New food choices at Red Earth Festival mostly satisfy
A delicious, filling bowl of buffalo corn pone at the Red Earth Festival. (BAM photo)
An expanded menu of American Indian foods are making the 23rd Annual Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival a tastier, more rounded experience.
The festival continues today and Sunday at the Cox Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma City.
Festival organizers worked with Andrew Murin, executive chef of the venue’s Savor Catering by SMG, to create a special Red Earth menu that is being served at 3 Sisters Cafe at the event. The cafe is just outside the Cox Convention Center Arena, and on Friday, the festival’s opening day, people were lining up to taste what Murin and his staff cooked up.
But the line wasn’t nearly as long as it has been in years past. In previous years, limited food choices have been a weakness for Red Earth.
The Cox Convention Center offered the usual fair foods such as corndogs, Philly cheesesteak sandwiches and funnel cakes, and those were still on tap Friday. But in previous years, the only American Indian-related item on the menu was an Indian taco, and the line often dragged on and on to get one. My mom and I didn’t even try to eat at the 2008 Red Earth Festival after waiting more than 45 minutes in 2007 for Indian tacos.
So, I was eager to try the new foods at Red Earth, and we only had to wait a few minutes in line. Unfortunately, the only disappointment to us was the Indian taco.
Good frybread is the key to great Indian tacos, and the frybread on the one I tried at Red Earth was tough and chewy, while the topping was tasty. I’ve had better Indian tacos at the Paseo Arts Festival and Festival of the Arts, and didn’t have to wait more than five minutes for them. In this area, Red Earth still needs work, in my opinion.
Fortunately, the other items on the new Red Earth menu were quite tasty. The posole soup featured a spicy, satisfying broth with plump hominy, big chunks of pork and tangy green chiles.
But my mom and I were most pleased with the buffalo blue corn pone, with the toothsome blue-corn cake, the meaty pieces of ground buffalo, layer of cheese and fresh-tasting salsa.
Other menu items we didn’t try include whole roasted ear of corn and a sweet potato sundae with fried sweet potato strips, caramel and whipped topping.
Prices are set a very affordable $4-7, which helps offset the outrageous $3.50 for bottled water or soda.
The American Indian foods definitely help make Red Earth a more satisfying experience. They are much more fun to nosh while watching the dance competition or before shopping for pottery, paintings and more in the Art Market than the usual hot dogs or burgers.
-BAM
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Osiyo, I took my grandkids to Red Earth this year and they were enthralled. We have Cherokee blood and Choctaw on their other grandfather’s side as well. I was pleased they had so much fun and even more when they both ventured bravely onto the floor for the Intertribals. Being teenagers I found it to be amazing and rewarding. Although we have not been able to establish our Cherokee roots, it is still a part of us and we all love our small connection.
They had their first Indian tacos and and one had the posole and is still talking about it. Kudos to Red Earth and the People. Hoever I do agree the water was really too pricey.