Come and travel Oklahoma with me.

Food Friday: Stella Nova

August 19, 2022

I know coffee places are all the rage now, we have a Starbucks on damn near every corner or a Scooters to drive up for a quick pick me up but I have been looking for local coffee shops. I was lucky to find Stella Nova a few months ago and with every visit they just get better.

Now I’m going to be honest, I’m not a coffee lover. Hate the taste of it just by itself but over the past year with my barista daughter I have learned to like it a bit. I really like it in the Frappuccino or frappe form. It’s really a coffee milkshake. I started liking them back when McDonald’s introduced the caramel frappe in 2009. Only in the past year did Mae introduce me to Starbucks and Scooters. So now I am actively seeking them out. In March during spring break, Mae needed a caffeine fix so we tried the location at NW 150th and Western. I had the chocolate chip frappe, which has now become my go-to drink when I visit. Another favorite of mine is the cheese danish. This danish is so good, first they are large and second, filled with cheese. So good that I have to get one when I visit, no matter what else I have. Their breakfast sandwiches and wraps are also really good. Much better than a quick breakfast item from a chain.

I have now visited the Crown Heights location as well and every time both locations are clean and the employees are nice. Even in the morning rush, they get my items out quickly. I will give them 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 1415 W. Main St., Norman; 119 N Robinson Ave., Oklahoma City; 4716 N. Western Ave., Oklahoma City; 1041 NW 150th St., Oklahoma City; 6604 Snider Plaza, Dallas.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Tale of a Tadpole to a Frog

August 17, 2022

This past weekend I lost a beloved member of my family, my pet Grey Tree Frog. I know it seems crazy to keep a frog as a pet but this little frog was special, at least to me. This is his story.

April and May of 2019 were exceptionally wet months here in central Oklahoma. That May alone was the 3rd wettest on record since 1895 with an average of 10 inches of rain. With all of this rainfall, the low spot in my backyard filled with water and stayed that way for a while. It was at some point that a pair of grey tree frogs got into the water, one laid the eggs and the other fertilized them. I didn’t notice anything swimming in the water until the first few days of June. I hoped at first that they weren’t mosquito larvae, but after another few days I could make out the bodies of tadpoles. I was super excited, I thought maybe I was going to have a herd of toads growing in my back yard. Each night I would go out and talk to them, tell them the troubles of the day. Made me feel better. But it was also summer in Oklahoma and the rain had finally stopped, as the days went on the water in the low spot started to evaporate. As the spot got smaller, I decided to rescue the tadpoles. I tried. I was able to save 41.

So for the next few weeks I had tadpoles living in a habitat I built for them using a plastic tub. I would feed them and talk to them. When it came time for tub cleaning, I would carefully scoop each one out and talk to them. I watched their back legs develop first, then the front legs popped out. On July 1st, they were ready to be frogs, at least some were. Sadly for me, most didn’t develop their front legs or their lungs. By the end of that night I had buried most of the 41 tadpoles but I had 9 frogs. Between their green coloring and the fact they liked to stick to the side of the tub, I realized that I didn’t have toads but grey tree frogs. Surprise.

After all I had been through with them, there was no way I was just going to let them hop away. Now I had to get something better to keep them in, off to the pet store for a terrarium. They had a pool, substrate, sticks to climb on, and even small baby crickets to eat. They were so much fun to watch but they were also fragile, 2 died before the end of July, another 2 in August, another 2 in September. Being an animal lover, this was hard on me. I hated seeing a dead one, I dreaded looking in the terrarium some days.

I was left with 3 small frogs but even that didn’t last. Within a period of 3 weeks, 2 died. That left me with 1, Benjamin. I never really knew if he was a boy or girl, I just liked the name. He was just a happy frog, or at least he seemed happy. He got crickets whenever he was hungry, fresh water every night, and I even got him to trust me enough to pet him. When it was time for terrarium cleaning, he would hop into my hand so I could put him in another container to keep him safe. He was funny, loved sticking to the glass to look out. He was aware we were there; he knew each of us. I could even say “Hi Benjamin” and he would put a hand up like he was waving hi. The most fun was watching him hunt for food. Each time I got crickets, I would dump them in the terrarium and say to him “dinners served”. He would go from sleeping to awake and jumping all around to get the crickets. He was best at hunting when I would catch a wild moth. I guess moths must taste really good to frogs because he absolutely loved them. I would toss it in to him and start to count, before I hit 5 he would be stuffing the wings in his mouth. He even got to travel to my mothers-in-law house when we went on vacation. Spent the entire drive at the top of his terrarium looking out the backseat window. For 3 years he brought us all a lot of happiness. I knew he was getting older and hadn’t been jumping as much but I never thought he would go so quickly. So Benjamin, I hope you know how much you were loved and now missed by your family. I hope you had fun while you were with us and now you are back with your family. Buried in the same backyard you were born in.

Benjamin- July 1, 2019- Aug 12, 2022

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Oklahoma

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Food Friday: Hynson’s Classic Burgers

August 12, 2022

I talk about it all of the time but there are a lot of burger joints in the Oklahoma City metro. Most are pretty good, a new place on the scene is Hynson’s Classic Burgers in Yukon.

They started in 2018 with a small location in Penn Square Mall but moved to the east side of Yukon in summer of 2021. With the history of small burger joints along historic Route 66, Hynson’s fits right into its surroundings in a small strip mall. My first trip last year I ordered a patty melt, it was one of the best I had tasted in a while. The bread was toasted, buttery, the cheese melting off the patty. It was great. I’ve been back a few times since and their food is always excellent. After the patty melt, my second go to is the bacon cheddar burger. Perfectly toasted bun, cheddar cheese melted over the top of the patty, and a couple strips of bacon top off this burger. The flavor of their meat is also very nice, not too seasoned so you can taste the freshness. I got fries the first trip but now every visit I get the loaded bacon cheese tots. These are so good, tots are perfectly fried with cheese and ranch drizzled over the top, then bacon bits and onion to top it off.

I will give Hynson’s 5 strips of bacon. They have a friendly staff and were quick with our order. I am happy to see that they have opened a second location in Harrah, so hopefully they will continue to expand but keep their quality.

Address: 825 E. Main St. Suite 100, Yukon; 251 S. Harrah Rd. Suite 100, Harrah, 16325 N May Ave., Edmond.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Fat Okie Far from Home: Spangles

August 9, 2022

When I’m out of town, I like to try new places to eat. I have a rule, if I can get it at home then I can’t have it out of state. One of my favorite places in the Wichita Kansas area is Spangles. I discovered this chain of Kansas based restaurants several years ago and always visit when I’m passing through.

The setting is a 1950’s style diner, complete with neon, records, and posters on the walls. The food is also throwback to the 1950’s style diner, you have burgers, fries, onion rings, and various milkshakes to choose from for dessert. This last visit I went with a sourdough garlic parmesan bacon steakburger with fries. Their burgers are really good, juicy with a nice flavor. I really like the buttery sourdough for their burger, pairs well with the bacon. Their fries are always good as well, crispy. I haven’t had a chance to try their shakes yet, I’m always too full from the burger and fries for dessert. They also serve breakfast, but I’ve never been through Kansas early enough to try it. Spangles is family owned and has been in Kansas since 1978.

Overall, I will give them 5 strips of bacon. I love their food, service, and decor. Gives me an option of someplace I like to eat when I’m in Kansas.

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Food, Kansas, Oklahoma

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Food Friday: Volcano Sushi Bar & Hibachi

August 5, 2022

Crab stick & sushi at Volcano

 

I first discovered Volcano Sushi Bar in 2017.  I knew there was a location in Moore and while I was in town, I stopped.  I had several friends rave about their sushi and they were right, some of the best sushi in the OKC metro.  So for a couple of years I would stop by this location right off of I-35 south of 19th street.  But I got lucky about a year ago, they opened a new location in NW Oklahoma City.  I am so happy to have their wonderful sushi closer to home.

I start with Crispy Crab, deep fried crab stuffed with cream cheese.  This is a true delicacy.  Light breading with crab, the taste of cream cheese envelops your mouth.  True creamy goodness.  Then the sushi roll comes out- my favorite is Lucky Lady.  Shrimp tempura with cream cheese, avocado topped with a crab stick.  This is my favorite every time I visit.  Another favorite is Space Ship, a fried scallop topped with salmon.  No rice surrounding it, what’s why they call it space ship.  I’ve tried many of their other rolls but always forget to write them down.  They have an extensive menu with rice, noodles and hibachi grilled meats.  I just haven’t tried them yet.

Service is always great at both locations that I’ve visited.  The decor is nice, the Moore location is darker but the new place in NW OKC is bright and airy.  So if you are looking for good sushi, I highly recommend Volcano.  5 strips of bacon.

 

Address:  2727 S. I-35 Service Rd., Moore; 5301 Main St. #103, Del City; 1609 Penn Park Blvd. #10, Oklahoma City; 3700 W Robinson St. Suite 164, Norman; 5612 W. Memorial Rd., Oklahoma City.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Richardson Building

July 27, 2022

Sad to say but Oklahoma has a problem with tearing down and ignoring history. On Friday July 22, 2022, Union City lost one of the oldest buildings in town- the Richardson Building. I loved driving through Union City just to see this 112-year-old building standing quietly on the corner.

Founded in 1900, Dr. David Richardson bought the bank in 1906. The bank got its new building in 1910 at the northeast corner of Division St and Main St. (now Kate Boevers Ave.). Built across from the school, this building not only housed the bank on the corner but to the east was a hardware store that later became a grocery. The building suffered a fire in the interior in 1928 and was rebuilt. It was used as a bank until 1977 when a new building was constructed on Highway 81. The old building then sat vacant for many years. It was added to the National Register of Historic Properties in 1983.

The town on Union City was founded on April 10, 1894. Dr. David Richardson moved to town not long after to establish his medical practice. He not only was the town doctor, and later banker, but served as postmaster for Union City. He was appointed as State Bank Commissioner by Governor E.W. Marland in 1938 and served 1 year.

As I stated, this building has been abandoned since at least 1977, it was a cool building but also old and falling apart. I had heard rumors on July 22, 2022, that it would be demolished that day, I waited for a few days before I drove to Union City. There was just a dusty concrete pad where the 112-year-old Richardson Building had sat, another historical building gone.

These pics I took in Aug 2016. As time went on, more things were missing such as the arrow sign.

These pics were taken July 2022. You can see the brick footing for the building.

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National Register of Historic Places, Oklahoma, Oklahoma history

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Center of the Universe

July 19, 2022

So I like to visit silly places and tourist attractions. Some live up to the hype, some don’t. The Center of the Universe in Tulsa sounds silly and a waste of time but in reality, it was cool.

First up is to find parking near the attraction, looks like parking is free on weekends and at night. You can park near the Union Depot, in one of the parking garages or just on the street. You then walk up onto the bridge that goes over the railroad tracks. When you get to the brick circle you are there, no signs or anything to point it out. Just go and stand in the center of the brick circle and speak. Sounds like you’re in a tunnel or in a pipe with the echo. I was skeptical at first but it really is strange. Just stand there and start talking, you will hear yourself. You can still hear those outside the circle and they can hear you.

No one is really sure why this happens, the bridge was reconstructed in 1983 after a fire damaged the original bridge. It wasn’t designed to be an “acoustic anomaly” but for some reason it is. Many people have theories, nothing scientifically proven. On the south side of the circle is a statue called The Artificial Cloud by Robert Haozous, it was placed there in 1991. It just seems to help with the eeriness of the location. If you’re in Tulsa this is a good place for a short side trip. Also it’s free unless you have to pay to park. Shouldn’t take any longer than 15 minutes unless there’s a crowd.

Address: 1 S Boston Ave., Tulsa.

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Oklahoma, Oklahoma history, Tulsa

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Coffee Corner: Starbucks (OU Student Union)

July 13, 2022

Starbucks is a classic in the coffee shop community. With hundreds of stores across the country, they are dedicated to serving quality coffee to their customers and creating new and trendy products for them to try. I personally am a regular at the Starbucks in the OU Student Union. This store recently moved to a new, larger location, as their previous store was small and cramped, not good for all of the students waiting to order. Their new location is larger than any Starbucks I have personally ever been in, with carved wooden seats and glass walls giving a view into the primary hallway of the Student Union. My personal order is always the Crispy Grilled Cheese, which has a mix of cheeses on sourdough bread, topped with a layer of crispy baked cheese. My usual drink is a simple mocha, which is sweeter than any other coffee shop I have been to. I’m there so often they know my name and start preparing my order before I even get to the counter. They offer all of the typical items on the Starbucks menu, and their friendly staff is ready to serve whatever you are feeling that day. This is only a review for the Starbucks at the Student Union of the University of Oklahoma. Not all are the same and there are many locations to choose from now. Written by Mae.

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Oklahoma, Oklahoma food, University of Oklahoma

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Fat Okie Far from Home: Needles Highway

July 12, 2022

I love living in Oklahoma, been here my whole life and my family has been here for 5 generations, but if I were to move, it would be to the Black Hills of South Dakota. So beautiful there, mountains, streams, and lots of wildlife. We first visited this area in 2011, I hated leaving and have wanted to go back for many years. I finally got my wish this past May, we packed my little Jeep and headed north. Once there, I found many fun things to do but the one I liked best was taking on the Needles Highway.

I normally hate being on curvy mountain roads, Big K has always driven and I sat in the passenger seat, taking pictures and looking down the side of the mountain. We’ve done several roads like this- the Blue Ridge Parkway and Route 66 to Oatman AZ are 2 that I really hated. But this time was different, I drove. I don’t drive on vacation since we have always taken Big K’s vehicles but this time we took my new Jeep and I wanted to drive. The long stretches of interstate were boring but when I got into the mountains, it was different. I had to pay attention to the curves and where the side of the road was, plus make sure I could squeeze through the one-lane tunnels.

Beaver Creek Bridge, South Dakota
Bison on the side of South Dakota State Highway 87

Officially this is South Dakota State Highway 87, it starts at the junction with US 385 and heads north into Custer State Park. This part is the calm before the storm- yes there are plenty of hairpin turns and the 1-lane Beaver Creek bridge (built in 1929) but it’s really not so bad. Goes through some nice rolling hills with plenty of wildlife. Nothing like coming around a curve and seeing a huge male bison on the side of the road. I even stopped to enjoy the beautiful mountain streams that flow through the area. Eventually you intersect with US 16A, just head east with a stop at Legion Lake, then another mile to go back north.

Legion Lake, Custer State Park, South Dakota
French Creek, Custer State Park, South Dakota

Now you are more into the mountains, lots more curves until you eventually get to the first tunnel. The Iron Creek tunnel is 1-lane (8 feet 9 inches wide and 10 feet 10 inches tall) but not too long. You just keep going, not realizing that you are actually going up into the mountains. The first time you get to turn off and enjoy the scenery is at West Custer Township View parking lot. That’s where you can look to the north and see the “needles” that you will be driving into, literally. There are also lots of turnoffs to stop and enjoy the scenery or take a break from driving. After a short drive you find yourself in the “Cathedral Spires”. These are named because the granite formations look like spires on a cathedral. There is also a place to park for hiking the trail, looks to be about a mile and a half and listed as strenuous. I didn’t try it this time but would like to go back and attempt it. Not too far from this you get to the needles part of the road and where you go through the “Needles Eye” tunnel. This tunnel is also 1-lane and when I say that I mean it, it’s only 8 feet wide and 9 feet 9 inches tall. This is the longest of the 3 tunnels, seems like it takes forever but really maybe only a minute. Best to make sure nothing is coming through the tunnel from the opposite direction or someone will have to backup. It’s tight but honestly thrilling to drive through. Then you start down from the needles past some more trailheads to Sylvan Lake, where there is a rock formation in the lake.

Cathedral Spires, Custer State Park, South Dakota
“Needles”, Custer State Park, South Dakota
Needles Eye Tunnel, Custer State Park, South Dakota
Needles Eye Tunnel, Custer State Park, South Dakota

Just past the lake you meet up with SD Highway 89, just keep going north to experience the Hood Tunnel (8 feet 9 inches wide and 9 feet 8 inches tall) and down a bunch more switchbacks. Lots more curves finally take you back to US 385 where you can head north to Hill City or south to Custer.

Going through Hood Tunnel on the Needles Highway, Custer State Park, South Dakota

This is definitely not a drive for a beginner or someone who is afraid of driving tunnels and mountains. Also don’t take a big vehicle or try to drag a trailer through here. I’ve heard some try and they have even succeeded but it would make the drive so much more stressful. My recommendation is get a car you love and take it. I also recommend a lot of patience, put something good on the radio and leave it. Don’t be in a hurry, there are times you maybe only get up to 15mph. If you are taking kids, tell them to look out the window and be quiet. This drive is totally worth the time and effort. I’m ready to do it again.

Sylvan Lake, Custer State Park, South Dakota

A bit of history, this highway was completed in 1922. It was planned by former South Dakota governor Peter Norbeck who marked the entire course by foot and horseback. This road is closed after the first snowfall of the year and reopens in the spring.

Custer State Park, South Dakota

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South Dakota, Vacation

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Coffee Corner: Einstein Bros. Bagel Company

July 6, 2022

Possibly one of my favorite coffee shops in the world is Einstein Bros Bagel Company. Years ago, the only way that I ever enjoyed Einstein Bros was from the few they sold at Target, usually the asiago flavor. I remember that my mom would buy one for each of us, and for dinner that night we would have bagel sandwiches, which I always enjoyed. When Target ceased to carry Einstein Bros, I had no way of enjoying them anymore. However, upon first visiting the location in Headington Hall at the University of Oklahoma, I immediately fell back in love. This became my regular Saturday morning breakfast, and my regular food item of choice is simple. The six-cheese bagel is rich and cheesy, crisp on the edges and melty in the middle, and is best when paired with onion and chive cream cheese (referred to on the menu as “shmear”). As far as coffee goes, I prefer either a cold brew shake or a hot mocha. A cold brew shake is similar to a Frappuchino, but due to being made with cold brew is more bitter and coffee flavored, but still much sweeter than straight cold brew. The mochas are similar to Starbucks, if a little less sweet.

Overall, I rate Einstein Bros Bagel Company 10/10. Written by Mae.

Address: 100 E Lindsey St., Norman; 6500 S MacArthur Blvd., Oklahoma City; 2660 E 21st. St., Tulsa; 440 s Gary Ave., Tulsa; 8125 E 101st. St., Tulsa; 7777E Apache St., Tulsa.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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