Ever since it opened, I have been desperately wanting to visit OKANA, the Chickasaw owned and operated resort and indoor waterpark in the heart of Oklahoma City, near the First Americans Museum.
Even more to the point, I have openly coveted the themed restaurants and their menus, especially Jack Rabbit, the resort’s five-star gastropub, whispered in foodie circles to be a true crowd-pleaser.
Thankfully, OKANA sent me an invitation to come meet the staff, explore the facility and, the best part, finally experience their world-class dining. Many thanks to the Chickasaw people from your Choctaw brother! Yakoke!
Arriving at OKANA, 639 First Americans Blvd., at six o’clock sharp, my wife and I were given a grand tour of the facilities, including the vast grounds, the spacious rooms, and the outstanding view of Oklahoma City from the terrace.
But truthfully, the whole time I was fantasizing about the diverse menus on the property. Would it be barbecue at Smokehouse Social? The sports-center vibes of Curveball Kitchen? The new-wave Mexican flavors of Chido Tacos? Or their newest spot, Bullseye, with its game-room energy and menu of flatbreads, sandwiches, and fried cheese curds?
Finally, our guide said those magic words that would ultimately change me and my dining life: tonight, we were dining at Jack Rabbit. Yes!
From out of the brightly lit hallway into the low-lit restaurant, we ventured into Jack Rabbit, obviously inspired by Oklahoma’s black-tailed jack rabbit, personified in the gorgeous paintings around the place.
We were seated by the large picture window, offering the most stunning view of the city. For a moment, I squeezed my wife’s hand, letting her know how beautiful the city looks at night and how beautiful she looks that night.
A moment later, the strapping head chef came out and introduced himself. He was an affable fellow who worked in some of the best kitchens in the world. Listening to him tell the story of how he came to OKANA, I have to be honest…mostly I was worried about how a five-star chef deals with pool-dripping rugrats who only want two bites of a chicken finger and to get back to the waterpark.
As he fielded all my questions with plenty of brevity and humor, he excused himself to make our food in the open-air kitchen. Meanwhile, our waitperson brought our drinks, the citrusy OK Sunset for the wife, and an iced tea for me.
Looking over the leather-bound menu was a manly affair. Though they had many dishes to choose from, I was drawn immediately to the Jack Rabbit Dino Bone on the entrees portion, a huge cut of meat I have been waiting my whole life for.
Meal ordered, we noticed most of the clientele headed straight to the bar, leaving the whole place to ourselves. But, as the smell of the grill started wafting towards me, I got impatient, tapping my feet to the beat of the sizzling meat.
After waiting a few more mouthwatering minutes, our dishes arrived and finally my prayers were answered!
First, my wife had the impressive Smoked Short Rib Pasta ($30.00). The big bowl had beef short rib ragu—off-the-bone braised beef simmered in a rich sauce—as well as rigatoni, black gremolata and fried leeks.
As she took her first bite, her mouth looked puzzled, trying to decipher the taste between the heavy meaty ragu and the light rigatoni. But when she got it, the taste of old-world Italian and new-wave meat melded together to create a new dish that — once I tasted it — made complete sense to me.
As my wife enthusiastically enjoyed her short rib pasta, I went full bore with the massive Jack Rabbit Dino Bone ($34.00). It was a gigantic beef short rib with a demi glaze, but there was nothing “short” about it.
With garlic-parsley fingerling potatoes and roasted asparagus, my inner caveman came out to play and he wasn’t taking prisoners. The well-cooked meat was deviously embalmed in the demi glaze, my false teeth delicately tore into the perfect meal, until it slid off the bone and down my gullet.
In the end, I am pretty sure I gained around five or six pounds of meat alone... but it was totally worth it.
Thinking there was no way this meal could be topped, as I wiped my mouth and my brow, our waitperson offered us dessert. How could I say no, right?
We finished off our meal with the astounding Semifreddo ($9.00), a light, airy dessert I had never heard of. Made with pure horchata, the semifreddo also had cinnamon crème anglaise and brown butter pepita dust.
My God…this dessert was fantastic, with the taste of the horchata and the cinnamon crème perfectly pairing with our meal! We overextended ourselves just to get in a few more bites of that dessert, until I absolutely had to call it quits.
You better believe I will be coming to OKANA for all my resort needs and, apparently, all my beef and crème needs as well. While my tracheotomy and flashes of drowning in a kiddie pool will surely keep me out of the waterpark, I'll admit it looked like the most fun anyone could have indoors.
My stomach mightily full, I had to reckon with getting out of the restaurant, into the lobby, and to the parking garage. I slowly walked through the corridors, feeling like I just wanted to lie down and hibernate the rest of these winter months.
Now that I think about it, OKANA… I will take a room — one with the full moon shining down on us.
Cómpralo ya!
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Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
