It’s hard to think of anyone who does brunch better. Since opening in 2012 in the historic Braniff building, Kitchen No. 324 has been writing its own history, one that is still very much in the making. I met friends there for brunch recently, on a blustery Sunday that could have easily kept folks in. We had a reservation and were seated quickly upon arrival, but in the few minutes we waited, we overheard the hostess politely tell a group of three that without a reservation, the wait would be an hour and 30 minutes. It’s not like downtown was busy; there were no big events or a 5K wrapping up down the block. It was just a random Sunday in March — over a decade after the restaurant opened — and Kitchen was crazy. Not long after being seated, we were reminded why it’s still such a destination.
Coffee, coffee, coffee
We started our meal with a sweet cream iced espresso, which is likely yet another indulgent and satisfying treat that will most find its way into my regular rotation. If you’re not thinking about it, or if you take this brewed elixir for granted, you might miss a little bit of Kitchen’s magic.
“The coffee program at Kitchen No. 324 is so special because we offer the quality you would expect from a high-end coffee shop in a restaurant setting. We staff a dedicated barista at all hours of operation, and those baristas are passionate and dedicated to their craft,” Jason Ewald, vice president of restaurant operations at A Good Egg Dining Group, explained. “In addition to traditional espresso drinks, we’ve developed unique offerings like our Spanish Latte made with espresso, steamed and condensed milk, cinnamon and cocoa — credit to head barista Roshan Abhayagoonawardhana on that one.”
Kitchen also offers pour-overs of specialty coffees from local roasters KLLR Coffee and Prelude Coffee Roasters.
Bar menu
As with any perfectly curated bar menu, this day-drinking one-pager packs a brunch punch. The classic mimosa is certainly made better than most, thanks to fresh orange juice. From there, things get more creative.
“Both the Morning Martini and the Caribbean cold brew include our house cold brew along with carefully selected spirits and liqueurs,” Ewald said.
The Caribbean cold brew is concocted with a blend of flavors we associate with breakfast: dark rum, banana liqueur, the house cold brew and Faretti Decadent Biscotti, a chocolate biscotti liqueur. It doesn’t get much more brunchy than that.
There’s also a trifecta of Bloody Marys offering something for everyone: Bloody Mary, Pickled Bloody Mary and Habanero Mary, each made with local Prairie Wolf vodka. Finally, The Pinot Project wines feature prominently, with a pinot noir, pinot grigio and rosé by the glass.
Prices on this bar menu top out at $9, keeping these drinks very reasonable despite being made with high-quality ingredients and served in Kitchen’s fashionable digs. We’ve seen more than a few places crank up their prices to match the elegant vibes, and the avoidance of that here is a business decision worth noting.
Brunch
Kitchen provides something from a wide array of flavor profiles and preferences when it comes to the breakfast part of brunch. Savory breakfast fans will find no shortage of options. On the traditional side of savory, find the breakfast burrito, the omelet, the breakfast sandwich or Paul’s Big Boy. On the more adventurous side of savory, look for the open-faced toast (shaved Black Forest ham, poached eggs, Gruyère, thyme béchamel and crispy potatoes) or the incredible fried green tomato Benedict featuring perfectly poached eggs, fried green tomato and hollandaise atop an English muffin served with crispy potatoes.
On the sweet side and beyond the beloved pancake, you can also find scratch biscuits served with butter and orange marmalade or French toast stuffed with Nutella cream, bananas, strawberries, Nutella sauce and maple syrup. If your sweet tooth still isn’t satisfied, check out the house-made pastries. You can’t go wrong with an apple fritter, mixed berry Danish or cinnamon roll.
Lunch
Brunch is, by definition, some magical combination of breakfast and lunch. The Kitchen Salad features hand-carved beef tenderloin, avocado, green leaf lettuce, bacon, blue cheese and sweet onion vinaigrette. Or try the Emerald Kale Caesar made much more delicious thanks to garlic crouton crumbs and fresh Parmesan. The crumbed croutons provide a satisfying texture to go along with the crunch of the kale. Add grilled chicken or salmon, but honestly, this salad is excellent and satisfying on its own.
If you’re into something more substantial than a salad, try the really fancy grilled cheese (smoked cheddar, jack cheese, poblano peach preserves, fresh thyme served on sourdough) or hand-carved French dip. But by far the heartiest (and the most photographed) item on this menu is the famous chicken pot pie. You’ve seen it: It has a fried chicken leg tucked right into the biscuit crust. If you haven’t had it yet, it’s as delicious as it is audacious.
An achor
Kitchen No. 324 is a post-pandemic success story. Locally owned restaurants were hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Breakfast restaurants were less likely than dinner spots to benefit from robust curbside takeaway or online ordering platforms. Add to that Kitchen’s coordinates firmly in the central business district. Closing Kitchen might have seemed prudent at some point as the daytime denizens of downtown disappeared, at least for a while. But the restaurant proved to have chutzpah and staying power that proved as sticky as its pure maple syrup.
As more and more employees continue to return to offices and local events return to pre-pandemic participation levels, Kitchen No. 324 feels like more of an anchor than ever before. Keith and Heather Paul, founders of A Good Egg Dining Group, Kitchen’s parent company, seem almost serene when thinking back on the pandemic almost five years to the day after that canceled Thunder game that many of us remember as the beginning of it all in our neck of the woods.
“I feel that we have emerged from COVID much stronger as a company,” Heather said. “The pandemic was hard on everyone. Hospitality workers especially took it on the chin. So did our culture in general, which had driven our success during the previous 20 years.”
Keith continued, “We recognized the importance of rebuilding our strong culture, so we spent time creating a new mission statement, vision and core values. We are currently in the process of rolling these out to the team.”
This article appears in OKC Ballet Shorts.