Bites of My Life

Whole30 is still kicking in per-usual Annie fashion. 90% Whole 30 10% weekend freebies. The highlight of last week was getting to hold my nephew Jack for the first time. He is such a little cuddle guy and after 7 weeks in the NICU it was so special being with him in person. I had a relatively relaxing weekend, but as I’m writing this on a Monday morning I can’t help but hold my eyes to keep them open. 😴

-Long story short when I first got the Starbucks app I set my birthday as the next day to get a free birthday drink, the day was September 7th. So now every year on September 7th I get a free drink and it’s truly the most fun mid-year non-birthday free treat.
-Did a riff on these bowls for lunches last week. I swapped the ranch for mustard. Team mustard for life.
-Pizza night in Austin, TX. We love the Ooni in my family, both of my BILs have one. We made three different Gjelina recipes and all were amazing. Also p.s. it’s called whole30ish ;)
-Finally got to meet and hold my sweet baby nephew Jack. It was the perfect quick trip to see this little peanut!
-Insaaaane Banana Bread Nutella stuffed cookie from Thoroughbread in Austin. My sis has challenged me to recreate!
-Had an errand to run in Fort Worth, so I treated myself to a smoothie bowl from the newly opened Mamaka Bowls, and shopped around some FW boutiques. I love Fort Worth!
-A new york minute visit from our big city girl was just the best Saturday happy hour.
-Since my “birthday” latte last week, I’ve been on a latte kick. I can’t get enough of a creamy almond milk decaf latte. Doesn’t matter where it is from. Anyway I mobile ordered one from Starbucks and they made it iced. They remade my order and sent me home with both. Good thing they were decaf.
-The Defined Dish Spicy Cilantro Wings and grilled pineapple for a Sunday Whole30 meal.

Annie

Bites of My Life

Holiday food, events, movies etc filled last week. Zero complaints here! The same is on this week’s agenda. Only a few days until I’m home for the holidays!!

-Freezer foraging for dinner is my favorite little challenge and something I’ve gotten pretty good at. Frozen Trader Joes turkey burger over greens, with goat cheese sprinkled over the top, and a side of Trader Joes frozen rainbow cauliflower roasted with grainy mustard on the side to dip in!
-Recipe post #1 from last week: Ginger Cookies!
-Recipe post #2: Wintergreen Salad!
-Sugar cookie prep! Did you know an ice cream cone cookie turned upside down makes for the cutest Santa?
-Brought my annual Christmas cookie decorating party to Dallas this year for it’s the third year!
-Lots of holiday fun last week, but a highlight was Olivia’s ornament exchange feat. her Chinese food spread.
-Foxtrot #2 opened in Dallas on Wednesday and this location is even more convenient for me. Foxtrot is a modern market that came from Chicago to Dallas and it’s one of my favorite places to meet for coffee and get work done. I tried their avocado toast for the first time and it was so good.
-A hint at tomorrow’s recipe post ;))))
-Love love loooooved Drake’s! Dallas’ new hot spot dining destination! The food, the vibe, the service, everything was 100!
-Our London girl was in town so sushi and tons of girl talk were necessary!
-Found the real Santacon in a University Park’s neighbor’s front yard! If you are in Dallas you have to do a drive-by! We went after dinner Saturday and there were 4+ party buses with groups of people driving by looking at lights!
-Ended the week with a cooking class at Tre Wilcox school. Instead of a traditional cooking class, it was a Chopped style competition, something I’ve always wanted to do. We were split into 4 groups, had to create a salmon and steak dish and include snap peas, fingerling potatoes, ketchup and jalapeño in each dish. My team won!!

Bites About Town: Best Brandy Ice in OKC

I feel a little too confident that I am the perfect person to deliver today’s post. If there is one thing I’ve learned in my twenty-something years, it is that I love fruity beverages, girly cocktails, and dessert drinks. I’m not afraid to admit my fondness for drinks that often leave you with a hangover. Piña Colada? I’ll take five. Club special? More please! Brandy Ice? Never just one.

Enter today’s “Bites About Town” post, featuring none other than, the brandy ice. A brandy ice seems to be fairly regional and oddly popular in Oklahoma. So today’s post also seems fitting as I’m on my outs of OKC before moving to Dallas next week. If you google brandy ices, only descriptions for brandy alexanders come up. They are basically the same thing, but a brandy alexander is made with cream and a brandy ice is made with ice cream.

You can read my past “Bites About Town” where I talked about the best salad and matcha lattes in the city. I’m not sure I’ve ever been more on brand. Salads, matcha, and brandy ices. Yup, that sounds about right. *Please note my scoring is set 1 to 5, with 5 being the best. Ok, without further ado.

Junior’s Supper Club
Things to note: The OG. Junior’s has been around for 46 years and is a staple in OKC. Known for their red walls and brandy ices, they come in small or large. They are thick as can be and and are all-around perfection from the texture to the flavor. A brandy ice at Junior’s is my favorite way to end the night. You may go for the BI, but find yourself staying for the live jazz music and Chex mix.
Verdict: 5

The Drake
Things to note: The Drake’s brandy ice is not your typical brandy ice. There are little flakes of ice in it lending it more toward a slushy than a milkshake. Not my cup of tea.
Verdict: 3

Cheever’s
Things to note: This is a hidden gem! People often finish their meal with a Pecan Ice Cream Ball when dining at Cheever’s, but don’t sleep on their brandy ice. I had Cheever’s for the first time a couple months ago and it was, well, delicious. It’s well balanced and has a great texture. A win all around.
Verdict: 5

photo courtesy of Facebook

Mahogany Prime Steakhouse
Things to note: Mahogany makes a great brandy ice. Nothing to write home about, but not glaringly bad. However, I will order anytime I go!
Verdict: 4

photo courtesy of Instagram

The Ranch
Things to note: This brandy ice is big. As you can see in the picture above with two straws, this brandy ice is best to be shared. However…I’m known to take one down on my own. I love the chocolate drizzle, but the martini glass bothers me. A classic brandy ice should be served in a brandy snifter or tulip-shaped glass.
Verdict: 4

I apologize for this blurry attempt at portrait mode.

Broadway 10 | Bar & Chophouse
Things to note: I love this brandy ice. It has a unique vanilla bean flavor and is topped off with chocolate shavings, instead of the classic grated nutmeg. I highly recommend sitting at the bar at Broadway 10 to order a brandy ice and snack on the complimentary bacon.
Verdict: 4

Michael’s Grill
Things to note: So cold they have to serve them with a plastic spoon because a metal one will freeze! Michael’s brandy ice lends more toward the texture of frozen yogurt. Nothing wrong with that!
Verdict: 4

Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club
Things to note: I want to love this brandy ice. Visually it looks perfect, but the flavor resembles that of lead paint. Harsh I know, but it’s the truth. I wish I could say this stopped me from ordering them… The brandy in this particular BI could be lightened up juuuuusst a bit.
Verdict: 2

New addition as of 12/20/20

The Metro Wine Bar & BIstro
Things to note: I was unaware The Metro had a brandy ice until I was there for dinner and saw one go by. I about stopped dead in my tracks and ordered one before our meal came. This brandy ice is exactly how I want a brandy ice to taste. Thick but not too thick, super creamy, not overly strong, but still well balanced, and lots of fresh nutmeg on top. This brandy ice is on the bigger side so I’d suggest sharing. From one of my girlfriends, “Passes the test with the flying colors. I don’t even like brandy ices and liked this one.”
Verdict: 5

---

Updated December 20th, 2020

And the winner goes to… TIED between Cheever’s, The Metro, and Junior’s. You can’t mess with a classic like Junior’s, but Cheever’s did and they succeeded. And once I tried The Metro, there is nothing not to love. It may seem like a cop-out to choose three winners, but that really just gives you more options to end the night with my favorite drink!

Annie

Bites of My Life

4th of July, please don't ever fall on a Wednesday again. I beg of you. Weirdest week ever. Not a bad week in hindsight, just weird. I know most of you can agree. The double two day week wasn't the worst either. 

Lot's of festive food, summer food, breakfast food and all around delicious food last week. As you can see more of below. This week is looking like a birthday celebration, taco tuesday, VIP movie screening and then off to the lake. Chat next Monday! 

-Eat the rainbow. My favorite way to eat. Ingredient details including a killer dressing recipe in my post here.
-Breakfast with mom at our favorite, EnCroute.
-All the office vibes in our new workspace. More pictures to come I'm sure, but for now, back to Kathy Lee and Hoda.
-Y'all know me and my love for festive food. So festive fruit to start the 4th was a must.
-4th of July, please don't ever fall on a Wednesday again. All smiles despite.
-Celebrating America and my girl Maddie's bday!
-Breakfast with dad, trying out Buttermilk. A biscuit breakfast spot but couldn't resist the smoothie bowl!
-Sunday spin with my girl. 
-Little fish is almost a year old!

Annie

Bites of My Life

June? Already? How did we get here so fast. How are we halfway through the year? Mind boggling I tell you mind boggling. Days, weeks, months are flying by at super speed. I'm trying so hard to hold on to each moment, but they are flashing by, especially lately.

Work is moving at rapid fire these days (more on that later), but I can honestly say I'm loving every minute of it, so I can't complain. Although, sweet Take a Bite has taken a bit of a back burner because of it. I apologize for the lack of anything but a wimpy "bites" post each week. But come July I'm hoping I'll have some extra time on my hands for more TAB love. I couldn't even tell you the last time I cooked a real meal. Now that is depressing and a clear sign of how busy I am. 

-I haven't had a chance to blog much on TAB, but I did guest post last week on The Well. Read my post here. 
-On a weird turkey burger kick. Cutting corners and using TJ's frozen patties, but loving this deconstructed burger version I've been serving myself. 
-Finalizing our dessert menu for The Jones Assembly means ice cream for lunch! Blueberry, watermelon, cucumber and grapefruit sorbet. Yes cucumber sorbet. It was amazing.
-Training has begun for The Jones Assembly. Which just means things are getting closer and closer to opening!
-Pro tip: ask for plantain chips with your guac at Barrios, and definitely order the salmon ceviche!
-My work here is done. Successfully turned the texan into an OKC lover. *pats myself on the back*
-Work on a Saturday ain't so bad when it involves your bestie and matcha lattes.
-Could shower this cutie bridey for days! Cannot believe you are about to get married! 
-The brussels caesar is low key my favorite thing at The Drake. 

Annie