Here at EatAroundOKC, it has long been established that there is one and only one “best” burger in Oklahoma City, and that is Nic’s Grill. Ever since we published our review of Nic’s in 2008, we’ve encountered nothing but positive comments from our readers and we’ve watched as Nic’s fame has spread across Oklahoma City and, literally, the world.

But Nic’s is a very unique burger joint and one that just can’t fit for all of your burger dining needs. His limited hours, cramped dining space, and the fact that you have to get there at 10:45am to avoid the lunch rush can make Nic’s impractical for many occasions. Plus, those of us with small children realize you’re not going to have much success with a family meal at Nic’s (unless you can somehow hang your kids from the ceiling). So, I am continually on the hunt for other burger places that offer something unique but with a little more room to spread out or bring the family along.

Irma’s Burger Shack has always been a solid choice for family burger dining (especially at the roomy midtown location), and now we bring you another contender — Flatire Burgers.

I’m not sure how I’ve gone so long without trying Flatire Burgers. It’s likely the location, which is way up in the heart of Edmond, right next to the UCO campus. That’s a bit of a drive for me, but I’ve made a couple of trips up there in the last month to check them out (their website says new locations are on the way, so maybe one of those will be more convenient for me).

The stand alone building has an intentionally run-down look on the exterior, really going for that shabby, hole-in-the-wall, college-esque vibe. Inside, it’s a nice but very live space. It can be difficult to have a conversation in there when it’s crowded. They have a pretty nice, two-story patio it appears, though I’ve never seen anyone eating out there.

The parking situation is terrible, and is really my biggest complaint for Flatire. There’s a paved lot which can hold a tiny number of cars, then you have to loop around into a very bumpy, skinny, gravel lot where it’s basically a free-for-all to grab the next 10-12 spaces. Beyond that, it’s all restricted UCO parking, so I’m not sure what you’re supposed to do when all the spaces are full, which can happen easily. I have ended up just circling around, backing up, doing three-point turns, all the while reducing the life expectancy of my car until a space opens up. I suppose they get a lot of walking traffic and students who can use the university lots so maybe parking isn’t a priority. Or, maybe, this is intentionally designed to enhance the “flat tire” theme?

The strength of Flatire is not the burger patties themselves as they are not made fresh at the restaurant but brought in from a supplier. They have a good flavor and texture, but, you know, you’re not going to make waves in the burger world by cooking up someone else’s patty.

No, the strength of this restaurant is, instead, in the creativity and variety they offer. They have nineteen different burger configurations including things like the Maui Burger ($7.39) with grilled ham, pepper jack, pineapple jalepeno relish, lettuce and bbq sauce. Or the Green Chili Burger ($6.59) with green chiles, pepper jack and chipotle mayo (I had this one and it was great). Plus, every burger can be made with the beef patty, veggie patty, chicken or tilapia filet and you can choose from a white, wheat, or jalepeno bun.

They also offer sweet potato fries. They weren’t on the menu yet when I went, but they are available as a special order. Let me tell you, these fries are delicious. They are $2.59 per order, but you can have them split an order between two people if you wish. Personally, I will require a full order of these every time I go.

I also really liked the fried pickles ($6.99 appetizer). These are the same pickles they put on the burgers and they are very thick and very good so you can imagine how they are even better when they are battered and fried.

They’ve got quite a few other options on the menu as well. There’s a selection of tacos which many of you have told me are very good. I haven’t tried them yet. There are coneys, salads and desserts, including a make your own s’mores kit which is fun for the whole family. Lots of kids meal options here as well, though at $5-$6 each, these are on the higher end of kid’s meal pricing.

Speaking of pricing, it’s not cheap to eat here. I’ve often complained about the high prices at Irma’s and Flatire suffers from the same price range. If you compare Flatire burger pricing to Irma’s regular burger pricing, they are roughly the same. Irma’s charges even more for their “no name” beef but that’s a higher-quality, hand-made patty so it’s more fair to compare Flatire with Irma’s regular burgers. I mean, you’re basically going to spend about $12-$13 (with tax and tip) for burger, fries and a drink. I’m very cheap and probably living in the past, but that seems high. I mean, I can get the best burger, fries and drink in the world at Nic’s for $8.75, tax included. So, I’m still waiting for the great, family burger place that offers me a burger combo in the $7 range. Oh, hey, there’s McDonald’s, right ??

Anyway, bottom line — I like Flatire Burgers. If I lived or worked in Edmond, I’d likely go there pretty regularly. Since I don’t, I’ll probably only make an occasional trip out there. Though it’s very comparable to Irma’s regular burgers in price, quality, and family friendliness, I think I prefer Flatire just because of the added variety. But on the other hand, Irma’s offers the no-name beef, which is higher quality, though you’ll pay up for it as well.

What do you think about Flatire Burgers? What other family burger joints do you enjoy? Let us know in the comments below.

Like the neighborhood in which it resides, Picasso Cafe in the Paseo district is both quirky and intriguing. Judging by the polished, gleaming presence on its website where it bills itself as “Oklahoma City’s premier dining establishment,” Picasso Cafe appears to be shooting for a higher-end dining experience, yet on our visit we found Picasso to still be a little rough around the edges.

Picasso Cafe sits in the space previously occupied by Galileo’s, along the colorful, curved segment of Paseo Drive spanning from NW 30th to Walker. Inside, the new ownership has taken some steps to polish up the interior, but one still feels the rough-hewn, shabby-chic influence characteristic of the previous tenant in this space. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it was a little unexpected. Based on what I had seen on their website, I expected Picasso to be a little more polished in its interior, more along the lines of Paseo Grill down the street.

The food we sampled at Picasso was hit or miss. There were three of us dining on our visit, so we got to try a good variety of items. While some things were actually very, very good, other dishes were unimpressive.

Let’s start with the very, very good. According to our server, every morning the Picasso team comes in and makes up a big fresh batch of dough that I consider to be quite magical. They then use this dough in a variety of their menu offerings including the handmade pretzel appetizer ($3), the crust of their handmade pizzas ($10-12), and a new dessert item which was sort of like a tubular beignet ($5). This dessert item wasn’t yet on the menu and I don’t think it had an official name yet.

Everything made out of this dough is truly very good. The pretzel had a wonderful, crispy exterior and a soft, chewy interior. Accompanied by some spicy mustard and a blue cheese sauce for dipping, this simple appetizer pretty much makes the whole trip to Picasso worth it.

Likewise, the pizza crust, also made from the magic dough, was perfection. Not too thick, not too thin. The pizzas are a good size making a great value as you could easily split one between a couple of people. Sarah chose the barbeque chicken pizza ($12), and she claimed “it rocked.” Her full description follows:

“Good crust, tangy sauce, hand-pulled chicken (could have used a few more chunks of this), red onion slices and thinly sliced, fresh jalapeno to give it just the right kick. I was full after three of the eight pieces, so it was a good thing Tim and Sam were there to clean the plate.”

Sarah also had a salad with her meal. The Caesar is the only salad they offer in two sizes ($4/$6), so it was the natural choice for a side. But as she describes it, “this was one of the most bland, underwhelming Caesars I think I’ve ever had. The lettuce looked like the bagged, supermarket variety and I couldn’t tell if there was dressing or not.” I tried some of Sarah’s salad and have to agree on this assessment.

The dishes Sam and I tried also underwhelmed. Sam chose the Chorizo Sausage and Mushroom Risotto ($10) and here’s what he had to say:

“When the server placed the big round bowl in front of me, I looked inside expecting a nice helping of food and a nice presentation. What I found instead was a disappointing portion of risotto topped with chunks of chorizo with yellow sausage grease pooling around the edges of the bowl.

Now, I have a big appetite, but still, after eating all of my food, I had to eat half of Sarah’s pizza in order to feel satisfied. Presentation also could have been improved. If the dish had some chopped green onions to add some color and cut a bit of the oiliness of the greasy chorizo I think that would’ve been a nice touch.”

As for me, I ordered the hamburger. I know it sounds so plain, but the server told me it was his favorite sandwich on the menu. Plus, it sounded so good with bleu cheese, carmelized onion and aioli. The toppings were very good, and I thought it was a good value at $8 including a side of fries or vegetables. But the problem was the meat, which came out cooked beyond well-done, dry, tough, and with a very charred exterior. I may have caught them on an off day so I would try this one again because everything else about the burger was good.

So, our experience at Picasso was hit or miss. There are some things we really like and those things by themselves are enough to warrant a trip out here. Plus, there are sure to be lots of good things on the menu that we didn’t try. Still, the fact that about half of our choices fell short makes it less likely I’ll be making Picasso a regular stop.

Please let us know what you think about Picasso in the comments.

I also hope you’ll “like” our page and become a fan. Not only will that make us feel loved, but it will help you keep up with our reviews and discussions from right inside Facebook. Plus, as a fan, you can even add your own posts, photos and videos to our page. The value of EatAroundOKC has always been about the contributions from readers like you so please join up with us on Facebook and help us keep the discussion going.

We’ll also be having some little games and even some Facebook-only giveaways from time to time so that’s another good reason to stay connected.

As always, thanks for all of your contributions in our comments, on Twitter, and now on Facebook. I continue to be amazed by the support you all have shown for our little site. I look forward to more good times to come.

Revisit note: this review was originally published in November of 2006, but has been revisited and updated.

Saturn Grill was one of the very first restaurants I reviewed back when I started this website in the Fall of 2006 (see the full text of my original review below). After visiting their new location on Memorial for the first time last weekend, I thought it was time to revisit this review.

It had been a while since I’d been to Saturn Grill. I’m not sure why, but I just got out of the habit of going. Maybe the persistent crowds at the original location and the fact that our family now has three small children kept me away. Yeah, that’s likely it, so when they opened a new location I thought I’d give it a try to see if I could get the same great food with a little more breathing room for the family.

The verdict – yes, indeed. The new location is quite a bit more spacious and not nearly as crowded (at least at the time I went). And, at least in my sampling of the Spicy Steak Sandwich ($8.95), the quality still remained.

I will say, however, that it was a difficult sell for bringing the kids. The kids meals are $5 each with a choice of four entrees. My kids both went for the pizza, but didn’t really enjoy it. It was way too big as well and they should have split one. Maybe that’s the trick I should try next time. Ah, well, at least we had plenty of room to spread out around our ginormous table. And my kids always appreciate the space-like decor which is consistent even in the new location.

I’m glad I made it back to Saturn Grill. If you’ve tried either one of their locations, please let us know what you think in the comments.

I always love a good surprise, especially when that surprise is extremely tasty. Saturn Grill was just such a surprise for me. A friend of mine invited me to lunch there. I had never heard of the place before, but now it’s at the top of my list.

There’s so much to love about the Saturn Grill because there’s so much that’s interesting. Let’s start with the quirky, yet nicely done, decor. On one side the wall is painted to look like the red surface of its planet namesake, while the other side displays a starfield. It’s as if you’re suspended in the depths of space (or so my four year old son believes). The approach could have come off cheesy like some sort of shopping mall arcade, but Saturn Grill pulls it off in a sophisticated yet playful way.

Intriguing tables, chairs, stools and large, half-moon booths provide a great variety of seating for groups of many sizes and a variety of ecletic lighting fixtures add to the vibe. Outdoor seating is also available (always a plus) on simple tables with modern, brightly colored orange and purple chairs.

The menu matches nicely with its environment. The truly eclectic range of dishes defy categorization, but the choices are reasonably limited and every one offers something interesting. This carefully crafted selection separates Saturn Grill from your everyday deli or cafe.

My usual pick is the Skinny Chick and Salad ($7.95). A good portion of flattened chicken breast is seasoned, grilled and served alongside the salad of your choice. I usually pick the tomato and mozzarella salad which offers fresh tomato slices and quality chunks of soft mozzarella on a bed of spinach with a light vinagarette.

In addition to the regular menu, Saturn Grill offers daily specials which are always tempting and widely varied. Often with a southwest flavor, these specialty plates are a great way to experience their creativity. Specialty soups, sandwiches, pastas, and even deserts round out their offerings. Saturn Grill’s menu is a shining example from which many restaurants could learn a great deal — offer fewer choices but make each of those choices unique and purposeful.

Saturn Grill isn’t the cheapest place to eat. For a limited service restaurant, the price tag can be a little higher than what you find at some other places. But remember, folks, it’s about value. And the level of creativity and taste you find at Saturn Grill is well worth the few extra dollars you might spend. Obviously, there are many who agree and for that reason I recommend arriving at times slightly off of the peak hours to avoid what can be very long lines.

Alright, so I’m pretty much known by those around me as cheap. I tend to think of it more as “financially responsible” but … whatever. The point is, I always appreciate a good value when I find one.

Used to be that the $5 lunch was the marker to shoot for, but nowadays it seems that outside the “fastest” of fast food, that’s too lofty a goal. Still, anytime I can get close to $5 for a quality, local, filling meal, I feel pretty good about it. Hence, Sala Thai has won my heart with their lunch offering.

It’s not an all-you-can-eat buffet, but it’s still a buffet of sorts. At Sala Thai, the lunch special gives you the opportunity to choose three entrees from about eight available options, plus steamed or fried rice and soup, all for $5.95. When I first visited, it was $5.25, then it went up to about $5.50 and now it’s $5.95. Still, I think it’s a good value even at it’s current price. It’s not an enormous amount of food, but honestly, I like the portion size. I’d rather pay less and get the amount of food I really need than pay more for an all-you-can-eat option that makes me want to overeat in order to get my money’s worth.

Though you’ll be seated at a table when you arrive, to partake of the lunch special, you head up to the front and choose your items cafeteria style as the Sala Thai staff assembles them onto your plate for you.

The entree choices are always interesting and well-prepared. There are usually a few vegetarian options and a few with meat. There are some curries (like the chicken green curry with bamboo shoots and eggplant), some stir fries, and often pad thai is a choice as well. However, the pad thai on the buffet is a meatless variety and not nearly as good as Sala Thai’s chicken pad thai ordered off the menu. Of course, the menu version is $8.25, but is a very generous portion and very good.

Speaking of the menu, you can order off the menu instead of getting the lunch special if you prefer, though you’ll likely be spending more. And, of course, you can order of the menu at dinner as well. Most menu dishes range from $8-12. This is a great place for vegetarian and even vegan dining as there are lots of options to suit. It’s also a great place for family style dining to get a bunch of different dishes and share. Everything I’ve ever tried is extremely fresh and tasty. I’d love to here about the dishes you’ve tried in the comments.

The decor of Sala Thai is nothing exceptional but it’s comfortable and clean. What appears to have been an old Arby’s or other fast food restaurant near to the Asian district has been neatly transformed. Sala Thai has occupied the building long enough to truly call it home.

My only complaint is that there’s not a lunch special version of the regular pad thai with meat from the menu. But hey, I told you I was cheap, right?

What are your thoughts about Sala Thai? Let us know in the comments below.

For some people, and especially those new to the Oklahoma City area, I’m sure City Bites is a little mundane. It’s a pretty large local chain with over 15 Oklahoma City locations. It’s lived past its days of being exciting and new and is now just a common part of the Oklahoma City life.

But I grew up just a couple of blocks from the original City Bites location and I was there when it first opened in 1986. For about four years, this tiny little shop in a strip mall on NW 23rd Street just east of Council Road was the only City Bites location, and man was it something. It overwhelmed you with zany interiors including mismatched paint and clever props like road signs that said “Keep Right” but had an arrow pointing left. And it satisfied you with a style of sandwich that was completely unique.

City Bites was quite possibly my first introduction into the value of a quality, local, neighborhood restaurant. At age eleven, I was pretty struck by the hard work of the owners who, legend has it, painted in mismatched colors because they were stretching their dollars by using whatever paint they could find laying around. And I was pretty smitten with the BBQ beef sandwich (grilled sirloin steak with grilled onions, green peppers, BBQ sauce and provolone) which they still serve today. I hadn’t had anything like that before.

Through my high school days at Putnam City West just down the road, City Bites was a staple of our “open campus” life. I also had several friends who worked there. It was just all an all around great place.

So, of course, City Bites has a lot of great memories for me, but the question now is, how has their growth impacted what they offer? Their 17 locations are, all but one, still in the Oklahoma City area, so they are very much still a “local” restaurant, though they are a chain and opening up to franchising. So, do they still offer something unique to our city?

I think they do. I still visit City Bites semi-regularly. The quality of their food remains high, in my opinion. Their pricing has gone up, naturally, and now you don’t get as much value as you used to in the early days, but they still serve a great, unique sandwich in their signature zany style.

I still love signature sandwiches like the Philly Cheesesteak with grilled sirloin, grilled onions and green peppers, crushed cherry peppers, lettuce, tomatoes and mayo. I know it’s not not an “authentic” version, but I don’t mind so much when it is so good. Another, healthier option is the California Club with fresh alfalfa sprouts, bacon, turkey, provolone, lettuce, tomatoes, mayo and sliced avocado. They’ve kept items like these consistently good from the beginning, while adding and inventing new sandwiches and new items like loaded salads and potatoes over the years.

And of course, every sandwich comes on that amazing bread. I remember first trying the City Bites bread and realizing I’d never had anything like it. Fresh baked, sub-shaped, but flatter and easier to get your mouth around. Their bread just seems perfectly engineered to hold a ton of sandwich contents. They’ve added some neat bread options over the years, like sun-dried tomato (my favorite), and jalepeno … etc. But all of them relate to the classic City Bites style. The bread alone is worth the visit.

They’ve also got giant cookies and brownies you can’t find anywhere else. And, they’ve recently equipped all of their restaurants with reliable, free wifi. This last point has driven me back to City Bites more than anything as I know I can get good food, some good iced tea, and free wifi whenever I have the need for a working lunch or dinner.

Though my personal feelings for City Bites are influenced heavily by my long history with them, I still feel they continue deliver a quality, unique Oklahoma City dining experience almost 25 years later. I’m sure many of you have tried City Bites at one time or another. Tell us what you think in the comments.

Since our goal is to highlight restaurants that bring something truly unique to the Oklahoma City landscape, 105degrees is a natural fit for EatAroundOKC. That’s because you cannot find another restaurant in Oklahoma City currently that offers anything remotely close to what 105degrees is offering. It’s worth your attention if for nothing more than giving homage to the bold effort its ownership has made in bringing this concept to our city.

But, of course, “uniqueness” can only get you so far. To endure, a restaurant has to offer enough to build up a clientèle and keep them coming back time and time again. Does 105degrees have the staying power? Well, answering that might be a little beyond our expertise, but we attempted to at least find out how they’re doing by taking our whole core writing team for a lunchtime visit.

First off, in case you are not familiar, let me offer a little overview. 105degrees is a cafe and an academy focused on “living cuisine,” a term they define as “foods that contain all of their natural beauty and nutrition.” They don’t cook anything over 105 degrees, ensuring that all of the foods’ natural nutrition and flavor stays intact. They also only use fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. There are no meats, no dairy products, not even legumes. So, this restaurant is an exceptional place if you’re a vegan as everything served here will fit your diet.

The atmosphere at 105degrees is outstanding. It’s one of the first businesses to open up in the new Classen Curve development, a very modern structure with full glass front walls for every outlet. The towering glass and very open dining area (which includes the kitchen) gives a nice, airy feel. Its all appointed with simple but tasteful decor and furniture, all created with a focus on sustainable materials. Bravo for a job well done on creating a unique environment to accompany the unique cuisine.

One small note — if you go when it’s very cold outside, the glass front wall can make for a fairly chilly dining area, at least on the day we visited.

Now on to the food. This is higher-end fare where everything is ala carte with main courses at lunch in the $11-$13 range. At dinner, the main courses are $16-$18. Of course, there are appetizers, side items and desserts as well, all sold separately. For me, this puts it in the range of an “occasional special treat” restaurant, but that’s just me. By the way, you can view all of their current menus and prices here on their website.

There is value to what you’re buying here, though. Everything is extremely creative and artfully presented. 105degrees creates an experience. An adventure in discovering new ways to think about food. I was extremely impressed with the staff. Our server was obviously passionate about what she does and was able to answer every question we had about everything on the menu in detail. She could list every ingredient in every dish and even tell us a bit about how they put it together. I enjoyed my visit as a learning experience as much as for dining.

But I also enjoyed the dining. I’ll discuss a few of the items we tried here, but keep in mind that 105degrees changes its menu regularly, so the items discussed here may not be available when you visit. In fact, our server told us they were very close to changing their menu completely. As in, nothing from the current menu will exist soon. But that’s alright, just new things to try.

We started by sharing the Spicy Vegetable Summer Rolls ($6). They were served with a mango tamarind chutney and toasted salty coconut. These were perhaps the best thing I had. Sarah described them as “a riot of flavors and spices — sweet, spicy, tangy and fresh.” I agree. It was like a flavor explosion in every bite, and surprisingly filling, considering they are all vegetables.

Our main dishes were the OM Gardens Mushroom Pizza ($12), the Blue Corn Tostada ($12) and the Heirloom Tomato Lasagna ($13). Each one of these was a beautiful creation with very unique ingredients. For example, the “cheese” used in the tostada and the lasagna is actually made from nuts. On my lasagna, it literally had the same consistency of ricotta cheese, and even tasted a little cheese-like, but no dairy, remember, just nuts. Interesting. The lasagna also used thinly-sliced cucumber as the “noodles,” in case you were wondering.

I think Sam enjoyed his main course, the pizza, the least of all of us. He says, “the title of this dish is mushroom pizza, and mushroom-laden it was indeed. I thought it was way too salty and that saltiness really overcame all the rest of the flavors.” I tried a bit of the pizza as well and I have to agree. The flavors were overpowering. I can imagine that after eating the whole thing even the biggest mushroom fan would be weary of the flavor.

And if there’s one complaint we would issue about our experience as a whole, it would be this issue of overpowering flavors. Every single dish we had (except the dessert, see below) was like an overwhelming combination of so many different flavors. Perhaps this approach is used to offset the lack of more savory elements like meat and dairy, but I must say, over the course of the meal, one’s palate begins to grow weary of the intensity.

But then we got to dessert, and it was a welcome relief. On the recommendation of our server, we shared the Sicilian Pistachio Nougatine with orange marmalade and dark chocolate. Now this is a dish I really enjoyed. First off, I’m not a fan of heavy desserts, so eating one of the three small but dense pieces in this presentation was perfect for me. And, no more flavor explosion. Just a simple, tasteful, well-balanced flavor wrapped up in another stellar presentation. I have to say, 105degrees would be a great place to come for just dessert and coffee, if that’s your thing.

In short, 105degrees is worth your attention. I think everyone ought to check it out if for no other reason but to explore a new way of experiencing food. Whether or not it keeps you coming back will be up to you, but at least consider giving them a try. Oh, and keep in mind that this restaurant isn’t designed to be super filling. I was surprised at how filling the dishes actually were, considering they are entirely made up of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, but if you’re the type expects to leave feeling really full, you might be disappointed. But hey, you can eat a snack later if you want, right? Just come with the right expectations and see for yourself what “living cuisine” is all about.

Here’s a look at the winners for November. These fine folks had their comments randomly selected from all of the comments left on our site in the month of November. If you’re not on the list, don’t dispair. There are plenty more prizes available for December and beyond, but you have to leave comments on the site each month to be eligible. For more information, see our giveaway page.

• MaryAnn wins a free “Dinner for Two” from Casa Perico (review). This includes two entrees or one full order of fajitas plus two beverages.
• Brooke wins a $20 gift card from Market-C.
• Julie wins $10 in pizza bucks from Hideaway Pizza.

If you are one of our winners, you have already received an email from me. Please reply to claim your prize. If not, stay tuned for more prizes to be announced next month. Have a happy holiday season!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — if you live in OKC and haven’t ever eaten Pho, you are truly not taking advantage of your surroundings. Our city is blessed with a large Vietnamese population and a thriving Asian District and to miss out one of this culture’s great offerings is a shame. At my office, we’ve started a tradition to ensure we don’t miss out. We call it Pho-riday. Get it? Yeah, it’s a pun inspired by the names of suburban Pho places everywhere.

Here in OKC, we have Asian district Pho and we have suburban Pho. I find it interesting that most suburban Pho places use Pho puns in their names. Pho-Bulous is one of those places. I have been skeptical of suburban Pho for a while now (having been spoiled by the outstanding Asian District places including Pho Lien Hoa), but we finally decided to venture out on Pho-riday and give Pho-Bulous a try.

I had heard good things about Pho-Bulous from many of our readers over the past year, ever since I posted my article on Pho Lien Hoa. One of things I heard is that they didn’t use MSG, which I found very hard to believe. So, I asked the folks at Pho-Bulous and they do, in fact, use MSG. That makes sense as it would be hard to imagine tasty Pho without it. However, I do feel they probably use less MSG than the Asian district places. This results in a lighter, milder-flavored broth that’s less complex that what I’m used to. I needed to add more condiments to the broth to make it really sing, but I have to say, I thought it was very good in its own way. It is definitely a different flavor than the Asian district Pho and I don’t think it will take top billing in my Pho book (that honor still belongs to Pho Lien Hoa, and likely always will), but Pho-Bulous made enough of an impression on me to warrant this review.

Pho-Bulous has several things going for it. First, it’s in a nice location, especially for Edmonites who don’t get downtown often. Also, its spot on the southern end of Broadway makes it convenient even for those in northwest OKC. Second, it has a very nice interior. High ceilings, trendy decor, and clean bathrooms all make for a pleasant experience.

They also have a varied menu with lots of items besides Pho. This is always helpful for dining with people who may or may not want to try the Pho, but on the flip side, it means their focus isn’t wholly on Pho. That’s one of the advantages of Pho Hoa — Pho is pretty much all they do and they do it very well. Still, having some options is good with a larger group or if you are going to make it a regular stop.

As mentioned before, I thought the Pho was notable, though different from Asian District places. The pricing ($5.95 for a small, $6.95 for a large) is only slightly higher than what you get downtown. As usual, a small was plenty big for even those of us with large appetites.

I also tried the “summer rolls” ($2.95 for two) which are Vietnamese-style spring rolls with your choice of grilled beef, chicken or pork. I chose this option because the shrimp rolls were $3.25 for two, which is $1.25 more than I’m used to paying downtown. I liked the grilled meat options, which offered variety from my standard shrimp roll order.

Two of my friends tried the vermicelli dishes ($6.95-$7.50) and weren’t too impressed. On the other hand, our vegetarian dining partner was directed to the Vietnamese stir fry with tofu ($6.75) which he really enjoyed. Oh, and speaking of vegetarians, this place does have several vegetarian dishes, but Pho is not one of them. Despite the fact that the menu offers “Vegetarian Pho” as a lunch special, it is not truly vegetarian as the broth is still the typical beef-based Pho broth. I have yet to find a restaurant in OKC offering true vegetarian Pho.

Bottom line, Pho-Bulous offers a solid, suburban Pho option. It is definitely better than other suburban options I have tried, but its Pho isn’t quite on par with Pho Lien Hoa. Nevertheless, they serve lots of other menu options — some good and some just ok — in a clean, trendy environment. If Edmond is your home base, Pho-Bulous is definitely worth a try.

Let us know what you think about Pho-Bulous in the comments.

If you are one of the winners, you should have already received an email from me. As always, we are extremely grateful to the gracious restaurants that donate gift cards for us to give away to you. Here are October’s winners.

• Richard wins a $25 gift card to Cafe Nova (review).
• Jimmy wins a $10 gift card to Rococo (review).
• Chris and “Very Satisfied Customer” both win $10 in pizza bucks at Hideaway Pizza.

Thanks again to everyone for the comments. Your thoughts and comments are what make this site an extremely valuable resource, so please keep them coming and you might just win a prize!

Here’s a list of September’s winners:

• Rosie wins a $25 gift card to Deep Fork Grill (review).
• Cult of Nobody wins a $20 gift card to Market-C.
• Jocelyn wins $10 in pizza bucks at Hideaway Pizza.

If you are one of the winners, you should have already received an email notification from me. Be sure to reply and claim your prize.

Congrats to our winners and thanks to all of you for leaving comments on our site. Your comments are what really make our site fun, so please keep them coming. Remember that only comments left in October will be eligible for October’s prizes.

Hope to hear from you soon.

In the almost three years since I started EatAroundOKC.com, I can’t remember another restaurant that has generated as much buzz around its launch as Big Truck Tacos. I feel strange writing this article as it almost seems superfluous to have yet another online page dedicated to discussing it. But at the same time, I’ve received enough email from readers asking, “Why don’t you have a review of Big Truck Tacos?” to motivate me to get this article published. So, here we go.

I truly love the idea of Big Track Tacos. It represents the epitome of what I tend to look for in restaurants. That is, a place that offers something truly unique to the Oklahoma City restaurant landscape. On this front, Big Truck Tacos excels, bringing a gourmet and hip spin on the authentic taqueria experience both indoors (at their restaurant location) and on the street (via their actual taco truck). The ownership of this restaurant has experience in high-end dining, and the idea of taking something as awesome as a taqueria-style taco and sprucing it up with culinary creativity is extremely exciting to me.

While their focus right now appears to be on the restaurant location, it seems they have plans to turn their taco truck into a Twitter-driven mobile dining experience akin to Kogi in Los Angeles. Time will tell how this plays out but it could be a very unique and successful offering. For now, it seems that their static location is keeping them busy enough as crowds have been overwhelming and consistent since their opening.

When you visit their restaurant location, you’ll find a small, nicely redone old drive-in diner. There’s not a lot of space inside, but in the warmer weather they have good outdoor seating on colorful picnic tables which can even be used in the rain since they’re covered by the old drive-in roof. Getting to know the people dining next to you is the standard MO here as most anywhere you sit you will be sharing space with others. But hey, that makes it all the more fun and gives it a true “hang-out” kind of feel.

Take a look at the menu and you’ll find a lot to love. The in-depth descriptions of their tacos, burritos, tortas, salads and more are inspiring with exciting combinations of ingredients like “ground bison picadillo,” “fried avocado,” “spice-rubbed beer can chicken,” and the like.

However, when my eyes wandered across the page to the pricing, I was a bit disappointed. Tacos are $2.75-$3.00 each. “That’s cheap!” you may say, but keep in mind that even the smallest appetite would likely need two of these tacos to feel satisfied (I could easily eat three without over doing it). Having frequented some of OKC’s best southside taquerias where amazing tacos of the same size are served up for $1.50 or less each, the price tag on BTT’s offerings let me down. Sure, I know it’s a gourmet spin and I would expect to pay more than the norm, but twice as much? With prices like these, they had better deliver on taste.

But in the taste department, I’ve been let down a bit. Most everything I’ve tried at lunch sounded better on the menu than it actually delivered. I’ve had four different lunch tacos. Two of them have been good. The other two have been average at best. None of them have been what I would consider amazing.

On the positive side, the slaw on “The Okie-Baha” (fish taco) was the best I think I’ve had and “The Rancher” offered a great combination of flavors with slow-braised brisket, potatoes, queso, and a pickled relish that really livens things up. On the disappointing side, the verde pork at BTT was unexciting in both texture and flavor, and the beef al carbon was tough with a “coffee-rubbed” flavor that was quite overpowering and not all that appealing. Even though “Urban Coffee Company – rubbed grilled skirt steak” had my mouth watering when I read it on the menu, it was less than satisfying to my taste.

I also wish the tortillas at Big Truck Tacos brought more to the party. As it is, they’re fine, but they’re nothing special. You have your choice of flour or double-corn tortillas on each taco you order. Livening up the tortillas with something homemade or otherwise unique would really go a long way toward fulfilling the gourmet expectations set by their pricing.

Now, I’ve heard from many people who believe breakfast is the better offering at Big Truck Tacos. I’d have to agree. The pricing is a little lower, which is nice, and the flavors I had were better as well. All of the breakfast tacos are “build your own,” allowing you to select from their list of ingredients. For $2, you get two ingredients but … oh yeah … eggs count as an ingredient. Add a quarter or so for each additional ingredient you want.

I had an egg, avocado and flank steak breakfast taco that was very good. It was heavy on the pepper, which I like. The steak was a little tough, just like the lunch steak, but it had a better flavor than its coffee-rubbed lunch sibling. I also had one with egg, spinach and ham.

You can also build your own breakfast burrito. In fact, this the best value I’ve found so far at Big Truck Tacos. For $4 you get your choice of three ingredients wrapped up in a 10 inch tortilla. It’s a decent amount of food for the price. I had the egg, avocado and flank steak in a burrito and thought it was even better than the taco version. I also thought the tortilla on the burrito was better than the ones on the tacos.

I wish they would open earlier for breakfast. I also wish they would include a few of their own taco creations at breakfast like they do at lunch. Come to think of it, adding a “build your own” option at lunch might be nice as well. Why the separation? And, why not offer breakfast tacos all day. That would really rock.

Alright, so there are some things I wish were different, but at the bottom line, Big Truck Tacos is definitely worth your attention. Give them a try. You’ll find that they run a great operation and they’re very concerned about customer satisfaction. Send them your feedback through Facebook or Twitter and I can almost guarantee they’ll be quick to respond and react.

I’m sure I’ll be visiting them again, though I can say I’d be visiting them a lot more frequently if pricing were a little lower or if there were some lunch combo that could get me three tacos for around $6 instead of $9. As it is, my visits may be infrequent but I do look forward to seeing how they continue to change and improve.

Please let us know what you think about Big Truck Tacos in the comments.

Here’s a list of August’s winners:

• Craig wins a $50 gift card to Paseo Grill.
• Alisa wins a $20 gift card to Market-C.
• Matt wins a $20 gift card to Rococo (review).

If you are one of the winners, you should have already received an email notification from me. Be sure to reply and claim your prize.

Congrats to our winners and thanks to all of you for leaving comments on our site. Your comments are what really make our site fun, so please keep them coming. Remember that only comments left in September will be eligible for September’s prizes.

Oh, and if you haven’t already, check us out on Twitter. We’ve got nearly 1,300 followers now and it’s a whole lot of fun. You can use the #eataroundokc tag in your tweets to join the conversation and get your tweets listed on our Twitter page. Plus, we occasionally offer special giveaways just to our Twitter followers as well.

A quick glance at the unimpressive, slightly run-down exterior of Classen Grill and you won’t be expecting much more than an average greasy-spoon. Walk inside to find a mix-matched, unpolished interior and your expectations will be reinforced. Try the food, however, and you’ll most likely be impressed. The folks at Classen Grill appear to be masters at managing expectations, setting you up for run-of-the-mill food and surprising you with an edge of quality you don’t expect.

Take the orange juice, for example. I’m not sure you can get a fresher glass of OJ anywhere. They’ve got an orange juicing machine right in the dining room where the juice is squeezed right into pitchers which are then brought to your table to serve. You’ll pay up for it, of course, but if freshness is what you’re after, you’ll love it.

The surprises don’t end there. Read down the menu and you’ll see that this isn’t average diner fare at all. You’ll find creative ideas all across the breakfast and lunch menus.

For an appetizer, I like the chips with red and green salsa ($2.29). There’s nothing special about the chips, but the salsas impress me. There’s a tasty, tangy red one and, my favorite, an unusual green salsa, served warm, that’s not too hot but has a little kick. It’s not that these are the best salsas I’ve ever had, but they are good, and much better than I would expect at an average diner. Plus, they’re a great value as one order can easily satisfy a party of 4-6.

For my meal, I almost always get the jalepeno swiss burger. It’s not on the menu, but it was a special one time and every time I go back I’ve just asked for it and they’ve made it for me. They’ve always charged me $5.99 for it, which is a great deal considering it comes with home fries. Their home fries are thick-cut chunks of potato encased in a very tasty batter, but for some reason, they just don’t seem very greasy.

I think the burgers here are very good. They’re served on a very good bun, which is slightly toasted and a little crispy on the edges. The burger patty is thick with a seared exterior and very juicy inside. It’s always well done with no pink but never, ever dry. On the jalepeno swiss burger, the toppings are fresh and the jalepenos are hot and whatever sauce they put on it is fantastic. Of course, there are several other burger options to choose from and all are good.

Lots of people love the breakfast here, which I can understand. They’ve got things like the Biscuit Debris ($6.89), which is three biscuits topped with ham, sausage, gravy and cheddar cheese and served with hashbrowns. It’s definitely a conversation starter, but for me, it’s just too much. I’ve also tried the migas ($6.99) and the pancakes for breakfast. Both are fine, but for some reason, I’ve never been as wowed with the breakfast as others I know have. For me, lunch is the time to go.

Whenever you choose to go, Classen Grill is worth your attention. You’ll find interesting dishes that almost always exceed your expectations.

Have you been to Classen Grill? Leave us a comment below and let us know what you think.

Andrew was the very first writer to join the EatAroundOKC.com team nearly two years ago. Since then, he’s contributed over forty restaurant reviews and numerous comments on this site. He also invented the “Shady Restaurant of the Month” series, which has become one of the most popular features of our site. We regularly hear from readers who love the shady restaurants and can’t wait to hear of Andrew’s next find.

With an iron stomach, a seemingly impervious immune system, and an almost reverent respect for anything and everything deep-fried, Andrew has braved Oklahoma City’s shadiest regions to find the culinary jewels that most of us would never find on our own. He’s brought recognition to many of OKC’s deserving but previously unknown restauranteurs. And, he’s done it all for the love of Oklahoma City and its restaurant community, because I can tell you that he, like all of our writers, works strictly as a volunteer.

It is Andrew who first introduced us to Nic’s Grill and Mama E’s and who is primarily responsible for directing the producers of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives to those locations. Andrew also directed our attention to the amazing tacos at Los Comales, the succulent chicken at El Regio Loco and Oklahoma City’s only location for eating goat biryani in a truck stop — the Tandoor restaurant. Of course, the list of hidden finds goes on and on. You can relive the memories by viewing all of Andrew’s review contributions on his author page.

So, it is with great sadness that we say farewell to Andrew. We wish him well as he and his family make the transition back to their home state of Tennessee. I hope you’ll leave a comment here on this post and join us in thanking Andrew for his contributions here.

(Oh, and if anyone out there loves shady restaurants and fancies themselves a writer, we’ve got an opening on our writing team. Contact us if you’re interested. It pays nothing, but it’s sure a lot of fun).

Thanks again, Andrew. Best of luck to you and may Nashville’s shady dining industry finally get the respect it deserves.

Here’s a list of July’s winners:

• Ryan S. wins a $50 gift card to Paseo Grill.
• JuJuBeans wins a $20 gift card to Rococo (review).
• Jared wins $10 in pizza bucks from Hideaway Pizza.

If you are one of the winners, you will receive an email notification from me. Be sure to reply and claim your prize.

Thanks for all of the comments, everyone, and keep them coming. Remember that only comments left in August will be eligible for August’s prizes. Plus, your opinions are what really make this site great, so please let us know what you think.

Oh, and if you haven’t already, you might consider following us on Twitter. We occasionally offer special giveaways just to our Twitter followers as well.

If you’ve read many of our reviews, you know that we’re always searching for the unique things restaurants offer to the Oklahoma City landscape. So, when Andrew and I visited Rococo’s, there was one thing that stood out to us above everything else — east coast style.

You feel it from the moment you walk in. The rich, dark, almost swanky decor is absent the southwest influence that we’re accustomed to around these parts. The seafood-rich menu and extensive wine list add to the vibe. But you really find out what this place is about when owner/chef Bruce Rinehart stops by your table, which he is almost certain to do. Spend just a moment conversing with Bruce and you’ll understand what is unique about Rococo.

Bruce spent a lot of time opening and running restaurants on the east coast, so you can understand where the style comes from. If you are from that region, I’d imagine Rococo would feel a lot like home. If you’re not, Rococo is still worth your attention for its other great strength — fresh seafood.

We actually get a lot of questions about where to get good seafood in Oklahoma City. Now that I’ve been to Rococo, I can say I think it’s a worthy seafood contender. There aren’t a great many places I know of that offer simple, fresh seafood presentations. Most of the time around here, seafood is fried or blackened or spiced up in some other southwestern or cajun-influenced way. But at Rococo, we had a beautiful presentation of their Petrale Sole filet ($18.75), lightly dusted with flour, sauteed in butter and served with capers, lemon pulp and tiny, delicate croutons. It’s rare to get to taste the actual fish as much as you could in this presentation, and the fish tasted great.

We also had the crabcake (market price) that Rococo is happy to claim as the best in the city. That might seem haughty to you, but I’d have to say that I agree with the claim. This is not a mixture of crab and other fillers pressed into a patty. This is a heaping mound of huge chunks of crab meat topped with a few types of breadcrumbs and baked. You order crab and you taste crab — and again, the crab tastes great.

In addition to the on-menu seafood items, Rococo offers off-menu specials that vary daily as they overnight fresh seafood from the coast as available. That’s right, here is a place where you can literally taste fresh seafood from the east coast. If you want to stay up on what’s fresh, subscribe to their email newsletter on their home page, or follow them on Twitter. We’re seeing a lot of restaurants really utilize Twitter lately and Rococo is one that does a great job communicating that way.

Alright, so I’ve given you a glowing picture of what I think Rococo does best — seafood with an east coast flair. But their menu doesn’t stop there. In fact, their menu is widely varied with steaks, chops, pastas, and even some sandwiches at lunch. It might even be a bit too varied in my opinion. Personally, I’d like to see them expand their seafood options and limit the other things, but that’s just me.

I mean, I haven’t tried all that many things, but I had a bit of the Penne Bolognese ($15.75 at dinner) and, while it was fresh and perfectly fine, it was lighter on flavor than I would typically expect from the rich Italian dish. There are other places I would put above Rococo for Italian food, at least based on what I experienced.

Andrew had the filet ($25.25 and $34.75), which was very well-cooked and flavorful with a really nice sauce that didn’t overpower. I had a bite of it and thought it was good as well. Nothing wrong with it and it’s a decent price, I’m just thinking there are lots of other places you can get steaks done at least as well.

One thing to keep in mind is that Rococo offers a pretty reasonable lunch menu. Sandwiches and smaller entrees are offered anywhere from $7-$15 making a good value when you’re looking for lunch.

So, my bottom line on Rococo is that they offer a lot of options and they do it all pretty well, but if you want to try the thing they do exceptionally well and that’s unique here in our fair city, go for the seafood, especially the crab cake and whatever seafood specials Bruce is flying in on the day you visit. This is where Rococo shines and can provide you with something you’re not likely to experience anywhere else in town.

What are your thoughts on Rococo? Let us know in the comments.

• Kaylee wins a $20 gift card to Market C.
• Kevin wins a $25 gift card to Iguana Mexican Grill (review).
• Xander wins $10 in pizza bucks from Hideaway Pizza.

If you are one of the winners, you will receive an email notification from me. Be sure to reply and claim your prize.

Thanks for all of the comments, everyone, and keep them coming. Remember that only comments left in July will be eligible for July’s prizes. Plus, your opinions are what really make this site great, so please let us know what you think.

Oh, and if you haven’t already, you might consider following us on Twitter. We occasionally offer special giveaways just to our Twitter followers as well.

For more information, see our giveaway page.

Anyway, we just randomly selected May’s winners, and here’s how they came out:

• JD wins a $20 gift card to Market C.
• Kevin wins a $25 gift card to Iguana Mexican Grill (review).
• Cara wins $10 in pizza bucks from Hideaway Pizza.

If you are one of the winners, you have already received an email notification from me. Be sure to reply and claim your prize.

Thanks for all of the comments, everyone, and keep them coming. Remember that only comments left in June will be eligible for June’s prizes. Plus, your opinions are what really make this site great, so please let us know what you think.

Oh, and if you haven’t already, you might consider following us on Twitter. We occasionally offer special giveaways just to our Twitter followers as well.

Get full details about the giveaway on our giveaway page.

Let me take a moment to thank our friends in the restaurant business who have graciously donated gift cards to us so that we can give them away to you. Here’s a look at the prizes available and the nice restaurants that donated them:

• A Good Egg Dining Group. Multiple $20 gift cards to Market-C, their new specialty grocery and prepared foods venture. A Good Egg Dining Group is the company behind Cheever’s Cafe (review), Iron Starr Urban BBQ (review), Red Prime Steak (review) and other favorites.
• Iguana Mexican Grill. Multiple $25 gift cards good at Iguana Mexican Grill (review). The ownership group behind Iguana also offers Table One (review).
• Hideaway Pizza. Pizza bucks good at any Hideaway Pizza location.
• Irma’s Burger Shack. Multiple $10 gift cards good at either Irma’s Burger Shack location (review).

As before, the way you win is by leaving comments. They have to be legit, but the more comments you leave, the better your odds are of winning. The clock starts now for May’s prizes. Any comments left on the site from now to the end of May will be eligible. Then, we’ll start over in June.

Be sure to check our giveaway page for full details and bring on the comments. Oh, and if you’re looking for even more giveaway action, follow us on Twitter and you may find us offering some special prizes there as well.