Rosy on Rosa: New Mexican

Pork adobada tacos

When approached about leading a new Mexican spot downtown, Chef Derek Bray got to work. Bray has worked in restaurants for more than 20 years as head chef and operating partner at restaurants from Colorado to Pennsylvania. And he’s found success locally with his downtown restaurant, Wiz Hot Dog Co., which opened a little over a year ago.

But he also knows Mexican food, and he knew what it would take to make great food in a small kitchen and — especially on nights when there’s a big event downtown or at neighboring BOK Center — how to do so efficiently.

So Rosa isn’t a full-scale Mexican restaurant with big plates of enchiladas, rice and beans. But it also isn’t a quirky taco stand serving gimmicky things like chicken and waffle tacos. Rosa serves dignified tacos — full of flavor and plated simply.

Queso crock

But don’t let the simplicity throw you. There’s an attention to detail in every order.

“Every single aspect of every single taco has a chef’s touch,” Bray says. “Everything is thoughtful, and everything has purpose.”

One of the most popular tacos, for instance, is the carne asada. Bray could have used skirt steak, but instead he marinates a tenderloin in guajillo and chipotle peppers and black cherry. Instead of topping it with diced onion and cilantro, he uses a vibrant pickled red onion and uses the whole leaf and stem of the cilantro to create a nice salad on top. Instead of sour cream, a crèma is created especially to pair with each taco.

Bray says staff members are asked at least once every day if they have a ground beef taco. (They don’t.) “Basically we try to get back to the roots of Latin American cooking. We get our hands on authentic cheeses and good cuts of meat,” he says.

Rosa is part of the Bain Marie Restaurant Group, which includes Brian Elliott, Alysia Elliott, Brad Venable, Matt Shipley, David Sharp and Derek Bray.

We tried the carne asada, short rib barbacoa, pork adobada and citrus grilled shrimp. It’s too hard to pick a favorite. But the pork adobada was at the top of the list. Flavorful pork with a pineapple pico de gallo, avocado, cotija cheese and poblano crema came together for a concoction balancing sweet and salty wrapped in a corn tortilla.

Rosa’s shrimp ceviche with coconut crema is fresh and light — one of the best items on the menu. We also enjoyed the queso crock, great for sharing. Another shareable appetizer you don’t want to miss is the birria flautas. Rosa makes birria, that wonderful stewed meat that’s so hot right now, from short rib, tucking it into a flauta and serving with a rich comsomme.

No frills, all flavor is the tagline for Rosa — and it fits. Same goes for the drink menu, which proclaims to have “damn strong drinks.” The frozen Rosa, a combo of sangria, tequila, lime and triple sec is among the most popular drinks for good reason. Diners also are loving the Paloma and the El Paso — a nice blend of vodka, orange liqueur, lime juice and cherry.

Birria flautas

Bray has been impressed with the Tulsa restaurant scene since moving to Oklahoma. Bray was an English major at Michigan State and started bartending in college. Once he started cooking, his career was decided. He said working in the restaurant industry “just hits” with some people.

“It’s just what we do. It’s just what I do. I like the chaos,” he says.

While saving money to open his own restaurant, he took a two-and-a-half year hiatus from cooking, working an office job and saving money. Since then, friends have asked him if he misses having an office job. His response: “I still have an office job — it’s just 130 degrees and full of fire.”

Rosa

302 S. Cheyenne Ave. | 918-576-6641

rosatulsa.com

11 a.m.-10 p.m., Tuesday-Friday; 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday brunch; 3-10 p.m., Saturday dinner; 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Sunday brunch

Log In

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,racist or sexually-oriented language.PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.Don't Threaten. Threats of harming anotherperson will not be tolerated.Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyoneor anything.Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ismthat is degrading to another person.Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link oneach comment to let us know of abusive posts.Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitnessaccounts, the history behind an article.