March proves historic

April promises more outdoor dining

March turned out to be historic when the James Beard Foundation announced two local chefs were finalists for Best Chef Southwest.

Of seven Oklahoma semifinalists, chefs Andrew Black and Jeff Chanchaleune made the cut and both will attend the Beard Awards ceremony on June 5 in Chicago.

I happened to have dinner at Chanchaleune’s Ma Der Lao Kitchen a couple days before the announcement and was blown away by the barbecue collaboration with Edge Craft Barbecue. That event was an easy reminder why Chanchaleune earned his second nomination since 2019.

Black’s nomination was no surprise either. Neither of Black’s Grey Sweater or Black Walnut have fallen off, and his new patisserie, The Gilded Acorn, has been a welcome addition to the First National complex. He’s got another concept, The Phantom Door, coming later this year/early next year.

Both chefs are deserving, but they face stiff competition from a pair of Las Vegas chefs and one from New Mexico. Regardless, Chicago is the place to be June 5.

The month in dining

March dining was maddening mainly because of the impingement in my neck that kept me homebound for close to 10 days abbreviated the March dining schedule but I still found 10 things to love on a truncated schedule.

10. Twisted Tree Baking Co. is a place I shop weekly. Anyone who has ever tried the wheat bread from there understands why. Co-owner Robert Black asked me to give him feedback on the new sourdough panini rolls. Haven’t done that yet, so in case you’re reading Robert, they’re spectacular. Speaking of bakeries, if you visit Tulsa and crave pastry rush to Antoinette Baking Co. Everything is good, but the morning buns are special.

9. 

   Tiki drinks from The Flamingo come from the capable hands and genius mind of Chris Barrett, and the food comes from Oso next door. ‘Nuff said.

8. 

   Tacos, wings and expert cocktails rule the roost at Palo Santo but the torta isn’t to be ignored.

7. 

   Made a couple of trips to Ganache Patisserie this month, but nothing topped the Raspberry Torte I got from there. The sponge cake alone was legendary.

6. 

   Chef Bruce Rinehart answered my challenge to find better fried mushrooms than Scratch Paseo. These might not be quite as amazing, but they’re available daily at Rococo and that’s close enough.

5. 

   The dinner party I attended at Queen of Sheba was at the top of the occasions. The company was even better than the food and that takes some doing at the state’s best Ethiopian restaurant. Mimi Younis remains owner, and the weekends continue to go deep into the night, and my kinship for berbere seasoning hasn’t waned.

4. 

   The Pimiento Cheese Tater Tots from Milo solves all tater tot questions.

3. 

   The pepperoni pizza from Dado’s Pizza is the best pepperoni pizza. There, I said it.

2. 

   Wrote about my experience at Et al. in Tulsa last week in more detail, but the pot de crème and aspiration won’t soon be forgotten.

No. 1

If I have to pick the best thing I ate in the month of March it was fried, smothered rabbit at Florence’s Restaurant. Sorry, you won’t find it on the menu but you will see it featured in our first episode of “Eat, Drink & be Local.” The show premieres Saturday, April 8, at 4:30 p.m. on KSBI, channel 52.

Our YouTube channel will be up soon.

I’ll have more details on the premiere later in the week, plus a sneak peek at our second episode which was shot Monday afternoon at Cattlemen’s Steakhouse.

As for the worst food/dining experience I had last month was in Tulsa. I wrote about my trip to check out some of T-town’s Beard-nominated restaurants a few weeks ago and mentioned a foie gras dish that was not only woefully tardy, but painfully paired.

What I didn’t mention was the Swordfish Atchafalaya. The orange-tinged foie gras paired with a sauternes was the biggest disappointment of the month, but the Swordfish that arrived later had technical problems that should never have escaped the kitchen.

The flavors weren’t bad at all, but the fish arrived in a smoked tomato cream sauce that looked like Sunday gravy left untouched until Monday morning. It was a shame because the venue was lovely and chef Paul Wilson wouldn’t have received a nomination if he wasn’t talented. Unfortunately, he no longer works at the restaurant (Boston Title & Abstract) where he made his name and Sans Murs, the pop-up concept he put together since, hasn’t found its stride.

With that impingement well on the run, I expect an increase in dining opportunities for April. Be sure to watch my Instagram account this week as I will be on location with some folk in town filming in and around the 405 diningscape.

If you’ve found a place you think I need to try, leave me a note in the comments. I’ve already got one in from of me for a place called Tasteez.

Here’s hoping patios are prominent in the photos for the April review.