The Haunted House: Fine dining and a great "spooky" story

by Sara Ritsch
Staff Writer

A long, winding road that you would fear to venture down at night, an eerie scene of three past unsolved murders and a secluded house in the middle of nowhere may not be where you expect to spend your evening...until you have tried the food.

The J. Bruner’s at the Haunted House fine dining experience has quite the lethal history. In 1963, the house belonged to Martin Carriker, 74. But this man did not die on the property of natural causes – he was murdered. Carriker was found dead that year, laying in the grass outside of his home with a hole in his head the size of a bullet from a .22 rifle.

Later that year, Carriker’s stepdaughter Margaret Pearson, 54, and two handymen were charged with his murder. But before she went to trial, her mother was found dead on the property – death by “natural causes.” The trial for Carriker’s murder proved incredulous and remains a cold case to this day.

Pearson was found dead of an apparent drug overdose in 1964. The house sat with deafening silence under the sound of running water when a workman found her body. The estate went into foreclosure.

Passing through the hands of multiple owners and stories, at one point being a brothel and then a speakeasy, the spooky property soon became a hot destination for fine dining and local history. Its ownership now lay in the hands of Patrick M. Boylan, who named the restaurant after his favorite steak house in Missouri, J. Bruner’s, which he also now owns. He won the bidding for the Haunted House by a mere $500 increment, sealing his fate at the ghostly establishment.

Boylan’s husband, Alek, says Boylan loves the restaurant industry and trying new things. “[Buying the Haunted House] was an act of interest. He adds things he likes, like the Lobster Mac and Cheese. He changes it to fit him, but he kept original recipes like the Battered Fried Lobster, which was a whole new thing for Oklahoma.”

At the Haunted House, they put a new focus on the quality of their business. They emphasize the points of service with their front-of-house staff, the consistency of the food with their cooks and they have reworked the price point on the menu. They have even revamped their entire wine menu.

New Executive Chef and General Manager Cally Johnson, who has been in this position since July, comments on the distinction of their food, drinks and service, saying their house liquors are what most people use as top shelf premiums. Their wine bottle prices range anywhere from $30 to $500.

She says they have plans for physical changes for the property, but, “I still want it to be the house that people recognize, and that can be done. I have lots of dreams for it.”

They are refocusing the property and business to streamline events and special occasions. To Johnson, it’s about “getting together around food.” She says food is universal and that “there is something about a food memory that lasts forever.”

Well-known items on the menu are the Lobster Macaroni & Cheese, but I tried the J. Bruner’s Famous Onion Rings, which were lightly breaded and sweet. Also on the appetizer menu, the Chicken Liver Sauté smelled as delicious as it tasted – and I never knew I would like liver. The 8-ounce corn-fed Filet Mignon almost melted in my mouth. To finish, the CrèmeBrûléewas some of the best I’ve had, with strawberries to top it off.

J. Bruner’s Haunted House is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. They are specifically a dinner destination, so their hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Haunted House is located at 7101 Miramar Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73111.

For more information and reservation requests, visit JBruners.com or ‘like’ J. Bruner’s Haunted House on Facebook.

Copyright 2016 The Gayly – October 23, 2016 @ 6:35 a.m.