Mission statement of Coolgreens: Through our vision of fresh, healthy, custom made food, Coolgreens is focused on becoming the most convenient choice for healthy and fresh meals and snacks served quickly in a cool, clean and environmentally sustainable setting for lunch, dinner and snacks in between.

I would say they are well on their way to accomplishing their goals, and I love it that owners Allan McMurrain, Chris Lower, Tom Wolfe and Marc Silver have even taken the time to create a mission statement. The original idea for this restaurant came from one of the owners’ daughters who is in school in Washington D.C. She talked her dad into coming out to see a DC restaurant she really liked, and he asked the owner there if he would be interested in opening a chain in Oklahoma City. The owner said no, but that he wouldn’t mind if he wanted to open his own restaurant using his concepts. And that’s how Coolgreens was born. FYI, one of the owners is also a partner with the very popular Big Truck Tacos, as well OKC staples like The Metro and the Coach House.

Upon entering, one must order at the counter, and one might be a little intimidated at the sheer number of selections available. This is a build-your-own salads and wraps place so the decisions can be a little overwhelming. I think I estimated about 64 choices of ingredients for salad alone. This is why I grabbed the nearest menu to select a combination that was already pre-determined. The owners said that’s exactly why they created a menu — for first-timers or for people who have trouble making decisions.

I took several friends to Coolgreens on my visit to celebrate Mom’s birthday, and so we got to sample a good variety of entrees. From the seasonal menu, I chose the Greens Margarita flatbread pizza ($7 just for pizza or $11 with a side salad), which was topped with grape tomatoes, fresh garlic, mozzarella, basil and extra virgin olive oil. I chose the Greek salad as my side. Both the salad and pizza were more than I could eat and very fresh and tasty. The flatbread is not your standard pizza crust, but is probably way more healthy.

My friend Ali chose the Southwest Spicy Chicken Wrap ($9) which contained greens, roasted chicken, avocado, poblano, corn, cumin, black beans, red onion, blue corn tortilla chips and queso fresco cheese. It was as good as it sounds and more than she could eat.

Sue Ellen chose the Ahi Tuna Nicoise salad ($11). It was a beautiful looking mixture of greens, arugula, grilled ahi tuna, fingerling potatoes, pickled onion, grape tomatoes, snap peas, kalamata olives, capers and boiled egg with raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

Susan tried the Plaza Skinny salad ($9) containing arugula, roasted chicken, sliced avocado, bean sprouts, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, hearts of palm and toasted sunflower seeds.

A side note to all of you soda drinkers — they don’t serve it here. But there is a wide variety of teas and homemade smoothies.

A lot of Coolgreens’ produce is organic. The produce that is not organic is locally grown. They have a goal to go completely organic, but say there is a little ways to go before it can happen.

One of their mottos is “Your body, our world.” This comes into play not only with healthy choices for food, but also in how they constructed the actual restaurant. The plasticware is made from compostable potato skins. The floor is made of cork. They have used LED lights to complement the natural lighting. Kudos to the owners for being green all the way around, even down to using ionized water to clean the tables, as opposed to bleach and other chemicals.

So, if you’re a man and reading this review, you may question whether a green, organic, salad place heralded by four ladies is right for you. I can only tell you that one of the biggest surprises the owners say they have seen is the number of men who frequent the place. Though they originally thought their target market would be young to median-aged women, it turns out most everyone is looking for healthy alternatives to dining out these days.

I will also say that our site owner, Tim, told me that a bunch of guys he works with considered Coolgreens to be a little pricey and the portion sizes small. I’m not sure how it’s possible to consider these portions small, but perhaps if you’ve got a huge appetite, that might be a factor. As far as the price, I consider it a good value for what you get.

Regardless, I think Coolgreens is at least worth your attention for the unique approach they’ve brought to Oklahoma City. Try it out for yourself, and let us know what kind of salad combination you came up with!

I’m glad to see more of the Latin influence invading the seemingly overrun and tired Tex-Mex landscape in the OKC metro area.  I mean, honestly, after you’ve had cheese enchiladas, refried beans, chips and queso at one place, you’ve pretty much experienced it at all of them. So why not step out to experience more variety in your Latin fare?

Peruvian native Jorge Zarate began cooking for his family at the age of four when his mother became ill and had to leave most of the kitchen responsibilities to him.  She taught him everything he knows, and he has loved cooking for others his entire life.  He cooked at his restaurant the first 1 1/2 years they were open so he could train his cooks in the methods his mother taught him.  When he first opened Zarates three years ago, he initially served the standard Tex-Mex fare, but quickly added many Central and South American dishes.  He says South American cuisine has a Chinese influence as far as spices are concerned.  He imports his spices from South America to keep the taste authentic. He also brings in around 15 different soft drinks from each country.  He said kids love to come and try a different soda each time their families dine.

Jorge said the main difference in Tex-Mex and Central and South American food is that Tex-Mex is based a lot on tortillas and fried beans, and the other is based on meat, veggies and sometimes pasta.  I ordered the Lomito Saltado ($7.99), which is described as “an authentic dish with beef or chicken cut strips, sliced tomatoes, onions, potatoes, cilantro and spices sautéed to Peruvian perfection over an open flame.”  It was served with rice, yuca fries and plantains.  It was deliciously bold with spices, just the way I like.  And although I don’t know for sure, I like to think this was a little healthier than enchiladas smothered in cheese or sour cream sitting next to fried beans.

Mom quickly zeroed in on the vegetarian portion of the menu and went with the Spinach Enchiladas ($8.99).  They contained fresh, sauteed spinach and what looked like a variety of tiny, diced onions and possibly some corn.  They were the best spinach enchiladas I have tasted.  There are five vegetarian entrees, as well as soups and salads.  The menu is extensive and worth a review on their website before you visit for the first time.  Entrees include many varieties of fish, chicken, shrimp, pork and beef, as well as Honduran Banana-leaf tamales ($8.99) which are described as  ”one large, homemade tamal – Honduran style -with  shredded beef, potatoes, cilantro, diced tomatoes and rice, inside mesa corn, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed to perfection.”  Next time I go, I’m ordering this.

The lunch menu included entrees priced from $6.59 to $8.99, and dinners run from $8.99 to $13.99.  Jorge says he is coming out with a new menu soon. Everything is made to order from scratch.  He knew many of the customers by name as we sat talking with him, and he said sometimes they will come in and ask him to create something special just for them.  He is always thrilled to oblige.  When we arrived for lunch at 11am, we were the only ones there, but by 11:30, the place was full, including about a dozen Edmond police officers, one of whom is a regular.  Another large group arrived, and their entrees came out almost immediately.  We asked Jorge about this, and he said the group calls in their order a day before, then drives from downtown for lunch.  He said he likes to provide call-ahead seating, take out and catering.

Our server was from Venezuela and was excellent.  In fact, everything about the restaurant was clean and run extremely efficiently.  Mom was particularly impressed to see them cleaning and disinfecting the menus after use.

For dessert, we tried the Churros ($1.99), which looked like a miniature chocolate eclair.  It was a pastry-type shell filled with creme, and then drizzled with caramel and chocolate.  It was just enough for a couple of bites – something sweet – after the spicy meal.  The desserts are made fresh and are in limited supply each day.

I think Central and South American food is going to become my new Tex-Mex.  It’s a lot more tasty, and it’s always fascinating to talk to the owners.  If you’ve been to Zarate’s, give me your opinion in the comments below.

When reviewing a restaurant, I always try to go either really early for lunch or rather late in the hopes of being able to have a conversation with the owner when things aren’t quite as busy.  When Mom and I walked into Prairie Thunder, the owner John McBryde walked right out from the kitchen and asked what he could do for us.  What luck, I thought, as I began my interrogation.

First things first, of course. I must eat lunch and sample food before really getting down to business.  John’s friendly employees made some suggestions from the mostly soup, salad and sandwich menu. After standing over the bakery display for longer than needed, I finally went with the tomato-based chicken tortilla soup and veggie sandwich lunch combo ($8.25) which consisted of greens, red onions, ricotta cheese, roasted peppers, capers and homemade balsamic vinaigrette, served on their fabulous homemade bread.  Mom went with the special lunch quiche of the day ($5.75) which included a side salad.  The main thing she said made it so good was the ultra-thin, homemade crust, obviously not something frozen from a restaurant supply.  Each of our entrees also included a homemade roll.  John said they pride themselves in everything being homemade, from the salad dressing on up.  The bakery case was full of beautiful and delicious looking pastries and treats, many of them decorated and packaged for a quick gift for Valentine’s Day.

As soon as we were finished with our lunch, John said he would love to take us on a tour of the bakery behind the scenes.  We took him up on the offer and ended up spending over two hours learning the fascinating art of making and baking artisan bread.  The kitchen is divided into two large areas, one for bakery items and the other for bread.  Much of his equipment comes from Europe. The standing oven is so big, he can roll entire racks of bakery items into it.  After spending almost 30 years in the oil and gas business, John spent a year researching equipment and methods for bread baking.  According to him, if he was going to do this, he was going to do it right, and that drive is evident in the equipment he has in place.

Prairie Thunder has been open two years now, and business is great.  They do much of the bread baking and delivery to lots of locally-owned restaurants in the metro area.  There were several huge bread racks in the middle of the kitchen, and each shelf was labeled with the name of the restaurant they service.

It was quite warm in back, and soon I discovered why.  In the middle of the kitchen stands the Frigand bread oven, which hails from France.  There are only 150 of them in the U.S., and, of course, only one in Oklahoma.  It weighs 18,000 lbs, and is stacked with three decks and nine doors.  There is 150 square feet of baking space.  It arrived in a 53 foot semi truck and took three weeks of 12-hour days to assemble, with the help of a man from Austria.  It’s quite a site to behold, and even though it had been turned off for several hours, the heat still radiating from it made it feel like a summer day.  John said they recently celebrated the oven’s birthday by serving free mini-baguettes and cream puffs to customers.

The other side of the kitchen is where the bread is made, and it was stacked with huge sacks of King Arthur flour and crowded with enormous mixers from Germany.  Some of the breads take anywhere from 24-48 hours to make, so there are two overnight bakers who arrive at 10pm before John comes in at 5am.  Several other fancy machines that control temperature and humidity line the walls.  John’s tour was a fascinating education for me and certainly gave me a new appreciation for each delicious bite of bread I sampled that day.  It also said a lot for the cleanliness and neatness of the kitchen, as John had no idea I was coming when he invited me back for the tour.

John also designed the front part of the restaurant and did all of the woodwork himself.  He thought the name Prairie Thunder was quite appropriate for a restaurant with Oklahoma roots, and his dining room centers around a sign that reads, “Man, for all his progresses, posturings, and high-minded opinions of himself, owes his existence to a six-inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains.”  He said the flour he uses comes from both Oklahoma and Montana.  I just can’t say enough how delicious the bread is.

I think this a great little place for breakfast, lunch, or just for bread. It’s in a wonderful, historical building in the mid-town area.  I hope Prairie Thunder sticks around the OKC landscape for a long time.  It’s a great addition to our town and definitely unique.

What do you think about Prairie Thunder? Let us know in the comments.

I knew pretty much right away I was going to like The Shartel Cafe as I approached the beautiful, dessert-laden counter to place my order.  But with my New Year’s willpower still i tact, I bypassed those desserts, placed my order, filled my cup with tropical herbal iced tea and made it to the table.  I was safe.  I had no idea this place was a bakery, too.  Why didn’t someone warn me?

My attention was soon drawn from the dessert display to the displays of fresh flowers sitting around the counter tops.  My trusty sidekick, Mom, began her visual appraisal and critique of the dining area while we waited on lunch, and the flowers were the first things she praised.  I agreed — fresh flowers add class and beauty to any place. In fact, I’ve been known to purchase a bouquet — to me, from me — on occasion, for my stuffy office.

Soon, the owner served us our entrees, and it was great to have a discussion with her between bites.  Mom’s Greek Veggie Salad ($7.25) arrived first, all fresh, crunchy and appetizing.  It consisted of fresh greens, roma tomatoes, Greek olives, red peppers, pepperoncini, cucumbers, red onions, artichokes and feta cheese, accompanied by a nice, thick, Greek dressing.  The lady next to us said she eats this salad here every day.  My Island Jerk chicken wrap ($7.25) arrived a few minutes later.  It consisted of jerk-marinated chicken, pineapple cream cheese, onion and lettuce on a whole wheat honey wrap.  Although it was good, I think I might have added a little something else for moistness and extra flavor, say like sliced tomatoes or a warm, pineapple compote.

Patrick and Deneen Nault opened Shartel Cafe three years ago and haven’t had time to look back (one can see Patrick serving as chef back in the kitchen).  Deneen says the brisk business stems from surrounding areas such as the OU Medical School and area high schools during the week.  Then, families from surrounding neighborhoods meet there on weekends.  It’s gotten to be a rather homey place for many of their customers, including Betsy, who has created her own special of a hamburger steak with mushroom gravy and the veggie of the day.  Although it’s not located anywhere on the menu, anyone is welcome to ask for it.  The Naults are also happy to cater to any special dietary needs that they can.  Some of their customers come for breakfast, get a to-go order for lunch to take to work, then call in dinner to pick up on the way home.  This is exactly the type of place I wish would open somewhere in far Northwest Oklahoma City.

Deneen saw that Mom and I hadn’t ordered dessert and insisted that we try something. So, of course, I immediately agreed, happily waving goodbye to any non-dessert resolutions I had earlier possessed. In fact, I watched them fly right out the big windows that line the front of the store.  I sent Mom to the counter and she returned with a slice of lemon creme cake ($2.95), a monster cinnamon roll ($1.95), and a white chocolate, cranberry walnut cookie ($1.50).  All delicious.

Deneen went on to say that lots of people come just for the Shartel Mac and Cheese ($7.95), the Oh, My Reuben ($7.25) and any of the burgers, which all looked great.  The Mac and Cheese is tossed with sweet peas and ham, and the Reuben is served on their homemade swirled rye bread.  The breakfast menu is loaded with options — everything from oatmeal, yogurt and granola to pancakes, breakfast quesadillas and quiche.  Pretty much anything is available for a wide variety of tastes.

They also serve several flavors of Java Dave’s coffee, hot and iced teas, smoothies and cappuccino.  And they provide catering.

I found Shartel Cafe to be a great neighborhood restaurant. They have something for all tastes and something for just about any time of the day. Have you tried it? Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Several of our readers have clamored for a review of Cafe Antigua recently, so happily I set out to accommodate. It can be a little tricky to spot at first. I drove by it three times before I even saw it.  It’s hiding in an old strip of shops right on 19th and Classen, and it’s well worth the search.  Look for the name of the restaurant painted on the windows, as that’s the only sign.

Once again, my faithful sidekick and Mom tagged along for another new restaurant experience.  Upon entering, she was immediately thrilled to see the employees cleaning the tables with a real bottle of spray cleaner and a clean cloth, as opposed to a wet dish towel “has laid around on the floor for who knows how long”  (her words).  Score one for the restaurant.

Cafe Antigua serves both breakfast and lunch the entire time it’s open, so that’s nice.  I know I like breakfast food better at other times of the day than breakfast time.  So for lunch, I ordered the “signature breakfast” entree of Motulena Eggs ($5.75), which consisted of two corn tortillas and black beans topped with two eggs smothered in chirmol (charred tomato and mint sauce) and sliced avacado, queso fresco (fresh cheese), queso seco (a dry Nicaraguan cheese), parsley and chips.  It was delicious, and the portion was just right.  Most of the portions here are not huge, which I appreciate.  Most of the entrees are also served with their homemade jalapeno sauce on the side, which is hot, but yummy.

Mom chose the Enchilades Guatemaltecas ($5.25).  This consisted of a tostada with lettuce, picadillo (chopped beef), topped with viniagrette, cabbage and beets, salsa roja, slice of hard egg, parsley and queso seco.  She’s usually not a meat-eater, but she loved this dish for two reasons. First, she could taste the tangy veggies, and second,  it matched her outfit that day (does anyone else have a cute little mother who loves to wear purple and chartreuse green together?).  She also got to know a couple of the other patrons while we waited on our food.  I think most everyone in there was either a lawyer who had a business on Classen or a sweet, little retired couple who lived nearby in one of those big houses just east of there.  At any rate, everyone Mom talked to was a regular customer.  The Valdez family of five has owned this place the last two years.

I wanted a return engagement before I wrote this review, so last week my trusty sidekick and I kidnapped two co-workers and told them where we were headed.  They were game.  This time I tried the special of the day, which was the Mayan Rice ($8.49).  It consisted of rice, black beans, onion, tomato, cilantro, parsley and chicken or beef (I chose the chicken).  I loved it and wish somebody would fix this for me every night at home.  This is one of their larger entrees, and I could have split it with someone had I known.

Mom chose the Omelette Chapin ($7.49) which was mixed with tomato, bell pepper, chives, onions, chirmol and cheddar, accompanied with a side of sour cream and plantains (or “plantations” as she called them).  This is a great dish for vegetarians.

My friend Beth chose the Chili Rellenos ($7.75), which was two small, poblano peppers with beef and veggies, rice and a house salad.  The peppers were very tender, not with a deep-fried crunchy coating like a lot of Tex-Mex places serve, and she described the meat as having a good, earthy taste.  But I’m not sure she was really sold on this dish.  It might warrant another review and opinion.

My friend Susan tried the Carne Asada ($9.99), which was grilled beefsteak, two green onions, rice, black beans, house salad and avacado.  It looked really good, and she said it was, eating every bite.

Cafe Antigua serves a variety of Guatemalan coffees and fruit drinks.  When asked what we wanted to drink, Mom asked if they had Guatemalan tea, which puzzled our waiter for a moment, as he proceeded to explain the different kinds of coffee.  She then asked for an explanation of the fruit drinks, which he pleasantly and patiently provided. Then, of course, she ordered water.  It was like being in a Seinfeld episode with Kramer and George ordering at the cafe.  Our waiter just smiled like he was used to this with all the other sweet, little old customers.  The episode continued after lunch, at which point Mom wanted to try the “Plantations in Glory”  (sigh).  I ordered her the Plantains in Glory ($3.25) and just smiled at the waiter.  These were cooked in brown sugar, cinnamon and kahlua, topped with sour cream, and they were fantastic, especially after the spicy entree I just had.

So if you want a little something different in a colorful, but discreet, setting, try Cafe Antigua.  I know I’ll be back, even though it’s not anywhere close to where I live or work. It’s definitely worth the trip.  Let us know what you think in the comments!

This is part three of the Oklahoma City Cupcake Smackdown, which was started by Greg sometime last year. Here, Sarah continues the series with this look at Green Goodies by Tiffany. If you’d like to review previous posts in this series, you can read our reviews of Sara Sara Cupcakes and Cuppies and Joe.

When Tim asked if I would take over the cupcake smackdown series and review the latest addition to OKC’s cupcake landscape, I didn’t have to think too long about it.  Cupcakes are all the rage right now, so I’m happy to throw in my humble opinion on the small, personal-sized cakes.  Of course, when Mom found out where I was headed, she got into my car uninvited, but that’s OK.  Two opinions are always better than one.

I knew beforehand that Green Goodies is a specialty cupcake shop. They promote themselves as Oklahoma City’s first “peanut free” bakery and they make a big deal about being “organic” and meeting special dietary needs. You have a choice between organic, vegan/allergy friendly (no egg, no dairy) and gluten-free (available two days per week for walk-ins or by special order).  Soy-free and sugar free cupcakes are also available by special order. As you can see, they are going after a very specialized niche in the cupcake world.

That said, I hope you’re not thinking you don’t need to try this shop just because something might be organic or vegan.  I’m here to tell you, everything we tried was delicious.  If you didn’t know their products were organic or vegan, you wouldn’t be able to tell by the taste.

I’m really glad a shop like this has opened in our market, with so many people these days having food allergies or special dietary needs.  “Cupcakes for everyone!” is what owner Tiffany Magness told us the day of our visit.  She and manager Hallie Fitzgerald also told us that if you must be really careful about food allergies, you should see their website for a detailed Q&A section on their organic and vegan selections.  A visit or call to Tiffany would also be very valuable.

Alright, so on to the tasting. I started with the pumpkin because I am an anything-pumpkin lover, and mom started with the Green Hostess. Both of these were from the organic selection.  The Green Hostess looks like the chocolate Hostess cupcake we all grew up on, except much more delicious.  It is described as chocolate-chip chocolate cake, filled with madagascar bourbon vanilla buttercream and topped with chocolate ganache.  If Mom didn’t have anything else to eat the rest of her life, she would be happy to live on this from now on.  Yep, it was that good.  The pumpkin cupcake I had was very moist and flavorful, and I enjoyed it very much along with a frosty mug of sugar-free, organic, Hansen’s root beer ($1.50).  You do know that dessert calories are always canceled out with a diet soda pop on the side, right?  They also serve regular Hansen’s root beer, coffee and organic milk in frosty mugs.

The cupcakes we tried were so rich that we took our other samples to go.  My husband is a red velvet critic, so he tried this organic sample later that day and pronounced it blue-ribbon quality.  I tried the strawberry cake the next day and found it to still be very moist, and I enjoyed the strawberry frosting and fresh strawberry slice on top.  Dave also tried the black and white (chocolate cake with white icing).  He said it was “really chocolately and it seemed like there were little chunks of chocolate in the cake.”  He loved it.

Before I had visited Green Goodies in-store, a friend of mine from work had special-ordered some of their sugar-free chocolate cupcakes with white icing for me.  He said the day he picked them up, they were like molten chocolate lava. However, when I tried them the next day, they were a little crunchy around the outside, but they were still moist inside. All-in-all, I was pretty impressed with their sugar-free offering. Just remember that since all of their cakes are made with no preservatives or trans-fats, I would suggest enjoying them the same day you purchase them and no later than the day after.

Comparing Green Goodies to the other shops in our series is difficult since they have such a specialized niche offering. But, I will offer a little comparison on price. The cupcakes here are about the same size as Cuppies and Joes, on the small end of the cupcake scale, as opposed to the larger cakes at Sara Sara. And yet, Green Goodies’ organic cakes are priced at $3 each, with the vegan/allergy-friendly and gluten-free cakes priced at $3.25 each. So, they are quite a bit more expensive when you look at price and size together.

In my opinion, the price is worth it for the specialization they offer. If you have shopped in the organic section of the grocery store lately, you know that organic ingredients are expensive. And, if you have special dietary needs, Green Goodies offers you something you truly can’t find anywhere else.

I’m glad to see a cupcake shop open in another part of town, since Cuppies and Joe and Sara Sara are closer to the downtown area and the Paseo district.  Green Goodies does provide a comfortable atmosphere, along the lines of Cuppies, but not to the level of “stop here and read a book” that Cuppies achieves. One difference in ambiance is that some of the shabby-chic items around Green Goodies’ store front are for sale.  Items such as old aprons and mis-matched sets of old flatware.

Though the pricing is higher, I can tell you that everything we tried was yummy! I think Green Goodies is at least worth your attention, especially if you love cupcakes but have special dietary needs.  Of course, as always, we want to hear what you think about Green Goodies, so please leave us your thoughts in the comments.

Even if not everyone in your family is into Italian, I would be willing to bet all tastes can be satisfied at Primo’s.  They have all sorts of seafood, steaks, pastas and pizzas; they also serve a great brunch on Sundays; and they even have a good selection of vegetarian items. They have also recently started a lunch-time buffet for $7.95/person, which is a delicous value. It includes two varieties of soup, several different kinds of salads, and about five entrees.

I made sure I tried this place several different times so I could sample lots of different things and share my thoughts with you.

On my first visit, we had a couple of problems, but nothing terrible. Mom had the 8″ Margherita Pizza ($9.99).  She requested a different sauce, which didn’t happen, but she still enjoyed it.  I ordered the special of the night, which was Pavarotti Shrimp:  tortellini, Gulf shrimp, shiitake and portobello mushrooms, fresh tomato, onion, garlic, olive oil and cilantro ($12.99). Now, the last time I checked, tortellini was a circular-shaped, cheese-stuffed pasta.  And instead of the tortellini, mine was served with linguini, which I usually don’t care for.  To use the words of QE2 (Queen Elizabeth II), “I don’t care for the long, stringy noodles.”  The dish could have used a little something more as far as flavor and spices go. I found it lacking in taste, though the presentation was nice.  My husband’s parmesan-crusted halibut was very nice ($14.25).  He had no complaints.

The next time we went was for brunch, which is served 10am to 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. My husband’s parents tried the Strawberry Crespelle ($4.99), which are thin, Italian pancakes layered with vanilla custard then folded and covered with fresh strawberries.  They are still raving about it, and, as a matter of fact, we have been back three times with them for this dish.  My husband always gets the stromboli benedict ($5.99) for brunch, which is stromboli stuffed with portobello mushrooms, Canadian bacon, poached eggs, asiago cheese, and a dollop of Hollandaise.  He loves it.  I tried the southwest breakfast pizza ($5.59), which I found to be a little dry.

On our next visit, Mom and I split a New York style veggie pizza, which was pretty darn good.  Not as good as Papa Angelo’s, but a close second.  If you go with the 8″ specialty pizza ($9.99), I would definitely recommend each person get their own house or Caesar salad.  These side salads are small, and I find the Caesar to be a little better.  Now, if you’re a salad-only type person, the chopped salad ($9.49) is very tasty and more than you can eat in one sitting.  It contains chopped Romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, crumbled gorgonzola, green onion, sundried tomatoes, all tossed in a house dressing.  It can be found under the vegetarian section of the menu, along with a lot of other entree-sized salads and dishes.

Our next visit was with friends and I tried the Baked Roman Pasta ($12.79) which is a blend of Italian sausage, grilled chicken, bell peppers and onions tossed with penne pasta in meat sauce, then topped with mozzarella cheese.  This was as good as it sounds, and it was served in a bowl the size of a basketball, leaving me lots to take-home.  My friend tried the Signature Peach Bellini, which pretty much tasted like a peach icee, but was made with Peach Schnapps, champagne, peach royale, vodka, and fresh peaches served frozen ($4.99).  My other friend always gets the ribeye steak ($15.99), which looks delicious from across the table.  Like I said, there’s something for everyone.

So, the last time I went was with eight other friends, and I split the Honey Balsamic Grilled Chicken Breast ($11.79) which was covered with honey balsamic glaze and served with asparagus and broccoli. Kudos to Primo’s for serving an entree with less than six fat grams and 500 calories!  It was very tasty and the portion is perfect.  It’s rare these days to find something like that, especially in an Italian restaurant.

I think Primo’s offers a great value at lunch with two specials offered every day. First, there’s the “Endless Pastabilities” which gives you any pasta, with any homemade sauce, as much as you want, served with their fresh-baked bread for $6.99. They also offer bottomless soup, salad and bread for $4.99.

Also adding value is the fact that as you exit the restaurant, there is a basket of their homemade, day-old bread, free for the taking as long as it lasts.

The service has almost been too good when I’ve been with a small party.  I believe there is such a thing, although rare, as too much attention from your server, and this has happened to me at Primo’s more than once.  On the other hand, with large parties, the service starts out great, but by the end of the meal it is severely lagging.  Surely there is a place to find a happy medium here. That said, these minor inefficiencies will definitely not keep me from returning.

At each visit, I seem to find something new on the extensive menu that I had not found before, and only one time have I been even slightly disappointed. Another good thing is that they take reservations, which is especially nice for your larger parties and out-of-town guests, as they get quite busy at dinner time on the weekends.

I think Primo’s is a great, local find in the metro, and I urge you to explore their menu as I have to see what surprises you discover.  Let me know if you find something I haven’t found. Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Thai Sweet Basil Express is the newest in a string of restaurants to occupy its location.  Frankly, I don’t understand why any of them cannot seem to make a go of it.  They have all served delicious food, and the owners couldn’t be more accommodating or friendly.  Nevertheless, here goes the latest…

I took four friends and family members to lunch with me so I could get a variety of opinions and tastes.  We arrived kind of early for lunch, so we were the first ones there and got to spend some time with the new owner and chef, Chonlada Robertson, and her assistant, Pat.  They are friends of the previous tenant, who owned the Elephant Cafe, and who has moved to Boston.

We started with a couple of appetizers — the Edamame ($3.95) and the Potstickers ($3.95).  The Edamade is great for vegetarians and a rather fun thing to do while you wait for your entree — just sitting and pulling soybeans out of the skin with your teeth!  And it’s a great source of protein without filling you up.  The pork and veggie Pot Stickers were nice and crunchy and served with a soy-ginger dipping sauce which was very good.

My friend, Ali, went with the Yellow Curry Chicken ($5.95) and went spicy with it.  About two bites later, she began blowing her nose. This continued throughout the meal due to the heat.  I had a bite, and it was delicious, and yes — it packed a delightful punch to the nose.  If you like yellow curry, you have to try this dish.

My husband went with the Hawaiian Fried Rice with chicken ($6.95), which included eggs, raisins, pineapple chunks, cashews, tomatoes, carrots, onions and green peas.  It was more on the sweet side of things, which makes sense if he ordered it.  Most of the entrees he chooses could also qualify as dessert.

I had the Garlic Lover with chicken ($6.95), which included mushrooms, garlic, black pepper and fresh garlic sauce on a bed of steamed broccoli and cabbage.  This was yummy and yes, my breath stunk up the entire car on the way back to work, but it was worth every bite.

Mom went with the “I Love Veggie” ($6.95) and (gasp) added no meat, but tofu instead.  One of the great things about Thai Sweet Basil is that almost any of their entrees can be prepared for vegetarians. 

Cousin Carol had the Spicy Basil ($6.95) with pork. Her dish included fresh chili and garlic, bell peppers, onion and mushroom, green onion and sweet basil leaves.  This was yet again a completely different and really nice taste.  We all really enjoyed sampling each other’s dishes and the variety of tastes and seasonings.  All of our dishes were accompanied with a generous portion of white rice.

We thought the prices across the board here were very reasonable for the amount of food we received. Protein options for most entrees are chicken, pork, beef or tofu for $6.95 and shrimp for $7.95. The servings are very generous and piled high on your plate, such that we all took home half of our entrees for dinner the next night.

Chanlada and Pat have many years of cooking experience in Thailand and most recently, in Oregon.  They say they are always very interested to see how people all over the U.S. like their food prepared.  Toward the end of our meal, they insisted we try the appetizer entitled, “Oh My God!”  ($4.95). This was a fried tortilla roll with crab meat, cream cheese and basil leaves, accompanied by a fantastic spicy plum dipping sauce.  It was great as a dessert, as the sauce was also sweet. This was probably the best thing we tried.

Pat also insisted we come back to try his “subagetti” (spaghetti).  He said he used to work in an Italian restaurant and invented this Thai/Italian fusion dish.  There are four varieties available:  peanut sauce, red curry, green curry and yellow curry.  It’s the chef’s special available for $6.95 also. 

Pat and Chonlada are anxious for their business to begin.  We told them things should pick up after SNU classes begin again.  They said they ran more of a fast-food express type place in Oregon, so they are prepared for larger crowds. 

Here’s calling all Bethany-area residents.  This is another delightful place for new tastes.  Let’s get out and support them!  After you’ve tried it, let me know what you think.

Memorial Day for me means the annual drive in the covered wagon to El Reno with Mom and my husband to tour the cemetery and look at all of the dead relatives (sigh).  Mom has to check the fake flowers on top of all the headstones that she places when she drives out by herself, and to see, if by chance, the ugly ones that somebody else placed are gone. “I can’t believe this desolate place is where I’m going to end up someday,” I think to myself.  But at least I’m getting a good onion burger out of the trip.

Yes, this trip to El Reno also means touring my second onion burger joint in the hometown of the original onion burger.  Robert’s Grill is small — there are 14 stools at the bar and that’s it.  If you can fit, you stand right behind the people who are sitting and breathe down their necks in hopes they’ll finish really soon.  The place is a little warm, temperature-wise, and very crowded, probably due to the fact they’ve been in business since 1926. 

Edward Graham, the current owner, says they serve about 300 burgers a day.  He’s developed a scientific technique to squashing the handmade balls of hamburger into patties, globbing on the onions, then flipping everything at the right moment.  The burgers arrive in front of your face might tasty and piping hot.  Mom was glad the fries came out first and pretended she was eating some sort of elaborate appetizer as she mixed the mustard and ketchup on top. She also held court and got to know the life story of everyone within shouting distance.  She knows this drives me crazy and therefore, continues to do it at every restaurant we patronize.

Anyway, Robert’s pricing is easy to remember — $2.45 for a burger, a coney or an order of fries (which was easily shared by two people).  The burgers are a nice size — not really small like some onion burger places, but not huge and unmanageable.  The chili coneys also looked really good. I got a glimpse as the man next to me was feasting on them.

The pricing on burgers is a little cheaper than at Johnnie’s Grill, which is just down at the next corner. This, plus the fact that Robert’s burgers are a little bigger makes a pretty compelling case for Robert’s. On the flip side, Johnnie’s has more space in their dining room so it’s a good option if you’re claustrophobic or looking to breathe a little easier in your space.

Robert’s Grill is definitely a contender for your onion burger patronage. They’ve got plenty of that old Route 66 atmosphere and all the home-grown people who go along with it. Next time you’re in El Reno, I recommend you check it out and compare it with your other favorites. When you do, leave us a comment and let us know what you think. And also be sure to let me know if I haven’t hit on your favorite onion burger spot yet.

PLEASE NOTE: we’re sad to say the Turquoise American Bistro is now closed and it appears it is not returning.

I always enjoy a good field trip to Norman because I think college towns excel in great little hideaway restaurants.  So recently, when my husband needed transcripts from OU, I tagged along in hopes of finding the perfect place for lunch.  The registrar made an excellent suggestion to try the Turquoise American Bistro right down the street from Campus Corner.

Chef Giovanni has loaded the menu with tasty-sounding items, and I had trouble deciding what to try.  It finally came down to either the Siracha Chicken Tacos ($9) or the Sunburned Trout ($12), and I went with the tacos.  The menu description says, “Spicy chicken grilled with onions and bell peppers, served on fire-roasted tortillas with pineapple jasmine rice, pico de gallo and adobe creme fraiche.”  It was as good as it sounds.  In my opinion, if one is going to serve rice on the side, please do something with it.  And they did.  The pineapple and jasmine were great additions to plain old rice.  The two tacos were very large, making this dish easy to split with someone, especially with a salad or appetizer.

My husband had the Green Chili Chicken Club sandwich ($7.50) accompanied with organic, homemade, blue corn chips.  The sandwich included  roasted chicken, fired green chilis, smoked bacon and jack cheese.  Of course, my “plain” husband had to hold the chilis and cheese, but he said it was still delicious.

Other “yummies” on the lunch menu include Sesame-Wasabi Pea-Crusted Yellow Fin Tuna ($10) (sushi-grade Ahi tuna crusted in a sesame seed and wasabi pea puree) and the Duck Quesadilla ($11) (paper-thin slices of medium-rare duck breast served between grilled flour tortillas with onion, fire-roasted chilis, jack cheese, fresh pico and sesame barbecue sauce).  Yumm-o!

The dinner menu is separate and entrees include a pair of Bacon-wrapped Farm Raised Quail ($16) and Crab Alfredo with Roasted Garlic and White Wine Cream ($12).  I wish I had room to list every item on the menu, as everything sounds delicious.  Brunch is available on the weekends.  One of the more unusual items is the Turquoise Breakfast Chowder for $7.50 (asparagus, baby spinach, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, shiitake mushrooms and Yukon gold potatoes in thyme-infused miso broth and Southwest 5 spice.)  This is topped with a choice of poached egg or grilled tofu.

Something else that really appealed to me is their selection of hot teas ($3).  Flavors include Sweet Chamomile Citrus and Fragrant Oolong.  Iced teas include Fiesta Fria and Blackberry Jasmine ($1.75).

Owner Emilio Salinas has done a great job in not only providing some delicious and unusual entree selections, but also with the simple and tasteful decor.  Turquoise-colored Venetian glass lamps hang over most of the dining tables, and the walls are decorated with art which is for sale.  The restaurant opened in 2006.

I wondered about their close proximity to the campus and whether they have many college students who can afford their offerings, which are just a little more pricey than your average restaurant.  We were there for a late lunch, and there were at least two tables of college students in our vicinity.  Yet, when we went into a t-shirt shop on the way back to the car, the student working there said she had never been and was wondering about the menu and prices.  Personally, I think the prices are reasonable for such unique and tasty fare, but I am also way past my college days.

This is exactly the type of restaurant I wish someone would open on the west end of NW Expressway in OKC.  I get glazed over and numb thinking about the string of chain restaurants that litter the landscape along that stretch.  The residents in Norman are lucky to have such a great place.  If you have eaten at Turqoise, please let me know your thoughts in the comments.

After eating lunch here last weekend, I had to take two showers, wash all of my clothes, and put a deodorizer in my car. Yep, all that just to erase the onion power clinging to me and everything I owned. Moral of the story — don’t eat lunch here if you have a blind date for dinner that night.  However, if you’re a regular Okie lookin’ for a great onion burger on a Saturday afternoon, this is your place.

I’ve never had an onion burger piled this high with onions. It was simply delicious. In contrast to most other onion burger places, Bunny’s doesn’t smash the onions into the meat. They’re grilled first, then piled high on top.  Mom and I had a discussion today as to whether adding cheese helps keep the onions in place.  She thought cheese made the onions more slippery, and she had trouble keeping her onions on her burger.  I actually thought the cheese acted as a coagulant to help keep the onions in place.  You, too, can have a fascinating discussion like this as you dine in onion heaven.  As usual, my husband — the plain man — had meat and bread only. No onions.  It just kills me.

Anyway, as if we didn’t have enough onions on our burgers, Mom and I also ordered onion rings. They had to be the softest onion rings I’ve ever had, and they were great piled high with ketchup. The husband had the “peels on” fries, which were also tasty.

Burgers here are priced according to how many toppings you order. A basic onion and pickle burger is $3.75, with a basket at $6. Burgers are also available with double meat, but take note — the onion burgers here are larger than the ones at the Yukon and El Reno places. My husband, the carnivore, ordered double meat and even he said it was too much. He even de-meated part of his burger (a first).  Now, that being said, these burgers are not as big as the ones at Nic’s Grill. And rightly so as, in my opinion, onion burgers are supposed to be smaller, yet packed with more taste.

It doesn’t seem that new owners Bobby Hawkins and Bill Burnett have changed the place much since they purchased it on September 20, 2008. And that’s good. Previous owner Bunny Biggers had a good thing going since she took the place over in 1990 (for a complete history on the building and location, see their website).  Bobby did tell me they are planning to become a chain by opening another location at NW 23 and Hudson in about two months.  This new store will operate the same hours as the current location.

We happened to be in the restaurant eating lunch on the day of the big Bedlam football game, and Bobby said they can gauge business on game days according to who’s playing, if it’s a home game, and whether or not it’s on TV.  He said in about ten minutes, they would have another rush right before closing, and sure enough, the place filled up as we were leaving.

It had been several years since I had been to Bunny’s, and I was glad to see several chicken dishes on the menu (around $7), along with a dinner salad ($2.75).  Hot dogs ($2) and conies ($2.25) are also an option, as is homemade chili ($3.25).  A kid’s menu is listed for $3.75.

I’m glad to see that Bunny’s will continue as a part of the OKC onion burger landscape under the new management.  They’ve got a good thing going, so try ‘em out and let me know what ya think in the comments!

PLEASE NOTE: Elephant Cafe has closed and a new restaurant with new ownership has opened up in its place. This review does not cover the new restaurant.

When I really need a break from work at lunchtime, I know I can get a quiet, relaxing meal and a variety of tastes at the Elephant Cafe, which just opened in September in downtown Bethany.  It was formerly known as Big! Rice and Noodle (read our review here), and that owner’s niece has taken over and given it a new name.  Lein Wu is half Thai and half Chinese, and the largely expanded menu provides many Thai, Japanese and other Asian choices.  She and her employees have the gift of hospitality that so many of my Asian friends possess.

My work girlfriends and I recently ate here during a working lunch, and everyone really enjoyed their entree choices.  Susan chose safely with the cashew chicken ($6.25).  She said it was good, but for her taste, just a tad too many onions and spices.  I went with a lunch combo ($6.25), which included my choice of a veggie roll (3) or a Bangkok roll (3); a choice of miso soup or clear soup (or hot and sour soup for $1 more); and a choice of lunch entree.  I chose the Bangkok rolls, the hot and sour soup and the spicy basil fried rice, which included chicken, onion, basil and bell pepper.  It also included a spicy Thai chili sauce, but I found myself needing to add extra red chili sauce from the side.  This dish did have a good flavor, but it just wasn’t quite spicy enough for me.  Beth, being a sushi lover, went with the orange chicken ($6.25) and a salmon roll ($4.25).

Side note to whoever dines with Beth — last time we ate here, I decided to venture out and try a bite of her sushi, as she promised me there would be nothing raw or “icky” on it.  She ordered a California roll, and when it arrived, I pointed out how cute the little shaved carrots on top were.  After I had consumed my portion, she said, “oh, by the way, the ‘carrots’ may have been roe.”

“MAY have been roe?  And just exactly what is roe?” I shrieked.  I was a first time sushi eater.

“Well … like … maybe salmon eggs,” she hedged.

I had been tricked and hoped I would live to see my next meal.  Which I did.  But not before she heard another thing or two about it.

Anyway, back to lunch, friend Ali had the “best decorated” lunch by choosing the steak teriyaki lunch box ($7.95), which included the steak, rice, salad and vegetable tempura.  It probably also tasted the best.

The previous time I dined here and had my first sushi experience, I tried the elephant combo appetizer ($7.95), which included crab rangoon, Bangkok rolls, chicken satay and vegetable rolls.  It was accompanied by a variety of dipping sauces, which were all tasty.  The chicken satay was especially nice smeared with the peanut sauce.

Dinner entrees run between $8.25 and $11.95, which isn’t bad, considering the amount of food you get.  I could have easily taken home half of my lunch for dinner again that evening.  And another nice thing is that they accept credit cards whereas Big! Rice and Noodle did not.  Miss Wu has done a nice job in creating a pleasant atmosphere.  We were the only patrons when we first arrived, but several others arrived during our meal.  She sent out two dessert entrees for us to try — the fried ice cream and the fried bananas.  The fried bananas won hands down!

I’ve said before that if one works in the Bethany area, one will be challenged for lunch and dinner choices.  That’s why I’m always excited to see somebody new giving it a “go” in this part of town.  So, try the Elephant Cafe and let me know what you think in the comments.  I hope Lien will be able to stick around for a long time.

Sliced or diced? Sliced or diced? Hmmm … when considering where to partake of my next onion burger, I must first ask myself if I want my onions sliced or diced. It really boils down to whether or not I want a neat onion burger or a messy one.  And when I choose neat, I head to Little Mike’s Hamburgers in OKC.

The first question I asked owner Mike Laham is why he dices his onions instead of slicing them.  He said the person who taught him to make onion burgers always diced them — makes for neater eating, he says.  And this is true.  Little Mike’s is a family-run business, and his kids are always on site. In fact, I missed Mike the first time around for an interview, and the middle son said I needed to come back and get my quotes “straight from the mouth.”  Mike and his kids know most of their repeat customers by name, and if they don’t know your name, they know what you always order, as in my husband’s case (he’s one of the few people who orders an onion burger, hold the onions).  And in my case, Mike says they “specialize in well done burger combos for special customers.” The fries are thick, so if you want ‘em crispy, order ‘em well done.

Laham has been in the burger business since 1978. He fresh-cuts his fries each day and said if he had known I was coming, “he would have used today’s meat.”  The barbs usually fling a mile a minute in this place. Laham doesn’t hesitate to make his opinion known on the two most important things to many Oklahomans — football and politics. There are plenty of choice quotes to read as you stand in line to place your order.

Sometimes, to offset my onion burger, I’ll order a side salad in place of fries (kind of like using a diet coke to cancel out a Snicker’s bar).  But this only works if you order the low-fat, packaged dressing, which is not near as tasty as Mike’s homemade Caesar dressing. Yummy!

Another special feature at Mike’s is the pickle bar, featuring big vats of dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, onions and peppers.  I can eat as many pickles as I want, piling them high on my plate and my burger, and Mike doesn’t mind. In fact, sometimes before my burger arrives I’ll mix the dill and sweet pickles together to light up my taste buds.

The sole reason my co-taster and work friend, Beth, goes to Little Mike’s, is for the squeeze bottle of vanilla syrup which she pours into her Coke. Yep, right by the soda fountain sits a bottle of cherry syrup and a bottle of vanilla syrup. While writing this review and eating our onion burgers, Beth filled up her cup halfway with vanilla syrup three times. I’m surprised Mike didn’t kick us out, or at least charge her extra for all that she used.

Little Mike’s burgers seem to be a bit larger than the normal onion burger, and maybe that’s why his prices are a little higher, with a regular burger costing $3.79.  The combo seems like a pretty good deal with a burger, small fries and drink for $6.99. My compadre and Shady writer, Andrew, likes a lot more meat than what a normal onion burger offers, but for those of us who can’t take much meat, these flat little burgers are just right.  Mike’s also offers coneys, veggie burgers and chicken if you’re in the mood for something else. Plus, he has just recently expanded next door to serve breakfast and other lunch specials from 7am to 2pm each day. Pork chops and chicken fried steak are just a few of the specialties next door.

So, the next time you’re in the mood for a “neat-eating” onion burger with some crusty city folk, head to Little Mike’s, then let me know what you think in the comments.

Ahhhh … the smell, the taste. If you’ve ever made the short trek west of Oklahoma City to partake of an original El Reno onion burger, you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t leave with your hands, hair and clothes reeking of fried onions for the rest of the day, you’ve missed it. El Reno is the onion burger capital of the world, and they even host an annual burger day festival every May where crowds swell up to 25,000 people.

Legend (actually, internet lore) has it that the first onion burger was created back during the depression, when meat was expensive and onions were cheap.  By smashing half an onion into a small meat patty, one got a larger-looking burger along with a phenomenal taste.  And the rest is history.

The first original onion burger joint was known as Bob’s White Rock.  In 1946, W. J. Siler opened Johnnie’s Grill (the J. stands for Johnnie) in El Reno.  The original restaurant had only nine bar stools.  Johnnie ran it until 1967 when Otis Bruce bought the place.  Steve Gallaway took over in 1995 when the place seated up to 29 people.  In 2005, he expanded to seat up to 100, and he still owns it today.  Gallaway was more than happy to talk history with me.

The atmosphere is one-of-a-kind. I’m talking the kind of place Hollywood directors dream of — with crusty ol’ Oklahomans fresh off the farm and Route 66.

Plus, the food is terrific. Onion burgers are traditionally smaller than the usual big-mouth restaurant burgers, but the taste they pack beats anything you’ll get from a chain. I’ve had onion burgers made two ways — with sliced onions and with diced onions.  I prefer sliced onions because they look better and you get more taste.  They’re usually served on a small, real plate (not paper) with one onion slice hanging over the plate’s edge.  And when you bite into it, you need to have onions hanging down your chin to get the full effect.  That’s why I started my great onion burger tour at Johnnie’s — I knew I would get the atmosphere I wanted and the onions hanging out of my mouth.

The only other thing on the traditional onion burger is pickles.  Then, you can add your own mustard, mayo or ketchup.  Personally, I like to add so much mustard that the meat usually ends up sliding out of the bun.  But talk about a knock-out taste!  You can also order your burger with the other standard veggies, but if you’re a beginner onion burger student, just start with the pickles and onions for $2.70.  A half order of fries, tots or rings is an additional $1.95.

For an onion burger joint, Johnnie’s has quite an extensive menu.  If someone in your party is not in the mood for an onion burger (gasp), then there are also salads (chicken or ham, $4.75), coneys ($2.70), dinner specials ($6.50), frito pies ($3.75) and a variety of sandwiches ($4).  They even offer a breakfast menu in the mornings.  Another specialty I noticed at Johnnie’s was a really tempting dessert display.  Steve said that Everett Adams makes fresh desserts for the restaurant every day.  Adams is a retired cook from the local prison, and boy did his coconut pies look tasty!  You can even purchase whole pies for $11 if you’re in the mood to take one home.

I love it that part of our state is known for onion burgers.  I was in a local restaurant last week and the owner said her Philly cheese steaks were the best in town.  I told her I’d never had one, and she about fell over.  I said, “We’re not in Philadelphia! You wouldn’t go up to Philly and order an onion burger, would you?” She said that made sense, and I tried one of her pizzas instead.  When you’re in Rome …

Anyway, that does it for part one of the great OKC onion burger tour. Johnnie’s is definitely a must-try if you want to experience onion burger history. We’ll see how it stands up against the others to come on the tour.  I plan on reviewing the other two famous places in El Reno as well as several in OKC.  If you have been to Johnnie’s please leave us your thoughts in the comments.  Or, if you have your own favorite onion burger place, let me know!

Mom has been trying to get me to go to Neighbors Cafe for about five years now, and I’ve refused on the grounds that I’m not old enough yet. I mean come on, it’s where she and my granddad went for lunch every Friday. So, with the recent passing of my granddad, she wanted to go “for old time’s sake,” and since my brother conveniently lives in Dallas, I was the only person handy enough to take her (sigh). So off we went.

First of all, if Mom didn’t have that handicapped sticker, we wouldn’t have found a parking place. Of course, skeptic that I am, I wrote the crowded parking lot off to the fact that it’s in a strip mall and all of the other cars were obviously there for the other businesses. But I was proven wrong as we walked in and grabbed the only booth left by a window. By the time our menus were dropped off, I noticed all of the tables in the dining room were taken. I was beginning to think that perhaps I judged this place too quickly. After all, they were doing some serious business.

But it’s tough to let go of your preconceptions, so I began perusing my menu options with the blase’ attitude still firmly intact. Given my experience with most corner cafes, I figured that even the carpet in this place was likely loaded with grease. So, I was very pleasantly surprised that the first items on the menu were fresh-squeezed juices and handmade fruit smoothies ($2.99), followed by specialty coffees ($1.99) — not your typical greasy-spoon menu items. Still needing something reasonably low-fat but more substantial than fruit juice, I proceeded on down the menu and hit the salad section. Naturally I doubted how good a diner salad could be, but that’s what sounded good and some of the my mom’s “senior” friends who we ran into out in the parking lot were raving about the salads. So, I ordered the Santa Fe salad with grilled chicken ($5.99). Mom chose the veggie omelet with home fries ($4.59). I told her the fries cancel out the veggies. She ignored me and added three packets of sugar to her decaf.

A group of younger guys occupied the table next to us. They ordered the Friday special — fried catfish. I stole two or three looks at their plates and it looked pretty good. As I was eating my huge salad with the homemade chipotle dressing (very tasty and spicy), I continued down the menu looking for additional reasonably healthy choices. The omelets can also be ordered with egg whites or egg substitute — that’s good. And the other breakfast entrees come with a choice of a side of fresh fruit. That’s good too. There’s also a nice variety of burgers, which looked really good on the little man’s plate behind mom.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with my “senior” dining experience here. Neighbors Cafe serves quite a bit of quality food at great prices. I think you’ll definitely be surprised as I was if you go in expecting your typical greasy spoon experience. The owners were on vacation the day we went in, so I didn’t get to do my usual interview, but that will give me a reason to go back next Friday and try the burgers.

So, if you take your parents out and they want to go here, bring them. Now, I can’t say I would bring my hip, big-city brother here, but for a handy little place with a homey atmosphere and pretty good food, it’s nice. By the time we left, there was a line of people clear out the door waiting for tables. I suppose I should learn not to pre-judge a place before I see how crowded it is.

Well, mark it down on the calendar — I have broken the lunchtime gender barrier at work and actually got invited out with the “boys club” to eat barbeque! It was a genuine high point in my career. They told Beth and I that if we went, we were going to a guys’ place and not some frilly, horrible tea room (which was fine by me since I hate tea rooms more than they do). They announced the place — JT’s Bar-B-Que — and on the way out the door, they added “Oh yeah, and there’s no ladies restroom either!”

“I think they’re taunting us,” I said to Beth. “They must die.”

Then I yelled back at them as we all loaded up in the Suburban, “Hey, it doesn’t bother me one bit to use the men’s room. And don’t think I’ve never done that before!” I did decide to spare them my rant on standing in mile-long lines to use the ladies’ room.

Anyway, we finally set off from Bethany to Del City for what these men claimed were “the best pork ribs in town!” Must be so, I thought, to drive that far with gas prices a mile high. I told them that since I was going to review the place for this site, they each needed to order a different entree so I could report on it. My suggestion was met with stone-cold silence and Chuck Norris stares from behind mean-looking sunglasses. “Or maybe I’ll just have something else and you guys can stick with the ribs,” I said. The mood instantly lightened. I was relieved, as I wanted to keep my options open for future lunch invites with the boys club (hi Kyle, Clint, Rex, Todd and Jerry).

We arrived to find a standing-room-only dining room and instantly went into surveillance mode, searching for someone who might be almost finished so that we could steal their table. We sent two spies ahead of the line and it worked, though we did have to split up our group of seven to sit at two tables. Lesson learned — get there early for lunch.

The line moves quickly with soup-Nazi-like efficiency. Another lesson — grab your napkins, silverware, lemons, sugar, Tabasco, and whatever else you think you might need before sitting down. The place is extremely crowded and it can be difficult to move around. However, if you do forget something, fast and friendly waiters are continually circulating to meet your every need. Nice!

As we sat down, I took an eyeball survey of the room and found that there were no other women. “Gosh,” I thought, “were they kidding or not about no ladies’ room? Would the health department allow that?” A couple of minutes later, I was greatly relieved to see about five other ladies walk in the front door. Nevertheless, I noted that we were definitely in “guy territory,” though the decor of the place belied this fact. I felt like I had been transported back to 1983 in the small town where I grew up. I was surrounded by the cutesie-country look of wooden, painted, cut-out pigs and little country-kitchen curtains. The feminine touch was nice, though about 25 years behind. It all added to the charm of the place, as did the temporary dimming of the lights every time the air conditioner compressor kicked on.

A few minutes later, our food arrived. And wouldn’t you know? Everyone except me, including Beth, had ordered the pork ribs. I had the basket of a smoked half chicken, Texas toast, and potato salad, all for $6.25. The half rib basket also runs $6.25 and the whole rib basket costs $7.95. The smoked chicken fully met my approval because it was actually cooked. Every other time I’ve eaten smoked chicken, it has looked half raw and bleeding. I know the smoking process turns it pink, which makes it look uncooked, but for those us (like Tim’s wife and me) who run screaming down the street at the sight of raw meat, this was pure heaven. I could eat and not worry about getting salmonella poisoning.

Everyone else in my party offered me a rib, but I only took one, thinking I didn’t need to eat much fatty meat. To my pleasant surprise, this was just about the leanest rib I’ve ever had. In fact, it was all meat, no fat, and extremely tasty with a dollop of the hot or mild sauce sitting on the table.

So, as the men suggested, the ribs are fabulous. I’ll give them that. On the other hand, the sides aren’t really anything to write home about. The potato salad was your average BBQ place potato salad. Too bad we can’t couple those amazing ribs up with some fantastic sides as well. That would be killer. But alas, for me at least, it seems that each barbeque place has that “one thing” they do really well, with everything else being kind of average. JTs can’t be beat for the pork ribs. Earl’s has my favorite potato salad, and I like the smoked turkey and garlic vinegar cole slaw at Oklahoma Station. Now, I know I’m opening a can of worms here by taking sides on barbeque in Oklahoma City, but hey, these are my opinions. Y’all are welcome to comment below about your favorites.

Anyway, back to JT’s, it is definitely worth a try and even a drive sometime if, like me, you’re on the opposite side of town. In addition to the baskets mentioned above which include one side, they have dinner plates which include one meat, two sides and toast, and run anywhere from $7.75 to $10.50. They also offer sandwiches, other sides, chili (in season), family paks and a carry-out menu. One of my guys also said the blackberry cobbler is delicious.

JT’s isn’t open on the weekends because they are so busy catering. If you’re interested in catering or anything else about JT’s, you can email the owners, JT and Susan Moon. They have been in business for 27 years.

What do you think about JT’s? Let us know in the comments.

I’ve been itching to post this review of Meiki’s Italian American for quite some time now, but I have struggled with how to describe the place even though I’m in there about every other week or so. The best categorization I can come up with is “diner-style Italian.” Diner-style describes the atmosphere more than the food, and here’s what I mean by it.

Every other Italian restaurant I’ve been in is decorated like the stereotypical American view of what we think a restaurant in Italy would look like. I hope to find out for myself one day if this is correct, as my next travel goal is to take an eating tour of Italy. Italian restaurants here always seem to have the perfunctory bright and annoying accordion music, bottles of olive oil sitting around, cans of fancy tomatoes, Italian words painted on the wall, some sort of bread served with balsamic vinegar … you get the picture.

Well, not so at Meiki’s. Mr. Meiki has dispensed with all of the aforementioned paraphernalia and has gone bare-bones with his decorating. No fancy anything here to distract you from the food. Tan-colored booths line the walls, and basic “diner-style” tables and chairs fill the center. The plain, undecorated atmosphere used to bother me, but not anymore. In fact, I’ve really grown to like it and I hope they never change things. Just because it’s plain doesn’t mean the food isn’t good. I will happily frequent a reasonable, un-fancy place with good food any time!

Though the environment may be bland, the food is really quite good. The owner, Kamal Meiki, says everything is homemade from scratch. He also flags his prices as “the best in town” (although he said he is having to raise them here shortly because of grocery costs). Between his stints in the kitchen, he can usually be found standing in his apron in front of the TV in the dining area checking the latest scores to whatever sport happens to be airing at the time. So, it’s easy to flag him over to your table and start a delightful conversation. Last week, I noted his accent and asked him where he was from. I loved his response! He said, “I am a Christian from Galilee!” Most of the time when I ask restaurant owners from other countries where they are from, they are almost hesitant to reply. So, I loved Kamal’s enthusiasm about his origins. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was 19 years old.

Anyway, back to the food.

I’ve tried a variety of things on the menu. The pizza is really good and you can get a two-piece special with salad and drink at lunchtime. They usually also run a spaghetti and meatball special at lunch. These lunch specials run between $6-$7 which is not bad for the complete meal. I’ve never seen any dinner specials. Last week I had the Rigatoni off the dinner menu for $9.99. It was a mixture of green peppers, onion, mushrooms, sausage and pepperoni baked in marinara with pasta tubes. The whole dish was topped with mozzarella. I split this with my friend, Beth, from work, which made it very affordable and the portion was more than enough for the two of us.

I’ve also had the spaghetti, which is good. I always ask for my bread with no butter, but sometimes Mr. Meiki has already buttered all of the bread for the day, so all you get is buttered bread. Mom had the veggie calzone last week and said it was good, but keep in mind she can’t taste (she lost her sense of smell years ago). So, I don’t ever really weigh her opinion heavily when I do food reviews. She mainly judges on texture and presentation of the food and the friendliness of the owner (she LOVED Mr. Meiki).

By the way, for the vegetarians out there, Mr. Meiki told me that every dish on the menu can be made “veggie-style.”

If there’s one thing I’m not particularly impressed with at Meiki’s, it’s the salads. When Beth and I went, she had a side Caesar and I had the side dinner salad. Beth said the Caesar dressing was fantastic and I trust her because she’s kind of a Caesar dressing connoisseur. However, the side dinner salad consisted of just lettuce, croutons and a pepper … pretty plain. I would like to see some other veggies added to this. I’ve also had the chicken club salad as a main course. There’s a lot more to it including bacon bits, black olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, croutons, hard boiled egg, and chicken. It was ok, but I don’t know … maybe if the greens were a little better, it would help.

One thing I had never noticed until recently is that they serve hamburgers. Last week, we noticed that everyone was ordering the hamburger and fries, and boy did it look mighty tasty. Mr. Meiki says they hand peel and cut the potatoes for their fries. Next time I go in, I’m having the burger and fries.

Bottom line, Meiki’s is a simple place — more like a diner than a restaurant. The atmosphere isn’t anything special, but it is a nice, quiet, very informal place with some good food. I recommend it. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

When Tim asked if I would write a dinner review of a bed and breakfast on the south side of Norman, I had to stop and think. “Do bed and breakfast places serve dinner?” I wondered. He assured me this one did and, since I’ll try anything once, I agreed. It was a wise choice because hidden in this unlikely hideaway, I found a delightful dinner experience — one that offers great food in a beautifully relaxing environment.

The restaurant’s location made for about a 50 minute drive from our northwest Oklahoma City home. Sure, it’s a bit out of the way, but actually it was nice to relax in the car and gather some thoughts following an extremely busy week at work. Although the place is hidden from the highway, we found the entrance with no problem, and the tree-lined driveway was really quite lovely. Being a gardener myself, I appreciated the attention the owners have given to the beautiful landscaping. The hydrangeas were in full bloom and they were gorgeous.

The restaurant entry is very welcoming with its wrap-around porch. We stepped inside and were immediately seated at a table for two overlooking the porch and out through a sea of oak trees. As I sank into the oversized chair and gazed out at the view, I also took in the white tablecloth, the softly flickering candlelight and what appeared to be an old set of fancy, yet understated, flatware on the table. I felt my body relax yet one more notch. “This is nice,” I thought to myself. Really nice.

Rany, the owner (and our waiter), appeared quietly at our side with a wine list and a refreshing glass of iced, lemon water. In a minute, menus appeared and he politely explained the evening’s special dishes. Most everything on the menu is served with a French flair, which delighted us as we had just returned from a week in Paris. Dave chose one of the specials — a bone-in veal steak with a blueberry glaze. I opted for the potato-encrusted salmon. We also decided to try the corn-crab bisque and a spring mixed salad (I had overheard one of the other diners in the full dining room saying how much she was enjoying the soup).

Now, one thing I would have liked to have seen is a pasta or vegetable option on the menu for those of us not really into meat. Maybe they occasionally offer something like this as a special, but all of the entrees I saw were meat dishes. Anyway, back to our food …

The house salad was better than most with its fresh spring leaves, bite-sized tenderized vegetables and drizzled champagne vinaigrette. I wish more local restaurants offered a champagne vinaigrette. It’s nice because it’s not as pungent as the balsamic vinaigrettes, and it’s not as full of fat like the creamy dressings. Dave also loved his corn-crab bisque. It was very mild and not too heavy for a hot and humid summer evening. The accompanying hot rolls were delicious enough that they tasted homemade. Even if they weren’t, they were wonderful with a dab of the fancy, herbal, sweet-cream butter served on the side.

As we waited on our main course, I looked around and decided I was glad I had noticed the business casual dress code on the website. Nobody was in jeans. Nobody was in a tie either, but we would have felt a little under-done in jeans.

The main course arrived in a beautiful, French presentation. The whole week I was in Paris I didn’t want to eat my food because it was too pretty. Our plates at Whispering Pines reminded me of those dinners in Paris. The meat was accompanied by two different styles of potato. One was a rosette design which was baked crisp and sported a fresh sprig of rosemary. The other was a new potato, cut in half with a fancy dollop of a twice-baked-potato-like mixture. Additionally, a nice assortment of vegetables, including asparagus cooked perfectly crispy and in a cream sauce, accompanied the meat. The presentations and flavors blended perfectly for a rich, winning taste.

After the main course, we were presented with three dessert options: a flourless chocolate cake, creme brulee and, as Rany stated, “good ol’ Oklahoma bread pudding.” We kept with our French flair for the evening and chose the creme brulee. Good choice. I like my creme brulee with a thick, carmelized, flavorful topping, and this was great. The custard was nice and thick also.

I was disappointed that there was no fruit dessert option. In the summertime, I like to see something like a sherbet with a fresh fruit topping. Something cold and tart is always good when it’s so hot outside. But I also know that places like Whispering Pines are going to have more abbreviated menus simply because of the nature of their businesses.

To me, service is as important as the taste of the food, and Rany could not have been more gracious. He was never intrusive, yet stayed at least two steps ahead of our needs. Perfect. Rany’s son, David, also helps to run Whispering Pines and they were the only two waiters on the night we visited.

At the end of our meal, Rany even offered to take us on a tour of the whole grounds, which we gladly accepted. We saw an additional dining area that’s great for large meetings or receptions. Plus, out in the back, there is a gazebo and a large pond that opens out onto the grounds where one can see rows and rows of grapes in the vineyard they keep. The whole complex is set on rolling hills and is very lovely. Rany said that from April to October they host a wedding just about every Saturday.

Rany has a fascinating life story to tell. He and his wife escaped the killing fields in Cambodia and eventually found a sponsor in Oklahoma, making it possible for them to immigrate in 1981. He started work as a dishwasher at The Oaks Country Club and proceeded from there to work in other fine restaurants such as The Coach House, where he picked up his culinary skills. He eventually opened his own restaurant, Lindochine, which was located around NW Expressway and I-44, before moving his family to Norman and purchasing Whispering Pines. He is a very humble man, an extremely hard worker, and he has the life experience to be able to say, “If you were born in the United States, then do not ask God for another blessing because He has already given you the biggest blessing of your life!” This was a profound and steadfast reminder to me. I appreciated his boldness in proclaiming that to us.

So, here is my advice to all of us busy people — make a dinner reservation at Whispering Pines, or better yet, a Friday night getaway and Saturday breakfast. Sometimes we must be intentional about slowing down and relaxing, and this is a perfect place to do so. You’ll not only discover some great food, but you’ll also feel the worries melt away as soon as you pull into Rany’s driveway!

PLEASE NOTE: We have learned that the Red Moon Cafe is closing or may already be closed.

Whenever I hear of a new, locally-owned restaurant opening in the Oklahoma City area, I really try hard to like everything about it. I want really badly for it to succeed, and therefore I tend to overlook a lot of things and give it many chances before I write it off. But unfortunately, even after giving it many, many chances, I’ve got to say that Red Moon just isn’t quite up to par. On the other hand, my husband is a huge fan of the place, so obviously not everyone agrees with me.

Here’s the thing … the food is good. I’m not saying that you can’t get a decent meal here. The menu contains a nice variety of “cafe-type” foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and breakfast is served all day. It always tastes good and it is always hot. I like just about everything I’ve tried including soups, salads, omelets, sandwiches and daily specials (though my experience with the desserts has not been as great — more on that below).

“So, what’s the problem?” you ask. Well, two things. First, the owners have tried something new by setting up their restaurant in the lobby of the Legacy Bank building. I can’t decide if this is “a go” or not, as I still feel as if I’m eating in the lobby of a bank. It needs just a touch of something, but I’m not sure what.

Second, and most importantly, my main complaint is with the service. At best, I would describe it as inconsistent. At worst, it can be downright frustrating. It’s never crowded when we’re in there, but for some reason, it takes a really long time for our food to arrive. And it seems the less crowded, the longer it takes. And it’s an order at the counter then seat yourself place, so I never can tell where the bottleneck is coming from.

Of course, there were also what I refer to as our two “mustard incidents.” I’ve known my husband for 25 years, and he has never, ever eaten anything remotely resembling mustard. In fact, he can’t stand the sight or smell of it. So of course, the first time he ordered a hamburger here and asks for the mustard to be held, our server brought his burger teeming with mustard. He very politely explained to her that he asked for the mustard to be held, and she grabbed the plate, huffed off, and in a minute returned, sliding his new burger across the table without so much as another word. I wrote it off as opening-day jitters.

But then, a couple of months later, he ordered a chicken sandwich without the mustard. Someone from behind the counter brought it out, again full of mustard. My husband sent it back with the person, and a few seconds later, the server from incident number one appeared at our table with the replacement sandwich and proceeded to pick a big argument with him, accusing him of ordering mustard. I couldn’t believe my ears. It was so ridiculous that even the other customers were looking our way. If I had my wishes, it would have been the last time we went. But since my husband loves the place so much, we continue on.

Since then, the rule of the day has been wrong orders. If I order the vegetable soup, I get the black bean. If I order the Caesar salad, I get the house, etc. Recently, at least, they have been nice enough to try and make things right (without scolding us), but I wonder how hard this stuff can be when there is only one other table with customers.

So, the service is poor but the food is good. As I mentioned above, just be careful with the desserts, because they are not always fresh. They are displayed on a turning wheel right beside the cash register, making them very tempting because they look so good. However, last time we were there, my husband ordered a huge cupcake that was very dry. He took it back to the counter, and, to their credit, they did promptly exchange it for something else.

Finally, I will give them credit for serving appropriate portions. It’s always refreshing to find a place that sizes their meals according to what we all should be eating, rather than the gargantuan-sized, chain-restaurant meals that take up an entire table.

In conclusion, if the Red Moon could vastly improve their service, and make the place look a little less like a bank, then I’d say they’ve got a great shot at a winner. But as it stands now, whenever my husband says it’s time to go to the Red Moon, I just sigh and put my mind into Seinfeld-episode mode and try to get myself mentally prepared for another adventure. At least the last couple of times we’ve been out there, we haven’t seen or heard from the hostile wait-person, who could be compared to Seinfeld’s soup nazi. Instead, we just encounter a bunch of young kids whose only crime is wrong orders. But I’ll take that any day over being yelled at for mustard.

** Note: the kids who work here are very nice, but are sometimes unsure of things. Hence, the “probable hours” in the opening paragraph. I called today to get the hours and got completely different times than when we went tonight for dinner and I asked. The hours listed at the top are what the kid told me tonight. My best suggestion if you’re thinking about going later in the evening – call first to make sure they’re open. Then get ready for an adventure.

Please note: Big! Rice and Noodle has closed and been reopened by a new owner as the Elephant Cafe (read our review of Elephant Cafe).

It’s always a big deal when a new restaurant opens in Bethany. Those of us who work here are pretty limited in eating choices, so we’re always excited to try something new. When Mom and I drove by Big! Rice and Noodle the other day, we couldn’t wait to check it out. Knowing that my co-reviewer, Tim, especially likes Thai food, I told him to go, too, and to give me his opinion. Which he did. So really, this article is a co-review by Tim and Sarah.

First of all, Tim and his co-workers arrived at 11:15 for lunch only to discover the place doesn’t open until 11:30. So, if you have plans to visit, please make note of the hours. Tim was able to review the menu which is posted outside, but then had to move on to someplace else because of time constraints. When Tim returned the next time, he had the following to say about his experience.

Tim’s take: I liked it and I give it the benefit of the doubt for being fairly new. I like the concept and the location. I wish the food had a little more zip to it. It was good, just not over-the-top great. I had Pad Thai and it was smooth and sweet, but usually I like it to have some kick and spice and smokiness in there too, and that was missing. They did provide the hot sauce so we could add our own heat, but that still didn’t quite get it for me.

I thought the place set itself up as a nice dinner location, but not so much a great lunch place. For one, it’s slow because they are trying to keep up with just a few employees. For two, the pricing is more dinner-ish and they didn’t have any lunch specials, which i thought would be beneficial. The plates and glasses and stuff are nice, so they are going for a little “higher-end” experience, which is fine, but they might have a tough time pulling that off in this location. With the college nearby, I’d think they could get a good bit of traffic if they provided something a little more accessible and quick.

A lot of the Thai places around where I live [the Asian district] have lunch specials in the $5-6 range and usually include soup and a spring roll. This place had the Pad Thai at $6.50 or $8 (with seafood) and you have to buy everything else ala carte.

I did like the fact that they had some interesting dishes, like the mango wrap Sarah mentions below. That was good and very interesting. The menu was, overall, pretty unique and I like that as well. The food seemed to all be quite fresh. Sarah says it’s handmade, and I can believe it.

Sarah’s take: The first time Mom and I went, it was slow. The second time I went with my work friend, Beth, it was much faster, but we were the first ones in there for lunch. Maybe that made a difference.

The owners are Naya, Jack and Pat Surasrang, who have lived in the U.S. for 20 years. They immigrated from Thailand, and have owned restaurants in California, Maine and Connecticut. They opened this location in Bethany last November in order to be closer to family, and everything they make is homemade.

Mom and I ordered the mango wrap as an appetizer, which was enormous. We were thinking small, burrito-style wrap, like an eggroll, but this was square-shaped and it was the size of an entire plate. Three or four people could easily have split one wrap. In spite of the size, it was delicious. It was on the sweet side, which Mom loved (she goes running and screaming at the site of one grain of pepper, let alone a bottle of hot sauce). By the time our entrees arrived, we were stuffed. She had the crispy noodles with vegetables and I had the cashew chicken. Again, these entrees covered the entire plate. So, we ended up taking most of it home for dinner that night. We could have easily split these dishes. My take on the taste is the same as Tim’s – it was all good, but it needs just a little spice to kick things up. If you can’t stand spice, then this is your place. They do have two spicy dishes on their menu, but most of the time, Asian food has a little more something to it than this did.

The next time I went with Beth, we each had the chicken fried rice with no appetizer and this time, the portions were better. Again, it was good. It was flavored a little differently than any other chicken fried rice I’ve ever had, but it still needed just a little kick of something.

I’m glad we finally have an Asian food place in Bethany. It will beat driving several miles north to the next closest place. Just don’t go if you’re in a hurry, or if you’re looking for a decorative-type atmosphere, because there aren’t any decorations yet. But maybe this is what adds to the quaintness of the place. Maybe they’re only worried about their food, and not how the place looks. Give it a try and let us know what you think.