Republic Next Step Toward Culinary Prominence
There’s a movement under way in the Oklahoma City dining scene that could ultimately culminate in this sleepy prairie town into becoming a tourist destination. I know, I know. It’s not going to happen tomorrow. But the opening of the Chesapeake-backed, Good Egg Dining operated Republic Gastropub is the latest major addition to the golden-bricked path to those halcyon days of wine and tourism that date all the way back to MAPS I.
Republic's scotch egg includes a hard-boiled egg, linguica sausage and a chicken-fry batter. Photo by David McDaniel
Republic gives Oklahoma City’s sub-fine dining restaurants a new benchmark. Sure, sure, it’s a bar first. Maybe so, but because the partnership of Good Egg and Chesapeake promised nothing more than to make the ordinary pub experience extraordinary and delivered on it, this new concept is nothing less than perfect execution. Sure, Republic might be fast casual menu in dressed as fine dining, but in my opinion that’s just what we needed. And now we need more concepts that aim high and hit the bull’s-eye when they do so.
Aubrey McClendon’s millions built Rand Elliott’s vision and The Good Egg group has once again delivered on a promise to elevate the experience but keep it approachable. That’s what makes it so important. Had Aubrey McClendon opted to back another fine dining restaurant, it doubtlessly would’ve been first-class and rival the city’s finest restaurants.
Republic Gastropub boasts 100 taps of beer. Photo by David McDaniel
But Republic now stands at the top of a much more important level of restaurant to the growth of the local dining scene and ultimately the culture of Oklahoma — the approachable ones. The cool spots can’t be reserved for tourist money only. Every great food city has a strong base of spots where the locals go. Any real foodie will seek these spots out when visiting abroad.
As I previously wrote in my post about Saturn Grill and Cafe 7, the fast casual dining establishment is where that foundation must be laid.
Republic is certainly another important, if not the most important, brick to drop on that path. This is big-city feel.
We have an NBA franchise, an established downtown destination in Bricktown, the recent growth of Bricktown and the hope on the horizon that is the Plaza District, the Classen Curve development fills in the void on the Western Corridor and adds a layer of modern sophistication that’s necessary for this place to go from town to city in the eyes of the potential tourist.
Enoki mushrooms wrapped in carpaccio and served on crostini with a salty vinaigrette from Republic. Photo by David McDaniel
We need more of what Republic is serving, which is spot-on pub food with an artful nod to local sensibilities without losing focus on its mission statement: give glory to beer. I can’t imagine what the place is going to be like when the Thunder begins its playoff run. It’s not the concept itself the city needs more of, it’s the execution. Well done to Keith and Heather Paul, Good Egg executive chef Robert Black, general manager Kurt Shewmaker and Republic chefs Chris McCabe and Luke Fry.
But an even bigger shout goes to the man himself, Aubrey McClendon, who is doing his best to provide cultural stewardship for his hometown. He’ll next add Hal Smith’s Upper Crust, followed closely by another 501 Cafe from Pete Holloway to the Classen Curve development.
Oh, please can 501 Cafe be across the parking lot from 105degrees?
Yes, he’s a rich man, but he’s not forced to re-invest into the community. And he’s certainly not forced to open new restaurants. He could easily play it safe and spend the rest of his leisure time between The Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club, the Petroleum Club while supping at The Couch House, The Metro, Deep Fork, Michael’s Grill, The Ranch Steak House and Mahogany.
Instead, he’s planting the seeds for the future. I’m just glad the man loves food and drink. Thanks for the cool pub, dude.
Have you been to Republic? Let me know what you thought.
March Tacos inspired by early Spring
Bluebonnets in bloom in mid-March was a good sign for local crops in the Texas Hill Country.
So I, as is often the case, was in the Texas Hill Country when the first day of spring. This year, the bluebonnets were just starting to bloom, meaning the local vegetable crops were coming in early.
The past two years Marches have been less kind to local vegetation down there thanks to prolonged drought. But two Marches ago, five daze beyond the Ides love was in bloom as Lori and I wed on hilltop courthouse by a judge who bore an eery resemblance to Col. Sanders.
So with the luck of an early crop spinach and the memory of my Lori’s love for mushrooms, I came up with the following recipe.
I don’t usually favor flour tortillas over corn, but Lori insisted they’d be better and since she’s the inspiration for the recipe (and she does all the laundry) I chose to go with her suggestion, which was the correct one. I will say, don’t steam the tortillas. Take the extra minute or two to heat them on a very hot griddle or cast iron skillet so they will be a little crisper. This filling would also translate beautifully into a quesadilla, adding a nice mix of sharp white vermont cheddar and Monterrey Jack cheese.
I bought the spinach at a Central Market in Austin, but Central Market bought the spinach from a farm in Oak Hill, which is less than 10 miles from the store. Here’s hoping that when Whole Foods finally arrives to Oklahoma City (the Chesapeake Campus to be exact), hopefully before the end of 2011, they too will provide the needed cashflow to allow our local producers to feed us more thoroughly.
Bacon-Infused Spinach Tacos with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 10 ounces fresh spinach
- 4 thick slices of bacon
- 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 red onion, in small slices
- 1 jalapeno or large serrano chile in small slices
- 1-2 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup quartered grape tomatoes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chile powder
- 1/2 cup fine-grated cotija cheese
Directions
- In a medium-heated skillet, fry bacon.
- When ample fat has been rendered, move bacon to papertowels to dry and cool.
- Heat small cast iron skillet until almost smoking.
- Add pumpkin seeds and shake 10 to 15 seconds.
- When seeds start to release oils, remove from heat and add chile powder, mixing well.
- Cover with another skillet, and let toast four minutes.
- Chop bacon into small pieces and to pumpkin seed mixture, mixing thoroughly, and set aside.
- Reheat bacon fat to medium high.
- Saute mushrooms until well coated and begin to release their liquid.
- Add onions and saute 1 minute, add garlic and saute another 45 seconds to a minute, mixing well.
- Add spinach, shake or stir until it begins to wilt.
- Stir in chiles until well coated.
- Add bacon-pumpkin seed mix and cook about one more minute.
- Add a splash of rice vinegar and stir.
- Add tomatoes, remove from heat and give the filling one last thorough toss.
- Serve in flour tortillas heated on a very hot griddle or cast iron skillet and grated cotija chese. Yucateco Habanero sauce works well with these.
Butter-Wilted Spinach and Mushroom Tacos
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh spinach
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 red onion in small slices
- 1 jalapeno or 2 serrano chiles in small s
- lices
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- 1/4 cup quartered grape tomatoes
- 1/2 cup fine-grated cotija cheese
Directions
- Heat small cast iron skillet until almost smoking.
- Add pumpkin seeds and shake 10 to 15 seconds.
- When seeds start to release oils, remove from heat and add chile powder, mixing well.
- Cover with another skillet, and let toast four minutes.
- In a medium-heated skillet, melt butter.
- Saute mushrooms until well coated and begin to release their liquid.
- Add onions and saute 1 minute, add garlic and saute another 45 seconds to a minute, mixing well.
- Add spinach, shake or stir until it begins to wilt.
- Stir in chiles until well coated.
- Add pumpkin seeds and cook about one more minute.
- Add a splash of rice vinegar and stir.
- Add tomatoes, remove from heat and give the filling one last thorough toss.
- Serve in flour tortillas heated on a very hot griddle or cast iron skillet.
- Sprinkle with cotija cheese. Yucateco Habenero sauce works well with these.
Source: Dave Cathey
Saturn Grill Serving Just What The City Needs
When Joseph Royer studied under chef Kurt Fleischfresser, he was in a culinary atmosphere that’s rare in this state. Chef Kurt emphasizes tradition, attention to detail, technique, creativity and ultimately perfection. His standards for what’s correct border are the food version of an angry nun teaching class with a long ruler. If you don’t believe me, have lunch with the Big Kahuna some time. He appreciates all kinds of food, but don’t ask him what he thinks unless you’re prepared to have something you thought was good picked apart down to the number of grains of salt. But that’s what makes him the best.
And that’s why a talent like Royer was a perfect fit for BK’s apprenticeship program. That’s what also makes him a candidate to fulfill the goals that Fleischfresser and other localcentric chefs are aiming to do: create an Oklahoma cuisine. In order for that to happen, the middle class of restaurants must improve.
I write a lot about my hometown, Austin, Texas, and the thrills of the dining scene there. What separates Austin from other cities is not it’s fine dining. The fine dining in the Texas state Capital is no greater than here in Oklahoma’s. What Austin has that gives it a culinary identity is the mid-range dining options. If you are looking for Tex-Mex there, it will be served to high standard. If you go to an all-night diner like Magnolia or Kerbey Lane Cafe you will find hand cut home fries, hand-formed burgers and eclectic plays on huevos rancheros, green chile burritos and a plethora of fresh vegetable options. And the spots you’ll find them in are not chains, but locally owned concepts with artsy settings and spirits of local celebration.
Royer’s Saturn Grill is the embodiment of eclectic. From its far-out decor to its clever plays on common dishes. The flatbread is a wonder as is most everything they lay upon it. Bathe me in curry-lime mayo, really. It’s that good. The daily specials are inspired by seasons and available fresh ingredients. Not only is eating seasonally fun, but it’s kind to the growing patterns of our planet. Fresh produce is delicious produce.
Royer could open an upscale restaurant next month and it would compete with the city’s finest. He’s that talented. But the truth is, upscale dining isn’t where this city and this state need the help. We have plenty of venerable cafes like Eischen’s, Folger’s and the onion-burgerdom of El Reno. And, as previously stated, the top end is covered.
Thanks to Royer for seeing that void and dedicating to it. With the recent addition of Cafe 7 and places like Iguana Mexican Grill, Cafe Antigua, Flatire Burgers in Edmond, Sean Cummings Irish Pub, Pepe Delgados in Norman, The Wedge Pizzerias, Cafe 501 in Edmond and soon in Oklahoma City, El Pollon, Irma’s, and Sage Cafe in Deep Deuce the foundation is under construction.
Now, we as diners must celebrate them with out devotion. Join me now, as we stand and go get something to eat.
Do you know of a great local mid-range restaurant? Let me know.
Healthy Corner Stores bill at Senate steps
If you’re interested in supporting healthy eating and local food producers, it might be time to contact a senator. A bill by a Tulsa legislator designed to make it easier for those interested in opening healthy corner grocery stores to get loans recently passed through the state House of Representatives.
House Bill 3015, by Rep. Seneca Scott, D-Tulsa, would make healthy corner stores, which are certified by the state Department of Agriculture as those that sell fresh fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious foods, able to receive agricultural linked deposit loans of up to $350,000.
Als0 known as the Oklahoma Agricultural Linked Deposit Act, the bill aims to promote the growth of such health-conscious stores in underserved areas of the state.
No more than 10 percent of a store’s gross sales can come from the sale of beer and tobacco. Most of the items on its shelves must be market-fresh fruits, vegetables and meat that is certified as such by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. The stores also gives local producers a much-needed expansion of places to peddle their products.
Now that the bill has made it through the House, the next step is to get an audience with the Oklahoma Senate Finance Committee. If you think this bill is worthy, contact co-Chairs Sen. Gary Stanislawski and Sen. Mike Mazzei, and ask them to hear HB3015.
Cochon 555 Coming to Oklahoma
STILLWATER — The Oklahoma State University School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration will host Cochon 555 at 4:30 p.m. April 3 in the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center.
The competition, featuring five chefs, five pigs and five winemakers, will be preceded by a dinner April 2 and a farm-to-table forum at 11 a.m. April 3. Competition chefs will include Chris Shepherd of Catalan in Houston, Curt Herrmann of White Owl in Tulsa, Kurt Fleischfresser of The Coach House, and Matthew Harris of J&G Grill in Park City, Utah. Resident butcher is Ryan Farr of 4505 Meats. Providing wine are Domaine Serene, Revana Family Vineyard, Raptor Ridge, Miner Family Vineyards and K Vintners.
The forum will feature vintners, farmers, professors and chefs as they discuss the dynamic of the farm-to-table relationship. The free event will be in Room 202 of the College of Human and Environmental Sciences building. Five chefs will prepare five pigs. A post-competition celebration will be at 10 p.m., including Oklahoma crafted brews and local musical entertainment. Guests and professional judges will determine a winner based on utilization, presentation and overall best flavor. The winner will have the opportunity to compete in the Grand Cochon from June 18-20 during the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colo.
On April 2, The Ranchers Club, in the Student Union, will hold a nine-course meal at 7 p.m., featuring local Berkshire and Mangalitsa breeds under the direction of chef de cuisine Marc Dunham and sous chef Chris Becker.
This is an excellent chance to show off Oklahoma talent, lay the foundation for Oklahoma as a food and wine destination while eating, drinking and making merry.
I’ll be there, and hope to see you there, too.
For reservations, call (405) 744-2333. For tickets, go here.
Cafe 7: Lucky For Us
When it comes to dining out in the far north portion of the city, quantity is kicking the hell out of quality. But thanks to a handful of local operators, standing up to the chains, scale is starting to tip back toward quality.
Before I continue, let’s be clear: I understand the worth and value of chain restaurants. They are good for the local economy, producing valuable tax dollars and offer jobs to locals that not only help folks pay their mortgage or rent but also impart education for future endeavors.
But that doesn’t mean I like to eat at chains myself. No, it’s not that I’ve never been to one, it’s that I choose to eat local 99-percent of the time when I eat out.
Chains have dominated the Memorial Road corridor for the last two decades. But in the last 18 months, Nunu’s Mediterranean Cafe, Yakimono, Avanti, Thai Stop, Cafe 7 and now Saturn Grill have opened and offer alternatives to Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Chili’s and friends.
I recently had a chance to make a couple of visits to Cafe 7, which started badly but ended great.
The bad start had nothing to do with the food. It had to do with the concept. Cafe 7, 14101 N May, offers salads, pasta, pizza and sandwiches all under $ 7 and ready in less than 7 minutes. The menu has seven choices in each category, including “build your own.”
Color-coordinated order forms are on a table as you enter. The diner is intended to fill the forms out and hand them in at the register. I was unaware and didn’t notice the instructions. It wasn’t because the instructions were hard to see, it was because of competing diners. The set up unintentionally puts patrons in competition to fill out their form as fast as possible and get it in. As a first-time diner, people were buzzing past me like I was a grandmother cruising the I-40 Crosstown. I finally approached the register and was asked to please go back and fill out the form. Thanks to the frustration of those pressing by me and my family, I almost walked out.
Thank God I didn’t. Cafe 7 is a real find. The ingredients are fresh and expertly prepared. I tried a chicken sandwich the first time and a pizza the second. I loved both equally. My children, aged 10 and 12, are enormous fans. My extremely picky 10-year-old daughter can get her pepperoni pizza the way she likes it. My slightly more adventurous son, can try something new each time. My vegetarian wife doesn’t have to pore over the menu or feel awkward about asking for something without meat. I get peace and quiet and excellent food.
And then there’s the fact that the price is right and the service, once you get to it, is efficient.
Cafe 7 combines the traditional delicatessen with what the owners call a “pasteria” experience. Owners Paul Sorrentino and J. Mays were once student and professor at Oklahoma State University’s Hotel and Restaurant Administration school, where they forged a friendship that developed into a partnership.
While I’m not sure what there plan is for the concept as costs will undoubtedly force them some day to become Cafe 7.99, I’m glad it’s around today.
Cafe 7 also offers prepared meals for takeout, including meat loaf, chicken parmesan and lasagna. Cafe 7 opened Nov. 11. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Have you been to Cafe 7? Let me know what you thought.
Happy St. Paddy’s Day
Faith and begorrah, it’s time to dust off the House of Pain CD once again. I’ll be getting up to get down in the Texas Hill Country this year, hopefully I’ll make it by the Emerald Restaurant in Bee Cave, Texas, since I can’t be at Sean Cummings Pub today.
While plenty of establishments will offer plenty of Irish-aimed cheer, I can’t imagine celebrating St. Paddy’s Day anywhere other than Sean Cummings Pub. No green beer, and traditional Celtic music playing all day long. What could be more Irish than that. And since I have substantial Irish heritage, it would be a sin to celebrate any other way.
The pub recently moved, and the wake that rang in that occasion was a fantastic time. Co-worker Dave Morris caught some phenomenal video of the event. Check it out here. If tonight’s festivities are a fifth of that chilly January afternoon, it will be a truly memorable occasion.
I hate to miss it, but if you make it out please drop a comment to let me know how it was.
Want to be a Corn Star?
Great corned beef and cabbage with Irish potatoes starts with corning your own beef.
If you really want to improve your luck with future corned beef preparations, consider corning your own beef. I know it sounds a little profane, but it’s really just another way of saying brining, or even marinating.
Start with a simple pickling brine then cure the beef in it for a couple weeks, 10 days at the very least. Not difficult, but certainly takes some advance planning. You’ll also want to flip the meat daily, which means you’ll need to commit two weeks to the operation.
If you have a vaccuum sealer, you can brine the beef in about half the time. Or you can use the two weeks to develop an even deeper flavor.
When choosing the brisket, consider how you want to serve it. Some people like their corned beef in neat slices; other like it in delicate hunks that easily tear apart with a fork. Either way tastes great, but the point-cuts do take a little longer to cook. That said, they’re a little easier to convert into hash the next morning. Speaking of hash, next week I’ll share a recipe for that leftover classic.
Corned Beef
Ingredients
- 2 quarts water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons saltpeter or 1 cup of celery juice
- 2 cinnamon sticks, halved
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 1-1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
- 10 whole juniper berries
- 6 whole cloves
- 6 whole allspice berries
- 3 dried bay leaves, crumbled
- 2 pounds ice
- 1 dried red chile like cayenne or de arbol
- 1 3 to 5 pound trimmed beef brisket, flat-cut for sliced or point-cut for shredding
Directions
- Heat water in a large stockpot.
- Add salt, sugar, saltpeter, cinnamon sticks, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, juniper berries, bay leaves and chiles.
- Cook over high heat until salt and sugar have dissolved.
- Remove from heat and add the ice.
- Stir until the ice has melted.
- Cool water to 45 degrees, place it in the freezer for a short time if need be.
- Place brisket in a 2-gallon resealable bag and add brine.
- Seal and lay flat inside a container, cover and place in the refrigerator for 14 days.
- Check daily to make sure the beef is completely submerged and stir the brine.
- After 14 days, remove brisket from the brine and rinse well under cool water
What the Food Network Fuss is About
Guy Fieri logo on the wall inside Nic's Grill, 1201 N Pennsylvania, in Oklahoma City. Photo by Paul B. Southerland, The Oklahoman
Six local restaurants hit the jackpot by drawing a visit from Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” last year.
Click on the restaurants below to watch host Guy Fieri visiting Ingrid’s Kitchen, The Diner is Norman, Nic’s Grill, Eischen’s Bar in Okarche, Mama E’s Wings and Waffles and Cattlemen’s Steakhouse.
But this wasn’t the first time Fieri has set foot on the Red Earth. He previously visited Leo’s, The Rock Cafe in Stroud, and Clanton’s in Vinita.
Been to any of these places? Tell me what you thought.
More Memories of The Cellar Restaurant at Hightower
This painting of The Cellar Restaurant was made for a magazine article in the 1960s.
The Cellar Restaurant at Hightower closed five years before I moved to Oklahoma City, but thanks to the memories the historic restaurant left in the hearts of its devoted patrons, I’ve been blessed to view the city’s first fine dining establishment through their eyes.
Magical is the word that keeps popping up when I speak to those that remember the place, even those who spent enough time around it to get sick of it.
Dannie Bea Hightower, widow of restaurant owner Frank Johnson Hightower, told me that she could see things as they were in her mind as if it was yesterday.
“I remember when the Arts Festival was outside the Civic Center and we set up a Parisian-style sidewalk cafe along the perimeter. My father, who owned the Skirvin Hotel, even came over and helped us work.”
She told me the cooking classes and events they hosted were every bit as important to the community as the dining.
“Edith Gaylord never missed a class,” she told.
Johnson Hightower told me the thing he remembered most about his father’s relationship with food had more to do with dinner than dining out.
“I grew up thinking dinnertime was at eight o’clock or later. Dad closed up about 5:30, and he’d come after that and unwind with a cocktail for at least an hour.”
Then, Johnson said, he would prepare dinner pretty much every night. With help of a cook to do all of the prep work, Frank Hightower would make the sauced and the final preparations.
“By the time he was done, it was pretty late,” Johnson said as we spoke in his father’s old office, not far from a James A. Beard doll that looks like the progenitor to the Cabbage Patch Doll.
When chef John Bennett talks about The Cellar, he beams with pride. He still refers to his ex-boss as “Mr. Hightower” when he speaks of him. And anyone who knows John knows that to get him to say anything nice about an old boss is a Herculean feat. So the reverential tone he uses to discuss Frank Johnson Hightower is substantial proof that the man was truly one of a kind.
Has the city seen a more devoted patron of the arts than this man who served on the Mummers Theatre board, the Oklahoma City Symphony board while introducing the city to Baccarat in his retail store and Escargot in his restaurant?
If you’ve got a memory of The Cellar Restaurant or Frank Hightower you’d like to share, leave a comment below.
