Prawns take the top spot for October
Ma Der-Sedalia's collaboration stand tall in delicious month
Attention! You will NOT find a single piece of candy among the Top 10 I ate last month despite the number of Reese’s pumpkins that were slain at my hand.
Predicted I wouldn’t find a better bite than I started the month with at the Ma Der Lao Kitchen-Sedalia’s Oyster and Seafood collaboration, and I was right – but it was close.
However, the monthly dining diary isn’t just about the edible memories a month might make. Take for instance a trip to Design Appetit. Lending a hand to the state’s culinary Big Kahuna, Kurt Fleischfresser, is always an honor, but the bite-swapping that went on behind the scenes was next level. In fact, one of those bites did end up on the Top 10. But watching the best chefs in the city prepare for an event and taking part in the execution was a reminder of not only how much talent our local chefs boast but how hard they work.
If you follow me on social media, you might’ve noticed I was tailgating with some incredibly talented chefs at the last Bedlam football game on Saturday. That was the culmination of a pretty cool 24 hours that started for me at Butcher BBQ Stand in Wellston. That’s where I met up with chefs Kevin Lee, Jeff Chanchaleune and Danny Bowien. Owner and pitmaster Levi Bouska had a spread for the ages ready, but you’ll read more about that between now and the November Dining Report.
Now here’s the best 10 things I ate last month:
1. Spot Prawns, Ma Der Lao Kitchen
The collaboration between two-time James Beard Award nominated chef Jeff Chanchaleune and chef Zack Walters, who’s Sedalia’s Oyster and Seafood is currently on Bon Appetit’s Top 24 New Restaurants in America, was breathtaking. Seaweed-wrapped Uni, pork sandos, and Hokkaido scallops — oh, my! But if I had to pick one dish to have again, it would be the spot prawns. Just perfection.
2. Confit Leeks, The Bradford House
Chef Caleb Stangroom came very close to making me eat my words. He blew the doors off of a dinner he game for a party of seven I joined at The Bradford House a couple of weeks ago, but it wasn’t there I got the bite that nearly toppled spot prawns. The good news is they’re on the new fall menu. During Design Appetit, Stangroom brought a sample for chef Fleischfresser and me to try. Kurt said it was the best bite he had during the entire event, including his acts of culinary genius that night. I concurred then and can’t wait to get back to Bradford House for more — and a better photo.
3. PBLT, The Lobby Bar
Wow, is all I could say at a tasting I attended for The Lobby Bar’s fresh, new menu. Wings, fish dip, beef jerky, pumpkin posole, and much more but chef Jason Jones’s pork belly roulade sandwich is a example of kitchen craft. Jason made a roulade of pork belly and smoked it to fork-tenderness and put it on a brioche bun with some Kewpie mayo. Romaine lettuce and heirloom tomato take the edge any guilt the luscious pork fat renders.
4. Sage the Date Pumpkin Cookie, Six-Thirty Sweets
Nicole Bonavolonta won the inaugural $2K Cookie Contest with a combination of brown butter, pumpkin, dates, sage, and cream cheese chips in a lush cookie dough. ‘Nuff said. Check out Six-Thirty Sweet for availability.
5. Papas Rellenos, Naylamp
My buddy Dusty Rhoades and I had lunch at Naylamp last month, and this trip down memory lane included Papas Rellenas. Instead of stuffing a chile with deliciousness, this is a twice-cooked potato stuffed with Longanaiza sausage. Served with red onions and salsa verde, this dish is highly addictive.
6. House salad dressing, Cattlemen’s Steakhouse
Nic Nicholas of Nic’s Grill fame once told me he could drink a quart of Cattlemen’s House dressing. During a lunch there last month, Hai Luong and I did our best to make Nic’s dream come true. Sure we had it on the salad, a lot of it. But a few lamb fries got dipped in it, as did the onion rings and fries. Oh, and maybe a few bites of the T-Bone we split, too.
7. Lemongrass Pork Bun, Bun Box
I’ve had a mild obsession with Bun Box since Jenny Nguyen café opened it in the Asian District. The bun (pronounced boon) boxes she serves satisfy a niche in my appetite. The boxed vermicelli bowls are flavorful without being fried, and satiating without a high-calorie count. Jenny says her use of fresh herbs and vegetables is the difference. “Most places don’t add enough,” she told me. It also comes in grilled chicken.
8. Masa Vallo Con Huevos, Cheever’s Café
The ongoing breakfast/brunch tour took me to Cheever’s last month. This was my first trip to Cheever’s since before the pandemic, and am happy to report the brunch still slaps thanks to inventive dishes like this shrimp risotto served over masa cakes and under poached eggs. Ancho cream sets the stage for Pico de Gallo to add color and texture while salsa verde brings the heat.
9. Queso Fundido, Tacos X Mezcal (Tulsa)
A trip to Tulsa with chef Josh Valentine included lunch with my old buddy Matt Carney of Root Tulsa. Matt recommended this sophisticated taqueria, which revealed the best Queso Fundido I’ve come across anywhere in Oklahoma. The tacos and cocktails were fantastic, too, but ever since our visit all I wanna do is have some fundido.
10. Dirty Clam Chowda, Rococo
Chef Bruce Rinehart started bringing his East Coast sensibility to the 405 diningscape back in 2000, starting on Penn and 30th Street. At the original location, he started an annual clambake and lobster boil that evolved into an entry in Rococo’s Driftwood Menu one weekend last month. Steamed lobster with all the trimmings was great, but the Dirty Clam Chowda never, ever fails to impress.