ROAD TRIP: Raw Vegan in Oklahoma City

In my last post, I talked about some vegan eats in Oklahoma City.  It surprises me that one would be able to even find vegan food in a state like Oklahoma.  I guess that’s a testament to how the vegan movement is spreading.  And to find a complete raw restaurant? RAW?! – vegan food that’s not even cooked!?  Whaa?  Oklahoma City?  To be honest, my mom and I aren’t to enthused about raw food, so we were ok with missing this restaurant.  However, when my very meat-eating cousin said how good Matthew Kenney was, we re-thought about going there.  I mean, if he liked it, it must be good!

We made it a family outing and took my Californian aunt and uncle (their first time at a raw restaurant).  They liked it, too!  We ended up sharing a bunch of dishes.  First up, the Cheese Plate ($12): House Aged Tree Nut Cheeses and Condiments: Smoked Cumin Seed, Truffle Macadamia, Mild Cheddar, Wildflower Honey, Rye Bread, Pickled Fruit.  Of course the honey is technically not vegan, but my mom, aunt, and uncle ate it.  I love raw cheese and this was some of the best raw cheeses I’ve had!  Split between four people, I only got a tiny bit of the cheese, but I could have eaten five plates of this (sans honey, of course).

Matthew Kenney Cheese Plate

Cheese Plate

The Lasagna was next ($13): Heirloom Tomato Lasagna, Pistachio Pesto, Red Pepper Marinara, Pine Nut Ricotta.  I am not a huge fan of zucchini, but the final verdict at the table was that this dish was delicious!

Matthew Kenney Lasagna

Lasagna

I then got my little bite of the Ravioli ($12): Sweet Corn Ravioli, Corn Mint Pesto, Tomato Paper, Herb Oil.  This dish was wonderful and full of their amazing raw nut cheese.

Matthew Kenney Ravioli

Ravioli

Our last entree was the Crusted Portobello ($13): Warm Herb Crusted Portobello, Fresh Corn Polenta, Cherry Tomato Salad.  The table agreed that we all liked this dish, as well.  I was more of a fan of the crusted portobello and less of the polenta.  Something about raw, whole corn kernels sits funny in my belly.

Matthew Kenney Crusted Portobello

Crusted Portobello

Since we really weren’t going to be in Oklahoma City again to eat here, we decided to try a couple of desserts.  The Tiramisu with Cappuccino Ice Cream ($11) was really amazing.  Just look at the presentation! How could you not love it?

Matthew Kenney Tiramisu

Tiramisu

Next was the White Chocolate Cheesecake with Candied Ginger Crumble and Grapefruit Marmalade ($11).  Another amazing dish!  I wanted more.

Matthew Kenney White Chocolate Cheesecake

White Chocolate Cheesecake

I wish we had this place in LA.  True, the prices are large and the portions are small, but the taste was amazing!  This is the best raw restaurant I’ve ever been to.  I probably wouldn’t eat here a lot (because it’s so expensive), but would suggest it for special occasions.   I’m so glad we came – and to think I almost missed out on this beautiful, delicious food!

Matthew Kenney
5820 North Classen Boulevard, Suite 1
Oklahoma City, OK 73118
405-842-1050

Sunday and Monday 11 am to 9 pm
Tuesday – Thursday 11 am to 10 pm
Friday and Saturday 11 am to 11 pm

ROAD TRIP: Surprise, surprise! Vegan Food in Oklahoma City

After a long journey, my mom and I finally made it to Oklahoma City for a wedding in the family.  We were both quite worried that we wouldn’t be able to find vegan eats in the city.  There might have been only a few options, but we managed.

One place with a great selection was Picasso on Paseo.  We even wanted to go back to try some more of their selections, but didn’t have enough time.  The first dish we did try was the Quinoa Tacos ($7): three tacos with lettuce, tomato, and avocado puree.  These were so fresh tasting.  We loved the innovation of using quinoa as the taco “meat.”  I need to try and make something like this at home.

Picasso on Paseo Quinoa Tacos

Quinoa Tacos

The second dish we tried was the Chicken Fried Portobello ($11): with vegan soy gravy and potatoes.  We ordered it with a side of tabouli.  Just like what we had in Amarillo, this tabouli was less parsley based and more grain based.  It was too lemony for me – I didn’t like it – but the portobello was amazing!  The seasoning on the breading was fabulous!  And the gravy was perfect.  I wish we could have gone back to try their vegan pizza and frito chili pie!

Picasso on Paseo Chicken Fried Portobello

Chicken Fried Portobello

Unfortunately, they didn’t have any vegan desserts, so we travelled up the road to a Whole Foods for some cake.  The selection of vegan cake was great!  I know it’s Whole Foods, but it’s still in Oklahoma.  I wasn’t expecting such a wide variety of choices.   We got Apple Spice, Carrot, and Chocolate Raspberry Cake.  They were all really good and moist.  If you happen to be in OKC and need some vegan cake – you know where to find it.

Whole Foods OKC Cakes

Cakes from Whole Foods

Even though we really wanted to go back to Picasso, we wanted to try something new.  Even our waitress at Picasso was raving about our next stop: The Red Cup.  Sadly, their menu doesn’t label what is vegan and upon asking, not much was actually vegan.  Their noodles have egg and their veggie burger contains egg, as well.  Bummer.  What we could get was their Frito Pie ($7.50): Fritos, veggie chili, tomatoes, black olives, scallions, and salsa (no cheese or sour cream – add guacamole).  Another dish my mom enjoyed more than I.  It was tasty, but nothing to come back for.  I love Fritos (GMO corn and all!), but they did get soggy sitting under the chili.

Red Cup Coffee House Frito Pie

Frito Pie

And they did have one vegan dessert!  Yay!  Carrot cake was our option and it was good.  It might be lacking on frosting for some, but was full of spices.  We even met the super nice girl that made it.  Thanks, girl at Red Cup, whomever you may be!

Red Cup Coffee House Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

The Red Cup
3122 N. Classen Blvd
Oklahoma City, OK. 73118
405-525-3430

Monday – Wednesday: 7 am-5 pm
Thursday – Friday: 6 am-8 pm
Saturday: 9 am-8 pm
Sunday: 9 am-5 pm

Picasso on Paseo
3009 Paseo
Oklahoma City, OK 73103
405-602-2002

Monday – Wednesday 11 am – 10 pm
Thursday – Saturday 11 am – 2 am
Sunday 11 am – 9 pm

Whole Foods Market
6001 N. Western Ave.,
Oklahoma City, OK 73118
405-879-3500

Daily 8am – 10pm

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TOMORROW: RAW VEGAN IN OKLAHOMA CITY??