Who took last month's culinary crown?

One meal, 3 chefs, 4 of the top 10 things I ate in April

Can we all agree that was a weird month of April? Maybe it’s the sea of burgers I’ve sailed through, or maybe it was my heater kicking yesterday. Neither me nor my heater live in Montana. Not even Nebraska.

But I digress. It’s time to review the month in dining and set up what looks like a delicious May. The ongoing burger trail seriously narrowed the month’s outbound dining experiences. Alas, this review of April dining will not include any burgers. My re-racked top burger list drops the week of May 21.

Despite the burger goggles, the last meal couple of meals I had in April shook the foundation of the April Dining Review I was considering before the weekend began.

On Friday, chef Jonathan Krell and I met up over at Vine & Board for a glass of wine and a charcuterie board. Vine & Board is owned by Rebecca Daley, who offers some of the finest cheeses and cold cuts in the city. Her space north of the Memorial Road-State Highway 74 intersection offers a private table for big parties and a lovely bar, but it mostly acts as a market and bottle shop with super cool gifts for foodies and winos.

Krell sipped El Pajaro Mencia while I settled into a glass (was it two?) of In Sheep’s Clothing. Afternoon blinked into night while we grazed cold cuts and cheeses that tested the limits of my eye-rolling capacity. Rebecca maintains a ridiculous inventory of premium meats and cheese she can walk or taste you through, which I passionately recommend.

Not only does she have glorious meat and cheese selections, but offers all the fruits, nuts, and crackers needed to carry and balance every bite. And don’t sleep on the Mike’s Hot Honey drizzled over the top.

Krell and I ran into friends of the Feed, Joanna and Jonathan Gold who said they frequent Vine & Board regularly. Had I individually broken down the tray of treats we enjoyed at what Krell called “Pinkitzel for adults” there wouldn’t have been room for much else on the top 10 list. Stop by and see for yourself.

Then on Saturday, chef Gabe Lewis and I were invited to a special collaboration at The Crown Room between proprietor Eric Smith his cousin Avery Cannon and white-hot Ma Der Lao Kitchen owner Jeff Chanchaleune. You’ll find four dishes from that six-course meal represented the list below.

Sunday was not for rest. I returned to chef Beau Stephenson’s new playground 74 and found something that didn’t come from “Snake” the pig and was on the daily menu to love. But that was prelude to supper in the sun-splashed courtyard El Coyote, where a previously untried entrée proved to be a gem. A statistician might point out seven of the top 10 dishes were consumed either on the first day or the last three days of April – and that’s weird.

That feels like plenty of ado, now here’s the best 10 items I ate in the 405 diningscape this April.

1.Hamachi Crudo, The Crown Room

Chef Jeff Chanchaleune finds out in June whether or not he will be named Best Chef Southwest by the James Beard Foundation, and I only wish judges could’ve attended this collaboration. All three chefs created amazing dishes, but the bite I haven’t been able to stop thinking about came from the first course. Chanchaleune’s Hamachi crudo arrived with fried lotus root slices in fish sauce vinegar, coconut milk, basil oil, mint and Thai chili. After the oohs, ahhs and eye-rolling passed, chef Gabe was immediately convinced the sauce could be the foundation for some kind of localized Lao-inspired curry. Chanchaleune described the dish as a “simple combination of “fish sauce vinegar and a little coconut milk and basil oil,” but then proceeded to describe the 24-hour process it took to make the “simple fish sauce vinegar” from scratch. Winner.

2. Charcuterie board at Vine & Board

Chef Jonathan Krell and I grazed through half a dozen meats and cheeses, but I can’t quit thinking about a Blumenkaese Swiss Alpine cheese with floral rind and Smoking Goose Meatery’s Dodge City Salami. The cheese was firm right up until the instant it melted in my mouth, setting off a combination of flavor notes as it passed the middle and back of the palate. As if that wasn’t enough, the salami’s fat is so buttery it’ll make your pelt shiny. Glorious.

3. Sopapilla, El Coyote New Mexican Bar & Cantina

Chef Jonathon Stranger’s homage to New Mexico comes with a two-sided approach to sopapillas. Here in Oklahoma, we’re mostly exposed to the kind rolled in sugar after it’s pulled from the fryer and served for free on request by most family-owned Mexican restaurants. At El Coyote (and La Tertulia in Tulsa) the Sopapillas are best savory. The one I had was stuffed with beans, cheese and carne adovada. One could look at it as a concentrated Indian Taco blanketed by red chile, green chile or both. Divine, more please.

4. Day Boat Scallops, The Crown Room

The second dish from The Crown Room also came from Chanchaleune. Pan-seared scallops served with an uni beurre blanc. I repeat, an uni beurre blanc, which made dreamy the Japanese sweet potato puree riding side-saddle. Roasted asparagus brought color, texture and vegetal balance with a hint of smoke. Luscious

5. Pork Cabbage Rolls, The Crown Room

Chef Avery Cannon brought jazzed-up cabbage rolls to the culinary jam session. Thanks to generations of Lebanese neighbors dating back to pre-statehood, cabbage rolls are comfort food in the 405 diningscape. Cannon’s cut a rug riding on a dancefloor of hoisin demiglace that had a little clove on its breath. Fresh blackberries kissed by seasoned honey crackled with flavor, and landed this dish halfway up the list.

6. Vitello Tonnato, The Crown Room

Eric Smith has built a sturdy clientele at The Crown Room on a whimsical approach to fine dining that includes pairing dishes with the right beverage, scent and sound. His collaboration with Chanchaleune and Cannon was an instant classic, top to bottom, and his Vitello Tonnato served second was top-notch. Milk-poached veal was served with a delicate tuna puree and arugula in raspberry vinaigrette. Pine nuts, capers, and sheep’s milk cheese finished an exemplary plate.

7. Rococo Fried Chicken, Rococo Restaurant and Bar

Chef Bruce Rinehart said he and his kitchen staff have been playing around with a new approach to fried chicken for a while. When they lost chef Lee Bennett to Gaillardia Country Club last year, they lost his monthly fried chicken specials. Rinehart said they wanted to come up with something that’s a nod to Lee’s contributions without trying to replace it. The result is a saucy, spicy fried chicken served as an entrée or on a bun.

8. Huevos Motulenos, Café Kacao

The Motuleno, or Huevos Motulenos, first arrived in the 405 diningscape by way of Café Antigua back in 2004. Since Luidgi Delcid and his wife Anasofia started dating in high school, their families have combined to offer the best breakfast in the city at two place in and around the Asian District. Café Antigua remains my favorite Motuleno in town, but I was very happy to find a seat at the coffee counter at Café Kacao last month. Two eggs over easy on a corn tortilla stack stuffed with black beans, lying beneath a blanket of chirmol and queso fresco crumbles never goes out of style. Mmm.

9. Bottleneck Fries, 74

Beau Stephenson’s new spot in the Wilshire Point development looks poised to become a primary watering hole for the east side of Nichols Hills, and these toasty taters might end up being the reason. Described on the menu as “puffy, crispy potatoes …” these air-fried spuds are sprinkled with Parmesan and chives and arrive with garlic Dijon sauce and ketchup. Nice.

10. Coconut cream pie, Cattlemen’s Steakhouse

You don’t know how long it’s been since you’ve had a really good slice of classic cream pie until you bite into a really good slice of classic cream pie. At Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, the pies are made fresh in-house daily, along with the yeast rolls, and the difference between that and its storebought cousins becomes clear on the first bite. Had the coconut cream in April, and can’t wait for another. Want.

Come what May

You can now watch “Eat, Drink & be Local” episodes on YouTube. Our third episode aired last Saturday, featuring Super Cao Nguyen and Lee’s Sandwiches. Thus far, we’ve also featured Cattlemen’s Steakhouse and Florence’s Restaurant.

We just wrapped up shooting on a burger episode, featuring Spark in Scissortail Park and Nic’s Grill in Ten-Penn. New episodes will air at 4:30 on KSBI then appear on the YouTube page, so be sure to subscribe today.

May is always among the most delicious months of the year. Cinco de Mayo is this weekend, and tacos are in the immediate forecast. As I mentioned before, May is National Burger Month, but what I didn’t mention is it’s also National Barbecue Month. Got some low-and-slow chatter to share later this week, too. So, start sharing those favorite barbecue joints in the comments below …