Most mornings, I catch the tail end of Freedom 43’s disturbingly ramshackle view into all things Oklahoman, Rise and Shine. And, during the commercial break, I’m reminded that this morning celebration of a/v club mediocrity—hosted by Emily Sutton, Lacey Lett and ugh Lucas Ross—is brought to me by the good folks over at Around the Corner Restaurant, 11 S. Broadway in Edmond.
Known—as many restaurants seem to be in Oklahoma—for their obnoxiously large cinnamon rolls, Around the Corner gave me a bit of cognitive dissociation when I walked into it for the first time, mostly because I thought I accidentally stepped into a Beverly’s Pancake House franchise; when I asked our server about it in-between watching the fresh-squeezed orange juice machine Pee-Wee Herman us a couple of cups of OJ, she told me that the original owners were just really good friends with Bev and her crew.
Still, with as much small-town swagger as a diner in Edmond can have, looking of the recently printed menu slash newspaper, Around the Corner has one of my favorite old-school old-man breakfasts, the Corned Beef Hash and Eggs ($8.35), a rare treat that seems to have gone the way of Scrapple and other rough-hewn morning dishes.
I also, of course, had to try one of their well-known Homemade Cinnamon Rolls ($3.50), just to see what all the hot fuss was all about. And though I dare to mention her anonymous moniker one more time, my girlfriend found herself entranced with the Cheddar Jalapeno Waffles ($7.95), a curious experiment—especially for a joint like this—that came with a puzzling yet satisfying side of Sriracha and honey, presumably to dip and/or slather the Tex-Mex hotcakes with.
The first thing to come straight from the kitchen was the aforementioned cinnamon roll; I’m really not sure what I was expecting, but this medium-sized baked good really wasn’t it. With a somewhat crusty, practically dry outside and an unfriendly too-moist inside, this confection was extremely disappointing to me; still, people were ordering them by the large metal baking sheetful, so who am I to argue like a sugar-free simpleton?
Definitely more commendable and recommendable was the Corned Beef Hash and Eggs. While the eggs were your typical set of over-easy ovum, the hash aspect was simply to die for and, given all the grease and other bits of coronary danger in there, I just might. Along with the meal came a delightful-enough pair of biscuits with a small bowl of passable gravy, a bit of hot sauce mixed in, by me, to give it the piss and vinegar that I believe most gravy despicably needs.
But the real winner of this day’s breakfast was, undoubtedly, my girlfriend’s Cheddar Jalapeno Waffles; with a sweet, damn-near European taste boot-scootin’ with a downhome South Texas feel, every bite that I stole off her plate was a true breakfast treat; forget the cinnamon rolls: this is the one foodstuff that Around the Corner should truly be known for. Cómpralo ya!
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Photos courtesy of K.Y. // Follow Louis on Twitter at @LouisFowler and Instagram at @louisfowler78.
