At Nonesuch in Oklahoma City, chefs Colin Stringer, Jeremy Wolfe and Paul Wang place 10 courses in front of guests themselves, answering questions on the spot. Many of the dishes include ingredients farmed exclusively by the trio, taking it a notch above the usual farm-to-table factor. Courses range from liver, heart and yogurt tarts to candy bar desserts made of mushrooms. Nonesuch is experimental, seats a mere 22 and, sadly for many of us, very far away.
It’s also home to Beavers Bend State Park—cue pine forest trails, black bears and bald eagles—and Broken Bow Lake, where you can relax on beaches, go boating, swim to an island, fish for largemouth bass and find rocks rather than mud on its bottom. “When we go out with friends, we usually rent a cabin,” Stringer says. “There are these gorgeous cabins with huge windows. But you can get a backwoods camping permit and camp, as well.”
Assuming your itinerary starts in Oklahoma City, Stringer recommends you start at Native Roots, a grocery store that has a ton of local goodies. “There are a lot of places we love for fresh produce, like the OSU-OKC Farmer’s Market [open from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays],” he explains, “but Native Roots is more for provisions. They have such great little snacks and products from local vendors.” If you do manage to hit a farmers’ market, Stringer says to keep an eye out for Oklahoma peaches and watermelon, “which are great.” If you need coffee before hitting the road, try Leaf + Bean. “My friend Paul roasts really good coffee in small batches.”
If four hours in the car feels daunting, Stringer also recommends a closer option for getting out into the great outdoors. The Wichita Mountains are just short of two hours from Oklahoma City and home to bison, elk, prairie dogs and great camping and hiking options. “If you head out that way,” says Stringer. “There’s a great 100-year-old burger joint you need to go to called Meers [named after the gold rush town in which it sits]. Super lean burgers from all their own cows. It’s incredible.”
