Restaurants

Taste of Oklahoma Brunch at the Myriad Gardens

May 23, 2016

There’s nothing quite like eating brunch outside on a warm spring day. Something about the light breeze and sunshine pairs so well with a cold mimosa and fresh fruit. I had the opportunity to enjoy Sunday brunch in possibly the best venue for a spring afternoon in the city – the Myriad Gardens.

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The Myriad Gardens partnered with Urban Agrarian to present a fresh, farm to table brunch serving up some of the freshest ingredients you’ll find in the city in unique, beautiful, and delicious bites. Chef Tim Mort of Urban Agrarian whipped up pastries, biscuits, quiches, skewers of fruits, and more, using meat and produce sourced from this great state.

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We poured ourselves a few strong mimosas and found our seats. I was lucky to find a seat next to another fellow blogger, Linda of Potager Blog. If you have a bit of a green thumb, you’ll love her site. And even if you don’t have one (like me!) you’ll enjoy the stunning photos of her garden!

We dug into the first appetizer of the meal, a deviled egg salad crostini, made with local free range eggs and served atop a crunchy, chewy Prairie Thunder Baking Company baguette.

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The next bite was a pecan-crusted goat cheese and strawberry skewer, with a bit of mustard greens in the middle. The goat cheese came from Oklahoma staple Lovera’s in Krebs, Oklahoma. You can find their cheese at local stores like Whole Foods, and can also pick it up at local farmers markets like the monthly market on Uptown 23rd Street. I’m a total goat cheese fiend, and the sweetness of the strawberry and nuttiness of the pecans paired wonderfully with the tangy goat cheese.

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The last little bite was a lamb bacon wrapped beet. The lamb belly bacon came from Silvertop Lamb and Vineyard near Ponca City, Oklahoma. The beets were sourced from Progressive Organic Farms in Bixby, Oklahoma. I’m generally not a huge fan of beets – in fact, I can’t remember the last time I’ve had them and I’ve never cooked them myself. But wow, this paired so well together that I may be a convert.

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We proceeded to small plates of salad, and my favorite – the bread. As a bona fide carb-aholic, a huge plate of pastries is kind of my calling. Chef Tim’s background in pastry making really shined during this meal. Piles of delicious, moist blueberry muffins were available. I have no shame when I say I was the first one to hop up and get in line.

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My favorite part of the entire brunch were these little cheesy bites of pastry called Gougères. These were accented with aged Oklahoma Toma cheese for a crunchy yet melt in your mouth bite that totally blew my mind. I think I ate six or seven of these guys. But hey, what’s brunch without a few extra carbs?

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And oh, right, the salad. Sorry, I got a bit too excited about the bread. The greens also came from Progressive Organic Farms. They were topped with a sweet and tangy fresh berry dressing (that eventually made its way onto the lap of my white dress.)

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For main dishes, there were several different options to try. Surprisingly for someone with bacon in her name, my favorite was a vegetarian quiche. The crust was light and crunchy, and the eggs were fluffy and seasoned to perfection.

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There were also ham and wilted spinach biscuits. All of Urban Agrarians ham products come from 38 Ranch in Chandler, Oklahoma. Small slices of chilled chicken roulade were also available. They were filled with a super flavorful pesto that’s available to purchase in Urban Agrarian’s storefront by the Oklahoma City Farmers Market. For a sweeter option, warm walnut bread pudding was sliced up and topped with infused honey and fresh berries. This was rich, dense, and just the right amount of sweet – everything bread pudding should be.

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Brunch was finished with a beautiful coffee cream eclair and berry and citrus salad. I’ll be dreaming of the rich filling in this eclair for the next few weeks.

Though “farm to table” has become a bit of a marketing ploy, this meal by Urban Agrarian really backed up that claim. During dessert, Chef Tim did a recap of the menu, talking about where each specific ingredient originated. If you’re into ag and farming, he’s great to talk with about the practices that each of these farms uses, and what makes their ingredients the best.

Though Oklahoma has been known for its farming for quite some time, it’s been just the last few years that the culinary scene here has matured and embraced the variety of ingredients available within just a few hours drive. If you’re feeling like whipping up a farm to table experience in your own kitchen, take a trip to Urban Agrarian soon to pick up the freshest ingredients.

And if you’re interested in someone else doing the cooking for you, the Myriad Gardens has that covered. An exciting summer schedule of events is just kicking off. In July and August there will be two more farm to table dinners, and a new mixology class will be making an appearance as well! Keep an eye on the Myriad Gardens Facebook page for more details on upcoming events.

cheers

Cheers to the start of a wonderful summer in the city!

 

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