A Pioneer in Pawhuska

I consider myself to be a foodie and a Food Network fan.  One of my favorite shows is Pioneer Woman.  I watch Ree Drummond nearly every Saturday and can spend hours watching reruns.  I enjoy the Pioneer Woman’s smiling personality and ability to tell stories and share about their life on the ranch.  So, I decided to venture to Pawhuska, Oklahoma with my husband to visit her Boarding House and restaurants.  Her Boarding House stays booked, but I was able to get a reservation on a Monday night. 

Even though I am a fan, this is my honest review of my experience at The Boarding House, The Mercantile Restaurant, The Mercantile Bakery and visiting the lodge where she films most of her shows from.

We decided to drive from our home in the Southwestern Chicago Suburbs for this adventure.  In retrospect I wish we had split the trip over 3 days rather than 2 like we did, or even had flown to Tulsa, Oklahoma airport that is on the northside of town on the way to Pawhuska.  We split up the drive down by stopping in Joplin, Missouri overnight which helped on the way down and we were fresh for Monday’s adventure. 

Monday morning, we woke up in Joplin, Missouri.  We opted for a scenic trip through Siloam Springs, Arkansas and still made it to The Boarding House in Pawhuska, Oklahoma by 3 o’clock in the afternoon.  The Mercantile Restaurant sits right on the main street and is easy to find with The Boarding House right next door.  There are two parking spaces for check-in and unloading luggage, the parking for the hotel was recommended in an offsite lot about 2 blocks away.  We received a very warm welcome upon arrival. 

The Boarding House has a total of 3 floors.  There is a wooden stairway that goes up to the rooms, or there is an elevator.  The elevator is not directly in the Boarding House but is in the General Store.  We had to wander into the store with luggage in tow and then walk on a precarious journey through the store and in through the “under belly” of the Boarding House. 

We had reserved the Butterfly room that was on the second floor.  Once we got to our room the hostess explained the room and told us a little bit about the amenities of the room, happy hour that is served starting at 4 pm, and the complimentary coffees that are delivered to the room in the morning. 

The room on first impression was very stunning.  It had a certain sense of Victorian flare mixed with southern charm.   There were two toilet areas, one when you first walk in the room with a sink and a separate bathing and shower suite that had another toilet closet.  There was beautiful decorative tile on the walls of the shower suite with a chandelier over the clawfoot soaking tub.  The shower had access on both sides and there was a sink on each side of the shower.  I think it classifies as one of the largest shower and dressing areas that I have experienced.  There was a little sitting area when you walk in the room and a couple of chairs. 

Happy hour at The Boarding House was at 4 pm and they had a small buffet set up with a small cheese and fruit plate that everyone grabbed something off.  Wine was also served, and you were allowed 2 glasses.  There is a sitting area out on the roof top of the boarding house, but it was so hot, and it sits on the west end of The Boarding House the sun was beating down with no relief from the shade.  We ended up taking our wine and snacks back to the room. 

We then ventured to the Mercantile to eat supper.  It wasn’t crowded, don’t even think we needed a reservation, but we had one anyway.  It pretty much looks like it does on the show, and we sat back by where the private dining area is.  Having grown up and lived in Texas and Arkansas I was hoping to have my Chicago born and bred husband experience some good southern cooking.  Well, it started out great and then went south from there.  First, they served a couple of buttermilk biscuits that were so tender and buttery I could have eaten a whole pan of.  I was excited for what was to come with the rest of the meal.  I wanted my husband to experience chicken fried steak and figured what better place to eat it than at a restaurant owned by the Pioneer Woman.  We also ordered a side of creamed corn and macaroni and cheese.  Well, I wanted to cry for the cow that sacrificed his life for that chicken fried steak, they did not do him justice.  It was about the toughest piece of meat I have ever experienced; it was like the cook neglected to tenderize the meat prior to breading it.  The coating on the steak was overly cooked and lacked flavor.  The gravy rather than being a true chicken fried steak gravy tasted more like it was repurposed gravy from that morning’s sausage gravy.  The corn was served in a mini cast iron skillet but was cold and had hard inedible what I am thinking was a parmesan or some kind of cheese crisp.  The macaroni and cheese my husband said was ok, I didn’t bother to try it as I was already disappointed with what I had eaten.  The mashed potatoes were okay as well, but nothing that I would rave about as they were on the runny side.  After that experience I decided to cancel our breakfast reservation and just get a breakfast sandwich, and some pastries sent to the room in the morning.  In hindsight I should have said something, but I was too tired from a long day and just wanted to get back to the room to rest.  Fortunately, I had bought some snacks and had extra cheese and crackers back in the room from happy hour that ended up being my supper. 

Back to our Butterfly Room at The Boarding House.  The negative about the room is that the bed was too high, I had a hard time getting into it.  The room had just regular white shades and the sun blaring in it did not get dark in the room.  I think if there had been heavy drapes over the windows it would have allowed for more noise reduction from someone revving up their motor outside of the hotel and a better night’s sleep.  The furniture in the room looked like it had seen a better day the padding in the sofa and chairs lacked support I had to put a pillow on the chair to help provide more padding.  The bed was comfortable, I just wish the room was darker to allow for a good night’s sleep.  The shower was great, I have to say the bathroom and dressing area was the best part of the room. 

A great perk of the Boarding House was they provided coffee service in the morning.  Of course, I had to try the spicy cowgirl coffee, which was delicious and had a nice spicy kick with the Chile syrup and cayenne pepper.  We ordered a breakfast sandwich that came with bacon, sausage, cheese and egg on it.  The sausage made it a little bit too greasy like the cook didn’t allow for the grease to drip off before putting the sandwich together, otherwise it would have been good.  Fortunately, it came with the same rockstar biscuits that we had for dinner the night before, a spice muffin and a lemon cake.  Whoever is making the pastries (not sure if they come from the deli), but they were phenomenal.  There wasn’t a miss one, including the chocolate chip cookie we ate later that day on the way home.  Everything was moist, flakey and flavorful.  Overall, I would rate it a 4 out of 5 stars, the outstanding service made it reach that point.  As a fan, I don’t regret going.  I can’t say as a fan I would be motivated to go again.  If I did, I might give the P Town Pizza place a try and definitely do more pastries as that was the best thing I ate there