The Food Dood & Friends

The legacy of one of Oklahoma’s pioneers, Eula Erixon, has long been underappreciated. Erixon was not only the first woman to serve the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office, she was also founder of one of Oklahoma City’s most enduring restaurant brands. Sleepy Hollow was in business for more than five decades at Northeast 1101 NE 50th Street, but it fell into the wrong hands and before the right hands showed up to save it, the place had fallen into disrepair.

Barbecue in Oklahoma is more than food—it’s religion. Loyalty to a pitmaster runs so deep that anything different feels like blasphemy. That’s the line Adam Green is walking at Mac’s Barbecue in Skiatook. A military veteran turned pitmaster, Adam respects tradition but isn’t afraid to challenge it, using delicate pecan wood smoke and venturing far beyond brisket and ribs. His approach has paid dividends.

Earlier this month, my neighbor, who works at Santa Fe’s Second Street Brewery, brought home a proverbial shit ton of crab after a recent Crab and Brew event. First, we had crab legs and barely made a dent in the overage. Then somebody said something about crab cakes, and I knew I had an excuse to call my good buddy Bruce Rinehart. We had plenty to chat about as Bruce continues his cancer battle, including some encouraging test results recently.

Talked to chef Ryan Parrott recently. The longtime stove-minder for Humankind Hospitality called to let me know he’d moved on from the company after all these years. He said the separation was made “over the direction of the company,” but had no ill will to express over the move. Parrott has several moves in mind, including an ambitious one involving a beloved space in a long-dormant entertainment district south of Downtown.

A review of the records shows the last three times I’ve been to the 405 diningscape, I’ve eaten sushi. Whatever happened to fried catfish, onion burgers and barbecue? No reason to panic, as most of you know, those items remain easily found across Oklahoma. But the 405 in particular has come a long way since Tokyo Japanese Restaurant was the only game in town. My last micro-trip to Oklahoma City, a grand total of about 18 hours long, included a visit to Takaramono.

Editor’s Note: We finish Jared’s tour of ice cream with a surprise trip to the East Coast … For years, Mount Desert Island Ice Cream has been part of my Bar Harbor tradition—a familiar stop, a reliable scoop. But this year, I’m setting aside sentiment to take a critical look. The artisan ice cream scene has evolved; Super Secret Ice Cream in Bethlehem, NH was a 2025 James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Bakery, and national expectations have never been higher.

Touting itself as Oklahoma’s original microcreamery, Rose Rock Microcreamery planted its flag before “small-batch” became a buzzword and before cereal-stuffed scoops invaded every Instagram feed. Founded by Jason Decker, the shop was born from dairy dreams and disciplined indulgence. It was never just about ice cream. It was about the joy of handcraftsmanship executed with intention, shared one scoop at a time. But a lot has changed since those early days.

Editor’s Note: We’re back! Now that I’ve put the Santa Fe Reporter’s biggest issue to bed, we’re back with a week’s worth of reading on The Food Dood Feed! I’ll have a review of the new season of The Bear this week and a recommendation for sushi in the 405 diningscape you might not have read about. We start the week with a series from Jared Gleaton about outstanding ice cream to track down before summer is out. Our first stop is in Tulsa leading the way in local dairy arts.

Last fall, Akai Sushi opened in the Wheeler District, garnering all kinds of effusive verbiage from the influencer crowd. Now that Instagram and friends have created a cottage industry for folks willing to work for free meals they can trade in for social media street cred, it’s hard to know the difference between what’s good to eat and what’s good content.

Friday marks America’s birthday, which is one of the great opportunities life affords us to invest in a celebratory dessert. As for me and my house, I will serve pie. Sure, birthdays are, by most accounts, the realm of cake. I get it. But we’re talking about America’s birthday. Let those other countries eat cake. And what’s more American than apple pie? That said, I must confess the pie I will reach for won’t be stuffed with apples.