Maple Ridge Grocer — Restaurant in Tulsa

Atmosphere and Service

MRG’s atmosphere blends quaint charm with modern touches—think a 1920s diner with 2020s refinement. Plush booths add to the inviting, comfortable feel, creating a relaxed yet polished dining experience. Service was a standout at MRG.

Dining

Beef Tartare

The tartare features a hard-boiled egg and gribiche sauce, which lend a pleasant tang that initially pairs perfectly with the beef. The dish begins with a well-balanced flavor profile—silky beef, bright acidity from the gribiche, and the sharp contrast of pickled red onion cutting through the richness. However, after a second bite, an overwhelming chunk of salt made it nearly inedible.

Fried Green Tomatoes

The fried green tomatoes had a well-seasoned crust with notes of cornmeal, salt, and pepper, which gave way to the soft, slightly sour, and tangy bite of the pickled tomato. The crust was on the darker side, suggesting it may have been overcooked.

Meat and Cheese Plate

The summer sausage had a soft, pleasant mouthfeel with a bologna-like flavor profile. The capicola carried a delicate smokiness that emerged on the backend of the bite. The hatch chili cheddar was tangy and delightful, adding a sharp contrast. The grain mustard was bold and assertive, delivering a strong bite that complemented the other components well.

Bolognese with fresh pasta and parmesan

A standout among the courses served, the made-from-scratch sauce opened with tangy notes of tomato and carrot before deepening into rich flavors of pork and beef. The freshly made pasta was perfectly cooked, providing an ideal base for the sauce. Overall, a satisfying and well-executed dish.

Seared Red Trout

The trout had a beautifully crispy exterior, while the fingerling potatoes and carrots were roasted to perfection. However, the fish had a strong, gamey flavor profile reminiscent of dry-aged beef. The pronounced fishiness was slightly muted by a considerable amount of salt on the crust.

French Onion Soup with Swiss, Gruyère, and croutons

The soup featured initial notes of onion, which transitioned to middle notes of beef broth with tangy, metallic end notes of acidity from malt vinegar. The cheese and small croutons added richness to each bite. However, the vinegar introduced an unexpected tang, creating an odd flavor profile compared to traditional French onion soup.

Grocer Burger

The burger was cooked medium-rare and to perfection. It featured initial notes of beef that transitioned into tangy middle notes of mustard and end notes of cheddar cheese. However, we noted that the cheddar was not melted, and the combination of cheese and mustard gave the impression of a pimento sauce. The bun was soft but slightly fell apart to the touch. The fries were crispy.

Sweet Potato Ravioli

The sweet potato ravioli was soft, featuring strong, dominating initial notes of black pepper that transitioned into beautiful notes of duck and end notes of parmesan. The black pepper lingered on the palate after each bite. We noted that the dish contained excess water, with the ravioli releasing its soft sweet potato filling, which was on the soggy side.

Apple Cobbler with drop biscuits, apple, and ice cream

The cobbler featured an overly thick, tough crust with almost no soft biscuit dough underneath. The flavor profile of grains, such as oatmeal, was pleasant, with the soft apple adding a beautiful depth of cinnamon. The ice cream provided a nice contrast in texture and temperature.

Summary

While MRG shines with its welcoming atmosphere and excellent service, the food offers a mostly average experience that could not live up to the hype. Execution errors on the tartare, red trout, and apple cobbler outshone some of the more successful dishes like the burger, broccolini, and the bolognese. The remaining dishes felt average considering...

This place is not it. Im disappointed because I thought it was going to be a better experience. I came in today (5/24) for the first time to try the coffee. I realized it was a sit down restaurant and asked the front if I can just order coffee- totally not a big deal to me if I couldn't, but the host was like "Of course! Just order from the bar." So I walk over to the bar. The bar tender lets me know she'll help me in a moment, she was nice. I waited for 5ish minutes when a woman( different from the first woman) comes over, presumably she's a waitress because she putting an order in. She asked what I need and I ask if I can get two coffees to go. She says ok no problem, I pay (and tip) and wait. She comes back with two black coffees, I ask where the cream and sugar is because I don't expect her to make them for me. This is my issue, her response " You want half and half and sugar?!" She was rude about it. Made me feel like I was a burden for asking. Most people don't order black coffee, cream and sugar are pretty obvious requests when someone is ordering coffee. I've been in the service industry for over 20 years, and even when I was busy, I would never think to respond to someone like that. I didn't catch her name but she had dirty blonde hair and was wearing a denim jacket thing over her shirt. I won't be returning because of how she...

I universally enjoy McNellie's group restaurants but maple ridge grocer is the exception. We ate here for breakfast and the host immediately acknowledged that the sun would be right in our eyes but didn't offer to seat us in another location despite there being several open tables. The sun made the entire meal unpleasant. The restaurant should add curtains to prevent this, it's a simple solution and clearly needs to be done.

I ordered a latte without looking at the menu. The waitress asked if I would like a "house" latter and I said sure. The house latte is apparently a vanilla latte that is so sweet it's I drinkable unless you like your latte to taste like koolaid. To be fair I should have looked at the menu and maybe it has a description but I just figured house meant plain when she asked.

We came at 9am with our 6 year old and the kids menu they gave us had chicken fingers and Mac and cheese. They don't have kids breakfast options, they need to.

We settled on the Ben Mac sandwich. The chai pudding and the two egg breakfast. The chai pudding was pretty good the other options were not good. The hash browns were burnt on the outside and raw in the middle. The eggs were hard and chewy. And the maple "donut" wasn't a donut. It was a dense bread with a bad maple glaze.

This venture needs...