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Food Friday: The Garage

the-garageAs you’ve probably noticed by now, there are a lot of burger places in Oklahoma City.  And if you’ve been reading my work, you know that I’ve been to about half of them.  So today I’m going to tell you about The Garage, a local burger chain that popped up a few years ago.

The Garage is an automotive themed restaurant with a dozen locations not only around Oklahoma City but now in two other states as well.  I personally love the theme- with a grandfather who owned a service station, I love old automotive signs and the neon that sometimes surrounds them.  What I don’t like about The Garage are the tall tables that seem to be popular recently.  I’m short and feel like I need a step-ladder just to get into my seat.

As for the food- it’s ok.  They do have a varied menu with different types of burgers.  But the menu isn’t much different from some of the other burger places around town.  On my last visit I tried the Mushroom Swiss.  Not bad, meat was fresh and the taste was good but I just found myself expecting more.  The fries are just ok as well, not great.  My daughter loves the fact that the kid’s meal comes with a bomb pop but then she is easily entertained.

So after a great build up with the décor, I’m just disappointed that the food doesn’t live up to my expectations.  And with that I’m giving The Garage 4 strips of bacon, only because I really do like the service station theme.

UPDATE:  I decided to give them another try.  I’ve heard so many good reviews that after 8 years, we checked them out.  I will admit they’ve gotten much better.  We started with thunder fries.  I loved them, seasoned fries with blue cheese, and bacon crumbles topped with a sriacha aioli.  The flavors blended so nicely, they were addictive.  Our burgers came out quickly afterwards, for this trip we both tried the Sweet Oklahoma burger- with cream cheese, bacon, grilled jalapenos along with a jalapeno relish.  This was the best burger I’ve had this year.  The meat was perfectly cooked and those toppings came together for a sweet burger with very little heat from the jalapenos.  I was really impressed with this burger.  I also got a side of onion rings, enjoyed them as well.

I will be upgrading The Garage from a 4 strip to a full 5 strips of bacon.  The service was great and everyone there incredibly friendly.  I’m happy I tried them again.  So give them a visit again if you haven’t in a while.

 

Address: Oklahoma City- 1024 W. I-240 Service Rd.; 209 Outlet Shoppes Dr.; 1117 N. Robinson; 6900 NW 122nd St. 101; 2900 W Britton Rd.; Del City- 5301 Main St.; Edmond- 601 S. Bryant; Edmond- 1316 W Covell Rd.; Moore- 2060 S. I-35 Service Rd.; Norman- 307 E. Main St.; Shawnee- 190 Shawnee Mall Dr.; Stillwater- 520 W. Elm Ave.; Broken Arrow- 801 E Hillside Dr.; Owasso- 13303 E 96th St. N.; Tulsa Sheridan- 7104 S Sheridan Rd.; Fayetteville, AR- 100 E. Joyce Blvd.; Rogers, AR- 4200 S. 48th St.; Omaha, NE- 7610 Dodge St.; Kansas City, MO- 8811 State Line.

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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, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma food

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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, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma food

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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, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma food

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Food Friday: Aloha Shave Ice and Coffee Shoppe

Aloha sign

For a few years now I had driven past the cute little blue and yellow building on the southwest corner of NW 39th Expressway and Council Road.  If you went by there during the summer, you couldn’t help but notice all the cars in the parking lot and families eating shaved ice.  It took me a while to finally work up the nerve to stop, I picked a nice hot day this past summer and we got to enjoy some of the best shaved ice I’ve ever eaten.

They have over 50 single flavors and at least that many custom mixes.  But the real treat is to have the shaved ice made “Hawaiian Style”, this is where they add cream to the shaved ice.  All is served in a flower shaped cup, with the ice in a huge mound on top.  We were totally addicted to them after the first visit and now go back as often as possible, trying different flavors every time.

purple snowcone

My Bethany Broncos shaved ice.

In late August, they were closed for a few weeks to move into a new permanent building at the same location.  And with that move they have introduced not only coffee but real breakfast and lunch options.  It is a nice building with a cozy interior and much better parking.  They don’t have a big menu for the food but they do serve breakfast all day, which is a big plus for me.  A few weeks ago I tried the breakfast sandwich; egg, with your choice of cheese and meats on a warm croissant.   Truthfully, it was the best breakfast sandwich I’ve ever had from a restaurant.  Mae had her favorite, mac and cheese, served extra cheesy so she gave it her approval.

As good as the food is the main reason to go is the shaved ice, and spend the extra money to get it “Hawaiian Style”.  I give Aloha five strips of bacon.

Address: 8000 NW 39th Expressway, Bethany, OK.

Hours: Monday- Friday 7am- 9pm; Saturday 8am- 9pm; Sunday 1pm- 9pm.

Aloha

Outside of Aloha, Bethany, OK 2015.

inside Aloha

Inside of Aloha, Bethany, OK, 2015.

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma food

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Food Friday: Hunan Wok

Bre's Sept 2015 417

I have been eating at Hunan Wok for about twenty years.  My first visit was a lunch date with my soon-to-be husband back in the fall of 1995.  At that time there were two locations, one in Memorial Square at Penn & Memorial (the old shopping center where the AMC theater was), the second was in the Rockwell Plaza on the southwest corner of Rockwell and NW Expressway.  Since we both worked near Memorial Road, we met at that location.  While I had never eaten Chinese buffet, my husband had been going there for years.  After that first visit, it quickly became one of my favorite places to eat.  We usually only visited the Memorial Road location until we bought a house near NW Expressway, then we visited that one more.  The staff had gotten used to seeing us all the time.

The location in Memorial Square closed back in the early 2000’s but the Rockwell Plaza location had moved to its own building east of Rockwell on NW Expressway in 1997.  So we are very familiar with this restaurant.  Service is always good and most of the time the food is excellent.

Best thing on the menu is General Tso’s chicken.  I absolutely love the way they cook this, always nice and gooey.  The fried rice and sweet and sour chicken also rank high with me.  Fried shrimp is ok, could be better but the Crab Rangoon is great.  Now they do have things on the menu like crawfish that I just won’t eat, but remember it’s a buffet so you have plenty of choices.  They also have a Mongolian Barbeque, I’ve never tried it so I don’t know anything about it.  The sushi has a lot to be desired (plus need to list the ingredients).  One of my personal favorites for desert is the Chinese cheesecake, a little bite sized cheesecake in a wonton wrapper.  These are just wonderful, much different taste than any cheesecake I’ve tried before.  Like I said earlier, most of the time the food is good but I have been there on off nights, when some selections just aren’t as fresh.  Also there was a change in ownership around 2010 and some items disappeared which has disappointed me.

This is one of my favorite places for Chinese buffet in Oklahoma City.   I give it five strips of bacon and you might even see me there some night.

Address: 6812 NW Expressway, Oklahoma City.  Just east of the Rockwell on the south side of the road, building sits back from the highway between the Rockwell Northwest shopping center (not sure why it’s called that, sits on the southeast corner) and Slick Willie’s.

 

Bre's early Oct 2015 107

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Food, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City

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Food Friday: Cajun King

Cajun King

Update Sept 1st, 2021:  No longer a buffet.

Last week we all wanted something different for dinner.  After shooting down several suggestions, my husband said that he wanted to try Cajun King at NW 63rd and MacArthur.  I’m not a big fan of Cajun food, so I really wasn’t crazy about this idea and even complained about it as we pulled in the parking lot.

It doesn’t look like much from the outside, right in the middle of a strip mall but we were greeted by a friendly gentleman with a thick Cajun accent.  The restaurant is set up buffet style, so while my husband paid, me and Mae grabbed some plates and started filling up.  On my first trip I had some fried shrimp, crab balls, potatoes au gratin, and a biscuit.  It was all good, the biscuit was light and buttery, the fried shrimp and crab balls were really good, and the potatoes were so good that I had another big helping on my second trip.  Mae and my husband had some of the same things that I had but they got the macaroni and cheese instead of potatoes.

So while they were raving about that, our Cajun server brought a big plate full of fried catfish almondine to the table and wanted us to try it.  I have no problem telling people that I hate catfish (even if my dad loved it).  My grandmother used to fry it up every so often and even though she could cook anything, I hated that catfish.  So keep it in mind that I haven’t eaten catfish since I was 9 and when he put that plate in front of me, I tried to be nice but knew I wasn’t going to eat it.  My husband, who will eat just about anything, tried the catfish first, “Hey, this is pretty good.  Try some.”  While I was giving him the stink eye for the suggestion, Mae grabbed a piece and started eating.  “Yeah, this is pretty good.  I like it.”  If they both like it I might as well try it, so with that I tried a piece as well and guess what, it was good.  It came with a honey type dipping sauce the chef calls “tiger sauce” and for the first time in my life I liked catfish.  So the three of us catfish haters finished off the plate of it in no time.

After all we ate on the buffet and the big pile of catfish, we were stuffed but still had our beignets.  Every meal comes with the catfish almondine and beignets.  I had never tried these either, but they were good as well.  Deep-fried fritters with lots of powdered sugar on top.  None of us really had any room left but no one was going to leave those wonderful treats sitting.  But just a side note, don’t let your kids wear black when they eat these, the powdered sugar gets everywhere (and yes, Mae had on black).  As we were leaving, our server asked if we had tried the bread pudding.  No, we hadn’t tried it.  Once again I’m not a big fan and I was too full anyway.  He didn’t like that answer, so he went over, got a to-go box and filled it with bread pudding.  He handed it to me and said to try it, I would love it.  So the next day we did and it was just as good as everything else.  Next time I go I’ll try everything because the owners proved me wrong twice.  Food was great and the service was awesome so I give it five strips of bacon.

Address: 5816 NW 63rd Street, Oklahoma City.  Southeast corner just east of MacArthur on NW 63rd.

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Food Friday: Fuze Buffet & Bar

Fuze

 

UPDATE:  Closed as of November 1, 2017, then reopened under a new name- Feast in 2018.  I haven’t been to the new concept and really have no desire to waste my time or money there.  So I can’t tell you if it’s any good or not.

For our Food Friday restaurant we have Fuze Buffet and Bar.  It’s the new buffet that opened on the Northwest Expressway in May of 2015.  It’s easy enough to find, bright lights, colorful signs, and dancing waters which turn colors at night.

First few times we tried going, couldn’t find a place to park.  The building is huge inside and could hold lots of people, but the parking lot is small.  Some people were resorting to parking at the sleazy motel right next door.  Might be an idea for the owners of Fuze to buy that motel, bulldoze it and put in more parking.  It would solve so many problems.

So it took a few weeks for us to finally visit and the first visit with my whole family went well.  It was a dinner visit.  The night we were there they had live music and the atmosphere just seemed very relaxed.  To the food, the salad bar is huge- I could have filled up on that alone.  They had so many different options to put on a salad that you could cover the whole plate and never see the lettuce.  They also have a cheese bar with a few different selections of cheeses that you don’t normally see in a buffet.  Also had a sushi bar but my problem is, I’m picky about my sushi and want to know what’s in each roll.  There was nothing that said the ingredients, only the name of the roll, so take your chances unless you know your sushi.  But the main attraction is the entrée buffet itself.  You can get just about any type of meat and sides that you care to have.  Burgers, steak, chicken, pork all cooked in different styles from chinese to italian to mexican to american.  The sides were also a good mix as well, from your standard macaroni and cheese to fried green beans.  Desert buffet was packed and fresh as well with choices of cake, pie, and ice cream.  Service was good, I had no complaints that night.

My second visit wasn’t as great, it was just me and Mae for lunch.  The atmosphere was different as was the food quality.  Nothing seemed to be as fresh.  The salad bar was still great but everything else seemed off.  The flavor wasn’t as good with the meats or the sides.  And the desert was dried out and stale.

Now for a bit of history about the location- back in 1983 this building originally held a buffet called Duff’s Famous Smorgasbord.  I can remember going there, it was cool because it had a food carousel buffet.  It was always a little weird trying to get your food off this moving carousel, but I remember the food was good. (And yes there was also a Duff’s on the south side off I-240 as well.)   After Duff’s closed in 1984, the building sat empty until General Mills Restaurants (later Darden Restaurants) bought it and turned it into an Olive Garden in 1987.  The Olive Garden eventually moved to 50 Penn Place and Tan & Tone America took over the place in 2008.  After Tan & Tone failed in 2012 the owners of Fuze bought the building and it is once again a buffet.

So after only two visits it’s been hit and miss.  I will probably go back a few more times to see if it gets any better or if the problem is only during lunch hours.  Right now I’m giving it 3 pieces of bacon hopefully it improves.

Address: 6512 NW Expressway, Oklahoma City

 

Cassie at Fuze with dancing water 3

Mae with the dancing waters at Fuze, Oklahoma City, 2015.

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Food Friday: Empire Slice House

Empire Pizza 1

Pink Elephant in front of Empire Slice House, Oklahoma City, 2015.

Update:  They have moved into a new building just a few steps away from the old location.  They have also added locations in Nichols Hills and Tulsa.

For our Food Friday restaurant I went to Empire Slice House in the Plaza district of Oklahoma City.  I had heard a lot of good reviews and wanted to try it myself.  The only problem was I didn’t want to go by myself- husband was at work and Mae at school, so I brought my friend, the Fabulous Miss M., with me.  One problem cropped up immediately, we couldn’t find it.  I had the address, knew we were in the right place but we couldn’t find it.  So after I parked, Miss M asked around and we were pointed in the right direction.

As we got to the door we were greeted by this cute pink elephant next to the front door.  We were seated quickly but then we did get there before the lunch crowd really picked up.  Part of what I like about this pizza place is that you can just order a slice, so you don’t have to order a whole pizza.  I decided I wanted to try the pepperoni and the “Fungus Among Us”.  Miss M went with the “Fat Tony” along with a fungus slice as well.

After a short wait, we got our slices- one huge slice on a paper plate.  These are New York style pizzas, on a thin crust, so you have to pick it up to eat it.  The pepperoni slice was good, nice flavor, not too much sauce, and just enough grease from the pepperoni to clog an artery.  My favorite, the best pizza I’ve had in Oklahoma, was the “Fungus Among Us”.  This slice has Portobello, shiitake, and button mushrooms, spinach, with a light truffle oil.  It looked good to both us and after one bite, we were both in love.  Not too much grease and with the truffle oil instead of a tomato based sauce, it was seriously the best pizza I’ve ever had (not counting my trips to Chicago).  I didn’t taste it but Miss M seemed to like the “Fat Tony”, which consisted of italian sausage and red onion (she picked the onion off).

Over all the food, service, and atmosphere was good.  I will warn you that the slices are huge, so don’t get more than two if you’re not hungry.  I did see the box for the whole pizza’s- I think it was bigger than my dorm room at OU.  Keep that in mind if you’re looking to feed a gathering of friends.  My only complaint is that maybe the signage could be a little better, even as we were leaving on NW 16th St, it was hard to see.  But overall I’m giving it 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 1804 NW 16th St, Oklahoma City, (South side of the road); 1125 NW 63rd St, Nichols Hills; 417 N Main St Tulsa; 15 W 1st St., Edmond; 4723 N May Ave., Oklahoma City; 116 W. 10th Ave., Stillwater; 1512 E. 11th St., Tulsa.

Late Aug 2015 558

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Food Friday: Zarate’s Latin Mexican Grill

Late Aug 2015 545

Edmond, Oklahoma is not my most favorite place in the world- it’s too spread out, some of the people can be rude, and the traffic sucks.  But my wonderful husband works there so if I want to visit him for lunch, I have to go to Edmond.  I don’t like eating at the major chain restaurants much, so he takes me to different places.  And one of those places he introduced me to is Zarate’s Latin Mexican Grill on Broadway.

Now this isn’t the same tex-mex that you get here in Oklahoma, this is a more South American twist on what we know as mexican food.  They have the typical enchiladas, tacos and chimichangas but with a different taste than what I’ve had at other restaurants.  My personal favorite is the fajita beef chimichanga with sour cream sauce.  The beef is spiced differently than what I’ve had before and the sour cream sauce is just wonderful, has more of a sour cream tartness to it than others I’ve tasted.  I’ve also tried the enchiladas and quesadillas, the spinach quesadilla is my second favorite item on the menu.  Of course it all comes with beans and rice.  I will admit, I’ve never had the beans.  Because of the food abuse inflicted on me when I was younger by my mother, I can’t stand the smell, sight or taste of beans.  So I order double rice instead, it’s also really good- not too sticky with corn and peppers.

My husband has been the more adventurous one, he’s had the Papa Rellenas, ground beef wrapped in mashed potatoes then fried, his personal favorite.  He’s also tried the Empanadas and so many of the other offerings that he couldn’t remember them all.  This is also where they make the only guacamole in town that he will eat.  He loves it and even introduced it to his parents- I hear my father-in-law loved it.  Of course you get the normal chips, queso, and salsa with your meal.  As good as the entrees are the chips are the best.  Wish I could find them this good for at home.  I really could eat these chips all day and not feel bad.  The salsa was ok and the queso could be improved, needs to have more of the South American spices added.  But seriously the chips are killer.

Opened in 2007 by Jorge Zarate, who is a native of Peru, he brings a mix of Brazilian, Jamaican, Peruvian, Cuban, Mexican and Tex-Mex to Edmond in a small but colorful building.  You can often see Mr. Zarate himself seating guests, taking orders or serving food.  The wait staff has always been friendly and helpful, service has always been good- no complaints.  I give it my personal ranking of 5 strips of bacon.

Address: 706 S. Broadway, Edmond, OK  (east side of the road)

Late Aug 2015 542

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