by the unprepossessing store front appearance of this place. It is an upscale bistro style eatery catering to an upscale crowd. You have to be upscale to pay over seven bucks for a GLASS of their house wine. That's what about what I pay for a BOTTLE of the vin ordinaire at Casa De Kumpe.

The atmosphere at Becks is not Tulsa. More than anything else, it reminded me of the small upscale places you find in the big cities back east. Once the door closes behind you, you could be in New York or Boston but certainly not Tulsa. The crowd was not Tulsa and the atmosphere was not Tulsa. As a matter of fact, about half of the small crowd appeared to be of Mediterranean descent. Everything about the place from the real jazz (not elevator music soft jazz) playing in the background to the perfectly arranged but tiny bar screamed BIG CITY.

The menu was pricey. We ordered from the bottom end. I had a chicken skewer dinner and Sheila had the lamb skewer dinner. Both entrees came with a superb salad that was a mix between a Ceasar and something Greek, remarkably good humus, a skewer of grilled vegetables, rice pilaf and a cucumber dipping sauce.

The food was perfect, perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned and perfectly presented. The chef used quite a bit of rosemary which was a refreshing change from the usual Greek/Mediterranean fare around town. The only sour note on the table was the sweet, heavy, dark, multi-grain bread served with the salad. It was incongruous with the rest of the menu and was not a good match with the tart salad.

The servings were generous but not too large and the service could not have been improved upon. The whole experience was technically perfect. We both agreed it was a darn good meal. But, the one thing the place lacked to make it one of my "regulars" (aside from price) was, for lack of a better word, homeyness. Some places make you feel welcome the moment you hit the door. Becks does not. The big city atmosphere at Becks carries over into place's culture. Great chef, great food, great service but not the kind of place where I would drop in after a bad day at work. But, if you are a snowbird and are homesick for Noo Yaahhk, this is your place.