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Posts tagged ‘Oklahoma City food’

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 Friday: Falcone’s Pizzeria

Falcones Pizza

I first heard about Falcone’s Pizzeria many years ago when the owner decided to tell off the Edmond Planning Commission back in 2007. Danny Falcone had just opened a new location in Edmond and the city didn’t want him to put up an awning in the colors of the Italian flag, so he banned them from his restaurant. Hey anyone who didn’t like members of Edmond city government couldn’t be that bad, so we stopped at the Edmond location and visited many times until the location was closed. The only location left is on North May Avenue.

I’ve never been to New York to try New York style pizza but I think Falcone’s is about as close as I can get in Oklahoma. We usually get the 18 inch pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms, and black olives. This pizza is so big, you can feed a family of four on it easily. The crust is light and thin, the cheese and toppings thick on the top. Now I’m also not going to lie, it’s got some grease on it as well but my dad would always say, “The greasier the better”. You can get smaller pizzas but why? Seriously they do have a personal pizza so you can do your own thing. We always start with mozzarella sticks that are big and chunky. Now unfortunately they have no ranch for dipping but I can get over that. If you aren’t full from the pizza, or even if you are, get some cannoli. Either plain or chocolate dipped, doesn’t matter, these are some of the best in town.

I highly recommend a visit. Service is always good along with the food. I give them 5 strips of bacon.

Address:6705 N May Ave., Oklahoma City; 216 S. Santa Fe Ave., Edmond.

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Food Friday: Casa Perico

I drive past this restaurant everyday, in an old Braums building on NW 63rd Street. Every time I think, “You know, I need to try this place.” Took me 4 years but we finally stopped a few weeks ago and now I wish I had stopped earlier, this place is outstanding.

Since it is in an old Braums, it is small inside but they do have patio for outdoor dining. Of course they have the typical Tex-Mex menu, so I went with my favorite chimichanga. They have a large selection of sides so along with my rice, I tried some Mexican corn. First thing that was served were the chips with salsa and queso. Perfect starter for my first trip, the chips were light and buttery. The queso was thick and creamy with just enough kick to give it good flavor. Next up was the main course, the ground beef chimichanga was deep fried to a golden crisp. It was a good size but not too large, I could actually finish it without asking for a to-go box. The ground beef and cheese mixed inside quite well with a bowl of sour cream sauce for pouring over or dipping. The rice and corn were equally good as well.

The service was great, food was prepared quickly and the chips and queso were replenished frequently. Since I no longer eat fast food Mexican, I will add Casa Perico to my list of favorite Mexican places along with San Marcos and Chelinos. They do have a second location near Quail Springs Mall, I just haven’t visited it yet. I happily give them 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 4521 NW 63rd St., Oklahoma City; 12219 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Oklahoma City; 505 E. Main St., Yukon.

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Food Friday: Taj Cuisine of India

It’s always a good idea to step out of your box and try something new, so while driving around looking for something different to eat my husband suggested Taj Cuisine of India. I’ve only tried Indian food once before and liked it, so I was up for trying it again.

We stopped on Saturday night around 5p and the place was empty, but there was plenty to choose from on the buffet. I tried almost everything but only remember my favorites. The two most surprisingly good items they had were the vegetable spring rolls and spinach pakoda. The spring rolls were small but packed lots of flavor in them. Normally vegetable spring rolls just taste bland but these had a flavor that was unique to them. I can’t explain it but they were really good. The spinach pakoda was also a surprise in just how much I liked it. The leaves of spinach are covered in a chickpea flour and fried. It was like eating large spinach chips, crispy but good for you. They also serve onion pakoda, it was more of a flour ball with onion in it. Also good but didn’t excite me like the spinach pakoda. Their lemon rice was really good as well, basmati rice lots of different spices with just a touch of lemon. The chicken biriyani was another favorite, chicken cooked with basmati rice and different herbs. I also tried the chicken tikka masala, chicken in a tomato based sauce. I really tried to sample a bit of everything but I will not eat chicken still on the bone, so there were several chicken dishes I didn’t attempt. I also can’t remember the names of everything I did try, I did my best to remember what I liked best.

The service was great but since they were serving buffet, the employees had to handle all of the food. It is an odd experience to tell someone what you want and have them get it for you. I’m ready for buffets to be able to present food like normal. The only drinks were bottled water, so no soft drinks or anything. Now they were good about making sure you had plenty to drink but it was still odd. The downside was everything was served on styrofoam plates with plastic forks. I wasn’t a big fan of that either.

So overall I will give them 4 strips of bacon for the food. I’ll go back and when I can get my own food, I might up that rating.

Location: 1500 NW 23rd St., Oklahoma City.

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Food Friday: Café 7

Cafe 7

If you are up around Quail Springs Mall and want a quick meal then stop by one of my favorites, Café 7.  This is one of my favorite places to stop for lunch and the food is better than what you can find in the mall.  Located in a strip mall to the west of Quail Springs Mall, this small restaurant does get full quick during the lunch rush.  Once you get in, grab one of the menu slips, you chose between pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and salads, put your name on it and select what you want from the menu slip (I really don’t have a better name for the slip of paper you fill out).  Place your order, then grab a seat.

I have my favorite- baked macaroni and cheese.  Listed on the pasta slip, it is mac and cheese with tomatoes and bacon mixed in, then baked with breadcrumbs on top.  Always served with garlic bread, this is easily the best thing on the menu.  Yes I have tried other pasta’s, a pizza and a couple of their sandwiches and it’s all been good but I always come back to the mac and cheese.  Of course that’s all that Mae will eat even if she doesn’t want the bacon (kid isn’t right in the head, hates bacon).

Only down side is that it is small and does fill up quickly.  The lunch crowd gets there around 11:30a but is gone by 1p.  The staff has always been friendly and everything has been clean.  This review is only for the Northwest OKC location, there is another downtown.  I do see on their website that the downtown location does have breakfast as well, so I might have to fight the traffic and try it sometime.  I’m giving it 5 strips of bacon, but try to avoid the crowds.

Address: Northwest OKC- 14101 N. May Ave.; Downtown OKC- 100 w. Main, Suite 105.

 

 

 

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Food Friday: Nhinja Sushi & Wok

NhinjaHere is another restaurant my husband introduced me to- Nhinja.  He actually learned about it from the owner, Kang Nhin.  He always likes trying new places, so one night he took Mae with him for dinner.  If she liked it then he knew I would like it.  About a month later we went and even though I really like my Chinese food from a buffet, it wasn’t bad.

They do have a pretty big selection on their menu but I’ve recently been on a sushi trip and they have some of the best in town.  First of all, they list the ingredients on the menu.  I’m real picky about what I have in my sushi- no caviar or fish eggs of any sort, no salmon, light on the veggies.  So it’s easy to order your sushi and it’s made right then, hasn’t been sitting around.  The rolls are huge, so one roll is more than enough for one person.  My two favorites are the Thunder and Geisha, but the others I have had are good as well.  My husband has tried almost everything on the menu but his favorite is the Cashew Chicken.  Once again, huge portions with lots of veggies and rice.  Mae is more predictable, she sticks with her Honey Chicken and then won’t eat the rice.  We do almost always start with the Cream Cheese Puffs.  Crab meat, cream cheese, and scallions wrapped up and deep-fried.

The service is always good, no matter if you are eating there or getting it for take out.  The atmosphere is fun, lots of colors, and bottles of Japanese sodas on the wall.  I give it five strips of bacon.  There are five locations around Oklahoma City, so it should be easy to find one.

Address: Rockwell- 12021 North Rockwell Ave., Oklahoma City;  May- 13905 North May Ave., Oklahoma City;  Broadway- 5 West 15th St., Edmond;  Mustang Rd.-  335 South Mustang Rd.

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Food Friday: Venezia Italian Ristorante

VeneziaI love Italian food but it really can be hard to find a good Italian restaurant in Oklahoma City.  A few years ago we found one right near our house.  Located in the strip mall on the northwest corner of Northwest Highway and Council is Venezia Italian Ristorante.  We had been hearing good things about it from friends and finally had a chance to stop in one night when we didn’t have a child with us.

It was a busy Saturday night but we were seated quickly.  We started with the fried calamari, delivered on a huge plate, this was some of the best calamari I’ve had in a long time.  It’s really hard to get calamari fried just right but they had pulled it off, so now I had high hopes for the rest of dinner.  I wasn’t disappointed.  After a small dinner salad, my fettuccine carbonara was brought out.  Once again the serving was huge.  The Alfredo sauce was perfect- creamy and buttery with ham and peas mixed in.  My husband had the lasagna, also a huge serving, he enjoyed it as did I when I had a small bite.  For dessert we had cannoli, a treat that was almost unheard of years ago when my grandmother introduced it to me.  For a long time the only way to get it was to order it from back east, but now it’s getting to be more common in Oklahoma.

Everything was really good, like I said it’s hard to find good Italian food in Oklahoma so I’m happy to have Venezia close by.  We’ve been back several times and everything is always good- food and service.  I know there is a second location in Del City but I haven’t been there yet, so this review is only for the NW Expressway location.  I give it 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 8109 NW Expressway, Oklahoma City; 201 S. Sooner Rd., Del City.

 

 

 

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Food Friday: Gyro City Cafe

Gyro City CafeI had seen gyro’s offered for years but never tried them until I met my husband.  He introduced them to me on the first trip we made together to the Oklahoma State Fair.  Once again, another wonderful food he had brought into my life.  The only problem was for many years the only place I thought I could get them was at the fair.  For some odd reason I just didn’t think you could get them anywhere else, so a few years ago while complaining that I wanted a gyro but it wasn’t fair season my husband spoke up, “You know there’s a gyro place down Northwest Highway, right?”  Well no, I never realized that I had been driving right by Gyro City Café for years.
For those of you who don’t know what a gyro is, let me explain- it’s a Greek sandwich with meat, onions, tomato, and tzatziki sauce rolled up in a pita.  The meat can be any type from beef, veal, mutton, pork or chicken as long as it’s cooked on a vertical rotisserie.  This type of sandwich has been around since ancient times being developed in the Mediterranean.  It’s a different type of sandwich but it is good and Gyro City Café makes one of the best in town.  They pile so much meat on that it’s almost impossible to fold up the pita, but that’s ok, you know you’re not getting cheated.  You can leave off any of the veggies and the sauce comes in a little cup so you can control how much you get.
If you order the meal at Gyro City Café, you get the huge gyro, a can of pop, and french fries.  Their fries are just regular crinkle cut fries but the way they’re cooked makes them perfect.  Crispy on the outside, just the way I like them.  You can also get baklava as dessert.  A treat also from the Mediterranean, it’s a pastry with nuts and soaked in honey.
So if you’re in Northwest Oklahoma City and near the Highway to Hell, stop by Gyro City Café.  I give it five strips of bacon.
Address: 7300 Northwest Expressway, Oklahoma City.  On the south side of the road just west of Rockwell in the Rockwell Plaza.

Gyro City Cafe 2

 

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Food Friday: Tucker’s Onion Burger

Bre's Sept 2015 145

It’s hard to find good hamburgers in Oklahoma City.  Don’t really like the national chain restaurants, but  there are some good local places to eat.  One of my new favorites is Tucker’s Onion Burger.  This is a good old-fashioned greasy onion burger, the way they’re supposed to be.

The menu is pretty basic, you have burgers, either single or double with or without cheese.  They also have turkey burgers but really if you’re going to a burger place you shouldn’t be concerned about your diet.  There is also a burger on the menu called the Mother Tucker.  Only order this if you are hungry, a pound of meat and onions with cheese and bacon extra.  If you do order, wait for the staff to announce it.  I’m not going to give it away but it’s great and I laugh every time.  All of the beef, cheese, veggies, and buns are locally sourced from within 300 miles of Oklahoma City, so nothing frozen.  They only recently found a bacon vendor, so this delicious addition is new to the menu.  Fries are hand cut and served in a bag seasoned with sea salt.

My first trip was a few years ago when we went to the location on NW 23rd Street.  The owners repurposed an old convenience store into a small restaurant in 2010.  Food was good but the place was just too small.  Not long afterward they opened their next location in the new shopping center Classen Curve.  Much better, bigger restaurant so not as crowded.  Last year they opened a third location on north May Ave, bigger still and this one seems to be the busiest.

Tucker’s is just a basic hamburger place with good simple onion burgers.  I give it five strips of bacon- shut your mouth.

Address: 324 NW 23rd Street, Oklahoma City; 5740 N Classen Blvd (Classen Curve), Oklahoma City; 15001 N. May Ave (north of Quail Springs Mall), Oklahoma City; 12215 N Rockwell Ave., Oklahoma City; 2166 NW 24th Ave., Norman.

Bre's Sept 2015 141

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