Several years ago, some friends who live in Norman introduced me to a gem called Tarahumara’s Mexican Cafe. After one visit, it easily catapulted to a spot as one of my top five Tex-Mex eateries in the metro. With so many Tex-Mex places from which to choose, that’s no easy feat.

Tarahumara’s is located on Porter, just south of Norman Regional Hospital and a few miles north of the OU campus. Years ago it was a Mazzio’s, but the owners have totally redecorated it in sunny hues of yellow and orange. While the parking lot is almost always full and there is often a line, the wait (like most Tex Mex places) goes pretty fast. A covered patio and a small indoor waiting area exist for diners waiting for their pagers to buzz. Now that summer is here, they have the misters running to cool the patio area.

One thing that sets Tarahumara’s apart from other restaurants is the flat screen TVs. In addition to regular programming, some of the TVs feature views of the kitchen so that a diner can see food as it is being prepared. It’s nice to see such a clean kitchen where the staff is working quickly to prepare the meals. Another big surprise came on my last visit a few weeks ago. The menu at Tarahumara’s now features color photos of most if not all of the dishes. This new full color menu can also be viewed online.

Tarahumara’s brings the standard fresh tortillas, cheese sauce, chips and salsa as soon as diners are seated. They also offer carrot, jalapeno and onion relish upon request. There is some kind of herb or spice in the relish that I cannot pinpoint. All I know is that it gives a slight smoky flavor to the relish, setting it apart from other places. The flour tortillas are nice and fluffy while the corn tortillas are thin and tender — just the way I like each. The “house salsa” is your standard tomato blend with just enough kick. On my last visit, I requested their green salsa which is a creamy avocado dip with lots of spicy peppers blended into it. One more thing on the set up, the chips are thin and crispy, not oily or chewy at all.

They also have tasty selection of Mexican-style cervezas and margaritas for those who choose to partake. The beers come with lime in a chilled salt rimmed glass, which is perfect for the sweltering Oklahoma heat.

While Tarahumara’s has been a long time favorite, I went twice in the span of two weeks to write this review. On my first visit, I ordered the Guiso Mexicano ($11.85) which is a dish comprised of very tender beef tips in a sauce made from tomatoes, onions and bell peppers. It comes with rice, beans and guacamole. I particularly enjoyed the tenderness of the beef and the spiciness of the sauce. The next day I reheated my leftovers along with some of the tortillas and made my own burrito for lunch.

My friend Nancy had the Tacos al Borrego ($11.85 for 2, $13.75 for 3), which is comprised of Mexican-style tacos with soft corn tortillas rather than hard shells. These tacos come with rice, beans and avocado slices. While Nancy said she enjoyed her meal, she said “I did have a bit of gristle in the steak in my taco, but I would let that slide — they can’t always get all that cut out.”

On my next visit, my mother ordered the Camaron al Mojo de Ajo ($12.60 single or $18.35 for double shrimp or scallops) which is shrimp cooked in garlic butter. While the shrimp were good size, Mom commented they could have had a little more garlic and the sauce could have been better. In reviewing the menu, I see that this dish was supposed to come with Mexican corn. She didn’t receive corn with her meal, but with the ample rice, beans and avocados, it wasn’t missed.

In keeping with a promise I made to myself to order something different this time, I ordered the Bistec Ranchero ($12.75), listed on the menu as a new item. This thinly-sliced, marinated and grilled strip steak had a good flavor, but it was a little on the tough side. In the future, I think I will stick to thicker cuts of meat.

Of note for both of my recent meals — I love it that nearly every single entrée comes with either a side of guacamole or some sliced avocados. To me, that’s an added bonus. I also appreciate that they have an ample lunch menu with lots of great items at value prices, and a low-carb menu for those who are looking for something healthier.

Tarahumara’s stands out to me as a cut above the standard Tex-Mex fare. They offer some unique dishes in addition to the standards and most everything they do is done very well. If you live close by, it’s definitely worth your attention. Even if you live farther away, you might find, like me, that it’s worth a special trip now and then. So check it out, and tell us all about your impressions in the comments below.

As someone who lives in Moore, but works in the Nichols Hills area, I have the opportunity to sample fare from all across the metro. Historically, for the most part, if I ever wanted anything for dinner other than chain food I had to make the trek back up north or to Norman. The food landscape has changed recently and as a lifelong Moore / SW OKC girl, that makes me very happy.

The Mediterranean Grill represents a great example of this. It’s located in a traditional strip mall just south of I-240. I noticed their sign advertising gyros and kabobs and wanted to give it a try. The eatery has become a favorite of my mother and my niece, and the three of us visited for dinner last week.

As I mentioned, the restaurant is located in a strip mall. Therefore, the outside isn’t really anything special. On the inside, the owners have decorated the eatery with earthy tones of oranges and yellows. Classy drop pendant lighting hangs from the ceiling, taking away the traditional fluorescent lights you might normally see in a strip mall restaurant. The owners of Mediterranean Grill keep the place spotless and obviously take great pride in their little gem.

My mom and niece both chose gyros ($5.75) which come on pita bread with lettuce, onion, tomato and tzadziki sauce. They ordered the gyros accompanied with small Greek salads, but could have had French fries, Persian salad, tabouli or rice. The gyro meat was about the most tender I have ever eaten. Usually I’m not crazy about gyro meat because it can be a little tough but this was melt-in-your-mouth tender and very flavorful. On the way home, my niece said the pita bread was so soft and fresh that “if it were a pillow I could take a nap on it.” She also complimented the full flavor of the feta cheese on her Greek salad.

My favorite part about Greek-inspired menus is the appetizers. I just love good spanakopitas (spinach pies), hummus (chickpea dip) and falafel (split pea fritters). Throw in some tzadziki dressing with plenty of cucumber and dill and I’m a happy girl! I decided to order the combo platter ($10.50) from the appetizer menu. The Combo Platter comes with 2 dolmeh (stuffed grape leaves), 3 falafel, 2 sambosa (Greek spring rolls filled with spicy meat), 2 spanokopita, 2 tyropita (fried cheese pies), spicy yogurt sauce and pita wedges. I also requested some tzadziki sauce. I was most impressed by the spanakopitas and tyropitas. Both had just enough tasty filling on the inside with flaky crusts on the outside. The falafel were also very good and looked like little miniature breakfast sausage patties. The spicy yogurt dip had a little kick to it and really complimented the falafel. The tzadziki sauce is about the best I’ve tasted. Sometimes restaurants try to pass off what tastes like ranch dressing with a few little pieces of cucumber and some salt as tzadziki sauce. Not at the Mediterranean Grill. The cucumbers and dill blend together with the yogurt base and go perfectly with just about anything on the menu.

My mom, niece and I didn’t really care for the dolmeh or sambosa. We found the sambosa to be too sweet for our liking and the dolmeh was nothing special. Of course, you might like them better than we did, so give them a try for yourself sometime.

I’m quite impressed with The Mediterranean Grill and their menu. In addition to the gyros and appetizers, they have several kabobs from which to choose. On my first visit a few months ago I ordered a chicken kabob sandwich with tabouli. The chicken was well seasoned with hints of citrus. They also have several dinner platters and even tilapia and calamari. Of course, they also have baklava that my niece and mom really liked.

If you’re looking for a fairly inexpensive but very flavorful meal, I highly recommend you give The Mediterranean Grill a try. Let us know what you think in the comments.