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Posts tagged ‘Burgers in Oklahoma’

Food Friday: Ron’s Hamburgers and Chili

For quite a while there’s been a commercial on local tv that is featuring different businesses in The Shoppes at Northpark (Northpark Mall for all of us old-timers). In that commercial they show some of the items on the menu for Ron’s Hamburger and Chili. Front and center is one of the best looking footlong hot dogs I’ve ever seen. I decided it was time for us to visit again.

All 3 of us got to go on a Saturday afternoon. Since you can get to the restaurant from the parking lot, you don’t have to walk through the mall to find it. As good as that hot dog looked, I decided to order a basic bacon cheeseburger. Miss Mae got the footlong hot dog without chili and Big K got the Polish special. We also got mozzarella sticks and onion rings to share. Everything came out pretty quickly and it all looked just as good in real life as it did on tv. First up were the baskets of onion rings and mozzarella sticks. The rings were great, the breading had a great taste as did the sweet onions inside. The sticks were the same way, bigger than most, they were good to share. My bacon cheeseburger was good. Nice solid burger with lots of veggies, cheese, and bacon bits all stacked on a toasted bun. Nothing fancy about this burger, just what you want out of a bacon cheeseburger. Now for that footlong hot dog, I had a bite, next time I’ll be ordering it only with chili. The bun was toasted, the dog itself had that good snap with a great flavor. Big K’s Polish special was interesting, spaghetti with chili and Polish sausage on top. It’s an interesting mix but we actually tried this dish in Ohio this past May. He really loved it, thought everything was cooked perfectly from the pasta to the chili.

We had been to Ron’s several times in the past, the most memorable visit was in 2010. We took my husband’s uncle to their former Edmond location to thank him for donating bone marrow to my father-in-law. The Edmond location is closed and this new location has been in Northpark Mall for about 2 years. The employees were really nice, even complimenting my daughter on her newly colored purple hair. If you are looking for a good burger, hot dog, or even something different like chili over spaghetti, check Ron’s out. They have lots of locations around the state. I give them 5 strips of bacon, preferably wrapped around that hot dog.

Address: 11956 N. May Ave., Oklahoma City; 1913 S Elm Place, Broken Arrow; 1220 S. Lynn Riggs Blvd., Claremore; 351 N. Air Depot, Midwest City; 130 W. 141st. St., Glenpool; 505 W. Main St., Jenks; 233 S. Adams Rd., Sand Springs; 9100 N. Garnett Rd., Owasso; 1440 S. Denver, Tulsa; 7119 S. Mingo Rd., Tulsa; 6548 E. 51st St., Tulsa; 8201 S. Harvard, Tulsa; 804 W. Rogers, Skiatook; 811 E. 6th St., Stillwater; 1105 W. Cherokee St., Wagoner; 18415 FM 1488 Magnolia, TX; 14257 FM 2920, Suite 210, Tomball, TX; 1702 S. Walton Blvd., Bentonville, AR.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Food Friday: Brandy’s Drive-In

A few weeks ago, on a very hot Saturday, I decided to take off to the northeast central part of Oklahoma. Saw a couple of small towns, lots of historic buildings, and an historic bridge. Of course, I got hungry. That’s when I found Brandy’s Drive-In.

Located on the main highway through Fairfax, the small restaurant sits on the east side of the road just before you get to the main town (if you’re coming in from the south). The menu is pretty straight forward, burgers, sandwiches, sides. I got a bacon cheeseburger and bacon cheese fries. Even though the dining room was empty, the drive-through window stayed constant with cars lined out into the street. With all of that traffic, my food still came out quickly. The burger was nice sized, lots of fresh veggies. Loved the taste of the burger and bacon, everything worked well together. This wasn’t a fancy burger just a straight up bacon cheeseburger. The fries were equally as good. Crinkle cut with melted cheese and lots of bacon pieces on top.

This was an excellent place to stop for lunch. it really is the typical small-town burger joint that are getting hard to find in Oklahoma. I highly recommend a stop if you are going visiting Fairfax. Lots of history in the small town, from the Tallchief sisters to the Killers of the Flower Moon. Stop into Brandy’s Drive-In, I give them 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 100 N. Main St., Fairfax.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Food Friday: Brownie’s Hamburger Stand

Last weekend I decided to head up to Tulsa for the Darryl Starbird car show. Now the show itself was totally worth it, loved seeing so many wonderful custom autos in one place. After walking for 4 hours, it was time for dinner so about 5p we stopped at a little burger joint and we were not disappointed.

Brownie’s Hamburger Stand is in a small building on the west side of Harvard just south of E 21st St. We were lucky to get a parking spot but had to wait for a couple minutes for a table to come open. Once we were seated, we looked over the menu. They had been so busy that day and were sold out of some things, so we didn’t order the burgers we wanted to try so we chose differently. Big K went with a classic Theta burger and I tried the smothered onion burger with an extra slice of bacon, for sides we ordered cheese fries and onion rings. The onion rings actually came to the table first with the cheese fries not far behind. Now when we were waiting, I watched one of the chefs prepare the onion rings. He took a handful of fresh cut onions and tossed them in the breading mix, from there right into the fryer. I absolutely loved these onion rings, the breading was light and flavorful. They were addictive and before I realized it, the big basket was empty. The cheese fries were also really good, the fries were perfectly cooked and covered in melted cheese. These went quick as well. As we were finishing the fries, the burgers came out. The smothered onions with lots of melted cheese were perfect on this burger along with the bacon. The meat was juicy and the buns buttery. Big K liked his Theta burger, loved the way the barbeque sauce brought out the flavor of the meat.

They were so busy that they did actually shut down after we were seated, they had no place to put anyone and the kitchen was behind. But their service was great and the girls were friendly. Brownie’s has been in Tulsa since 1956, there are lots of mementos from their history around the restaurant. They have tables or if you want to go old school, there is counter seating as well. I will definitely be back whenever I’m in Tulsa. 5 strips of bacon along with some onion rings.

Address: 2130 S Harvard Ave., Tulsa.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food, Tulsa

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Food Friday: Chuck’s Place

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.

Address: 308 N Van Buren Ave., Elk City.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Food Friday: The Brown Bag

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.

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Food, Norman, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Food Friday: Braum’s Ice Cream and Dairy Stores

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.

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Food Friday: Biglow’s Burgers

The whole purpose of my Food Friday feature is to bring attention to local restaurants. I really want to be able to give 5 strips of bacon on every review but I also know it’s not always possible. Biglow’s Burgers is an excellent example. When it first opened around the beginning of the year, I was excited. I had read reviews about the food truck and it sounded great. So on a cool Friday night we visited.

They had been open for about a month and I had heard about the issues they were having, I had hoped those had been worked out. It took 10 minutes just for us to place an order for dine in, and the cashier wasn’t exactly the nicest person, not even able to answer basic questions about the menu. So we took a seat near the back, the whole interior looked unfinished and the tables look like they had been used and abused. There we sat, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, then at 27 minutes someone realized they had forgotten to make our order. We were brought some complimentary egg rolls which turned out to be cold in the middle. And we continued to sit. By this time I had noticed that it was really cold in the restaurant, I don’t think they had the heat turned on. Finally after 40 minutes we got our order. The burger was just ok, I wasn’t blown away by it. The fries were awful, way too much salt. We finished and left. Back near the end of March we decided to try again, even though the hours on the building and online said they closed at 8p, the restaurant was dark. It was 6:30p on a Friday night and they were already closed. Some other potential patrons were sitting in their car nearby and told us that a very rude employee locked the door in their face when they tried to enter.

I’m giving them 2 strips of bacon, I hope they improve in the future but with 3 other really good burger places within a mile of the restaurant I just have no reason to attempt another visit.

Address: 12309 N Council Rd. Suite 1, Oklahoma City.

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Food Friday: Barry’s Grill

You ever drive by a restaurant and think “I need to try this place”? I have done that for years driving by the big green burger sign for Barry’s Grill on North May Aveune. It even smells good when I stop next door at Bedford Camera, after years of thinking about it I stopped and truthfully I wish I hadn’t.

First thing I noticed when I walked in wasn’t the old time menu sign, it was the dirty unvacuumed floors. I got over it and ordered a bacon cheeseburger with a side of tots. The guy behind the counter took my order but didn’t seem friendly. As I took a seat I noticed a old musty smell that permeated the restaurant. The tables were clean but obviously had some age to them. The whole vibe was 1960’s cafeteria. The pictures on the wall were faded to blue and the “greenery” in between the tables was older than me. Before my burger was ready I took a quick trip to the bathroom, indoor outhouse is a good description. A couple minutes after I returned to the table my order was ready. It did bother me that the tray was sticky. The tots were just plain tots, nothing really special. The burger was the same, nothing special. The veggies were fresh and crisp and the bacon was cooked perfectly. It was just ok though. I wasn’t blown away, really along the lines of a fast-food burger. I finished my food and left. The odd smell was still there and really permeated my experience.

From my research, this business has been at the location since at least 1996. I think it does a good job attracting a lunch crowd not looking for anything fancy. Personally I don’t think I’ll return. I give them 2 strips of bacon.

Address: 3124 N May Ave., Oklahoma City.

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Food Friday: Nic’s Grill

Nic’s Grill is known around the country, several tv shows have featured it, many magazines have done stories on it.  My first visit was a few years ago, at the time it was only open during the week for lunch.  Even though we got there early, my claustrophobia set in and we got the burgers to go.  Now after a 30-minute drive back home I wasn’t really impressed with the burger.  But I wanted to give them another chance, I just needed to work through being in such a small place.

While passing it a few months ago, I found out that they are now open on Saturday as well.  So I took a long breath and went in.  To say this place is tiny is an understatement, there is a long counter with 9 stools overlooking the grill, a shorter counter near the window on one side of the door and 2 small tables on the other side of the door.  I felt it best to sit in the corner with one window behind me and another I could see out.  The menu was pretty straightforward, burger or cheeseburger, by themselves or in a combo.  You do get a selection of cheese and can get add ons like bacon or mushrooms.  The only sides are curly fries.

My order was taken quickly even though they only have 2 employees, one on the grill and one doing everything else.  I didn’t wait long for lunch to be delivered.  The curly fries were the first thing I tried, freshly cut, fried, and lightly salted.  They were really enjoyable and a reminder that simple can be good.  Then the burger, it was huge.  Lettuce, tomato, pickles, lots of fried onions and melty cheese all piled on top a nice sized patty with a soft bun.  I was pleasantly surprised how good it was, juicy, needed to use both hands to eat it.  I really wish I had tried it fresh years ago, was much better experience this time around.

I keep mentioning it was a small place, it really is. No place for large groups or small children (I did watch parents realize this when they opened the door). It’s just an old time burger stand, not seen like this in many years. Only open for the lunch crowd and still closed on Sunday. I will go back as long as I can sit near the windows again, I’ll give them 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 1201 N Pennsylvania Ave., Oklahoma City.

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Food Friday: Burger Punk

I say all the time, there are lots of burger places in the Oklahoma City metro but only a few have been good. Burger Punk is one I’ve heard about but hadn’t tried until last weekend.

What started as a food truck, has now evolved into a brick-and-mortar location on the east side of the Paseo District. Painted all in black, it looks like an interesting place to try. The black theme continued inside, with pink and purple lights accenting the tables and bar. We took a seat near the window and immediately had someone there to help us find their online menu and take our drink order. We both tried their March special- Mushroom Whiskey Burger. This nice sized burger had truffle mayo, lots of mushrooms, Swiss cheese, and a sauce called Whiskey-A-Go-Go. Our orders came out pretty quick, and this burger was outstanding. The meat had a nice flavor and was juicy. The mix of the truffle mayo and the whiskey sauce really worked on this burger. There was a small pool of sauce that had run off the burger and I was dipping it in the sauce because it was so good. It wasn’t strong with the whisky flavor and had more of a honey type texture. I love truffles and the mayo was perfect, had the right truffle earthiness to it. I got the lil macaroni as a side, this mac and cheese had large rigatoni smothered in a tangy cheese sauce. Add in some roasted jalapenos and top it off with some panko breadcrumbs, this really complimented the burger. Big K got the crinkle cut fries, also doused in what they call “liquid gold”.

I’m excited to try them again, the service was great. The dining room and bar area were a bit small but there’s also a patio area which will be good now that spring and summer are about here. Not going to lie, not a lot of parking. I got lucky and got a space right up front but I know it can get crazy in that area. Overall I really enjoyed my first trip, 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 3012 N Walker Ave., Oklahoma City.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma food

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