January | 2022 | The Fat Okie

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Archive for January, 2022

Food Friday: Burger Station

Since last Saturday was a good day for a drive, I took off to the northwest corner of Oklahoma to do some exploring and I found a good burger joint in the middle of Okeene.

Right in between two old service stations is a small building that is the home of the Burger Station. Painted a bright blue to catch your attention, it sits on State Highway 51 a block east of the intersection with State Highway 8. Being that was 12:30p, the place was packed but I was lucky to get a parking spot right out front. The dining room was small but not too crowded and we walked right up to the counter to order. For such a small restaurant, they had a big menu that included lots of burgers, sandwiches, and even pizza. I got a bacon cheeseburger with a side of chili cheese tots. It didn’t take long for our food to arrive, everything looked great. The burger was excellent, 1/3rd pound of fresh beef with bacon and American cheese on top. The bun was fresh and soft, didn’t take away from the taste of the meat. This was just a straight up no frills burger, the way it should be. The chili cheese tots were good as well, tots were fried to a crisp perfection and the chili wasn’t out of a can, no it was homemade with the same meat as used in the burgers.

Even though the restaurant is small and in an old building, it was clean and the staff was really great. I loved the old sign decor, lots from not only petroliana but from local places as well. There were even pics of Okeene from the past on the wall. I give the Burger Station 5 strips of bacon, definitely worth the drive to Okeene.

Address- 118 E Oklahoma, Okeene.

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Food, Okeene OK, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Quartz Mountain Flyer

Back in 2019, I got to experience this train excursion through a part of southwestern Oklahoma. I got lucky getting the tickets after trying for years. Only a few months later I realized how lucky I was when the Quartz Mountain Flyer shut down.

This trip started at the intersection of State Highway 44 and 44A, right at the turn to go to Quartz Mountain State Park. Just a gravel parking lot next to the railroad track, just a simple sign and loading ramp to mark the location. Once on board the passenger car, you are taken through the Quartz Mountains, south of Lake Altus-Lugert, then north past the beautiful wheat fields until you reach the small town of Lone Wolf. There the volunteers of the town would treat you to a light lunch. Back onto the train to go past the fields again, then the lake, and through the deep valley to the parking lot.

Sounds like fun but unfortunately after about 20 years of service, the Flyer shut down, seemingly for good, at the end of 2019. The excursion line was run by volunteers in Lone Wolf, they would rent the engines and passenger cars from Farmrail. Being the only excursion train left in the state of Oklahoma, it was extremely hard to get tickets. Trust me when I say I got lucky to get the 3 tickets I needed for our trip. After serious flooding earlier in 2019, one of the passenger cars had been damaged. So after a few runs during the year, it was decided by Farmrail to sell the cars to the Oklahoma Railway Museum in Oklahoma City. Because of this decision, the volunteer group had to shut down. That leaves the state of Oklahoma with no true excursion rail trips.

The line was originally part of the Kansas City, Mexico, and Orient (KCM&O or The Orient) railway founded in 1900. This line was sold to the Atcheson, Topeka, and Santa Fe in 1928 and is now run by the Farmrail System.

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Oklahoma, Oklahoma history

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Food Friday: Del Rancho

For today’s review I am going to talk about an old favorite, Del Rancho. To me this restaurant is the epitome of comfort food in the Oklahoma City metro. The first time I remember eating at one, I was 6 years old and we took our food back to my grandmother’s house in Norman. While eating, I lost 1 of my teeth. It fell to the floor but I remember the panic while crawling on the floor trying to find it. If I didn’t have that tooth, I wouldn’t get a visit from the Tooth Fairy.

Of course, the best thing to order on their menu is what they are known for, the Steak Sandwich Supreme. I know there are other items on the menu, but I’ve only tried a few because I want that huge steak sandwich. Basically, it’s a chicken fried steak slapped on a bun. The steak itself is huge and when covered with lots of breading and deep fried, it becomes massive. There is just something they get right with the flavor, it is truly one of the best chicken fried steaks in town and yes you can order it just as a meal. Back to the sandwich, the chicken fried steak is placed on the bun with mayo (Miracle Whip), lettuce and tomato. Really it doesn’t get much better than the Steak Sandwich Supreme. I have read on their website that the sandwich was perfected in 1964.

They also have some of the best sides in town. I love their hand breaded onion rings. The onions are huge as well and lightly breaded with a similar taste as the chicken fried steak. The tator tots are also good and deep fried to be crisp on the outside. My favorite is the fried green beans. The only way to eat green beans are fried and they do a great job. Lightly breaded and served with a housemade ranch, my favorite side.

There are locations all over the metro area, the first one I ate at was in Norman on Lindsey Street near I-35. It’s still there after opening in 1979. There are some that you can go in and sit down and other where you just drive up. I highly recommend getting the Steak Sandwich Supreme with a side of onion rings. The true definition of Oklahoma comfort food, they get 5 strips of bacon.

Address- Norman- 2300 W Lindsey St.; Moore- 1409 N Moore Ave.; Mustang- 462 W Highway 152; Midwest City- 9411 NW 10th St., 9201 SE 29th St.; Oklahoma City- 5111 N MacArthur Blvd., 2741 NE 23rd St., 16 SW 59th St.; Tahlequah- 4800 S Muskogee.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma food

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Anadarko Heritage Museum and The National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians

Sometimes when I go out for a drive, I have a destination. Other times I just go driving and stop whenever I see something interesting. A few months ago I got in the car and took off to the southwest. No particular place in mind, but when I came upon Anadarko I drove around and found their historic Rock Island Train Depot and the Anadarko Heritage Museum located within.

This museum has a mix of Native American artifacts along with photos and items from local residents. One room on the east end of the building holds all of the Native American items- moccasins, costumes, headdresses, and lots of items with intricate beadwork. The rest of the building has various other items such as cameras, boots, hats, clothing, tools, and lots of photos from around the area.

The most interesting part of the museum is the building it’s housed in, the Rock Island Depot. Built in 1911 as a passenger station for the CRI&P (Chicago Rock Island & Pacific) railway, it sits just off Main Street between two rail lines- one ran alongside the building to the north and the other still runs along the east side curving to the south. The station was used for passengers for many years until it closed in 1974. The museum was opened in 1979 by the Philomathic Club of Anadarko. This group has been in existence since 1899 and they founded a town museum in 1936. The depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.

We also stopped at the National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians. This is really a nice place to visit if it’s a nice day. The majority of the hall of fame is outside, a nice walk with statues and busts of famous Native Americans. There are descriptions along with each statue to tell of the persons achievements. Inside is a small visitor center with some artwork by different Native artists.

These two locations are a great way to learn more about the history of Anadarko and the Native Americans who live in and around the town.

Address- National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians- 901 E. Central Blvd., Anadarko; Anadarko Heritage Museum- 311 E. Main St., Anadarko