Jared G.
Yelp
I had never been to Gambill's to eat. I have had their pasta, which is a flour and water base. However, I have not had the full experience. Gambill's touts from scratch offerings--from their pasta to their meatballs, pizza dough, and even the sauces.
Gambill's atmosphere is a deli mixed with some New York Italian pastaria flair. Pictures adorn the walls, and It is a casual environment. After ordering your food from the front, the server will bring it out to you via a number system that is common in delis.
For the first course, we were presented with the fried mozzarella with ranch and marinara. The fried mozzarella had a nice crust with a strong herb flavor that dominated the bite. The mozzarella was delicate. The crust-to-mozzarella ratio favored the crust. The ranch sauce had a creamy texture and a familiar taste. The marinara had strong beginning notes of garlic followed by tangy acidic notes of tomato, with endnotes of basil. The marinara was on the watery side and a pool of water had formed on the top.
Next up, the fried mushrooms. These were delightful with a beautiful crispy crust and light salty seasoning. It seemed this dish was prepared by slicing mushrooms in half and blistering them in a fryer. The textural contrast of the crispy mushroom exterior was beautifully juxtaposed to the soft mushroom interior.
Gambill's has a menu dedicated to focaccia bread. We were presented with the "Pesto+Cheese Focaccia." The offering was dense, thick, and crumbled as it pulled apart. Most focaccia has a crispy top and bottom with a light and well-aerated interior. The focaccia that was presented was tightly compacted with little aeration. The pesto on top added strong notes of basil and garlic.
The first pasta course was spaghetti with meatballs in meat sauce. The pasta was cooked beautifully with a nice bite. The meatballs had a traditional meat and herb flavor profile, however, some were slightly tough. The meat sauce had a subtle tomato and water flavor profile with endnotes of ground beef. Like the marinara sauce, the sauce had separated and a pool of water and grease formed in the bowl.
The second pasta dish was the "Alfredo Chicken Parm with Fettuccine." The chicken parm had a crispy golden crust with a herbaceous flavor profile. The ratio of crust-to-chicken leaned more on the crust than the chicken side. The chicken had separated from the crust, indicating either a frozen chicken breast was used or there was no dusting of the chicken with flour, then egg bath, and finally seasoning. The chicken is not pounded; rather, it is cut in a manner suggesting a meat wheel cut it. The Alfredo sauce featured beginning notes of salt and cream with middle notes of butter and endnotes of garlic and stringent parmesan. The sauce is smooth with a velvety texture. After a few bites, it was monotonal.
For the pizza, we were presented with the Meat Lovers. It looked gorgeous with a beautiful char on the crust. Upon picking a slice up, the toppings began to fall off as the middle was soggy and the crust was incredibly thin in the middle and could not support the toppings. The pizza was heavy on the toppings with a balance of crust-to-toppings ratio heavily favoring the toppings. The meats featured a distinctly Mediterranean flavor profile akin to Greek seasoning. The bottom of the pizza was soggy and coated in grease and fell apart as we picked it up.
For dessert, we tried the tiramisu and New York-style cheesecake. The tiramisu was sweet, with a soft texture of cream and cake. There was no discernible flavor and it needed coffee or some flavoring to brighten up the dessert. The New York cheesecake had a curdled texture as it had not been cooked properly. The flavor featured beginning notes of egg and sugar giving way to middle notes of cream cheese, and endnotes of charred cheesecake.
Overall:
Gambill's offers a dining experience that has clearly captured the hearts of many locals, earning a dedicated following. There were certainly some standout moments worth noting, such as the mushrooms. The portion sizes are impressively generous, offering great value for the cost. It is important to remember that we are not in New York City or Chicago. There are not many offerings quite like Gambill's in Tulsa that are trying to recreate that Italian pastaria flare.
It's evident that Gambill's has crafted a menu that resonates with many. While I may not rush back immediately, I can see why others have made it a beloved local staple. I genuinely wish Hunter Gambill all the success in his culinary endeavors and look forward to seeing how his creations continue to evolve.
Final score: 28/60 Average