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Posts tagged ‘Norman food’

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: 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: The Ice Creamatory

Not going to lie to my readers, I am actually kind of a morbid, dark person. I absolutely love Halloween. Not too big on “horror” movies though, most are actually funny to me. So imagine how excited I was to find out there was a horror-Halloween themed ice cream shop in Norman, Oklahoma.

Located not far from campus, The Ice Creamatory has excellent ice cream even if you aren’t into spooky. The soft serve ice cream is blended with whatever you want in it, with a drizzle and a topping. They have a make your own option or try one of the mixes off the menu. On my visit, I tried the Stutsman Scare- Oreos and cookie dough, topped with brownie bites, sprinkles, and chocolate drizzle, all in chocolate ice cream. I felt like I fell into a chocolate heaven. It was so good. Because of how well they mix the ice cream and the add-ins, every bite has an interesting mix of flavors. Sometimes you get more Oreo, or cookie dough, and the toppings also helped bring out the chocolatiness of every bite.

Now this was my first visit and I hope to stop by more often. The decor is horror themed, they do have a 12 foot skeleton in the corner, skull lights, and horror movie posters all over the restaurant. The seating is all informal, more of a place to meet and have dessert with friends or family. It’s actually not far from where I lived as a student at OU in the early 1990’s, wish it had been there then, I would have walked over there every day. It’s a bit hard to find, their only signage is on the windows of the building. After you turn onto SE 12th, go past the CVS on the corner to the big business/apartment complex. It’s near the end of the complex. So get over any fears you may have of horror and check this place out. I give them 5 strips of bacon served in a coffin.

Address: 1200 SE 12th Ave., Norman.

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Oklahoma

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Food Friday: The Mont

As a little girl growing up in Norman, we would pass the newly opened restaurant called The Mont all the time.  I could see the glow of lights coming through the stained glass windows and wanted to go inside.  My mother would tell me, decent people don’t go there, so my hopes of visiting were dashed.  Later as a student at OU in the early 1990’s, I still wanted to go but it seemed like a party place.  Even though it had that reputation, I also knew members of the Norman police department gathered there every Saturday to drink.  I really then just forgot about it until recently with my own daughter a student at OU.  Finally, back in December we stopped, it was so good I wish I had gone earlier.

The architecture of the building is what gets your attention first, a low Spanish style building with lots of stained-glass windows.  A patio out front gives diners a chance to enjoy the nice weather, or you can enter through a medieval looking wooden door to the main dining room.  Their menu ranges from burgers and sandwiches to Tex-Mex.  We ordered a couple of things to start with, the fried cheese and fried mushrooms. They were both good. I got the Mont burger with bacon and cheese. Not a bad burger, had a great taste with lots of fresh veggies. Mae got a French dip with a side of mac and cheese (of course). She loved the sandwich but the baked mac and cheese really won her over. A melty cheese top with creamy cheese inside, I had a bite and it was really good. Big K had the green Chile burrito that comes with beans, rice and chips. He really loved the burrito, lots of queso over it. He said the beans and rice were good. I had a couple of the chips, they were light and crispy. Now it was the afternoon, so I didn’t try the famous Sooner Swirl but I will.

The Mont has been a staple in Norman since it opened on Halloween of 1976. The building is much older, of course. The first business I found mentioned is the Monterrey Restaurant. This operated from 1943- 1969. A German restaurant called Volkstube occupied the building for a short time then Hacienda Hernandez took over in 1972. This restaurant survived for a couple of years before turning into Joe’s Bar & Grill which only lasted a year. After all these years the Mont is the place to see and be seen. I’ve heard all the drunk stories from friends who had a few too many while enjoying the atmosphere. I’m sure it does still get crazy on game days but it was quiet while we were there. I would like to go again now that the weather is nice, just to enjoy the good food outdoors. So if you are in Norman, give this legendary restaurant a try. I give them 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 1300 Classen Blvd., Norman.

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Food, Norman, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food, University of Oklahoma

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Coffee Corner: Starbucks (OU Student Union)

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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Food Friday: The Hive

So I mentioned in my review of The Bookmark Cafe that my daughter, Mae, worked here on her first semester at OU. The Hive is a small cafe in a larger complex called Cross Village. In this same building is Acre Provisions, a grocery store just for college kids, and Basic Knead, a walk-up restaurant that serves pizza and pasta. All 3 spaces run together on the ground floor with apartment-like dorm rooms above.

The Hive is set up the same way The Bookmark Cafe is- they serve different coffee drinks along with light snacks. There is plenty of space to sit, not only indoors but in the outdoors area as well. They are also in Starbucks “We Proudly Serve” program, so you will get drinks like you find at Starbucks. You will also find students working here as well. All of the times we stopped by in the fall of 2021, we had great service and the drinks were always good. I will also give them 5 strips of bacon. They are located south of Lindsay Street on Asp in the Cross Village complex (southeast of the towers). Can’t really see it from the road, if you find Acre Provisions, it’s around the corner.

Now a bit of the history behind The Hive- Cross Village was opened in the fall of 2018. It was a new concept at OU, the dorm apartments were on the top floors while the ground level was just for restaurants, shops, and other businesses. This was originally to cater to upper-class students at OU. Cross Village is further south of the well-known dorm buildings Walker, Adams, and Couch, so the older students weren’t as close to the younger freshmen. Cross Village took the place of the original Cross Center, “The Men’s Quadrangle” dormitory built in 1952. Cross Center had fallen into disrepair and was mostly used as storage, so then a plan was developed in 2016 to replace the older buildings. Cross Village was supposed to be a public-private collaboration but by the end of the first full school year there were clear problems. Cross Village never filled to full occupancy with only 30 percent of the units rented out to students. With a legal dispute now on the horizon, all restaurants and shops were closed on July 30, 2019. Over the next two school years, there was plenty of legal wrangling and by May 2021 a new entity stepped up to help the university run Cross Village. To get the occupancy up, freshmen were now allowed to move into the new complex. After a two-year absence, all restaurants and shops were able to reopen. The Hive has stayed busy throughout this time, catering to students who live on campus. (If you want a full run down on all the legal and financial information, just Google it. I could write a book with all that went down in the building of Cross Village.)

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Food, Norman, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food, University of Oklahoma

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Food Friday: The Bookmark Cafe

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you would know that my contributing writer Mae has been absent. Well, she had to get through a rigorous high school schedule and now that she has graduated (PC Pirate class of ’21) she is studying at the great University of Oklahoma (proud 3rd generation Sooner). To help pay for this new adventure in education, she is working for food services as a barista. Her first semester she spent at The Hive, a coffee shop on south campus (more on it in another post) but now she is at The Bookmark Cafe in the first lower level of Bizzell Memorial Library.

This is just a small coffee shop, very similar to the ones you see in bookstores, where they have coffee, lattes, frappuccinos, along with light sandwiches and pastries. Last Sunday was my first visit and I was impressed, the space that had once been where the newspapers and magazines were kept was transformed into a study lounge with separate rooms for groups. Bookmark Cafe has a large area with tables and booths for group or individual study. They are part of Starbucks “We Proudly Serve” program, where they do serve up the same drinks that you can find at a Starbucks. Many of the pastries are cooked on site with the salads and sandwiches coming from Cow On the Fly. I didn’t get a chance to try any of the food yet, because of the snowstorm the previous week, the food delivery hadn’t come in yet. The double chocolate chip frappuccino that I had was awesome though. The staff is all students, they were all friendly and happy to be at Bookmark.

Now for some history- there was nothing like this when I was a student at OU in the early 1990’s (BA in Journalism, ’94). The coffee shop craze hadn’t hit Oklahoma yet. I guess there were some around but to me, coffee was just something that my grandparents drank. I had never heard of a frappuchino, latte, or macchiato. Bizzell Memorial Library was built in 1928 for the growing university and expanded, first in 1958, then again in 1982. Lower level 1 is part of the 1982 addition. Like I mentioned earlier, it held the periodicals. I used to sit at the microfilm readers and journey through the past with their newspaper collection. The Bookmark Cafe officially opened for the spring semester 1998 to give students a quiet place to study. The official grand opening was held on February 11, 1998 (I didn’t know this information until Wednesday of this week as I was researching, so the fact I’m publishing this on the same date 24 years later is just a coincidence). In August of 2013 construction began to transform the space into the study area it is now, Bookmark Cafe was temporarily moved but returned to its now larger location in September 2014 with a ceremony held on November 7, 2014, to mark the reopening of the lower level. In March 2020, it closed, not to reopen until January 2022.

Overall I will give them 5 strips of bacon, just for the fact that my child works there, but I would like to try more of their menu items. Project for the rest of the semester. So if you find yourself in Norman and near campus, stop into the historic library and grab a treat.

Advertisement in the OU Daily February 11, 1998.

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Food, National Register of Historic Places, Norman, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food, Oklahoma history, University of Oklahoma

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Food Friday: Del Rancho

For today’s review I am going to talk about an old favorite, Del Rancho. To me this restaurant is the epitome of comfort food in the Oklahoma City metro. The first time I remember eating at one, I was 6 years old and we took our food back to my grandmother’s house in Norman. While eating, I lost 1 of my teeth. It fell to the floor but I remember the panic while crawling on the floor trying to find it. If I didn’t have that tooth, I wouldn’t get a visit from the Tooth Fairy.

Of course, the best thing to order on their menu is what they are known for, the Steak Sandwich Supreme. I know there are other items on the menu, but I’ve only tried a few because I want that huge steak sandwich. Basically, it’s a chicken fried steak slapped on a bun. The steak itself is huge and when covered with lots of breading and deep fried, it becomes massive. There is just something they get right with the flavor, it is truly one of the best chicken fried steaks in town and yes you can order it just as a meal. Back to the sandwich, the chicken fried steak is placed on the bun with mayo (Miracle Whip), lettuce and tomato. Really it doesn’t get much better than the Steak Sandwich Supreme. I have read on their website that the sandwich was perfected in 1964.

They also have some of the best sides in town. I love their hand breaded onion rings. The onions are huge as well and lightly breaded with a similar taste as the chicken fried steak. The tator tots are also good and deep fried to be crisp on the outside. My favorite is the fried green beans. The only way to eat green beans are fried and they do a great job. Lightly breaded and served with a housemade ranch, my favorite side.

There are locations all over the metro area, the first one I ate at was in Norman on Lindsey Street near I-35. It’s still there after opening in 1979. There are some that you can go in and sit down and other where you just drive up. I highly recommend getting the Steak Sandwich Supreme with a side of onion rings. The true definition of Oklahoma comfort food, they get 5 strips of bacon.

Address- Norman- 2300 W Lindsey St.; Moore- 1409 N Moore Ave.; Mustang- 462 W Highway 152; Midwest City- 9411 NW 10th St., 9201 SE 29th St.; Oklahoma City- 5111 N MacArthur Blvd., 2741 NE 23rd St., 16 SW 59th St.; Tahlequah- 4800 S Muskogee.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma food

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