Diners dreaming of blackened redfish a la the long-gone Louisiane restaurant no longer have to fret, as many of the specialties at the new Red Door Grille give more than just a nostalgic nod to the former establishment. 

There’s a few reasons for this. First, Red Door Grille is owned by Patrick

McMurchy, longtime owner of The Bros. Houligan, son Conor McMurchy and Corwin Moore. None are strangers to the industry. And second, many of the Cajun-style dishes served come from the much-loved Louisiane restaurant. The Louisiane defined old school Tulsa elegance, and from 1935-1993 was a place for special occasions and wonderful food.

It was in 1984 when Patrick moved to Tulsa to become the Louisiane’s general manager. He hung on to some of those great recipes, and they’re now on the menu at Red Door Grille.

But you don’t have to be familiar with the Louisiane to appreciate how good this food is. Take the blackened redfish, one of the best sellers at the Louisiane that’s now a favorite at Red Door Grille. The redfish has a great smoky, spiced flavor and is covered in a rich seafood cream sauce. It’s served with Cajun rice and grilled asparagus. 

Red Door Grille is a Cajun-Southern restaurant, but not everything on the menu is Cajun, making plenty of space for diners who might not love the genre.

A good example is the brisket, slow cooked and super flavorful, served with au jus and horseradish sauce. Or the beef short ribs, tender and delicious, served with a red wine demi-glace. Both are accompanied with mashed red potatoes and green beans. 

You’ll find many “date night” or special entrees like these, but there’s also plenty of more casual or lighter dishes. The gumbo, another recipe tweaked from the original at the Louisiane, is one of the most popular dishes. Made with chicken and andouille sausage, it’s a nice, classic gumbo that’s not too heavy.

Red Door Grille has a big menu. Po’ boys range from fried shrimp and fried catfish to brisket. The Cajun remoulade on the po’ boys makes these sandwiches extra good. Other sandwiches include blackened chicken and hot ham and cheese.

There are also hamburgers, including the Delta Bleus Burger with sliced andouille sausage, blue cheese, pepperoncini, lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion. And then a great menu of big, nice entrée salads includes a marinated chicken, chicken caesar, and the popular strawberry and herbed goat cheese. The salmon salad is one of the best, with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, fried capers, artichoke hearts and hard-boiled egg. 

And what would a Cajun restaurant be without fried seafood baskets? The shrimp, catfish and oysters are all deep-fried deliciousness.

The McMurchy restaurant expertise shows at Red Door Grille. Conor gives much credit to Chris Parks, head chef, who brought his style and some of his own recipes to the restaurant, as well as Moore, who had a hand in modernizing some of the recipes.

Two of Parks’ desserts have been especially popular. His blackberry bread pudding with rum sauce and whipped cream has been a top-seller. His bananas foster crème brulee is also a hit.

The team takes pride in the fact everything is made in-house. They mash the potatoes, whip the cream, cut the steaks and make all the sauces.

Conor’s love for running the restaurant shows in his attention to every detail. He literally grew up in the restaurant business, spending a lot of his childhood at the old Bros. Houligan restaurant on 15th Street. (The restaurant closed in 2023, but the location on South Yale remains open.)

Conor’s dad would stop at The Bros. Houligan most mornings to cut steaks before taking his son to school.

“I would sit at the bar watching cartoons, drinking orange juice and eating pancakes,” he says. “There would be some mornings when I was really tired, and I would go to sleep in one of the booths.”

Growing up in the restaurant was completely comfortable for Conor. It’s the same feeling he wants guests to feel when they walk into Red Door Grille.