When it comes to shady Oklahoma City dining the following rules have proven themselves accurate.  There is a positive correlation between Mexican food’s tastiness and its level of shadiness;  iron bars may seem cold and uninviting, but they apparently lock in flavor (I haven’t found a bad iron-clad restaurant yet);  breakfast is always the safest option at a shady diner; and while the tire barns that often surround these shady wonders seem like a good deal, the tires they sell are prone to blow out when you reach interstate speeds (sorry TD and Brent).

This month’s Shady Restaurant of the Month recipient has iron-clad windows, crime-ridden surroundings, a pawn shop across the street, and an endorsement from DAZ, the rapper.  Yes, the cousin of Snoop Dog is endorsing this month’s Shady Restaurant of the Month.  Well, maybe not, but there is a signed picture of him hanging in there, thanking them for the food.  Please welcome A Family Affair to the growing list of Oklahoma City’s shady yet tasty eateries.

A Family Affair is a soul food joint on the East side with a loyal following.  In fact, I found out about this place after I reviewed Florence’s and was immediately hit by the loyal A Family Affair coalition that was not shy about declaring this place the “soul food anchor of Oklahoma City.”  I respect their confidence.  Isn’t there a saying along the lines of “bring it strong or don’t bring it at all?”  DAZ may have rapped that for all I know, but I do think it’s true.  These guys were not shy about letting me know that they were a force to be reckoned with in the Oklahoma City soul food scene.

I’m not going to say that they are better or worse than Mama E’s, or that they bring bigger flavors than Florence’s, but I will tell you they hold their own as a legitimate satisfier of my soul food cravings.  You see, each of these places brings something different to the table.  A Family Affair brings all-you-can-eat soul food goodness at a great value ($8.50). Of course, it will likely shave a few years off your life with its assortment of deep fried meats, delicious fatty sides, salty vegetables, and rich desserts.  That’s not a slam to these guys at all, just a warning to those readers looking for a healthy meal.  Although, a meal of fried pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy, macaroni and cheese, green beans, and corn bread hits all the major food groups right?

I’ll discuss the food, but you should really just go try it yourself.  They offer a salad bar to start (there you go, health nuts).  Progress through the line and you get to choose your favorite vegetables, which you serve yourself.  They have had green beans and macaroni and cheese every time I have gone (yes, macaroni and cheese is a vegetable — I mean, vegetarians can eat it, right? At least the non-vegan variety?).  They also usually have a rice dish, corn, a bean offering, and some sort of green.  Next, you move to the variety of fried meats that the nice ladies serve you.  I have had the fried catfish, fried chicken, fried shrimp, and fried pork chop.  Tim went with me this last time and had the chicken fried steak, which he gave two greasy thumbs up. They also have a few non-fried “meats” like spaghetti and neck bone, but only if you catch them on the right day. Oh, and remember that the mashed potatoes and brown gravy are on a separate table after you pass through the line.  Don’t make the critical error of passing these by.

As mentioned, prices here make a great value.  $8.50 gives you the all you can eat buffet option.  Perhaps an even better (and healthier) value is the “to go” option, which gets you a meat, a couple sides, and corn bread for the low low price of $5. That’s a great deal and it can help you avoid the temptation to over-eat everything on the buffet. You can also order off the menu and get various burgers and sandwiches, although I’ve never seen it done.

Tim also found a special coupon on the restaurant website, giving us half off our second buffet. Websites are a rarity amongst shady winners, but A Family Affair has one, complete with special offers. I can’t promise that offer will still be around when you check, but it’s worth a look just in case.

I recommend the fried pork chops.  They are a bit salty, but with great flavor.  Tim thought the chicken fried steak was a better option, describing it as extremely tender on the inside and super crispy on the outside. He rarely eats chicken fried steak so he can’t say if it’s the best in town, but he definitely enjoyed it here. The macaroni and cheese here is a little different than what most of the competition offers.  It’s a stovetop version, not a baked version, and it is loaded down with pepper.  I thought the pepper was great and really added a unique twist to the rich, classic dish.  I think Tim agreed, but to be honest, I had trouble understanding him as he moaned with delight on his third, or was it fourth, helping.

It is also important to know procedure here. When you go in for the first time, you might look around, perplexed for a minute, as I did. Don’t worry, it won’t be too long until one of the nice ladies will show you the ropes. But, you’ll be ahead of the curve as long as you know that you should just head straight to the buffet line and start loading up a plate. Then, find your table later. A waitress will bring you a drink after you sit down, and you can pay (yes, even by credit card) on your way out.

My only complaint is that A Family Affair doesn’t offer ice cream.  You can, however, get an icey grill next door.  I do not know if DAZ has ever been fitted for a grill next door or not.  Next time he and I hang out after a big rap session I’ll let you know what he says.

Why don’t you let us know what you think about A Family Affair in the comments.

I’m sure you are familiar with all those cliches about curiosity. You know, like “curiosity killed the cat.” Sure, curiosity steers me into lots of great shady finds all around the city, but this morbid curiosity sometimes bites me in the end. For example, sometimes curiosity causes me to reject steadfast rules. I recently broke the rule of “don’t eat at buffets, specifically seafood buffets, and even more specifically when that seafood buffet is not on the gulf coast but rather in Oklahoma.” I know — long rule.

Anyhow, I see Catfish Cabin every time I visit Leslie’s Pool Supply store next door. Unfortunately, I stopped at Leslie’s recently when I was really hungry and that bad painting of a dancing catfish on the outside window next door — the one that honestly looks more like a mutant seal — beckoned me to all-I-can-eat myself some catfish. What was weird when we walked in was that it felt like we were walking into a Chinese buffet. It had a fountain and those fold-up, asian-looking dividers. Then the smell of fried seafood filled the air and I was snapped back into reality.

It’s your typical seafood buffet with fried clams, fried shrimp, fried catfish bits, fried whole catfish, fried stuffed crabs, fried okra, fried potatoes, and so on. It’s kind of hit or miss on whether you get food that’s fresh out of the kitchen or the kind that’s been sitting under heat lamps for a while. The whole fried catfish that I had was actually pretty good, and I caught it as it was just being loaded on the bar. By the way, whole catfish is always fun to eat with the kids because you can wave the little fish skeleton at them and get a “that’s cool dad!” So, all-in-all, not a bad buffet.

On the other hand, it is still a buffet, and I don’t really like buffets. Mainly this is due to the hepatitis risk, and also the aggressive masses that push on you to move on down the line so they can fill their plates. Catfish Cabin had its fair share of the aggressive masses nearly reaching around me. I half-expected one of these folks to smash by face against the sneeze guard when I reached for the last roll. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.

I also had trouble stomaching the vegetables here. I’ve had a lot of bad mac and cheese in my day, but this mac and cheese made the stuff from KFC seem gourmet. I have a 6 year old, a 5 year old, and a 2 year old that wouldn’t touch this mac and cheese. That should tell you something.

On the plus side, the wait staff was great. They have a bunch of sweet little old ladies who you can’t help but like. Oh, and the desserts weren’t terrible. They were your standard buffet desserts — cobblers, puddings, and soft-serve ice cream. My kids love a place with the soft-serve machine. But next time we go out to eat just for the soft-serve, we will head to someplace like Jason’s Deli, and not here.

If you like paying $12 a person for an Oklahoma seafood buffet, then Catfish Cabin is for you. We’d love to hear from your side of the story in the comments. But for me, Catfish Cabin is nothing but a reminder to trust my past experience.

You see, this review isn’t about revealing new truth about all you can eat seafood buffets, but rather about offering a reminder to us all. We all learn culinary lessons in our life, but sometimes we need them reinforced so we don’t forget the sting of our mistakes which may have faded over time. So, remember the rules, and next time you see me at a shady diner about to order the five dollar T-bone, go ahead and stab me with your fork.