Stone Blade
Okmulgee, OK
Bacon Wrapped Filet
w/ Loaded Baked Potato, Side Salad, Raspberry Vinaigrette
Dish Score: 81
Overall Score: 81
Price: $$$
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SCORE BREAKDOWN
- Presentation & Creativity: 9/20
- Portion Size & Nutritional Value: 9/10
- Ingredient Compatibility: 10/10
- Flavor, Taste, Texture, & Doneness: 35/40
- Service: 9/10
- Restaurant Appearance: 5/5
- Cost vs. Value: 4/5
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REVIEW
Stone Blade is a brand new restaurant that opened up just 5 days ago in the former Okmulgee Country Club. Recently purchased by the Muscogee Creek Nation, the restaurant is the first of many changes to come to the property. For me, the restaurant is all that is needed to motivate my arrival. Upon entering, I took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the building itself. The walls are built with a combination of beige stone and white painted wood panels and windows overlooking the land line an entire wall. The one negative to the atmosphere was the local radio playing over the speaker; not that I am against supporting local radio, but the commercials between songs did not support the classy feel of the restaurant.
After being seated by our hostess, our waitress, Kelsey, offered us our menus. Having a craving for steak, I had to make the tough decision between the Bacon Wrapped Filet and the ribeye. In the end, the filet mignon won out. Accompanying the entrée is your choice of potato/starch and your choice of vegetable or side salad. I chose to go with the Loaded Baked Potato for my starch and the Sautéed Asparagus for my vegetable. Our waitress politely informed me they were out of asparagus, so I decided to go with the side salad with a Raspberry Vinaigrette.
While waiting for my meal to be prepared, I helped myself to the corn bread that was brought to the table. The bread was soft and moist with a slightly sweet flavor. It definitely served its purpose of whetting my appetite. After a short while, my side salad was brought out. The first thing I noticed about the salad were the excellent knife skills used in its preparation. All of the cuts were even and the carrots were julienned perfectly. The vegetables were extremely fresh, crisp, and colorful. It was almost a shame to cover it up with the Raspberry Vinaigrette. Almost. The vinaigrette was slightly sweet and had certain flavor qualities that reminded me of a raspberry popcicle.
When my salad was devoured, my waitress brought out my entrée. I was a little off-put that my “loaded” potato was unloaded. Having the toppings in individual containers on the side gave the impression of laziness. My sour cream had become separated from sitting too long in its preportioned container. Indeed having the containers allows the customer to add as much as they choose, but at the real cost of presentation. Furthermore, considering the price of this dish, I would have appreciated real butter with my potato instead of vegetable oil spread. As far as taste goes, the potato was definitely the weak point in this meal. Although I enjoyed the pepper seasoned skin on the potato, it was a little dry and had probably sat in the warmer a bit too long.
The filet mignon, on the other hand, was incredible. The meat was extremely tender and cooked to perfection. The bacon it was wrapped in was also cooked perfectly and added another dimension to the flavor of the dish. My main critique is my lack of a steak knife, although the table knife worked. Also, it took me a few attempts to cut through the toothpicks that were inserted to keep the bacon in place before I even noticed they were there. Regardless, this is some of the tastiest filet mignon I’ve had.
Overall, I had an amazing experience at this new restaurant. While they could tweak a few things here and there, their attention to detail when it comes to the food should be applauded. Every new restaurant is going to have a breaking in period to find out what works and what doesn’t, but Stone Blade is well on their way to becoming the best restaurant in the area. The best advice I can provide is to leave the plastic off the plate. Beyond that, bravo.
