Below: Seared Chilean Sea Bass from the French Hen tempts both the eye and the palate.
Photos by: MICHAEL WYKE / Tulsa World

French Hen reopens triumphantly under new ownership

After my dining partner and I had completed our evening there on a recent weeknight, I had to concur the experience was divine.

Youthful chef-proprietor Richard Clark reopened the French Hen on Oct. 1 after original owner Terry Turner had closed an impressive 20-year run with the restaurant earlier this fall.

Clark's menu features traditional French dishes with American and contemporary slants, served with exquisite style and grace.

I had a hint the night might turn into something special when, after ordering a glass of wine and a salad, our waitress brought out a small crescent-shaped serving dish holding a mussel on the half shell, wrapped in hot cheese and bacon, compliments of the chef. It was a one-bite wonder.

This led me to question if I had been recognized and was receiving an undeserved extra, but true or not, we noticed all other diners received the same tidbit when they arrived. At dinner's end, everyone in the room also was served a wonderful homemade walnut biscotti sprinkled with powdered sugar. I don't know if such niceties are a nightly occurrence.

After the mussels came our salads. A field green salad ($7) with warm walnut-crusted goat cheese and a champagne vinaigrette was, according to my wife, a religious experience, and this was BEFORE she had made acquaintance with Sister Edith Mary.

Even more heavenly, to my mind, was my spinach salad ($7), which came with hazelnuts, roquefort and quartered figs in a orange-balsamic vinaigrette. The figs -- soft, warm and fresh -- blended perfectly with the other flavors in the salad.

Choosing entrees was difficult, but we finally settled on grilled duck breast ($22) and a quail "souffle" ($22).

The tender slices of duck, cooked medium, were bathed in an orange and raspberry glaze that gave it a sweet-tart flavor. It also was available with a brandy peppercorn cream that I would have liked to have tried as well.

It wasn't listed on the menu, but the duck dish came with a side of pommes Anna, a classic French dish of thinly sliced potatoes. The potatoes are covered, top-weighted and baked in a shallow pan; after baking they are inverted onto the plate. They come out brown and crisp on the outside and soft and buttery inside.

The quail souffle featured two plump little quail perched on top of flaky pastry with white truffle sauce and roasted root vegetables, in this case carrots and beets. The vegetables, just slightly sweet and full of flavor, were some of the best I've ever tasted. The whole dish had an earthy quality with lots of herbs and spices.

When it came to dessert, it wasn't easy turning down homemade sorbets (strawberry-champagne, kiwi and papaya), blackberry port ice cream, New York cheesecake and banana-walnut bread pudding, but we went away happy with the chocolate creme brulee and burgundy poached pears in chocolate custard. The pears were particularly decadent. All desserts were $6.

Along with the dessert menu came a drink list that included 10 dessert wines, four cognacs, 14 Scotches and 14 cordials.

The French Hen also offers more than 60 wines, including a nice list of French labels. About 10 wines are available by the glass. When possible, wines are served in appropriate stemware; for example, a red Bordeaux was served in a large-bowl red-wine glass, and a riesling was served in a classic tulip.

Our server, Pamela, was exceptional. She knew ingredients and preparation of every dish we inquired about and was prepared to make wine suggestions. She even used a crumb brush to clean the white tablecloth, something we seem to be seeing less of nowadays.

The dinner moved at a measured pace, not too fast, not too slow. An assistant waiter was quick to replenish ice water and refill the basket of dinner rolls. The good rolls come from Farrell Family Organic Bread, which also provides the sandwich breads at lunch.

On the surface, the 65-seat room has not changed much. The cinnamon walls hold photos and paintings of French scenes, the multi-pane floor-to-ceiling windows still have a classy look, and the alcove seating areas are as quaint as ever. Clark has replaced a wooden bar with black granite, installed all new stainless kitchen equipment and added a patio area.

My wife reported the women's bathroom featured fresh peace lilies displayed in sculpted birds and included such amenities as hair spray and hand lotion.

Clark got his introduction to cooking under Dick Clark (no relation) at Tulsa Technology Center. He went on to graduate from the Culinary Institute of America and performed a seven-month internship at the Savoy in London. He said he helped cook a meal for Prince Charles' 50th birthday.

"I loved the experience, but it nearly killed me," he said. "It was a minimum of 18 hours a day, six days a week, but I learned many valuable lessons."

He said that although he swore he never would return to Oklahoma, he did, accepting a position at the Polo Grill. He said he was about to leave the state again when his father informed him the French Hen was on the market.

His father, Dick Clark, was a partner with Charlie Mitchell and Greg McGill in the restaurant and club business some 20 years ago. Richard Clark's first job was as a busboy at McGill's.

Others on the French Hen staff include executive chef Paul Caplinger, an OSU culinary grad and a veteran in Tulsa restaurants, and sous chef Kevin Blanton, a graduate from a Houston culinary school. Clark said most of the waitstaff also worked at the old French Hen.

The French Hen is open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday for lunch, 4-10 p.m. for dinner Monday-Thursday, and to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

FRENCH HEN