We’ve been wanting to try Picasso’s Veggie Dinner night since we heard about it – after all, there aren’t many OKC vegan options (side note: This is marketed as vegetarian, but I couldn’t find anything questionable on the agenda).
We called a few days before and were told that the event was full (tip: call a couple of weeks in advance), but after some hold time, the woman returned to the phone and said they had an outdoor table available for us. Perfect because we’re not immersing ourselves into indoor crowded spaces anyway.
Tip: call a couple of weeks in advance for reservations
We arrived at about 6:20 as we were told seating was at 6:30PM and you never know how long it will take you to make it from the Moore/Norman area to the Paseo district. We had one of our favorite little tables outside with a big umbrella and the weather seriously could not have been any better – 84 with a slight breeze.
We weren’t doing the wine pairing (we’re not drinkers!) so we enjoyed a ginger beer and a diet soda as special drink accompaniments – this means that we can’t comment on the wine pairings or wine service that other tables might have received.
At about 7:15 the chef addressed the inside crowd, we were told we could step inside if we’d like to hear it – too crowded for me, but Doug ducked in for a few minutes. I asked him to take a picture (he forgot) but he did share with me that the chef explained that anything cooked under 118 degrees is considered raw, and all of our food would be raw food tonight. There’s a speaker system at the restaurant that plays outside – I wish they could have amplified the chef’s voice through it.
Picasso Cafe Veggie Dinner – First Course
Our first course was served about an hour after we arrived and was absolutely delicious – Raw falafel, vegan tzatziki, yellow tomato, and fresh mint. I savored mine but Doug scarfed his down super quickly. I’ve never had falafel that wasn’t battered up and fried – this tasted super light and if I had access to the kitchen, I’d have been in trouble for eating too many of them. This was definitely my favorite course of the four.
Picasso Cafe Veggie Dinner – Second Course
The second course arrived about a half-hour later (perfect cadence) and was “fried rice” – cauliflower, edamame, and housemade kimchi. This too was delicious with an interesting soft texture and a medley of flavors, but for someone like me, who is a big old baby when it comes to spice, the kimchi got me a little bit and Doug ended up having to eat my last piece of it.
Picasso Cafe Veggie Dinner – Third Course
This arrived another half hour later – we began to notice the time between courses here, and immediately acknowledged that if we were partaking in the alcoholic beverages, where time completely warps, we wouldn’t have noticed. We watched several parties come and go during this time, not realizing that it was a reserved dinner. This course was Peanut Noodle Salad, Shaved asparagus, miso, cabbage, spring onion. It really was good and I cleaned my plate, but I failed to take any notes on it, except that it was quite salty.
Picasso Cafe Veggie Dinner – Fourth Course
The final course, dessert – this arrived almost 45 minutes later and at this point, there was a lot of shifting around us – Noticing the time, I went ahead and laid out my credit card so that we could take care of our tab and get out of there as soon as the final course was complete.
However, when it did finally arrive, let me just say that it was worth every waiting minute. This dish was fresh + macerated berries, coconut emulsion, and shaved coconut pistachio “biscotti” and it was dreamy. Oh so dreamy. I was so tempted to tip my plate and drink the residual coconut emulsion off of my plate. I’d wait 40 minutes for that any day of the week.
Doug was really happy about it too!
Overall, our experience was great and it’s nice to be catered food that you don’t have to think about or choose that most certainly doesn’t have animal flesh in it – we’re definitely reserving for August’s Picasso Cafe Veggie Dinner.
