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Posts tagged ‘Burgers in Stillwater OK’

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.

Food Friday: Eskimo Joe’s

There are a lot of places I’ve gone that are tourist traps, many fall flat and don’t live up to the hype. Being the good Sooner, I always felt that way about Eskimo Joe’s. Just a place for OSU fans to go, and it can’t be that good or it wouldn’t be in Stillwater. I started to change my mind about it in 2018, when Mae’s band stopped there for lunch before contest. Since we were both nervous, we just got Little Joe burgers with no sides. No, we didn’t try the cheese fries or anything else but we did come home with a couple cups to remind us of the trip. For the years since that trip I think about making a real visit but never had the chance. Last weekend I had research to do in Stillwater, so lunch at Eskimo Joe’s became a priority.

I’m lucky we decided to go earlier than noon, at 11:22a that place was already packed with a 40-minute wait time. This is probably why they have a store next door, so you can shop while waiting for a table. So while we wandered through the colorful shirts, we patiently waited for a text telling me they were ready. After a little over 30 minutes, I got the text and upstairs to our table we went. This time I was getting the world-famous cheese fries, topped with sweet peppered bacon of course. I now understand why this is one of their most popular items, they were so good. The fries were perfect, covered with a generous amount of cheese, topped with a mound of bacon. This is a must order if you go. I might try them other ways on a next visit but even if you get just the plain, it’s worth it.

Next up were our burgers, I chose to order the sweet peppered bacon and cheddar while my husband got a fire burger. This burger was one of the best I’ve eaten in many years. Juicy, well flavored meat, soft bun, and that bacon. If you are a bacon connoisseur like me, I highly recommend the sweet peppered bacon. It is the true definition of meat candy. Cooked perfectly, not too crisp or limp, covered in brown sugar with just a touch of pepper. This was true culinary heaven. My husband loved his fire burger, said it had good heat to it without being overpowered. He did add the sweet peppered bacon to his burger as well and totally agreed that this was the best bacon. We were too stuffed for dessert, so back down to the store to actually buy some shirts (once again being the good Sooner I couldn’t have one that said Stillwater or OSU, so I got one with the dog).

Eskimo Joe’s really lived up to the hype and then some. Even though it’s in Stillwater (and I could see the campus for little brother), I’m ready to go again. Full warning, give yourself plenty of time since there will be a wait. The service was excellent, even with me in my finest crimson and cream, everyone was nice and friendly. Didn’t wait long for any of the food to come out, so that’s a big plus. Overall I will definitely give them 5 strips of bacon, especially if its the sweet peppered bacon. Their food is worth the drive and wait, trust me.

A bit of the history, Eskimo Joe’s opened in 1975 as a bar. That’s the old stone building at the east end of the complex. They added food to the menu in 1984 when the drinking age was raised in Oklahoma, including the famous cheese fries, which got an endorsement from President George Bush, Sr. The building has been added onto and remodeled several times, adding a huge store to the west end.

Address: 507 W. Elm St., Stillwater.