Brunch, Happy Hour and A Date: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
I don't proclaim these three places to be the best in OKC, but they're pretty awesome to me.
Brunch, Happy Hour and A Date is a recurring series where I journal the locales I visit in a particular city. I chose the three functions because they are a particular type of experience that you can likely relate to, and they can help you plan accordingly should you ever visit.
This time, my travels took me to Oklahoma as it was time to return to my alma mater — Langston University — for homecoming. Langston is about 40 minutes away from Oklahoma City, a place where I resided for 18 months after college. So, when we weren’t on the yard partaking in homecoming festivities, we were in The City, mixing it up with the homies while eating and drinking to our personal delight.
Here are a few places I’d encourage you to go, and if you have some places you vouch for in Oklahoma City — PLEASE — drop them in the comments. Thank you.
Brunch: Scrambl'd, Northeast OKC
When we got into Oklahoma City on Thursday night, my friend Craig told me he wanted to try out this new brunch spot called Scrambl’d. “I heard it’s supposed to be the hot new brunch spot in The City,” Craig said. “We should go.” I replied in the affirmative, if for no other reason than it was one less decision I’d have to make on this event-filled weekend.
I’m so glad Craig made that decision for us.
A gentleman named “Unc” helped us during our time there, and he couldn’t stop recommending delicious AF items. The waffle. The greens. The mac-n-cheese. The lamb chops. Of course, we ordered all of his recommendations, and all the serving sizes were preposterous. Even me, a husky man like me, couldn’t finish my plate. Highly recommend.
As for what you should order:
To drink: Espresso Martini (a top-three brunch cocktail drink, way better choice than a mimosa) and/or the Strawberry Lemon Drop. I had two vanilla lattes while there, and they were divine.
To eat: Oaty’s Lamb Chops. The delivery on these are exceptional, as you have four lamb chops hanging on a road, still dripping with juices from being on a broiler (I presume). Simply divine.
To eat: Peach Cobbler Biscuit. This is a reminder that much of a brunch menu is simply dessert, including this delicious biscuit. You’re welcome.
Happy Hour: Burn by Rocky Patel, Edmond
To me, a good happy hour needs good drinks, good vibes and good energy. At this point in my life, what I don’t need in a happy hour are overly crowded and stuffy places. Also, I want something that feels elevated, even if I’m in a hoodie, shorts and Jordans. Can I sit down, chat with the boys and have a good experience? Burn checked all three boxes.
As for what you should order:
To eat: BYOF. No food is served here, but you can bring it in from the outside — as seen by the empty pizza box at the bottom of the photo.
To drink: Double Oaked Old Fashioned. They used Woodford Reserve Double Oak for the whiskey, along with a sweeter syrup that probably uses demerara sugar. Twas a good choice by me.
To smoke: Rocky Patel White Label Churchill. I like the Churchill cigar because it has a long burn and feels good in your hand. It feels substantial. The white label series is decently mild with oaky vanilla notes, which is great for enjoying whiskey neat or a cocktail and not having it drowned out by a robust cigar.
A Date: Hank’s, Northeast OKC
I owed my friend Jovan a favor for something he helped me with a while back, and I needed to pay him back. “Grab me a meal and we’re good,” he said. “Meet me at Hank’s.”
Now, I haven’t lived in OKC for 17 years, but apparently, Hank’s is a local institution that’s been doing work for a long time. What started out as a food truck serving stuffed turkey legs now is a restaurant with an expanded menu along with a full-service bar on 63rd. Now, I wouldn’t recommend this as a “romantic” date spot. This is more of a “let’s go smash some outrageous food together and rub our bellies from being full afterward” date. Like, “y’all might have a future together” type spot.
As for what you should order:
To drink: Rusty Nail. An underrated drink, and they had it on their happy hour menu that day. I had two.
To eat: Church on Sunday. Look at that picture up above. That’s a brontosaurus-sized turkey leg stuffed with collard greens and mac-and-cheese. OKC must be trying to be the world leader in serving size because this was massive — and delicious. I’d consider splitting this.
To eat: Brisket Tacos and Brisket Nachos. Jovan ordered these and they were super good. They have a smoker on site rolling 24 hours a day, as the brisket and turkey were tender, smoky and flavorful.