There have been so many good Mexican restaurants popping up around the OKC metro and another opened in NW Oklahoma City over the summer. So on cold Friday night we decided to check them out.
Tucked away in the corner of a strip mall north of Putnam City North High School, La Herradura hasn’t even been open for a year but is gathering a good reputation. We were seated quickly with the warm chips, salsa, and warm white queso were brought out. The chips were thicker than I like but it was ok. It worked with their salsa and queso. The salsa was good, not too hot, but that white queso was incredible. I loved every bite, it had a sharpness that I haven’t experienced with queso before. I loved it so much, I went through 2 cups of it. I can judge a Mexican restaurant by how good their chimichangas are, so I went with those for this first visit. Big K had the burrito dinner. We didn’t have to wait long for our dinner to come out. I loved their beans and rice. The chimichanga was on point, fried perfectly with a good amount of ground beef inside covered with sour cream sauce. Big K’s burrito was huge, filled with shredded chicken and covered in sour cream sauce as well.
Overall I’m excited to go back ,that white queso alone is worth a trip. I will give them 5 strips of bacon.
Address: 12100 N Rockwell Ave., Suite 12, Oklahoma City.
Elk City is a cute town in western Oklahoma, Route 66 runs right through it. They have a great museum out there, they also have some great restaurants as well. One that caught our eye was Prairie Fire Grill, mostly because it’s in an old MKT train station.
We stopped early on a Saturday night and were impressed with the interior which was mostly original to the station. We decided to start with the fried goat cheese. We made a great choice. The goat cheese was split into slabs, covered in panko, and deep fried. Served with a delightful raspberry jalapeno sauce, this was an incredible appetizer. The cheese was melted perfectly with a slight bit of tang. The sauce wasn’t overly sweet or spicy but gave a depth to the goat cheese that I hadn’t experienced before. Now I wanted something different so I went with a Prairie Fire Melt with pork belly added. This sandwich had a three cheese pimento spread with the pork belly in between jalapeno bread, then grilled. It was really good. Once again the jalapeno didn’t add too much fire but just enough to make it interesting. The pork belly had been fried perfectly and paired nicely with the pimento spread. I got their gouda mac and cheese as a side, this was also really good. The gouda give it a bit of tang and the noodles were cooked perfectly. Now Big K also went different as well ordering the Prairie Meatballs. The meatballs are made of ground chuck and hot sausage, served over a bed of mashed potatoes, covered in a Dr Pepper sauce. I had a bite and would love to get that sauce in a bottle, wow. Big K loved the unique flavor of the meatballs and also loved the Dr Pepper sauce covering everything. We also had dessert, because truthfully that pecan cobbler was calling to both of us. It was like a pecan pie with a cobbler top, warmed with a big serving of vanilla ice cream. I still think about how good it was a couple months later.
Service was great, food was served quickly. Everything was so good, it’s worth an hour and a half drive from the OKC metro to check them out. They started in 2011, restored the train station, and have won many awards for their excellent food. I will give them 5 strips of bacon, trust me, it’s worth the drive.
I love a good chicken fry steak. One of my favorite foods and a state food of Oklahoma. I’ve had good ones all over the state, so I feel like I’m kind of an expert on them. The Chuck House in Oklahoma City advertises themselves as the best chicken fry steak in the state so I thought it good to check them out.
We headed to their location at NW 10th and Meridian early on a Saturday night. Got right in with no issue and placed our orders. Everything was served quickly. I was super excited but that was soon replaced my disappointment when I realized that the mashed potatoes were runny. Since I didn’t actually see them come out of the box I can’t say for sure but they sure tasted like the bland flakes from the box mashed potatoes. No flavor whatsoever, had an almost soup like consistency. The cream gravy covering them wasn’t much better. Just way too runny with no flavor at all. On to the steak. It was kind of small for a chicken fry but ok. It was good, tender, the breading wasn’t bad but it was covered in that awful gravy, so it really took away from the steak. Now Big K had their ultimate steak sandwich, which has grilled onions, cheese, and bacon. I had a bite and really liked it.
Overall I’m going to give them 3 strips of bacon. So many things could be improved and if I visit again, I’ll get the steak sandwich instead. They were friendly and service was good. The only other downside was the location, not exactly the best part of town so if you go please be careful.
Every once in a while I like to get some sushi for lunch. I have lots of good sushi options in NW Oklahoma City and a new one just opened a few months ago.
It was a quiet Friday afternoon when I stopped by to try a few items off their menu. I decided on a shrimp spring roll and a spicy cowboy roll. I was getting them to go and got them fairly quickly. The shrimp spring roll was good, huge and stuffed with shrimp and other veggies. I loved the sweet chili sauce that came with it for dipping. I moved onto the spicy cowboy roll. First of all, it was huge. Probably the biggest roll I’ve ever had. Big fat shrimp stuffed inside along with lots of cream cheese and avocado. The crap stick on top was covered in both spicy and eel sauce with lots of tempura flakes. It was so good.
Overall I was really impressed with the service and quality of the food from Hefner Sushi & Poke. I’m excited to go back and try more of their menu options. I’ll give them 5 strips of bacon.
Address: 7755 W. Hefner Rd., suite B, Oklahoma City.
While on a day trip down old Route 66, we stopped at a small burger place in Elk City for lunch. Chuck’s Place is in a small strip mall on Route 66 just as you come into town. It was lunch time and it looked like an interesting place to stop.
This is an old-style diner, just walk up to the counter and order. They don’t have a huge menu, burgers, hot dogs, and chicken nuggets along with the Oklahoma staple of chicken fried steak. Since it was lunch time, I went with a fried onion cheese burger with a side of fried cheese curds. Big K got the same but with a side of chili cheese tots. I could see the cook placing the fresh hamburger meat on the grill right after I ordered, so that’s how fresh the food was. Didn’t take long before the waitress brought our food. The burger was juicy with lots of cheese, fried onions, and fresh pickles. The fried cheese curds were awesome as well. I had a bite of the chili cheese tots and they were awesome as well.
Chuck’s Place is a good place to stop for a quick lunch, plus it’s right on historic Route 66. They also serve breakfast in the mornings, looks like I might have to get there earlier next time. They don’t do dinner, weekdays they close by 2p and weekends at 4p. I give them 5 strips of bacon.
I love nothing more than discovering small, locally owned restaurants. Norman has a lot but I don’t always get down there (even with a daughter at OU), so I have made it a mission to try these new places in Norman. The Brown Bag just opened a few months ago on Robinson and it is a must try if you visit Norman.
Located in a strip mall on the west side of Brookhaven Village, it sits close to Robinson so you can’t miss it. We visited on a Sunday afternoon and they were pretty busy, cars lined up at the window and plenty of people inside. Even with the large crowd, we got our orders quickly. I tried the bacon cheese burger with a side of onion rings. Big K got the Boomer burger and tried the fries. My burger was good, loved the melted cheddar cheese and crisp veggies. Their choice of bacon really complimented the burger, had a smoky flavor to it. I really enjoyed the onion rings; big, hand battered in a light flour. They were crisp and flavorful. I also loved the crinkle cut fries, thick-cut with a seasoning covering them, so crisp but soft inside. Big K really liked his Boomer burger, said the sauce was unique, a mix of barbeque sauce with a touch of tomato added to it.
Overall, I really liked The Brown Bag. The prices weren’t outrageous and the food was good. They also serve tacos and chicken strips, I’ll have to try those the next time. I’ll give it 5 strips of bacon.
After a long afternoon of investigating ghost towns and cemeteries in southern Logan county, we stopped for dinner in Waterloo at a small place called Dan’s Pizza. It was a good decision because they have a really good pizza that shouldn’t be missed.
Tucked in the corner of a small trip mall on the corner of Waterloo and Broadway in far north Edmond. It has just a simple store front, with tables and chairs inside. After we ordered our supreme pizza and cheese sticks, we got some Dr. Pepper from the fountain machine. Now it’s hard to find somewhere that has the right mix on their fountain machines but they did and that Dr. Pepper tasted really good. We had a chance to talk while waiting for our pizza, lots of people came in to pick up but no one else sat down to eat in. After a short wait our cheese sticks were served and the pizza not long after. The cheese sticks were great, buttery handmade crust with cheese covering the top. The pizza was similar, a thin handmade crust that had a hint of garlic butter covered with pepperoni, sausage, ground beef, mushrooms, black olives, and green peppers. I was really impressed with the quality of the pizza for such a small place. The prices weren’t outrageous either, we got out with plenty of pizza left over for about $30.
Now I say that this restaurant is in the town of Waterloo, actually at this point it’s just a community but at one time it was a town. From not long after the land run until the 1930’s, Waterloo was a town. It is now part of Edmond. I will definitely be back to try their other pizzas as well. It is worth the drive. 5 strips of bacon.
We live in Oklahoma, it’s hard to find good Chicago style food around here but Cal’s Chicago Style Eatery on NW Highway come close. I have been to Chicago a few times, I absolutely love Italian beef and sausage sandwich. My favorite comes from Portillo’s, which are all over the Chicago area.
At Cal’s, their Italian beef and sausage is very similar to that at Portillo’s. Served on a French roll, the beef has been shaved thin and has a great flavor with a touch of kick to it. The sausage buried under the beef provided all the heat to this sandwich. I had mine topped with sweet bell peppers that added a touch of sweetness to offset the spicy of the sausage. Now you can have the sandwich dipped in au jus, I haven’t in the past but did this time. I’m not going to lie, it is a mess to eat that way and I’m just not sure the au jus added anything to the taste. For a side you have several options, fries, onion rings, chili cheese fries or pickle fries. I have had them all and enjoyed everything.
I haven’t tried their other menu options, they do have Philly cheesesteaks and Gyro burgers. I really need to check those out sometime. But I’ll give them 5 strips of bacon, just for trying to bring Chicago to Oklahoma City.
Address: 7005 NW Expressway, Oklahoma City. At the NE corner of NW highway and Rockwell
Every year on my fathers birthday I try to have some barbeque in his honor. This year I wanted to try Texlahoma Barbeque in Edmond, it was really worth the fight with Edmond traffic.
It was a quiet Saturday afternoon when we stopped at their newest location on East Second Street, we had the place almost to ourselves. I follow them on social media and knew they had bacon burnt ends. Now just regular burnt ends are a treat, but everyone should know how I feel about bacon. You can order either a quarter or half pound, so I went with the half pound. I also got a dinner with sliced brisket and jalapeno cheese sausage with fried okra and mac and cheese on the side. Big K for the bbq nachos with pulled pork for something different. Our order came out quickly and we started on those bacon burnt ends immediately. So good!!! Just as you would expect, juicy and moist, with lots of caramelized bacon fat in between the meat. I could have eaten the whole thing without any help. The brisket was great as well, very juicy and could cut it with a fork. I absolutely loved the jalapeno cheese sausage, such a great flavor, not too spicy, more cheesy. The sides were good as well, mac and cheese was cooked perfectly, noodles not too soft and plenty of cheese. The okra was fried nice and crisp. Big K’s nachos were also good, the chips were thicker to hold the meat, the pulled pork was juicy and mixed well with the queso. Overall he loved them.
This was truly a great visit to Texlahoma, I’m ready to go back again. Those bacon burnt ends are worth it, I do need to note that they are only available Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So get up there on the weekend and try them out. 5 pieces of bacon burnt ends.
Address: 121 E. Waterloo. Rd., Edmond; 20802 E. 2nd St., Edmond.
Braum’s Ice Cream and Dairy Stores are everywhere in Oklahoma. Hard to find a town of any significant size that doesn’t have a Braum’s. They are a mainstay of Oklahoma, even to the point there is a Braum’s meter that floats around social media in the winter that predicts how bad a storm may be. I’ve had Braum’s many times and enjoy their ice cream. It was time for me to tackle a review of their food.
I used to love a good Braum’s burger, their beef and bacon had a great flavor to them. Last one I had was a few years ago, the burger was dry, the veggies old, and the bacon too crisp. It was awful and I hadn’t been back. Until last weekend, I just felt it was time to give them another chance. I went to a location close to me. Usually it’s packed but was quiet when we stopped. I got a straight up double bacon cheeseburger with fries and Big K tried a special sweet n spicy gouda burger. They were quick with the order and everything was correct. The fries were good like I remembered, crinkle cut, nice crisp outside with a soft middle. I was surprised by the burger, I almost didn’t want to like it at first but they made a really good burger. Bun and veggies were fresh, the cheese melted nicely. The burger patties were a nice size and had that good flavor I remembered. The bacon was perfect, not too crisp with a smoky flavor. I was pleasantly surprised. Big K liked his burger as well, said it was fresh and flavorful without being too spicy.
To finish off our dinner we had to have dessert, so we tried one of their new cookie sundaes. The triple chocolate almond cookie looked good, so I got one for the two of us to share. The cookies are on the bottom, then some hot fudge, with two big scoops of mint chocolate chip ice cream, topped by more hot fudge and whipped cream. It’s big enough to be a meal in itself, that’s why we shared. I’ve never had an issue with Braum’s ice cream, it’s always good. This sundae was great, the chocolate cookies mixed well with the mint of the ice cream.
I’m going to get a bit personal with Braum’s, in the 1980’s, when my family was falling apart, my paternal grandparents would visit us at my maternal grandmothers’ home in Norman. Grandpa always took us to the Braum’s at Flood Ave. and Gray St. We loved his visits and getting either an ice cream cone or milkshake. Now that Braum’s is a gas station but every time I pass it I have that happy memory of being with Grandpa and listening to his stories.
Now for a bit of history, the first Braum’s stores opened in the Oklahoma City metro. The grand opening for a half dozen stores was June 3, 1968, with plenty of other locations to follow. In 1975, the dairy herd was moved from Kansas to Tuttle, you can still drive between Tuttle and Minco to see the herd.
Overall, I was really impressed with this visit to Braum’s might have start going back. I’ll give them 5 strips of bacon, as long as it’s their fresh bacon.
Address: There are over 300 locations in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri, go to their website for exact locations.
The Fat Okie 