Tallgrass Prarie Table Review - The Best Meal I've Ever Had by Far
I recently decided to start a food review blog and, based on all of the high praise, I thought that Tallgrass Prairie Table would be the perfect restaurant to begin with. I first learned about the Farm-To-Table movement when I was in Michigan. I've heard a lot of great things about Hope Egan's Farm-To-Table restaurant and I wanted to see if it lived up to the hype. So, I brought my friend to the restaurant. Do you know that meal that you eat and it just makes you so happy that you can't help but smile and giggle? That's the
experience that we received at Tallgrass Prairie. It really lives up to
its hype and then some.
First let me apologize. I thought that I had taken pictures of everything but for some reason my phone was being a pain. So, the photos will be a little scarce. Oops.
Update- Hope Egan is no longer the head chef of this resaurant. Stephen Lindstrom has taken her place. I haven't tried the food since the change, so, this may not be a fair and accurate representation of the current food.
Conclusion
Overall, I would gladly eat here again; this was the best meal I've had in my entire life hands down. I came in with high expectations and I was still blown away by the food here. The flaws were minor and the food was so good that I wouldn't remember the issues if I hadn't written them down right after. Be sure to get a reservation if you want to eat here; I made a reservation the moment that they opened on Saturday and they only had an 8:00 pm spot open.
Parking- street parking or paid parking across the street. I've never seen them ticket on the weekends but I could just be lucky.
Food allergies- I have a shellfish allergy and this place cooks a lot of it and I did not have an issue at all.
Gluten free- I would call ahead. They probably have some dishes without gluten but they didn't mark their menu.
Now, the details.
Food
Lets start with the most important part of a meal, the food.
Appetizer
We started with the curried butternut squash tamale. My only big issue with this dish is that there wasn't more. I could have eaten 15 of these puppies happily. The tamale itself had a perfect texture, butternut squash was well seasoned,the mole a sauce which was acidic and rich. There was also a green tomato salsa and I honestly did not like it on its own but it gave a perfect acidic freshness to the dish. The tamale also came with a perfectly fried egg. I honestly thought that this would be my favorite part of the dish but I could hardly tell it was there. Let's just say that my boyfriend and I wished that we had a spoon with the dish because we definitely spent a good 10 minutes getting the sauce up with our forks. I was truly tempted to lick the plate.
For the entrees, I ordered the grilled house grind B&P meatloaf which is a mixture of half beef and half chorizo with a smoked poblano gravy and a sweet yet hot tomato jam with pole beans and cheddar grits underneath. My boyfriend ordered the spicy fried hot chicken which had a curry gravy, a lime-leaf slaw and roasted fingerling potatoes. He was glad he made that decision. Both dishes were absolutely memorable for completely different reasons. They both were really
good portion sizes and we both have a really phenomenal breakfast to look forward to.
Meatloaf
The meatloaf was a little spicy (in a good way) because of the chorizo, smoky because it was grilled and because of the smoked poblano sauce, a little sweet because of the tomato jam on top. I honestly thought that the tomato jam was a little too sweet but it was overall really well balanced. The poblano sauce complimented the tomato jam which all complimented the meatloaf. The meatloaf sat on top of good, creamy, cheesy grits that were delicious although they did come out a little on the cold side. The pole beans were simple but delicious and really complimented the meal; it added a bit of freshness and texture that the dish needed. I know that I will want the meatloaf every time because it is that good.
Chicken
The chicken was a slow burn kind of spicy. The curry itself was an incredibly well executed coconut style curry. It is the best curry I have ever had (and I've eaten a lot of curries); I seriously could drink that sauce instead of water. It requires a lot of mastery to do southern comfort food and yet be able to put such a delicious curry on a plate. The chicken was delicious and moist. The lime slaw was the perfect compliment to the meal; it was very light, refreshing and a well needed break from the spice. The potatoes were tasty but squishy, so, if you're expecting crispy potatoes you'll be disappointed. I personally thought they were great. I definitely understand why this dish is talked about so much.
Dessert
At Tallgrass Prairie, they change the dessert menu daily. For dessert, our waitress told us that the brown butter cake was the way to go. I couldn't turn down such an adamant advertisement. It had a short bread crust, a gooey brown butter cake, a raspberry sauce or jam on the side and an amazing vanilla cream on top. The cake itself was decadent, (almost) custard-like and the saltiness of the shortbread really helped cut through the richness of the cake. The fruit sauce was really lost under the flavors of the cake itself. If it would have been more acidic, it would have helped balance the cake's sweetness. Then there was that special cream on top of the cake. It was light, sweet with a good hint of vanilla. It reminded my date of a refined marshmallow (in a good way). I would have been happy with a dollop of that cream as a dessert. My one issue really was that there were flowers on the plate. They were definitely pretty but, because the restaurant is a little dark, I accidentally got a petal on a bite of cake and it was not pleasant. Overall, the cake was a delicious dessert.
Drinks
So, I don't remember the drink that I ordered and when I tried to look it up online, the drink menu was not updated. So, it was a gin-based drink with lemony notes and egg whites. It was refreshing and the egg white added a bit of creamyness. I first I thought it was a little too strong because I'm a super lightweight but my boyfriend confirmed that it was pretty strong tasting. It came with some ice and it became too watery by the end of the meal. Would I pay $12 for this drink again? Honestly, no. It wasn't bad but it was not good enough in my personal opinion.
My date had two beers: the Coop F5 IPA (his absolute favorite beer) and a Black Mesa ESB. The Coop F5 is a very bitter, citrus- flavored IPA. I personally hate this beer; it is too bitter for me but, if you like a good IPA, Luke says that this one is great. The Black Mesa was also on the bitter side. Luke really enjoyed this beer and I actually did as well. It had a mouth coating bitterness but not so much that it punched me in the face (like the Coop F5). It also had a fruitiness that I enjoyed. I also love that Tallgrass has local beers. Oklahoma has some great breweries and I'm glad that they are getting highlighted.
Service
Our waitress was very friendly and helpful. She was there when we needed her but wasn't overbearing. She managed the perfect balance.
Decor
The decor was beautiful. My date personally did not enjoy the chandeliers; he thought they were out of place and a little tacky. I thought it was romantic. He thought everything else was awesome. I loved the chic yet country style. It made me feel at home. One of my favorite parts of the decor was the bar; it was luxurious yet laid back. However, my date and my absolute favorite part of the decor was the open kitchen. When you walk in, there is a window that looks into the kitchen that lets off the most mouth watering aromas. I really like this because you definitely know that they take pride in their kitchen; the kitchen is clean and you know that that they use safe food handling practices if they're willing to show their kitchen off.
Another nice feature of the restaurant is that I could that you could dress both nicely and casual and still feel comfortable. I could definitely wear nice jeans with a cute outfit and feel fine and I can also wear a nice dress and fit in as well.
First let me apologize. I thought that I had taken pictures of everything but for some reason my phone was being a pain. So, the photos will be a little scarce. Oops.
Update- Hope Egan is no longer the head chef of this resaurant. Stephen Lindstrom has taken her place. I haven't tried the food since the change, so, this may not be a fair and accurate representation of the current food.
Conclusion
Overall, I would gladly eat here again; this was the best meal I've had in my entire life hands down. I came in with high expectations and I was still blown away by the food here. The flaws were minor and the food was so good that I wouldn't remember the issues if I hadn't written them down right after. Be sure to get a reservation if you want to eat here; I made a reservation the moment that they opened on Saturday and they only had an 8:00 pm spot open.
Parking- street parking or paid parking across the street. I've never seen them ticket on the weekends but I could just be lucky.
Food allergies- I have a shellfish allergy and this place cooks a lot of it and I did not have an issue at all.
Gluten free- I would call ahead. They probably have some dishes without gluten but they didn't mark their menu.
Now, the details.
Food
Lets start with the most important part of a meal, the food.
Appetizer
We started with the curried butternut squash tamale. My only big issue with this dish is that there wasn't more. I could have eaten 15 of these puppies happily. The tamale itself had a perfect texture, butternut squash was well seasoned,the mole a sauce which was acidic and rich. There was also a green tomato salsa and I honestly did not like it on its own but it gave a perfect acidic freshness to the dish. The tamale also came with a perfectly fried egg. I honestly thought that this would be my favorite part of the dish but I could hardly tell it was there. Let's just say that my boyfriend and I wished that we had a spoon with the dish because we definitely spent a good 10 minutes getting the sauce up with our forks. I was truly tempted to lick the plate.
 |
| The Amazing Meatloaf |
Meatloaf
The meatloaf was a little spicy (in a good way) because of the chorizo, smoky because it was grilled and because of the smoked poblano sauce, a little sweet because of the tomato jam on top. I honestly thought that the tomato jam was a little too sweet but it was overall really well balanced. The poblano sauce complimented the tomato jam which all complimented the meatloaf. The meatloaf sat on top of good, creamy, cheesy grits that were delicious although they did come out a little on the cold side. The pole beans were simple but delicious and really complimented the meal; it added a bit of freshness and texture that the dish needed. I know that I will want the meatloaf every time because it is that good.
Chicken
The chicken was a slow burn kind of spicy. The curry itself was an incredibly well executed coconut style curry. It is the best curry I have ever had (and I've eaten a lot of curries); I seriously could drink that sauce instead of water. It requires a lot of mastery to do southern comfort food and yet be able to put such a delicious curry on a plate. The chicken was delicious and moist. The lime slaw was the perfect compliment to the meal; it was very light, refreshing and a well needed break from the spice. The potatoes were tasty but squishy, so, if you're expecting crispy potatoes you'll be disappointed. I personally thought they were great. I definitely understand why this dish is talked about so much.
Dessert
At Tallgrass Prairie, they change the dessert menu daily. For dessert, our waitress told us that the brown butter cake was the way to go. I couldn't turn down such an adamant advertisement. It had a short bread crust, a gooey brown butter cake, a raspberry sauce or jam on the side and an amazing vanilla cream on top. The cake itself was decadent, (almost) custard-like and the saltiness of the shortbread really helped cut through the richness of the cake. The fruit sauce was really lost under the flavors of the cake itself. If it would have been more acidic, it would have helped balance the cake's sweetness. Then there was that special cream on top of the cake. It was light, sweet with a good hint of vanilla. It reminded my date of a refined marshmallow (in a good way). I would have been happy with a dollop of that cream as a dessert. My one issue really was that there were flowers on the plate. They were definitely pretty but, because the restaurant is a little dark, I accidentally got a petal on a bite of cake and it was not pleasant. Overall, the cake was a delicious dessert.
Drinks
So, I don't remember the drink that I ordered and when I tried to look it up online, the drink menu was not updated. So, it was a gin-based drink with lemony notes and egg whites. It was refreshing and the egg white added a bit of creamyness. I first I thought it was a little too strong because I'm a super lightweight but my boyfriend confirmed that it was pretty strong tasting. It came with some ice and it became too watery by the end of the meal. Would I pay $12 for this drink again? Honestly, no. It wasn't bad but it was not good enough in my personal opinion.
My date had two beers: the Coop F5 IPA (his absolute favorite beer) and a Black Mesa ESB. The Coop F5 is a very bitter, citrus- flavored IPA. I personally hate this beer; it is too bitter for me but, if you like a good IPA, Luke says that this one is great. The Black Mesa was also on the bitter side. Luke really enjoyed this beer and I actually did as well. It had a mouth coating bitterness but not so much that it punched me in the face (like the Coop F5). It also had a fruitiness that I enjoyed. I also love that Tallgrass has local beers. Oklahoma has some great breweries and I'm glad that they are getting highlighted.
Service
Our waitress was very friendly and helpful. She was there when we needed her but wasn't overbearing. She managed the perfect balance.
Decor
 |
| The Beautiful Bar |
The decor was beautiful. My date personally did not enjoy the chandeliers; he thought they were out of place and a little tacky. I thought it was romantic. He thought everything else was awesome. I loved the chic yet country style. It made me feel at home. One of my favorite parts of the decor was the bar; it was luxurious yet laid back. However, my date and my absolute favorite part of the decor was the open kitchen. When you walk in, there is a window that looks into the kitchen that lets off the most mouth watering aromas. I really like this because you definitely know that they take pride in their kitchen; the kitchen is clean and you know that that they use safe food handling practices if they're willing to show their kitchen off.
Another nice feature of the restaurant is that I could that you could dress both nicely and casual and still feel comfortable. I could definitely wear nice jeans with a cute outfit and feel fine and I can also wear a nice dress and fit in as well.
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