Old Tulsa Favorite To Be Rebuilt Along Arkansas River

Up until now in Tulsa, you could eat at a restaurant, or have a view of the river, but you couldn't do both.  That's going to change in just a few months.

Friday, October 29th 2010, 6:20 pm

By: News On 6


Emory Bryan, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma -- There's a new restaurant under construction at River Parks that brings back an old Tulsa favorite: the Blue Rose. The original closed in Brookside almost ten years ago.

Up until now in Tulsa, you could eat at a restaurant, or have a view of the river, but you couldn't do both.  That's going to change in just a few months.

The distinct roof line of the new Blue Rose Cafe sets it apart from anything else along the river. It's the first building in Tulsa that extends over the water of the river.

"It actually, when the river is up, it's underneath us, so it's real, real neat," Tom Dittus, Blue Rose Co-Owner, said.

Tom Dittus, the owner of the original Blue Rose Cafe, is back and ready to open the new restaurant.

It's been in the plans for a couple of years, a restaurant walled with blue tinted glass. It's finally far enough along in construction to see the view that customers will soon have.

"There's a double patio, so there will be a downstairs patio as well as the upstairs," Dittus said.

The building sits on 30 foot tall piers, in between the 31st street Bridge, and a small overlook on the east bank. From the west bank, the building blends in to the landscape around it, which was part of the architects plan for the building.

One of the interesting things about the building is how it folds into the environment. The walkway into the restaurant will come up and overhead on platforms to the parking lot, so traffic on the river trail can go underneath.

The location is already a popular spot. Dittus opened a small restaurant next door called Elwoods that will remain open and offer a faster version of the Blue Rose menu. He believes his restaurant will prove that Tulsans want the river developed.

"Just a tremendous amount of opportunity, my job is just to not screw it up," he said.

The opening date is not set, but it's at least a couple of months away.

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