LUNCH AT MATEO

I love Mateo. They've been open for a little over a year (I wrote about my first visit the same week they opened), and it's amazing every time I go. You feel like you're in some sexy Barcelona back alley, but somehow eating Deep South comfort food. It's why I had my birthday dinner there (and celebrated the completion of my first Whole30!), and why I'm surprised it's taken me this long to try it out for lunch. 

My good friend (and former coworker, and fellow OKC transplant) Natalie celebrates her birthday this Sunday, so we decided to kick off her birthday weekend with a leisurely lunch today. That meant a drink at 11:45am, and a cupcake flight across the street afterwards. Mateo wasn't busy yet, and I loved really being able to check out the interior in the quiet light of day (part of that back-alley-Barcelona vibe is built on low light and a house full of animated voices). I love the combination of oversized aged mirrors, demijohn lights, open utilitarian storage, and grey Marais chairs. And, of course, the food. I had a sandwich with serrano ham, goat cheese, pepper jelly, and apple, all on a toasted baguette that somehow had a layer of cheese cooked on the outside of it. Too good, too good.

We're going out again tomorrow night for drinks and cake (man, I love my foodie friends). As is my tradition, we'll talk about what she's most proud of accomplishing this past year, and what she wants to accomplish in the next year. It's like a New Year's resolution, except all the focus is on you. And there's cake.

Happy birthday (weekend), Natalie!