Misfit Kitchen is a quirky concept but serves authentic food

His reasoning was, “I'm very serious about my business, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy my work.”

That could also be the motto of Misfit Kitchen, a new restaurant that opened a few weeks ago in the Tulsa Arts District space formerly occupied by Rapha.

Consider the stylized number 86 that serves as a restaurant logo.

“In this industry, 86 means something is missing,” said Joe Garrett, one of the owners of Misfit Kitchen. “When I was working on the concept for this space, I knew I wanted something fun and casual, and I kept thinking of things that were frankly hilarious.

“That's why we chose that 86 as our logo. In a way, we're saying we're losing our minds,” he said with a laugh. “And the restaurant industry has always been a place where all kinds of misfits gather, so it made perfect sense to us. Of course, it took us a while to explain it to our other business partners, but… In the end, they liked it.”

Garrett and his partners also own Rustic Chophouse, a fine-dining restaurant in downtown Broken Arrow that specializes in aged steaks from Creekstone Farms and other fine cuisine.

“We knew we didn't want to do a steakhouse or a fine-dining restaurant, because we've already done that well with Prism, The Tavern, Bull in the Alley, and Cicero's. Because it's close to the store where I live,” Garrett said. “We wanted Misfit Kitchen to capture the feel of the area with Cain’s Ballroom, the Tulsa Theater, the Arts District, and everything that goes on here.”

The branding may be light-hearted, with menus offering “foreplay” rather than a list of appetizers, entrees labeled “Main Squeezes” and dessert specials “Sweet Cheeks” (Misfits). The kitchen, also known as the food that comes out of the kitchen, is full of serious thought about cooking.

That's in part because Garrett has brought in chef Rigo Vazquez from Rustic Chophouse to oversee Misfit Kitchen, whose menu includes Caesar salads and dishes dubbed Little Rustic. The menu includes several dishes with slight variations on what is served at Rustic Chop House.

“This is the same pork chop, except here it's a one-bone chop instead of a double-bone,” Garrett said. “And there are two sides to it.”

We've praised Rustic Chophouse's pork chops in the past, so our visit to Misfit Kitchen focused on this restaurant's unique dishes.

The first time was for a midweek dinner. My companion and I started with Uvas con Queso ($17), or “grapes with cheese” in the foreplay section, followed by Everything Butterfish ($36) and Skirt Skirt Steak ($36) as main dishes. I chose.

The appetizer consisted of a burrata cheese spread topped with roasted grapes, a small packet of prosciutto, sprinkled with candied pecans and berry reduction, and six sourdough crostini.

It was an interesting blend of flavors, textures and temperatures. The warm grapes against the cold cheese, the saltiness of the prosciutto and the sweetness of the reduction, the crunch of the crostini.

The fish dish was pan-seared cod fillet, drizzled with a sun-dried tomato sauce with a distinctive sweet lobster flavor, and served with coconut cream rice. My companion thought it was almost perfect. The fish was just a little less colored for her liking, but the flavors of all the ingredients were in perfect harmony.

I ordered the skirt steak medium-rare and it was served with bright green chimichurri sauce, fried Brussels sprouts with apricot sauce, and orange-flavored candied carrots.

Chimichurri sauce can be overpowering with too much garlic or parsley, but you can't go wrong with the balance of flavors in this sauce. The steak itself was almost fork-tender, and the two vegetables added a welcome burst of sweetness.

A few days later we met up with a friend to try out their lunch offering. The guest was intrigued by the description of Uvas con Queso, so he ordered it again along with Misfit Wings ($15).

The wings came in eight pieces to order and were split between spicy honey and creamy cashew nut spicy sauces. Honey was the favorite of the table. The cashew sauce was sticky and had a level of spice that made it impossible to taste anything other than the pepper that was in the brick orange sauce.

Everyone chose from the “Sand Oval Witch” menu, most of which were named after friends, family and colleagues, Garrett said. I chose Clarence ($19), while others chose Waihui ($17), Nolito ($19), and Flying Nemo ($19). The ladies in our party chose Brussels sprouts as a side instead of the default fries.

The Wai Hui is a spicy fried chicken sandwich topped with garlic aioli, arugula, and heirloom tomatoes on a sourdough baguette. As you might have guessed, Flying His Nemo is fried mahi-mahi with tartare sauce made from flying fish eggs, arugula and tomato on a sourdough baguette.

Both women loved every component of the sandwich. The main reason was that the size and hardness of the baguette made it impossible to eat it as a sandwich.

Clarence was something else entirely. The burger (at first glance I thought it was an Everything bagel) was sandwiched between black and white sesame-dusted buns and placed to one side of a bowl of cheese sauce.

It was advertised as a “homemade sausage cheeseburger,” but it turned out to be three pieces of kielbasa-style sausage atop an unadorned beef patty. I was asked how well the burger was cooked and asked for it to be medium, but in the end it turned out to be very well done. The cheese sauce was grainy and flavorless.

A big hit for lunch was the Nolito, a grilled cheese with brisket, bacon, and garlic aioli. Not only was it the only sandwich that didn't require a knife and fork to eat, but all the elements were in harmony.

While taking photos for this article, I had the opportunity to sample the Pops Burger and Californication Salad. The addition of blackberry halves may seem like little more than a tiny seed to get stuck in your teeth, but with pineapple berry barbecue sauce, smoked brisket, spicy house-made pickles, and sharp cheddar cheese, this burger is pretty… It was very satisfying. A knife and fork were needed to negotiate effectively.

My companion enjoyed a vegan version of the salad with roasted beets and cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, radishes, candied pecans, pecans, and avocado on top of a spring mix and tossed with a champagne vinaigrette. I was there. You can add beef, chicken, salmon, fried tofu, or vegan chicken to your salad if you wish.

Garrett said the restaurant was designed by Lindsey Bedell. “She played a huge role in giving this space the fun, cool vibe we wanted,” Garrett said. “We wanted a casual, welcoming place that appealed to everyone, and that's what we have here.”