Tulsa World Review: Treys Bar & Grill takes different slant on bar and grill

On the walls at Treys: a large mural of Tulsa, an 11-foot television screen mounted to reflect the old wooden Admiral Twin Drive-in, a TV at the other end over a stage that gives homage to Cain’s Ballroom and movie posters with Tulsa connections.

Eight televisions sit side by side around a 40-seat circular bar.

“We realize not everyone wants to watch ‘SportsCenter’ all the time like we do, so all the TVs can be changed individually,” co-owner Travis Davidson said. “Food and travel channels are popular, too.”

“Not everyone probably will be happy about my ‘Downton Abbey’ watch party, either,” Lopez said.

Sports did dominate the screens the night we visited, which was fine with us.

Treys got its name because it has three owners — Lopez, Davidson and Michael Nelms. Davidson and Nelms met while working at Waterfront Grill, where Lopez was a regular customer.

They said they initially consulted on the menu with Eli Huff, executive chef at ONEOK Cafe, then hired chef Kurt Fichtenberg, formerly of Hey Mambo, “who brought the whole concept home,” according to Lopez.

The menu offers a variety of appetizers, burgers, wraps, sandwiches, salads and soups, and everything is less than $10.

“We wanted to put a focus on the food, but we didn’t want sticker shock,” Nelms said.

On our dinner visit we shared a caprese salad ($9.99) to go with our entrees, Swedish meatballs ($8.99) and the grilled Caesar chicken wrap ($7.99).

I expected the caprese to be a bit more substantial than it was, but I couldn’t quibble about the flavors. It was made with four thin slices of tomato, a mound of ciliegene (chee-lee-ay-JEE-nay) mozzarella — cherry-sized cheeseballs — basil pesto and olive oil.

The meatballs were served in a cool-looking, slanted white bowl that held five meatballs mixed with gravy and spaghetti. We were told the primary seasoning was rosemary, and we thought we tasted sage, as well. Nevertheless, it was a flavorful dish with a delayed spiciness on the tongue.

The wrap was loaded with pieces of grilled chicken, Caesar salad, shredded Parmesan cheese and tomatoes in a spinach tortilla wrap. The salad and chicken worked well together.

The wrap came with a choice of side — crispy mac-and-cheese, fries, onion petals or seasonal vegetables. The kitchen was out of onion petals, and we settled on the mac-and-cheese, which turned out to be a good selection. It was hot and cheesy with browned, crispy crumbs across the top.

A future visit will have to include sweet cream pancakes ($5.99), a signature dish that includes three pancakes, real butter and a choice of toppings and syrups.

The children’s menu offers corn dog bites, chicken strips, grilled cheese, burger and quesadilla, served with a cookie and milk, for $5.99 each.

Bar selections include six beers on tap, 14 imported and domestic bottles of beer and eight wines.

For entertainment, the room also has a shuffleboard, pool table and a Golden Tee game whose pin flags are named for golf courses around Tulsa.

It’s good to note that Treys is closed Friday night and during the day on Saturday as a religious observance of one of the owners.

Davidson said Treys is part of a movement to bring more locally owned restaurants to that part of town.

“For years, chains have had a stranglehold on south Tulsa, and we want to be part of turning that around,” he said.