Elgin Park: A Beer-and-Sports-Lover’s Paradise
Local Dining by BLAKE AUSTYN
Contributing Writer
PIZZA AND VIEWS: There are six specialty pizzas on the menu at Elgin Park Brewery in addition to the option to build your own pizza. Pictured above are the Spicy Pizza Pie and the vegetarian White Potato pizza.
BLAKE AUSTYN for GTR Newspapers
There aren’t many things that fit together as perfectly as baseball and hot dogs and peanut butter and jelly, except sports and beer. Or pizza and beer. Either way, Elgin Park Brewery, 325 E. M.B. Brady St., capitalizes on both.
The microbrewery and restaurant opened Sept. 1 across the street from ONEOK Field in downtown Tulsa’s Brady Arts District.
When you combine the more than 50 televisions stationed throughout the restaurant, the eye-catchingly large square-shaped bar, the local beer, and the garage doors that open the restaurant to M.B. Brady Street and Elgin Avenue, this is categorically a sports lover’s paradise. Although that’s not to say there’s nothing for non-sports enthusiasts to enjoy.
A particularly popular portion of the restaurant when the weather is cooperating is the open-air element found in the corner of the restaurant that faces ONEOK Field. There are even tall bar tops placed on the sidewalks outside of the restaurant to incorporate the outdoors and to encourage walk-up patrons.
Elgin Park is a venture by Elliot Nelson of the McNellie’s Group and Eric Marshall of Marshall Brewing Company. The microbrewery brews beer on-site using a seven-barrel brewing system, with guidance from Marshall, Marshall Brewing Company founder and brewmaster. The brewery plans to produce several year-round offerings as well as seasonal brews throughout the year. In addition to highlighting its on-site beers, Elgin Park also features six guest taps reserved for some of Marshall and Nelson’s favorite brews.
My party visited on a Sunday evening, and with the beautiful fall weather, we were drawn to the open windows, which also provide a generous view of downtown.
We started with the Baked Goat Cheese, a hearty marinara sauce with roasted garlic and crusty bread for dipping. This was, for me, the highlight of the meal, probably due, at least in part, to the fact that I wasn’t expecting it to be so amazingly flavorful. The combination of the marinara sauce, garlic chunks and goat cheese made it a wonderful starter for the meal and showed very clearly why our waitress spoke of the dish’s popularity.
Other interesting appetizers that I am curious about for the future include Fried Clam Strips with garlic aioli and Meatballs in Red Sauce.
For our entrees, we sprang for two specialty pizzas: the Spicy Pizza Pie and the White Potato.
The Spicy Pizza Pie is another popular menu item. Yet, I must admit that, although chili flake, pickled peppers and hot coppa were listed in the ingredients, I was not quite prepared for the spiciness of the pizza. But when I got past the spice, the flavors were enjoyable.
We also gravitated toward the White Potato pizza because of its lack of meat. It comes topped with white potato, pecorino cheese, rosemary and onion. One person in our group felt that it was a bit bland, and if you are not suited to vegetarian dishes, I can see how it might taste that way. But I, for one, enjoyed it.
I cannot go any further without commenting on the sheer size of these pizzas. One small pizza would most likely be enough for two people to share. However, the pizzas are cooked in the New Haven style, which offers a thinner crust that makes the pizza a bit less filling than a deep dish or traditional crust.
We also chose to try the Wings, with the option of cauliflower or chicken with the bone. Looking for something different, we opted for the cauliflower. Basically this is breaded cauliflower, so it’s the sauces that make the difference. Patrons can choose from dry toppings, such as garlic parmesan and creole or barbecue, hot buffalo and other sauces.
The menu also includes lunch specials, the option to build your own pizza, salads, clam chowder soup, sandwiches and a couple entree choices.
Elgin Park Brewery opens at 11 a.m. seven days a week. Sunday-Thursday, its kitchen closes at 10 p.m. and its bar at 11 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, its kitchen closes at midnight and bar at 2 a.m.
Updated 10-24-2016
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