Boomtown Market: Round Top, Texas, goes from empty to exquisite overnight
Round Top, Texas, is a place. You can find it on a map, read what the Chamber of Commerce says online, note that its population is 93 and make the 7-hour-plus drive from OKC to the spot between College Station and Austin.
Thriving in 2025: Oklahoma’s Art Museums at a Glance
As the earth keeps spinning on its axis next year, one thing human beings need now more than ever is different points of view. That’s one way art can keep us grounded – seeing fresh perspectives and differing visions of the future keeps us more aware of the common bonds of our shared humanity.
A New Dining Era: The chefs of Tulsa’s Et Al. collective forge ahead with Natsukashii
After three years of pop-up service out of a local coffee shop, the award-winning multi-concept chef collective Et Al. is set to open its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in downtown Tulsa. Named after a Japanese term that describes the feeling of nostalgia through a sensory experience — most often from food — Natsukashii is on track to redefine modern Japanese cuisine.
About a Brew: HQ Coffee brings flavor and a third space to the Asian District
Sitting at HQ Coffee talking to Andrea “Anj” Schultz, you get the impression that the corner coffee shop at 2600 N. Classen in the former Bun Box space is an externalized brain map of what she ultimately wants the shop to be. That is not to say HQ Coffee feels incomplete as it is. In fact, the black sesame latte might be the best latte in Oklahoma City — depending on how you feel about black sesame — and the Rocky’s Matcha places it in the upper echelon of matcha shops in the city, too.
Barre Association: Oklahoma City Ballet taps nationwide talent for magical new Nutcracker
When holiday traditions need some fresh magic, it marks the time to tip-toe into something new. This holiday season, the Oklahoma City Ballet invites you to rediscover a timeless tale in a way you’ve never seen before. The corps is giving audiences a newfound sense of wonder this winter by bringing an all-new production of The Nutcracker to the Civic Center stage Dec. 14-15 and 19-23, presented by Devon Energy and the Chickasaw Nation.
Cold Drinks, Warm Friends: Tuesday at Tulsa bar and restaurant Tina’s
Tina’s is the neighborhood bar we didn’t know we needed, the puzzle piece that gets plunked into the middle of the landscape, bringing it all together after not even realizing it’d been out of place.
The Oklahoma Influence: Content creators leaving lasting impressions
For years, Oklahoma has been characterized by its wide-open plains, deep-rooted history and a quiet charm that often flies under the radar. But in the age of social media, the state is getting a modern makeover, thanks to a group of content creators who are helping to reshape how the wider world views Oklahoma.
The Doctor Is In: ‘Film Festival Doctor’ Rebekah Louisa Smith on what it takes to play film fests
They’ve assembled their actors, said “Action!” and “Cut!” and gone through a potentially lengthy post-production process. For some directors, getting their film made is a substantial part of the battle; for others, it’s smooth sailing to the edit bay.
Dining Right in Denver: Meals to remember in the Mile High City
Denver was a food city before Kelly Whitaker earned his first Michelin star, but it’s certain the Duncan, Oklahoma, native and his wife Erika have brought additional attention and traffic to their adopted city. The Whitakers’ Id Est Hospitality Group—the new owners of Midtown Oklahoma City’s nonesuch—now have two Michelin stars, one for Bruto and one for The Wolf’s Tailor.
Creative Communion: Trueson and Zia Daugherty’s art of living
It’s a cool Saturday morning. Still a little sleepy, a couple dozen people step through the little back gate of Trueson and Zia Daugherty’s midtown Tulsa home—one carrying a painting, another a guitar. Several have poems in their phones, handmade zines in their pockets.
Telling Human Stories: Oklahoma filmmaker Amy Scott’s embrace of documentaries
When Amy Scott first met Melissa Etheridge, she didn’t know much about the rock star’s history. Despite Scott’s intense passion for music, Etheridge was still a relative unknown to her. However, the award-winning film director was not drawn to Etheridge because of her songs; it was the story she wanted to tell that got Scott interested.
To Be Their Voice: Dr. Tiffany Crutcher on social reform and her brother’s legacy
It’s been eight years since Dr. Tiffany Crutcher’s life was irrevocably changed. On Sept. 15, 2016, she was running a growing clinical private practice outside Montgomery, Alabama. She had big plans for the future.
Aloha, OKANA: New horizons for enjoyment and growth in OKC
The OKANA Resort and Indoor Waterpark is expected to generate more than $1 billion in economic impact for the state over a 10-year period. The 404-room hotel is scheduled to open close to Spring Break 2025, and reservations for April are already open. Driving the economic estimate is the development of an entire district—the newly christened Horizons District—built around the two primary attractions, OKANA and the First Americans Museum.
A Rocket Ship, Taking Off: Musician Johnny Mullenax
What does it feel like listening to Johnny Mullenax, the expletive-wielding, joint-puffing Eagle Scout (Troop 22) and genre-bending guitar protege bolstering the funk rock music scene in Tulsa? Stand close enough, and you might hear the sound of a rocket ship taking off, blasting forward at high speed.
From Sea to Shining Sea: American artists, American stories at the Philbrook
With the Presidential election on the horizon, Pennsylvania is on many Americans’ minds as one of the key states that could help determine the next chapter of life in the United States. In Tulsa, however, Pennsylvania is top of mind for more artistic—though no less socially and politically minded—reasons.
Tailgating, ‘La Traviata’ & Stunning Beauty: The experience of the Santa Fe Opera
Oklahomans (including this writer) love zipping over to Santa Fe. Leave first thing in the morning and you’ll be at the Shed, margarita in hand, by happy hour. That’s reason enough. It’s quick—a handful of good podcasts and, bada bing, there you are.
The Power of Perspective: Julianna Brannum on growing opportunities for Native filmmakers
Julianna Brannum is mostly known as a producer of films about Native Americans, their stories and cultures—but not so secretly, she has another passion that occupies much of her creative headspace.
Adventures in Viticulture: Madi Franklin’s winding road to winemaking
Somewhere in the undeveloped lands between downtown Hanoi and the Noi Bai airport, Madison “Madi” Franklin crossed her arms, tucked her head and deliberately fell backward off the moving motorcycle—she thought she was experiencing an abduction attempt. It was the second of three rides on motorbikes, during two of which she was a passenger, that a biographer would certainly use in media res style to start chapters in the narrative of her life.
Fresh startup Cinny offers single-serve healthier sugar alternative
Hot yoga may seem like a strange start for a story about cinnamon. But the intense, body-dehydrating classes are exactly where one of the more distinctive and sought-after products to hit the market recently got its inception.
Pop-Up Pioneer Plants Roots in Tulsa: Prism Cafe
In 2008, a writer from Flavorwire Magazine called Aimee Hunter, owner and executive chef of Prism Cafe at 217 W. Latimer St. in Tulsa, “a pioneer of the pop-up scene.” It’s an identity she’s taken to heart, and for good reason.