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Posts tagged ‘food’

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: City Bites

It has been hard to find a good locally owned sandwich shop in the Oklahoma City metro. Yes, we do have a few but they are scattered all over town. One that I keep forgetting about it one that has been in the metro for years, City Bites. Well no more forgetting for me since one has opened close to the house.

They are actually a popular sandwich chain here in the metro. Our visit on a Sunday morning proved that they bring in the customers. I ordered an egg salad sandwich with a small side salad while Big K went with an Italian also with a side salad. The order came out quick and I was impressed immediately. Both sandwiches were huge and the side salad was a perfect size as well. I tackled the salad first, it was good. Fresh veggies with a good amount of ranch so I don’t have to taste the fresh veggies. Then I started in on that sandwich. I love a good egg salad sandwich and this was one of the best that had crossed my lips. The egg salad inside was perfect and it was placed inside two pieces of buttery, toasted sourdough bread. I loved every bite. Big K got his Italian on jalapeno cheddar bread and it was good as well. Stuffed with meat, cheese, and veggies, he loved it. Said the best part was the fresh bread, hard to find a good sandwich with fresh bread. We had a great visit and I will be back more often.

City Bites has been around since 1986. It was started by a group of brothers as a way to get some extra income. Their whimsical interiors make them memorable as well as the food. I actually ate at the first location, located in Bethany, back in the late 1980’s with my dad. I liked them then and have eaten at some of the other locations over the years. But like I said, I also forget about them because there wasn’t one close to my house. With the recent opening of their newest restaurant on Memorial at Rockwell, I don’t have far to go. They will now be in a regular rotation, especially when I just want a good sandwich. I’ll be giving them 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 1430 N. Santa Fe Ave., Edmond; 3601 S. Broadway, Suite 100, Edmond; 2005 E. 2nd St, Edmond; 1804 S. Broadway St., Moore; 425 E. State Highway 152, Mustang; 2001 W. Main St., Norman; 6801 W. Memorial Rd., Oklahoma City; 2804 NW 122nd St., Oklahoma City; 7020 N. Western Ave., Oklahoma City; 13425 N. MacArthur Blvd., Oklahoma City; 7701 S. Walker Ave., Oklahoma City; 211 N. Robinson Ave., Suite 120, Oklahoma City; 3939 N. MacArthur Blvd., Warr Acres; 700 Garth Brooks Blvd., Yukon; 2603 N. Kickapoo, Shawnee; 3570 N. Woodlawn, Suite 500, Wichita, KS.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Food Friday: Bianca’s Mexican Restaurant

Always looking for something new, Big K discovered Bianca’s Mexican Restaurant while looking at the internet one night. It has been on North MacArthur for over 5 years but it was a first for us.

Located in a small strip mall just south of NW 50th on the east side of MacArthur, the welcoming Hispanic girl painted next to the door lets you know there is authentic Mexican inside. It was quiet for a Friday night and we were seated quickly with chips, salsa, and queso brought out immediately. After looking over the menu, I decided on beef enchiladas while Big K ordered chicken Milanesa. We had a nice time enjoying the chips and trying their salsas, there were two different kinds, one a bit spicier than the other. The chips were fresh and warm, light and crisp. Both dinners were served on huge plates, mine had three enchiladas with beans and rice while Big K’s had the chicken with beans, rice, and potatoes. I loved every bite. The enchiladas were stuffed with fajita meat, seasoned perfectly, and covered in cheese sauce with cotija cheese on top. The beans and rice were also quite good. Big K’s chicken Milanesa was interesting, chicken, lightly breaded and fried. It was like a Mexican version of schnitzel. I had a bite and really enjoyed it. The potatoes that came with the meal were also good, sliced thin and fried with just a bit of seasoning. Next trip I’m going to get this for my dinner as well.

Since we were there on a Friday night, there was live music. The singer they brought in was incredible, he had such a lovely voice. The service was outstanding and the decor is beautiful. Overall I’m giving Bianca’s Mexican Restaurant 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 4802 N. MacArthur Ave., Warr Acres.

Category:

Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Food Friday: OK Ramen & Sushi Bar

For the past few years I have heard about a great sushi place in Moore. I don’t get to the southside of the metro often and when I do it’s to go to Norman. So I was excited to learn they were going to open a location just a couple miles from me in NW Oklahoma City.

We went on a Friday night just a few weeks after their opening. We were surprised to be the only people there. They brought complimentary tempura crab stick stuffed with cream cheese. I have had this a other sushi restaurants in Oklahoma City and love it every time. Thiers was just as good, if not better than what I’ve had in the past. We ordered a shrimp roll, sunny land roll, OK special roll, and Thunder roll. Didn’t take long for us to get our food and wow was it amazing. The shrimp roll was tempura fried, was really delightful. The sunny land roll was topped with coconut which gave it a sweet crunch. The OK Special roll had a bit of a spicy kick to it. The Thunder roll was awesome as well with lots of crunchies on top.

Overall, we loved OK Ramen & Sushi Bar. We were stuffed when done and the waitstaff was amazing. We will definitely be back soon. I give them 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 13325 N. MacArthur Blvd, suite 10, Oklahoma City.

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Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma food

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Food Friday: Ben & Jay’s Pizzeria

I would never expect to find some of the best pizza in Oklahoma in the small town of Chickasha but here we are. In an unassuming building on the east end of historic downtown Chickasha sits Ben & Jay’s Pizzeria.

We had been walking around the downtown area, it was getting hot and we were ready to sit down for lunch. We found the pizzeria and decided to try it. We started with the mozzarella sticks. These came out pretty quick and were pretty good. But the real star of the show was the Italian pizza we ordered. Didn’t have to wait long for this delightful treat to come out. A thin crust pizza with Alfredo sauce and lots of salami, pepperoni, Italian sausage, and banana peppers. Every bite was full of flavor. The pizza was also easy to pick up, the thin crust didn’t get soggy. This was truly one of the best pizzas I’ve had in Oklahoma.

The service was great as well. The staff was friendly and we never had empty cups. The building is historic as well, built in 1940, it was originally a Trailways Bus Depot. The dining room area was a covered loading area until sometime after 2007, when it was enclosed. Ben & Jay’s Pizzeria looks to have been in Chickasha for many years, for a while under the name BJ’s Pizza. So if you are in Chickasha, check them out. I’ll give the m 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 208 W. Chickasha Ave., Chickasha.

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Food, 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: Savoy 1902

On a recent trip to Chickasha, we found a couple good places to eat. Savoy 1902 is in historic downtown Chickasha, close to the famous Leg Lamp.

We noticed how busy downtown Chickasha was on a Saturday night and picked Savoy 1902 to try, mostly because the building is historic and they have leg lamp lightshades outside. We got a seat quickly and looked the menu over. They serve not only barbeque but sandwiches as well. Since we had a big lunch, we went smaller for dinner. We started with the brisket deviled eggs. They came out quickly and we took them down just as fast. Loved every bite. I never used to be a deviled egg fan until I was pregnant, now I eat them every chance I get and these were perfect. The brisket on top gave it a bit of a different taste profile that I really enjoyed. For our entrees’ I got a barbeque brisket sandwich with a side of onion rings. The brisket was chopped into small squares, which was unusual but I liked the flavor of the brisket. The onion rings were the big shows, I loved them. Crisp with a great flavor, I could eat a big basket of them just by themselves. Big K ordered the jalapeno popper bacon grilled cheese sandwich. It looked so good that other people in the restaurant were asking him what he had gotten. He loved every bite, said it had a lot of flavor and the jalapeno poppers weren’t too spicy.

We really loved the atmosphere and the food. Now for the history of the building. The building really was built in 1902. It is on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Chickasha Historic Downtown District. It seems to have been a hotel at some point in it’s history but has been abandoned for quite a while. The restaurant itself seems to be about a year old. The east end of the Chickasha Main Street area seems to be the heart of the entertainment district with lots of restaurants around. Also the famous leg lamp is there, it attracts a lot of tourists. I’ll give them 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 102 W. Chickasha Ave., Chickasha.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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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: bb.q Chicken

I don’t normally review chain restaurants but there have been a couple that have come to Oklahoma City that I think are pretty good. If you are a fan of Korean chicken or if you have never tried it before, bb.q Chicken is a great place to try.

We stopped in on a blustery Saturday afternoon. Cold and hungry, we ordered cheesy chicken bites and onion rings to start. These came out quickly. The cheesy chicken bites were good but not overwhelming. The onion rings were perfect and came in a huge basket, way more than I was expecting. The were light with a great taste. For the chicken, we tried the cheesling and Gangham style. I was blown away by both. Now I do always get my chicken boneless, I’m one of those strange people who hates bones in their food. The cheesling was my absolute favorite. Not only crispy fried chicken but with a sweet cheese powder all over the breading. I loved every bite, and it held up later as leftovers. I also loved the Gangham style. It had a bit more heat to it but not bad at all. The crisp fried chicken was covered in a black pepper sauce with garlic and onion. They come in huge portions so it’s easy to share.

The service was great and the atmosphere was nice. They are right in the middle of a strip mall north of Quail Springs Mall. This chain was started in 1995, by a chef in Seoul, South Korea. There locations not only around the country but around the world. I was excited about their food and plan on stopping in again for more juicy but crisp fried chicken. I give them 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 2424 NW 150th St., Oklahoma City.

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Oklahoma

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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.

Category:

Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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