cardigan's restaurant & bar

it was our first time at cardigan's tonight (here in tulsa for a business trip-- from oklahoma city) and it was great. the atmosphere is modest and casual which really makes eating there very comfortable. it kind of reminded me a little bit of the old steak and ale restaurant. one thing i noticed was that almost everyone we were seated next to, or walked by us as they were being seated seemed to be very familiar with the staff, and they with them. this could not have been just a coincidence on this thursday night; i assume that would have been the case on any night. the food was very high quality, and moderately priced. the serving sizes were not giant, but plentiful, given the price. little things like a caesar salad dressing that was the best i'd had, except for my own home made, where you can taste the garlic and real lemon juice. the appetizers were very good and the 8 oz filet was cooked perfectly (medium rare) and had a nice crust. the sides (yes the $27 filet came with sides), garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed vegetables were fantastic. the garlic mashed potatoes were the best i'd had at any restaurant. we alsoordereda class of red wine (cabernet) which was very good, especially for just a house wine. finally, our server did a perfect job. we will certainly return next time we are in town.

good food, okay service, menopausal clientele. ate there for lunch on a friday.

iorderedthe beef stragonoff and it was very good. it was a huge portion, so you should stick to the lunch portion or plan on splitting it with someone.

service was okay. not good or great, but average.

this seems to be the favorite place for women over the age of 50 to eat. that's not an exaggeration either. roughly 80% of the customers that were in there for weekday lunch were middle-aged women.

unassuming with surprising quality. visited on a saturday night with my roommate. very few people there at 6:00 pm, but the crowd picked up by the time we left. i'd give the service a 7 for myself, and a 5-6 for my roommate brian. iordereda beer and it was promptly served, as well as my second. the pre-dinner bread was very so-so, but i wasn't expecting much. iorderedthe beef stroganoff and brianorderedthe balsamic chicken, the stoganoff was awesome, although heavy. i'm a big eater, and could only eat half of it. lots of surprisingly tender beef, and the sour cream really set it off.
brian's balsamic chicken was good if you absolutely love bell peppers and whole olives. the chicken was well cooked, but completely overshadowed by the veggies.
the music was laughable. the satellite station was called studio 54. disco music does not fit this place. the interior is extremely minimal, almost to the point of bland.
overall, i would say it is a very good place to go on a cold day to get that stroganoff. perfect savory winter food