Last Updated on December 16, 2023, 11:00 PM | Published: December 16, 2023
Are you suffering from insomnia? Put down the melatonin and grab dinner at The Kitchen by B&B Catering on North Lincoln Boulevard, instead.
That’s not to say the food is boring—it’s emphatically not—but every dish there is so comforting, so filling, and so completely basted with love that once you finish your meal, your body will ache for a long, restful slumber punctuated by dreams of crispy fried chicken, smothered pork chops, and flaky fish.
Owner Demetra Bailey never wanted to open a restaurant. As a caterer, financed initially by her mother (“The Queen B” in B&B), Demetra had found her niche in serving large corporate gatherings, wedding parties, and other festive, food-filled occasions.
But COVID-19 changed a lot of things for a lot of people, including Bailey.
“We had a 9,000-square foot event space we couldn’t do anything with. And no one needed corporate catering or employee lunches when the government said we couldn’t have large gatherings,” she said. “So my options were to go out of business and declare bankruptcy, or find another way.”
Her customers had asked when she would open a restaurant and she’d always told them: “When God tells me it’s time.”
Driving past a closed Pizza Hut building on Lincoln Boulevard at the height of the pandemic, she realized the time had come.
Now The Kitchen is living up to Bailey’s dream of being the kind of place people can get together for a meal that is welcoming, nourishing, and feels like home. It’s in the laid-back decor and the gentle soundtrack wafting out of the speakers. It’s in the jovial bustle of the kitchen crew working on daily specials like Monday’s beloved meatloaf and the smell of bacon cheeseburgers sizzling on the flattop. And it’s definitely in the flavors of the dishes served, each one lovingly seasoned to perfection.
And that’s not nothing. Many small restaurants shy away from seasoning and spices except in sprinkles and flourishes, but The Kitchen serves up everything the way it ought to taste. The black-eyed peas might be vegan, but you’ll be hard-pressed to tell. The rich gravy holding them together seems meaty, even without the meat, and the green beans will make you wonder what you’ve been doing wrong when you try to make them at home.
A single smothered bone-in pork chop over rice comes with two sides for a grand total of $14.95. Add a second bone-in chop for $5 more. It’s the deal of the century, because I ate my fill and took the leftovers home for a dinner that fed me and my wife.
A word of caution on those bone-in chops: there’s liable to be more than one bone. Poke around gently with your fork and chew slowly to ensure you don’t chop down on a bone fragment or sliver. If you’re feeding kids, go through the plate yourself just to be safe.
That said, it’s a struggle to slow down when the food is this good. The dark brown gravy covering the chops and soaking into the rice is heavenly—rich and satiating with a freight train of umami flavors. The chops themselves are tender and luscious, shredding themselves into a fine hash when caught between the fork and the plate.
The choice of sides is a hard one. Buttered cabbage and black-eyed peas aren’t the most standard fare, and getting mashed potatoes that were very recently whole potatoes isn’t the usual at most restaurants.
While I thought the green beans and black-eyed peas were tasty, I’m willing to go for an upcharge for the macaroni and cheese from The Kitchen. Big elbow macaroni pieces are drenched in a creamy, cheesy sauce that was clearly made in house. My favorite part is the light sizzle of heat and the confident hand with the salt shaker.
Other premium sides include mixed collard and mustard greens and candied yams in a vanilla-cinnamon glaze. Who needs dessert when your vegetable is this sweet, right? Well, don’t make any bold declarations until you check out the butter pecan caramel cake or the peach cobbler.
On a day I wasn’t feeling at the top of my game (it’s Hungry, Hungry Hippos, obviously) I stopped in and ordered something I never thought I’d get: boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They were better than I ever imagined they could be. Gorgeous char marks. Juicy, tender pieces of chicken, slowly drizzling the rice underneath with savory sauce and seasoning. Chicken breasts don’t have any business being this good, but thank goodness someone cares enough to do them right.
Don’t sleep on the seafood, either. The Kitchen does a salmon and shrimp étouffée that takes one of my beloved favorites and turns it on its head. The salmon is served with the skin on with a perfectly bronzed crust under a waterfall of creamy, lightly colored étouffée sauce with a handful of plump shrimp. I usually like a darker étouffée, but the creamy sauce perfectly accented the salmon and the sweetness of the shrimp. This one is utterly magnificent.
The sauce is a bit darker on the shrimp and grits ($16.95), but what really opened my eyes on that entrée were the grits. Not to continue to harp on the seasoning, but poorly seasoned grits are an affront to whatever deity you worship. These were creamy, salty, spicy, and filling. I could have eaten nothing but grits and andouille sauce and left happy, but the big, perfectly grilled shrimp made it all the better.
While it’s a big ask to get me away from the fried chicken, shrimp and grits, and catfish, The Kitchen’s burger selection is popular specifically because it’s not over the top outlandish. Diners can choose from a third-pound beef or turkey (I chose beef) patty with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and red onion. I got mine with cheese and bacon, as well, but since the bacon came a little later, I feel like I got to try both the regular and bacon cheeseburgers on one visit.
It’s a solid burger and one that I happily gobbled down, but what really made an impact was the service. A couple of bites in, I realized there was no bacon on my bacon cheeseburger, so I started to approach the counter. The cashier working the till actually stopped taking an order to see what was up, immediately sending back word to fry up some bacon, which was promptly delivered to my table. You know how I know it was fried fresh? It still had some of that bubbling bacon fat sizzling on top when I got it.
Food service is hard work, and anyone who tells you different has never done it themselves. Not only was the remedy immediate, she also checked on me as I was leaving to make sure I got it.
No matter how good the food is at a restaurant, if the service is hostile or apathetic, it’s hard to get excited for a return trip. Making a mistake is no fun and admitting a mistake is even harder, but the folks at The Kitchen only care about making it right as fast as they can, because they know that’s the kind of difference that keeps customers coming back.
Me? I’m coming back. Those pork chops are calling me.
The Kitchen by B&B Catering
4709 North Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City
(405) 609-8633
thekitchenokc.com
Long-time food enjoyer Greg Elwell writes about food, restaurants, and trends. He has his own blog "I Ate Oklahoma" and has written for The Oklahoman, The Oklahoma Gazette, and others.
