Taste Of Oklahoma: Barons On 1st In Downtown Tulsa Bringing Upscale Dining With Rustic Ambiance

A new restaurant in downtown Tulsa has a very talented chef who brings high-end dining to visitors in an approachable way.

Barons on 1st gets its inspiration from the 1920s oil boom. With its lodge-like ambiance, it brings a new level of upscale to Green Country.

Executive Chef Justin Donaldson has worked in kitchens all over the country, but cooking at Barons is a full circle for him. His dishes are not only stunning to look at—they're also just as delicious.

In the heart of downtown Tulsa, a rustic, swanky new restaurant wants to make sure every seat is the best one in the house.

“Before I came on, I would sit at every single seat in this restaurant and sit there and take it in,” said Chef Justin.

When he’s not in his kitchen, Chef Justin might be sitting before guests arrive, sketching out possible menu creations and getting inspiration from the space.

“You'll think of things like shapes, dimensions, the antlers,” he said.

Some of his sketches came to life—like his dream of a tomahawk, served suspended in the air by a special hanger.

Barons on 1st got its inspiration from the 1920s oil barons who shaped the city of Tulsa. Its customers feel like they're escaping into a luxury rustic cabin, with dark wood, antlers, animal heads, framed vintage photos, and stylish artwork.

“I wanted to live up to the name that's on this building and take this risk and see what happens,” he said.

Chef Justin has worked in fine-dining and Michelin-starred kitchens across the country, but he spent some of his childhood in Oklahoma.

He was recruited here from Kansas City, where he was working in the food processing industry.

“It’s a story of me and my experiences of things I've learned around the world,” said Chef Justin.

The kitchen is where he feels most at home and where he showcases his expertise.

That talent takes time.

“It takes three days to eat a chicken leg in this restaurant,” he said.

These braised chicken shanks are not your average chicken leg.

“We brine them overnight,” he said. “The next day, we put grill marks on it and soak it in pinot noir overnight.”

They’re finished with a quick fry, and Chef Justin glazes the chicken, serves it atop a flavorful puree, and adds a dollop of something extra special.

“Carmel pear marshmallow.”

Somehow, it all works, adding an extra sweetness to it.

“When you brine it, it allows the flavor to get down in the center of it,” explained Chef Justin.

The ingredients used at Barons are the best they can source, and the Pure Bred lamb is no exception.

The marbled lamb gets simple seasoning—salt and pepper—before it’s crisped up and then finished in the oven. It’s served with smoked cabbage, sauteed mushrooms, and a veal jus for extra flavor.

The lamb is truly a showstopper.

Chef Justin says some of these dishes will rotate with the changing seasons and keep things exciting but approachable so people feel enticed to try something new.

“There's so many flavor profiles, and you want to experience different things. I do,” he said.

One of those is a vegan dish: the Pave.

“You have layers of squash, zucchini, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms."

Once it’s topped with tomato sauce, basil seeds and edible flowers, it becomes not only delectable, but a work of art.

That also goes for the Cornish hen.

He wraps the meat, and it cooks slowly in a sous vide before browning it on a pan and basting it in seasoned herb butter. It’s sliced open to show off its juiciness and then dressed up with a rolled carrot and charred spring vegetables.

“When I'm here, I'm not working. I love what I do,” Chef Justin said.

Chef Justin has the gift of creativity and the talent to execute what he dreams up deliciously.

But he remains humble.

“I don’t have the words to describe how grateful I am to have this opportunity,” he said.

He says food is the one thing in the world we all understand, and he invites everyone to "Be a Baron" and live luxuriously, even if just for the night. 

“It’s a language we all speak, and when people prepare food for you, it’s an act of love. An act of kindness,” Chef Justin said.

Barons on 1st is located at 302 E 1st St, Tulsa, OK 74120.

Email Kristen.Weaver@griffin.news for recommendations.