Forward March! (but February stole my heart)

The February Dining Report is in ...

The February Dining Report ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous. The month’s dining sojourn set a high bar for the remaining months of 2023 but also included a trip to Waffle House.

Most of my dining happens at locally owned restaurants within the 405 diningscape, but I did head for Tulsa one weekend and the aforementioned Waffle House visit was my first ever. Watch for video of that reaction on Instagram.

Dined at roughly 20 places in February, but five of those spots filled out the Top 10 dishes for the month. I added two more slots for sweets this month, which gave Patrono three spots overall. A trip to chef Ben Alexander’s (The Fantastic) Mr. Kim’s also landed three spots on the list. La Baguette won two spots and a pair of superior experiences with onion rings couldn’t be ignored.

Here. We. Go.

1.       Roasted Octopus from Patrono. Chef Jonathan Krell was busy in Yukon getting Krell’s East Coast Delicatessen ready when we popped in, but chef Ashley Gonzalez was more than up to the task. The always reliable octo didn’t disappoint and managed to climb to the top of February’s bites.

2.       Oysters from La Baguette. Chef Alain Buthion cleared away a few seats during the pandemic and replaced it with his own oyster bar. When he steps into it to personally prepare a dozen for your table, it’s bad news for other dishes vying to make this list.

3.       Chilean Sea Bass from Patrono. Absolute perfection.

4.       Collard greens from Scratch Paseo. Chef Zach Hutton’s operates in an agricultural closed loop to express his culinary skills, and his collard greens exemplify the genius of that approach. Locally grown, always remarkably tender and Zach never holds back with fresh-rendered bacon fat or butter. Also, the fried-mushroom sandwich to the left is the best you’ll find, probably anywhere.

5.       Miso Black Cod from Mr. Kim’s (Tulsa). T-Town dining belongs to Elliot Nelson and that’s in great part because of the culinary talents of chef Ben Alexander. I’ll have more about Mr. Kim’s later, but last weekend black cod was featured. The kitchen delivered it with precision and a lovely miso sauce.

6.       Rack of lamb from La Baguette. Elegantly plated and ruthlessly executed.

7.       Tuna and Foie from Mr. Kim’s. Togarashi-crusted Blue Fin is topped with foie gras, ‘nuff said.

8.       Wagyu Snowflake Dumplings from Mr. Kim’s. This culinary crafts project belies the simplicity that makes it majestic.

9.       Pinto beans from Edge Craft Barbecue (Not pictured). Zack Edge has boosted the standard of local barbecue in the 405 diningscape as any of the local Blue Ribbon-winners, but how he’s pushed his pinto bean game into transcendence is the story right now.  

10.   Onion Rings from Ned’s Starlight Lounge. The “secret” onion rings from Ned’s never disappoint, but a trip to Sun Cattle Co. proved a worthy combatant. More on that Friday.

Just desserts

Sweets rarely have a chance with me to make this list, which might mean a separate list each month. For now, I had to mention two desserts in particular that stood out. Before I do, when in Tulsa do NOT pass on a trip to Antoinette Baking Co. Same for Twisted Tree Baking Co. in Edmond.

Best dessert I had in February was the Almond Cake from Patrono and the the Fried PB&J from Sun Cattle Co. was a close second.

I’m interested to hear about the best dining experiences you’ve had lately. Leave some details in the comments or shoot me a message.