July dining was a fireworks show

See which dishes made the monthly top 10

August is off and running and shows no signs of slowing until September starts, but we’re here to talk July. The first month of the second half of 2024 included a visit from Bruto of Denver at Nonesuch, collaborations galore, and Odyssey de Culinaire.

Serving as co-host of the two-city event has been my honor and pleasure for at least a decade now. Unfortunately, I had to cancel my attendance to the first half of this year’s event in Tulsa, but Oklahoma City chefs made up for it at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel.

How could it miss? The three hottest chefs in Oklahoma were cooking that night. Kevin Lee of Birdie’s by Chef Kevin Lee made salmon, Zak Walters of Sedalia’s Oyster and Seafood made a confit of pork belly, and Jeff Chanchaleune of Ma Der Lao Kitchen made a tamale. Which one made the top 10 for July? All three could’ve made it, but I decided to choose only one dish from the event for the July list. Which one? None.

Speaking of the Skirvin Hilton Hotel, it welcomed chef Andrew Black’s newest restaurant, Perle Mesta, into existence in late June. Chef Black opened before his liquor license was ready and ran out of food late the first week, which pushed my first visit into July.

Then came a visit to The Ellison Hotel for a quick staycation and a re-introduction to the flavors of chef Beth Ann Lyon. And that’s where we begin the July dining report’s top 10 list — with the best catfish I never ate.

1.      Fried Okra, Milo

Chef Beth Ann Lyon recently replaced Nate Frejo, who left for the soon arriving Lively Hotel in the Oak development. After spending a couple weeks working front of the house, she jumped behind the stove in time to build a brawny grazing board for my weekend. But the best thing we ate was fried catfish disguised as okra. Perfect cornmeal batter, and a dollop of crème fraiche sprinkled with caviar is the simple formula chef Lyon used to tame our tongues. Genius.

2.      Dumpling, Nonesuch

The Bruto pop-up Nonesuch hosted last week was a glimpse at the promise Nonesuch will soon reach under the guidance of chef Kelly Whitaker’s Id Est hospitality. Guest chef Byron Gomez was in town to deliver an eight-course tasting menu founded on ethic over aesthetic. The lamb course best embodied that theme, and the corn ice cream with caviar and beer espuma was a miraculous feat, but the dumpling made of heritage flour was a flavor bomb soaking in elk broth and matcha chile. Sigh

3.      Roasted Carrots, The Tasting Room

The Tasting Room hosted a killer collaboration of culinary talent last week when chef Kurt Fleischfresser welcomed Josh Valentine and Caleb Stangroom into his kitchen playground. The five-course dinner was loaded with hits. Stangroom’s burnt honey ice cream was otherworldly, but mama said no dessert if you don’t finish your vegetables. Stangroom, who promises more Tiger Style pop-ups in the fall, served roasted carrots that were perfectly toothsome and dressed in an excruciatingly delicious chermoula and crunchy dukka. No problem finishing these veggies, ma!

4.      Strawberry Almond Torte, The Skirvin Hilton Hotel

Chef Chris Barton had to follow a Food Network star, owner of one of America’s best new restaurants of 2023, and a three-time James Beard Award nominee at Odyssey de Culinaire. No sweat. He had the home-kitchen advantage at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel and the help of Edmond Memorial High School’s Michael Lopez to build a two-part dessert that was as delicious as it was beautiful. Served with a strawberry mousse and chocolate ganache, this beauty stopped a crowd anxious to exit dead in its tracks.

5.      Sharkuterie, Rococo

Ate at Rococo on three different occasions in July, and chef David Sullivan’s shark-infested board of goodness that rings in my memory. Yes, there is shark, but it’s the seared ahi tuna, salmon, charred octopus and caperberries I love.

6.      Lamb, Szechuan Bistro

Leo and Sophia Chen’s place has been my favorite northside haunt for Chinese cuisine for more than a decade. The blend of Chinese-American favorites and authentic Chinese cuisine is flawless. On my most recent trip, I was reminded of the splendor of hyper-seasoned lamb on toothpicks.

7.      Cocoa Nuts, Zero Tolerance Coffee & Chocolate

Rare for a month to go by when I don’t visit Zero Tolerance for either coffee or chocolate. In July, I added breakfast to a stop. It was a delicious as was the coffee. But this time, owner Maura Baker talked me into some of her award-winning cocoa nuts. These almonds coated with chocolate and chipotle chil are so intense one suffices for putting your palate to sleep each night.

8.    Roasted Duck, Perle Mesta

First visit to chef Black’s new playground was under truncated service. We dined on day one of a new liquor license limiting selection, and had the Best Chef Southwest for 2023 himself as our server. That didn’t stop the roasted duck from arriving fork tender and rosy in the center.

9.      Goat Biryani, Sheesh Mahal

For the first time ever, I stopped by Sheesh Mahal and passed on the butter chicken. Instead, goat biryani. Great call. Next time? Both. Oh, and the naan remains world-class.

10.  Veal Marsala, Papa Dio’s

In an attempt to help my buddy John Moncrief expand his culinary horizons, which all reside on North May Avenue, I introduced him to Papa Dio’s. He was thrilled to add it to his roster, and I was thrilled with the veal marsala. Traditional fried pizza and ice cream cake didn’t hurt either.

Drink: Lichi-Li, Rococo

How tasty was this lychee-flavored highball? It was my favorite part of an evening that included chef Jonathan Krell’s hamachi pastrami on rye toast. ‘Nuff said.

Aloha Means Goodbye

And finally, I took a little trip down memory lane riding a plate of coconut shrimp and fries as the month wound down. Crashing Fleischfresser’s Wednesday lunch group, we landed at Bourbon St. Café in Bricktown, a.k.a. Jazmo’z Bourbon Street Cafe. Even though Bourbon St. Cafe opened in 2000, it feels straight outta 1992. Not a criticism. Not even close. What an amazing patio it features. Shaded with a perfect view of the canal. In a nostalgic fit, I ordered the coconut shrimp and shared it with the table. This holdover from the post-World War II Tiki craze remained popular as TGIFriday’s and Applebee’s raced each other across the nation. Anyway, the shrimp was good (the fries were cold) and put us all on the mood to scoot over to Crabtown for Irish Coffee for dessert. Of course, Crabtown only serves Irish Coffee when owner Paul Seikel is behind the bar. We did manage to get Irish Coffees, but that’s a story for another day.