Turquoise American Bistro: a unique little gem
by Sarah | April 15, 2009 | 20 Comments
Loading ...The Turquoise American Bistro is located at 786 Asp Avenue at Campus Corner in Norman (map). Call them at 405.801.2075. Hours are Tues-Fri 11-2, Tues-Thur 5-9, Sat-Sun 9-2 and Fri-Sat 5-10.
PLEASE NOTE: we’re sad to say the Turquoise American Bistro is now closed and it appears it is not returning.
I always enjoy a good field trip to Norman because I think college towns excel in great little hideaway restaurants. So recently, when my husband needed transcripts from OU, I tagged along in hopes of finding the perfect place for lunch. The registrar made an excellent suggestion to try the Turquoise American Bistro right down the street from Campus Corner.
Chef Giovanni has loaded the menu with tasty-sounding items, and I had trouble deciding what to try. It finally came down to either the Siracha Chicken Tacos ($9) or the Sunburned Trout ($12), and I went with the tacos. The menu description says, “Spicy chicken grilled with onions and bell peppers, served on fire-roasted tortillas with pineapple jasmine rice, pico de gallo and adobe creme fraiche.” It was as good as it sounds. In my opinion, if one is going to serve rice on the side, please do something with it. And they did. The pineapple and jasmine were great additions to plain old rice. The two tacos were very large, making this dish easy to split with someone, especially with a salad or appetizer.
My husband had the Green Chili Chicken Club sandwich ($7.50) accompanied with organic, homemade, blue corn chips. The sandwich included roasted chicken, fired green chilis, smoked bacon and jack cheese. Of course, my “plain” husband had to hold the chilis and cheese, but he said it was still delicious.
Other “yummies” on the lunch menu include Sesame-Wasabi Pea-Crusted Yellow Fin Tuna ($10) (sushi-grade Ahi tuna crusted in a sesame seed and wasabi pea puree) and the Duck Quesadilla ($11) (paper-thin slices of medium-rare duck breast served between grilled flour tortillas with onion, fire-roasted chilis, jack cheese, fresh pico and sesame barbecue sauce). Yumm-o!
The dinner menu is separate and entrees include a pair of Bacon-wrapped Farm Raised Quail ($16) and Crab Alfredo with Roasted Garlic and White Wine Cream ($12). I wish I had room to list every item on the menu, as everything sounds delicious. Brunch is available on the weekends. One of the more unusual items is the Turquoise Breakfast Chowder for $7.50 (asparagus, baby spinach, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, shiitake mushrooms and Yukon gold potatoes in thyme-infused miso broth and Southwest 5 spice.) This is topped with a choice of poached egg or grilled tofu.
Something else that really appealed to me is their selection of hot teas ($3). Flavors include Sweet Chamomile Citrus and Fragrant Oolong. Iced teas include Fiesta Fria and Blackberry Jasmine ($1.75).
Owner Emilio Salinas has done a great job in not only providing some delicious and unusual entree selections, but also with the simple and tasteful decor. Turquoise-colored Venetian glass lamps hang over most of the dining tables, and the walls are decorated with art which is for sale. The restaurant opened in 2006.
I wondered about their close proximity to the campus and whether they have many college students who can afford their offerings, which are just a little more pricey than your average restaurant. We were there for a late lunch, and there were at least two tables of college students in our vicinity. Yet, when we went into a t-shirt shop on the way back to the car, the student working there said she had never been and was wondering about the menu and prices. Personally, I think the prices are reasonable for such unique and tasty fare, but I am also way past my college days.
This is exactly the type of restaurant I wish someone would open on the west end of NW Expressway in OKC. I get glazed over and numb thinking about the string of chain restaurants that litter the landscape along that stretch. The residents in Norman are lucky to have such a great place. If you have eaten at Turqoise, please let me know your thoughts in the comments.
(4.70 out of 5)
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So far, 20 people have responded to this article. Won't you join in?April 16th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Okay – if you’re going to stray to Norman again, you have to try Sweet Basil on Main Street. It’s awesome and the atmosphere is great!
April 16th, 2009 at 11:52 am
I love Turquoise! I’ve been there for small lunches and with a big group for dinner, and they do an excellent job every time. I particularly love the space. It feels really nice and cozy… not too stuffy but still very nice. And the food is interesting! Very creative and delicious.
I hope more people stop in. It’s a little tucked away in Campus Corner, and I think people often overlook it.
April 16th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
I’ve only been here once and it was a while back, but I remember it being very fresh and surprisingly good. From the looks of the picture and the descriptions of the menu, they’ve made it even better since I’ve been. I don’t get down to Norman much but I look forward to visiting this place again. Yum!
April 17th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Me and my GF had lunch their today and it was DELICIOUS!!!!!! I had the turquoise paste con carne and the sauce was amazingly sweet and light but the steak on my pasta was kinda tough. She had the siracha chicken taco’s and they were really good. The atmosphere was very swanky and definetly a good place for a date or nice dinner with friends. all in all I will definetly go back again.
April 18th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
WOW! What a FANTASTIC lunch spot. I live in Edmond, but I had a job down in norman today and ate there based upon this review.
It is so hard to find fresh, wholesome foods in this area.
I rarely go to Norman, but next time I am there I will be back!
April 29th, 2009 at 8:03 am
I live in Norman and have Turquoise for breakfast almost every weekend. I have tried most things on the breakfast menu and have rarely been disappointed. I cannot get enough of the Migas. The atmosphere is comfortable and the food is a welcome change from greasy diner fare.
April 29th, 2009 at 8:50 am
I like trying new spots in Norman and this was a great addition to my list. Very nice atmosphere and great breakfast!
May 11th, 2009 at 8:20 am
Nice. Very nice indeed. Worth the drive if you’re nor a Normanite, even with the construction. if you are, then it’s worth being a regular.
May 27th, 2009 at 11:07 am
I love this place, especially for dinner. One of my favorite dishes is an appetizer of nachos with cheese, salmon and barbecue sauce. Amazing. Turquoise is definitely one of the best restaurants in Norman.
May 30th, 2009 at 11:23 am
To be perfectly honest, Turquoise is perhaps my favorite restaurant in the entire Metro. I’m so happy to hear that other people love it, too!
The veggie stir-fry there is fantastic. It seems that it’s really hard to find a restaurant that knows how to cook good veg, and in my experience, they nail it at Turquoise. The veggies are always fresh and colorful, and not cooked to the point where they turn into mush. It comes served with that awesome pineapple rice, and I’d also recommend adding on tofu. It’s one of the best vegetarian meals I’ve found anywhere.
Their house salad is fantastic, too.
June 3rd, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Turquoise is an EXCELLENT recommendation. I have always enjoy going there whenever possible. Their brunch has always been top notch, and their waitstaff is always professional and helpful (at least in my experience). They are usually busy during brunch, but if you have to wait here, it’s worth it.
June 12th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Turquoise is fabulous, hands-down great.
You MUST try Pepe Delgados (owned by the same gentleman Emilio…at least that’s what I’ve been told). Quesadilla Nortena and fish tacos (Saturday only when non-home game day) are my #1’s.
June 13th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
I’ll add chirp to the choir…this place is great! Nice menu: interesting, extremely tasty items.
July 27th, 2009 at 12:22 am
Turquoise is temporarily CLOSED — apparently because the owner has lost his license to operate it for alleged failure to pay state taxes.
See this news story:
http://newsok.com/tax-commission-revokes-permits-for-2-norman-eateries/article/3386911
We were down in Norman last night and can confirm that Turquoise had a “Temporarily Closed” sign and a big posted notice from the Oklahoma Tax Commission.
(Contrary to the prediction in the story, I believe Pepe Delgado’s, too, was still closed.)
July 27th, 2009 at 12:36 am
Just a slight correction — it was two nights ago that we were in Norman and both Turquoise and Pepe Delgado’s were still closed.
Also, I obviously don’t know anything about the details or merits of the owner’s tax situation with the Oklahoma Tax Commission. Just going by the NewsOK article and what we saw.
July 30th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Thanks for the tip on the temporary closure. Here’s hoping it re-opens soon! Normanites – keep us posted!
August 17th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
A brief update: Pepe’s is moving into the Turquoise space, and it is unlikely that Turquoise will re-open. Apparently the place has been losing money from the get-go.
August 18th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
@Chris man, that is too bad.
September 4th, 2009 at 6:10 am
Pepe’s is due to reopen in the space as of today, assuming all last minute kinks are worked out.
December 5th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Turquoise Cafe was very good and it is very sad that it has closed.
You guys should come down to Norman more often, we have lots of great restaurants that need to be discovered!
For starters…
Sweet Basil
Downtown Main Street in Norman
A very chic restaurant that offers Thai food. Moderatly expensive, but worth the money for a nice night out.
Bison witches
Downtown Main Street in Norman
A casual bar/deli atmosphere with a variety of interesting soups and sandwiches for around $7. Nightly bar specials.
Elephant Cafe
Downtown Main Street in Norman
A shagadelic 60s inspired cafe that has great breakfast, lunch and dinner specials. I especially like their guacamole chicken sandwich and Red Pepper salad dressing. Homemade deserts!
Gaijin Sushi
Downtown Main Street in Norman
The OKC and Norman locations were closed. But the owner has reopened the Gaijin restaurant at a new location in Norman under the name “The Copia Wine Bar.” Its the same Gaijin restaurant, same menu, same owner, but a different name. Still great Sushi.
Misal Bistro
Ed Noble Parkway in Norman
A great Indian restaurant. Has dishes around $12 that are elegantly displayed and consumed in a well decorated and relaxing enviorment. They also have a good lunch buffet, though I prefer to come after 5 pm and order off the dinner menu.
Greek House
Jenkins and Boyd Street in Norman
A great hole in the wall greek restaurant that offers big gyros and greek meat plates for under $9. There are some vegitarian dishes too. A college campus favorite.
The Diner
Downtown Main Street in Norman
An old hole in the wall place that is always packed, has great breakfast and lunch items, and only stays open till 2pm.
Please tell us what you think.