April is a celebration of Florida tomatoes all month, and April 6 is National Fresh Tomato Day. Get a jump on celebrating the tomato at these seven restaurants.
By Jacob Threadgill with photos Gazette / file and provided
La Baguette Bistro
7408 N. May Ave.
labaguettebistro.com | 405-840-3047
Is there a better dish in the spring and summer months than a nice, cool, refreshing gazpacho? Plenty of fresh tomatoes are joined with tomato juice and a host of other seasonings in La Baguette Bistro’s version, which also includes shrimp and avocado for healthy and tasty additions.
Cheever’s Cafe
2409 N. Hudson Ave.
cheeverscafe.com | 405-525-7007
It’s finally starting to warm up out there, so that means it is salad season, baby. One of the best salads in the entire city has no lettuce. Red quinoa is topped with chili-lime corn, garlic vinaigrette, avocado, goat cheese and almonds, and it is all tied together with fresh pico de gallo that adds acidity and a little kick to push it over the top from ordinary to extraordinary.
Scottie’s Deli
427 NW 23rd St.
scottiesdeliokc.com | 405-604-8940
A BLT is the perfect case where simple is better, but it requires high-quality ingredients. Why not go to the place where they made the bread and the bacon on-site? Scottie’s takes the traditional BLT up a notch with its sweet heat version by adding sambal (an Indonesian chili paste), mayonnaise and marinated pepperoncini.
Osteria
6430 Avondale Drive, Nichols Hills
osteriaokc.com | 405-254-5058
Osteria has been one of the breakout successes in the Oklahoma City metro area since it opened last fall. All of its pasta, including the agnolotti, which is similar to ravioli, is made in-house. The agnolotti is stuffed with spinach and ricotta and paired with fresh baby heirloom tomatoes that cook briefly in the sauce before it arrives at your plate and in your mouth.
West
6714 N. Western Ave.
westbar.com | 405-607-4072
A traditional caprese is usually just tomato, mozzarella and basil, but West ups the nutritional and “wow” factor by adding grilled eggplant and turning the caprese into a tower. The role of basil is kicked up a notch with freshly made pesto, and it’s an excellent choice on West’s large and tasty vegetarian and vegan menu.
Iguana Mexican Grill
9 NW Ninth St.
iguanamexicangrill.com | 405-606-7172
Not only does Iguana offer excellent complimentary salsa with plenty of fresh tomatoes, you can get fresh tomatoes as a nice finisher on its Tex-Mex tacos made with flour tortillas. Order them street-style and get them with onions and cilantro on housemade corn tortillas.
Flip’s Wine Bar & Trattoria
5801 N. Western Ave.
flipswinebar.com | 405-843-1527
What’s better than the combination of diced tomatoes, fresh basil, balsamic vinegar and olive oil for a classic bruschetta? What about the addition of salty Gorgonzola cheese? Flip’s grills its garlic Parmesan toast and then melts Gorgonzola and mozzarella on it before adding a nice and fresh bruschetta.
