For more than 70 years—I am guessing—Brown’s Bakery in Midtown has fed hundreds of thousands with their diet-caving sweets in the Oklahoma City area.
Sadly, the legendary bakery's days are numbered:
The news rocked OKC social media harder than a bite into a stale loaf of bread, with people of all sorts morning the loss of their favorite carb confectionery. But not everyone was sad. Even closer to home, TLO publisher Patrick – an old Ingrid's regular – made news when he said the bakery was, for the most part, overrated.
As one who, regrettably, had never visited Brown's, I decided to stop by last weekend and see what all the literal fuss and/or anti-hype was about, and provide the indelible brand a proper yet calorically challenged send-off.
It was about 7am when I arrived most unshaven and completely hungry at 1100 N. Walker Ave.
With the queue coming out of the door, I'm not sure if the customers were staunch patrons or, like me, looky-loos that wanted to have a piece of this historic thing, but I was surprised to see so many people out so early.
Once inside, Brown's was a stereotypical bakery, with luscious delicacies lining battered shelves and, even better, a full rack of reasonable help on hand to take orders.
After about five minutes of waiting, my time came, and with more customers stacking up behind me, I had to hurry up.
I quickly pointed at various items I wanted, and as the morning sun continued to make its way through the weathered windows, I had about ten or eleven dollars of baked goods in my semi-paralyzed fist.
I then when to the DIY manual coffee pump and squirted a few drops of joe in my cup. With my bakery items and coffee in hand, I found a seat and prepared to Ienjoy.
I started with a typical sprinkle donut, which was naturally dressed in multi-colored sprinkles.
Like many donuts of this ilk, it was…good, for the most part. It tasted fair and paired well with my bland coffee, but, sorry to say, there was nothing to it.
It was the same with the apple fritter. Usually, there are actual bits of soft apple filler inside, but here, they seemed left out and abandoned. Truthfully, it had a great texture and actual girth, but they are nothing to write home about.
But this is where we change course...
The cinnamon roll and the sausage rolls are truly delectable and, being apologetic, I'm sorry to have missed them over the years.
The sausage roll—excuse me, spicy sausage roll—was a good breakfast combustible. Wrapped in a flaky dough around a plump cheesy sausage, it was a warm, welcoming bauble compared to other confections around town.
It was pure pork-ish paradise, and I welcomed it.
Similarly, the gigantic cinnamon roll was on-point and on sight. Slightly sticky with dripping icing down the side of the abominable sweet-bread monstrosity, this was a true legend in the making, providing me with breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Where has that been all my years?!
Satisfied with my eats, I cleared the table of trash and drained my cup of its self-service coffee. I am glad to have finally had Brown's, and somewhat lamentable that it took me so long. So long, Brown’s and the donuts – or at least one meal – you have provided throughout the years.
(Post-script…As I was leaving, I spotted a cadre of uniformed policemen, all drooling over the glass-case. Never have stereotypes been so comically effacing and brutally accurate.)
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