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Posts tagged ‘Edmond’

Food Friday: Tikka Craze

Craving some Pakistani/Indian food? Well I found a small place on North Portland Ave that serves some really good food and it’s not a buffet.

We have been meaning to try Tikka Craze for quite a while, honestly keep forgetting. So one Saturday night, while out taking pictures of historic places, we both remembered and stopped in to try it out. Once again, another case of we should have stopped in earlier. Located in a big shopping center, there is a small dining room and you order at the counter. The girl who took our order was super nice and understanding. The have a big selection on their menu so we decided to try the combo meal with 2 entrees. I got sweet butter chicken and spinach with potato while Big K got grilled chicken tikka also with spinach and potato. The combos come with biryani and rice as well as a warm pita. It didn’t take long for us to get our food. My butter chicken was great, had a lovely sweet taste that I had not experienced before. The spinach with potato was great as well, had a buttery base that enhanced the flavor. The biryani and rice did have a bit of heat to it but nothing overwhelming. The highlight was the pita. So fresh and light, just the right amount of butter melted on top. It truly made the whole dinner. Big K loved everything in his combo. He agreed about the pita. The servings are huge and we both took home leftovers.

Tikka Craze is a really good place for Pakistani/Indian food. It helps if you know what you are getting, if you aren’t familiar with the food for this region I do suggest a buffet to try first. I’m giving them 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 4104 N. Portland Ave., Oklahoma City; 301 S. Bryant Ave., Edmond.

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Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Food Friday: Pattie’s Hamburgers & Roast Beef

Found another new burger place that lives up to the hype, Pattie’s Hamburgers & Roast Beef in Edmond. I know I’ve complained in the past about the number of burger places in the Oklahoma City metro but I’m always happy to have a good place enter the discussion.

We stopped in on a Friday night, there were quite a few people enjoying dinner already. We got a table and looked over the menu. Got our order taken pretty quickly- I went with the bacon cheeseburger, of course, with a side of onion rings while Big K got the spicy big sexy with fries. It didn’t take too long for the orders to come out and everything looked great. The bacon cheeseburger was covered in melted cheddar, caramelized onions, and some of the best bacon I’ve had in a while. Seriously, that bacon had a smoky sweetness that I don’t usually find in a restaurant. I also really liked the onion rings, they were similar to Sonic onion rings but better. The spicy big sexy that Big K got was interesting- two patties with bacon, cheddar cheese, grilled onions, grilled jalapenos, fried pickles, spicy mayo, fresh lettuce and tomato. The fries were double fried, the type that are crispy on the outside but soft in the middle. He loved every bite and agreed that the bacon was amazing.

I had been hearing a lot of positive about Pattie’s in different groups, everyone was right, they have good burgers. I’m excited to go back and try some of their other menu items. I’m giving them 5 strips of that really good bacon.

Address: 1149 E. 2nd Street, Edmond. (In the shopping center to the east of UCO, just west of the Walmart Market)

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Food Friday: Billy Sims Barbeque

I am a lover of good barbeque. Some brisket, pulled pork, sausage, or hot links, don’t care, I like it all. As strange as this comment might seem, it is hard to find in Oklahoma City. Yeah, we have lots of burger places but really only a few barbeque joints. Billy Sims Barbeque has been around for a while. I stopped once and wasn’t impressed but was in the mood, so I thought I would give them another try.

On a quiet Saturday night, we stopped in for dinner. The place was empty, so it didn’t take long to order or get the food. I just went with a sliced brisket dinner with loaded potato salad and mac and cheese. The brisket was good, not overly flavorful though. I did need the hickory barbeque sauce to liven it up. The Loaded potato salad was excellent, tangy with bacon bits. The mac and cheese was edible. Not my favorite but not as horrible as a frozen diet lunch I had a few weeks ago. I absolutely hated their bread, it could have been buttered on both sides when they toasted it, too dry. Big K got a combo dinner with sliced brisket and hot links with the same sides as well. He liked the brisket, thought the hot links were good but not too spicy.

Billy Sims is a football legend in Oklahoma. He was a running back for the University of Oklahoma from 1975-79, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1978. He went on to play with the Detroit Lions for a few seasons before retiring after an injury. In 2004, he opened with the first location in Tulsa. Since then the franchise has spread to six states. I will give them 4 strips of bacon. It wasn’t horrible but could be so much better. There are 22 locations in Oklahoma, with 12 more in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan.

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Barbeque in Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Food Friday: Blue Moon Chinese Restaurant

I have been by Blue Moon Chinese Restaurant at least a thousand times over the years but never stopped. Once again another place I should have tried earlier. This isn’t a Chinese buffet (which I do love the buffets), this is a real sit-down family style restaurant.

The atmosphere from the time you walk in is different, immediately hit with a calm. It was a casual environment, very laid back. Plus the decorations in the building were beautiful and calming as well. We had to start the order with their famous egg rolls. We had both heard about the egg rolls and the fact they have won best egg roll in the metro area several times. Truthfully they lived up to their reputation. Full of cabbage and pork, really good. We also tried their crab rangoons. These were also good. Loved the crisp with the creamy crab cream cheese filling. For my entree, I got the butterfly shrimp. These are shrimp, wrapped in bacon and deep fried in a tempura batter. They were huge and tasted wonderful. I actually had to bring some home because they were just so big. Surprisingly, they reheated nicely as well. Big K got the Cantonese chicken. This is cut up chicken with carrots and onion. He really loved it and cleaned his plate. The also brought out fried rice served family style. This fried rice was so good. I could have eaten it all by myself. It was perfect. Family style in Chinese food means it’s for everyone at the table to share.

I wish I would have tried this place much earlier, it is now in my rotation of favorites. I give them 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 1320 S. Broadway, Edmond.

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Food, Oklahoma

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Food Friday: Donatos Pizza

Once again, I don’t often review chain restaurants but I will let this one slide. Donatos Pizza is big in Ohio and came to Oklahoma a while back. We had heard good things about them, so one night Big K stopped by to get takeout.

We started with the garlic asiago cheese bread. This was as good as it sounds. Lots of asiago cheese melted to the top of the bread with a good amount of garlic butter slathered on top of it all. Judging from the bread alone I knew the pizza was going to be good as well. We got a Founders Favorite to try. It is a good pizza. Pepperoni, sausage, shaved ham with banana peppers. I enjoyed every bite. We got it on thin crust which had a nice light flavor. The only thing that threw me off at first was the fact the pizza wasn’t cut like normal, it was in squares. Interesting, didn’t affect the taste. On a second visit we got the hot honey pepperoni. This is an awesome pizza. I’m really starting to like the hot honey trend and it really works on this pizza.

Overall we really liked Donatos Pizza and are looking forward to trying more of their pizzas in the future. I give them 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 1148 S. Bryant Ave., Edmond.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Food Friday: Louie’s Grill & Bar

A casual restaurant in the Oklahoma City metro to not sleep on is Louie’s. I’ve been a couple of times and the food has always been solid.

I’ve had their burgers many times. One of my last visits I had The Joker burger. This burger isn’t a joke, seasoned patty topped with spicy mac and cheese, bacon, and cheddar jack cheese. Big and juicy with lots of flavor. Since I enjoyed the burger so much, on my next visit I tried their straight up mac and cheese. Same spicy mac and cheese topped with chicken, bacon, cheddar jack, parmesan, and breadcrumbs. So good, creamy with not too much heat. The weren’t stingy with the chicken or bacon either with plenty of both to mix well with the pasta and cheese. I have tried a couple of the appetizers as well. The fried pickles are good, love the type of dill pickles they use. My favorite are the fried green beans. Just love the way they taste, just a bit of a kick to them. Both are served with their chipotle ranch with is also quite good. For some reason, every time Big K goes with me, he gets the beer battered fish platter. He really likes it so I won’t complain too much.

There are lots of Louie’s around. They are part of the Hal Smith Restaurant group which owns a lot of local chains in the metro. I give them 5 strips of bacon. They’ve always been good and consistent with good service.

Address: 1640 N. 9th St., Broken Arrow; 1389 E. 15th St., Edmond; 813 E. A St., Jenks; 6007 SE 15th St., Midwest City; 1601 S I-35 Service Rd., Moore; 3750 W. Robinson St., Norman; 301 W. Boyd St., Norman; 1201 NW 178th St., Oklahoma City; 9401 N. Lake Hefner Parkway, Oklahoma City; 7216 Northwest Expressway, Oklahoma City; 9101 S. Western Ave., Oklahoma City; 720 S. Main St., Stillwater; 6310 E. 101st St., Tulsa; 1600 Garth Brooks Blvd., Yukon.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Food Friday: Creme de la Crumb

I’ve been seeing adds for a pastry bakery in far NE Edmond for quite some time, since I was in Edmond on business, I decided to drive a bit further and check them out.

Tucked away in strip mall north of Covell east of I-35, Creme de la Crumb is a hidden gem. I was there on a quiet afternoon, the pastry case was still full. They serve up pastries, both sweet and savory. I wanted to try both so I got some of each. For the savory, I got a sausage roll and a ham and cheese croissant. The sausage roll had a breakfast sausage rolled into the flaky pastry dough. Was so light and flavorful. The ham and cheese croissant was a true delight, made with locally sourced ham and cheese. The ham was a black forest type style which had a great flavor, matched with a smooth mozzarella all stuffed into the croissant. For the sweet I got a cream cheese Danish, pistachio snail, and a cookie butter puff. I started with the Danish. I like to judge pastry by how good the Danish is and this one was amazing. The cream cheese wasn’t too thick as to take away from the pastry. The pistachio snail was also really good. Lots of pistachio pieces over the top, covering it. My favorite of all was the cookie butter pastry. Lots of cookie butter slathered on top with a whole Biscoff cookie topping it. Now I’m a cookie butter fan and this was truly one of the best ways I’ve had it in a dessert.

I highly recommend that you make a trip to NE Edmond to try this place out. They had so many other options that I would love to try. They also serve coffee, so you can always stop in for a coffee and pastry as a break from the busy world. I’ll give them 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 5825 E. Covell Rd., Edmond.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Food Friday: Boom Town Creamery

Every once in a while I like to have a sweet treat, Boom Town Creamery has become a favorite in Edmond. I had heard about their first location in the Uptown district of Oklahoma City but to be honest, I don’t get down there often. They started in 2021 on NW 23rd street to great fanfare and have been very popular. In summer of 2023, they moved to Edmond taking over the former Dolci Paradiso location on 5th Street.

This location is a bit closer to home, so much easier to access. I’ve stopped in several times and always have a great experience. Their ice cream is made in small batches with several flavors available. They can serve the ice cream in a come or cup, or if you are adventurous, a flight. They also have pints to take home. They do have several flavors, I have tried the chocolate tornado, cherry goat, cookies and cream, and cookie butter. They are all smooth and flavorful, you can’t take a bite without tasting the add-ins, which is a good thing when it comes to ice cream. What I have loved the best with every flavor is the consistency of the smoothness, it is more like a frozen custard than ice cream.

Service is great and there is seating outdoors, so you can enjoy the evening if you go at night. It is a bit small inside but it seems most people went outside or just left entirely. There is a park right across the street, so that is an option as well. I give them 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 17 E. 5th St., Edmond; 605 NW 23rd St., Oklahoma City; 10740 S. May Ave. #116, Oklahoma City.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Food Friday: Charleston’s Restaurant

I never want to write a bad review, I always go into a restaurant with high expectations. 95% of the time everything goes great. Then there are times it doesn’t and this seems to happen to me every time I go to Charleston’s. My extended family is obsessed with Charleston’s, almost any time we get together, this is where we meet. Every time we gather there are problems, wrong orders, waitstaff ignoring the table, things like that. I actually stopped going to the gatherings because I was just tired of the drama plus the food is never good. What gets me is every time I pass a Charleston’s, they’re packed. Why? Has the food and service gotten better? I have been meaning to go back for quite a while now and guess what, an opportunity came up, another family gathering of course.

We all met on a Thursday right before the lunch crowd arrived, there were 9 in the party but they sat us in a corner that could only comfortably seat 6. That became a huge problem when the food came out, everyone had to pass plates down to the person who ordered. Our orders were taken and then we waited. I should have timed it but honestly it took forever. Not so bad since we were all catching up but still a bit ridiculous. Finally the orders came out, of the 9 people, 5 had their orders wrong. I wasn’t surprised. At least my order was correct, a hickory burger. Can’t get this wrong, right? It came open faced with burger and Canadian bacon on one side, shredded cheese on the other. The trick was to put the two sides together without making a mess. First bite revealed that the burger was dry. It came with barbeque sauce but it was still dry. The meat was dry, almost like a hockey puck. The cheese and barbeque sauce didn’t add to the burger at all. I also wasn’t impressed with the fries that came with it, just had no flavor even after being salted.

In the past on different visits over the years, I had tried their chicken fried steak, chicken strips, and pasta. I was never impressed with anything. Overall, once again it was a horrible experience. What got me is that as we were leaving, the place was packed. I wanted to go to each table and ask why were they there. Does anyone really like their food or do you just go there from habit? So many other places to eat that are better and cheaper. I’m giving them 1 strip of bacon.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Food Friday: Simply Falafel

A wonderful restaurant in Edmond that I always seem to forget about until someone reminds me is Simply Falafel. This is the place to get Mediterranean food in Edmond.

We have been going there since 2017, the first time we ate shawarma (“Anyone ever try shawarma? There’s a shawarma joint about 2 blocks from here, I don’t know what it is but I want to try it.”) We loved it. Every visit we try something new and so far everything on the menu has been great. The falafels are good, some of the best I’ve had in the metro area. The hummus is also good, creamy and flavorful. The chicken shawarma sandwich is wonderful, a warm pita filled with seasoned chicken. I love every bite of this when I get it, so much flavor. Same with the standard gyro sandwich, filled with gyro meat on a toasted pita. My favorite has been the gyro platter. Grilled gyro meat, served with rice and pita triangles. You can also get your choice of side salad, the Caesar salad is good but the tabouli salad is better. If you have room, I also recommend the baklava. It’s so good, a perfect sweet treat after a great meal.

The service here is always on point, if you’re lucky you might even have a visit from the owner. He is the sweetest man who has a passion for the food served in his restaurant. It can be hard to find for a first visit, it’s in a strip mall to the west of the Target on Second Street in Edmond. I’m giving Simply Falafel 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 343 Blackwelder Ave., Edmond.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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