I’ll sum up this review in the following sentence — eating at Fusion Café reminds me of eating at home, but it’s better than my mom’s cooking.  Please don’t tell my mom that I said that. She might cry.

From the outside, the restaurant is pretty non-descript with the exception of the obvious orange signs outside.  The ambience inside is a stark contrast to the plain exterior. You can come here for a meal or just come to read a book while sampling the various flavored teas or milk teas on their inviting sofa or typically empty tables.  This is a café after all.

However, if you’re going to come to Fusion Café just to enjoy their drink bar, then you’re totally missing out!  This is one of only a few restaurants in OKC that offers teriyaki bowls ($6.95-7.95) or Bento “rice boxes” (also $6.95-7.95).  For the most part, this place is a fusion of Korean and Japanese-style food with a pretty equal distribution of the two cuisines from sushi to bulgogi.

The ultimate stars of this restaurant, however, are the spicy potato stew ($6.95) and Chef’s Specialty ($10.95) — aka “goat” stew.  I’ve had the pleasure of trying both and I must say that both are superb!  The owner mentioned that once you try the goat stew, you won’t want to go back to the spicy potato. I have to agree. Their menu describes the Chef’s Specialty this way — “Rich soup made with tender goat meat and traditional Korean spices and seasonings.”  I can’t really figure out all the ingredients that go into the dish, but the one ingredient that has a prominent presence is perilla leaves (an herb that is a member of the mint family with an aroma reminiscent of apples and mint).  The slow-boiled goat meat is super tender and absolutely delicious.  I ordered it with medium spice and it had just the perfect blend of seasoning and heat (of course, I like things spicy, so keep that in mind).  If you prefer less heat, the spicyness can be adjusted when you order but Korean food is generally known to be pretty spicy.

The spicy potato stew is described this way — “Traditional Korean hearty stew with rich savory broth. Made with pork neck bones and potatoes.”  It’s not as delicious as the goat stew, plus this dish requires a bit of work to get all the meat out of the neckbones.  Depending on how meaty the neck bones are you might get more or less meat. Nonetheless, I usually go home pretty satisfied with the portions. Each bowl includes an entire potato, sliced onions, and chilis. 

I went to get the goat stew the other day and they had run out (which goes to show you that if you’re REALLY craving the goat stew, it’s best to call ahead to make sure they have some ready). Since my mom and I drove all the way down there to try the goat stew and came up lacking, I think they gave us extra meat portions in the Potato Stew we ordered. I must say, I was quite happy with that addition.

If you happen to come with a friend or a significant other, you can go off menu and get the ”jung-goal” or family-style versions of the stews that can easily feed 2-3 people.  The stew is actually cooked on your tabletop with one of those portable butane cooktops.  Once you’ve dished out most of the stew, the server comes with a platter of veggies and rice to stir fry into the pot and finish up whatever is left.  My friend and I were pretty full from the stew already and didn’t realize how much more food would come with the stir-frying.  Family-style prices for the the spicy potato and goat stews are $20 and $29 respectively.

Both stews come with a bowl of rice and an accompaniment of Korean side dishes.

Fusion Café is a family run business with good service. They are proud of the fact that none of their food contains any MSG — just like mom would like.  One would be hard-pressed to find tastier potato or goat stews even among the larger Korean communities in LA or New York.  Let us know what you think about it in the comments section below.

Isn’t it weird how sometimes you overlook places to visit that are the closest to you?  Having lived in the Deep Deuce for a few years, I’ve only visited the Deep Deuce Bar and Grill just twice, which seems odd. Not only that, but Sage has been open for a few months now and I haven’t been able to push myself to eat there until just recently.   I don’t know if it’s the fact that dining in Bricktown typically costs an arm and a leg or if the view of the wall full of alcohol through the windows made Sage seem more like a bar than a restaurant, but something has kept me away … until now.

The fact that Sage is also a ”market” did peek my interest since OKC has a dearth of healthy, organic markets (Whole Foods are you reading this?!).  I put market in quotes because the market section at Sage probably isn’t much bigger than my kitchen.  In spite of its size, they do offer a selection of goods that can’t be found at your normal supermarket or Wal-Mart.  They feature locally grown organic foods, a nice selection of cheeses, gourmet dressings, organic coffee, oils, and even beer.  Speaking with the sous chef, I found out that the owner has plans to expand the market in the future once the other tennant in the building ends their lease, but that’s still a few years in the works (unfortunately).

So, how’s the food?  Well, Greg visited on a separate occasion and had this to say:

“I had the 3-cheese mac and cheese ($9 for lunch and $11 for dinner) and thought it was wonderful. The gorgonzola gave the whole dish a great tang that really differentiated it from “normal” mac and cheese. The dish was very heavy, though, so I could hardly imagine it as an entree. I really thought it worked best when shared. It might be too rich for me to eat all alone.

I also tried the roasted seasonal vegetables ($7.50), which were pretty good. I was less impressed by the eggplant, but the green tomatoes were a revelation. Sweet and tart, warm and crisp. I would get this dish again in a heartbeat. Also great was that it came with a small side of hummus, which was thicker and tastier than some I’ve found locally.

Wrapping up my appetizer meal were the Greek turkey meatballs with tzatziki sauce ($7.50). They were dense, but flavorful, and the sauce really added a nice, fresh burst. The best part was, by sharing with friends, my bill was only $9 — pretty good for a fancy lunch.

Looking around, I saw some giant sandwiches that I am eager to go back and try. The roast beef was piled high and the portobello sandwich was really calling to me as well. Almost any sandwich topping is also available on a salad and the Ahi tuna salad looked pretty appetizing, but I’ll have to go back for a taste before I can pass judgment.”

I have to agree with Greg about the mac and cheese dishes, they’re pretty good.  I had the Grilled Shrimp Pesto version ($10.50 for lunch and $13 for dinner) and was definitely satisfied with the taste.  The accompanying waldorf salad (celery, apples, walnuts, grapes in a light mayo sauce) matched well with the mac and cheese and kind of helped to break up the heavy creamy flavor. I just wish it came with a bit more salad.  If you’ve ever read the menu and wondered why their mac and cheese is called “The Original” it’s apparently because (they believe) Sage is one of the original and only restaurants in OKC to offer gourmet mac and cheese.  I’m interested to see if there are any other readers or restaurants out there who might debunk this claim.

Talking about original offerings, Sage also has a salt bar where you choose from three of their eleven premium salts from around the world for $2.  I honestly don’t know what these different salts will do to change the flavor of my food, but it’s definitely something I’d like to try out another time.

On a subsequent visit during happy hour (everyday from 2-6pm) I was happy to find the $3.50 margaritas and mojitos.  I think everyone needs to try out the mojitos because they come in an awesome mason jar!  Honestly, it’s a nice touch.  I also made a meal of the $3.50 appetizer selections.  The grilled chili lime chicken wings and greek turkey meatballs are definitely enough to share with several people.  If you want to enjoy this happy hour deal, make sure you place all your food orders before the cutoff because the computer will automatically adjust prices at 6pm sharp.

Now, for the bad news. If you’re looking to visit Sage with a large group, be advised — I had a birthday party with a group of 13 and I must say the service was less than stellar.  I reserved our spot a good week ahead of time so I feel the staff had plenty of time to prepare for our party.  To start, those ordering mac and cheese dishes were told that they were out of the accompanying waldorf salad (disappointing news), but then one of my friends got some other person’s dinner and it came with the waldorf salad (aggravating news). In addition, I think our server took everyone’s orders about 3 or 4 times and blamed the ticketing system that was acting funny (this is the second visit on which I’ve encountered issues with the computer system). As a result, we all sat around waiting much longer than we really wanted.

I know big groups are always a challenge, but at a higher-end establishment like Sage, you expect them to be a bit more prepared, especially with advanced notice. My friends were pretty disappointed with the service, but I still think the quality of the food might bring some of them back again.

Overall, Sage offers unique dining, a convenient gourmet market and mini-deli, a pretty nice bar and some pretty good desserts choices. Aside from sub-par service with a large group, I can’t offer much complaint.  I will continue to anticipate the expansion of their market or just hope for a Trader Joes or a Whole Foods to open up.  If you’ve had a good (or bad) experience at Sage, we would like to know your thoughts.  Please leave us a comment below.

So, there’s been a few Southern California-style fro-yo places popping up in the metro recently. This, plus the fact that we’re heading into summer and in need of cool treats, inspired me to create a little series where we review and compare the fro-yo options. Since Passionberri was the first one I heard about, they will get the first review. But stay tuned as there will be more fro-yo smackdown published in the days ahead.

I heard about Passionberri through the grapevine and decided to give it a try when I was down at OU for the weekend for grad school.  I’ve been surprised that fro-yo places haven’t hit OKC until just recently.  I’ve been to one in Tulsa called FreshBerry that was pretty decent, but I’m not gonna drive all the way up there to get my fro-yo fix.

On my several trips back to L.A., I’ve been to Pinkberry, Red Mango, Yogurtland and a few other wannabe Pinkberrys. I guess you could say that I’m a fro-yo afficionado.  So, in true afficionado style, let me offer a little history. 

Pinkberry, aka “Crackberry,” actually started the fro-yo craze in the U.S. back in 2005, and it is one of the fastest developed franchises I’ve ever seen.  Red Mango was already a well established franchise in South Korea and I’m pretty sure the owners of Pinkberry (also started by two Koreans) thought it would be wise to open up something like it in L.A. and eventually other cities across the U.S.  Now, there are several dozen (at least) spin-off versions of Pinkberry in existence. It’s like people are crazy for it, but with good reason. Who doesn’t love that perfect union of fat-free dessert topped with healthy fruit?

So, four years after the U.S. craze begins, Passionberri boldly goes where no other fro-yo shop has gone before — to Norman.  On my visit, I was kind of in a rush to get back up to OKC, so I focused on my usual fro-yo order: a medium-sized plain yogurt topped with strawberries, kiwi and dduk (small balls of soft rice cake).  The price came out to $4.27 — a steal compared to the $8-10 you’d pay for a similarly designed cup at Pinkberry. Green tea and pomegranate are the other yogurt flavors at Passionberri and other toppings include blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, nuts and a few more I just can’t remember.  I’m just glad it’s strawberry season again because the fruit they had was perfectly ripe and delicious.  Although their plain yogurt isn’t as tangy as Pinkberry’s, I actually prefer my fro-yo to be a little more plain and enjoyed what Passionberri had to offer.

Tim, on the other hand, told me that he visited Passionberri and was pretty disappointed. That was primarily because he went there with his kids who were looking for things like chocolate yogurt and crazy, kid-friendly toppings. In his opinion, it wasn’t the most kid-friendly place and the mild flavors weren’t what they were looking for. 

I’m sure that most people who venture here for the first time will get the fro-yo, but they also offer smoothies, teas and coffees. Honestly, I glossed over the entire right side of their menu. Tim said he did have the “Passionberri” smoothie — a mixture of fresh fruit blended up with plain yogurt for around $4.50. It was tasty and fresh and more tart than sweet, which he liked. One negative is that it only comes in the one size which is really big. But, hey, I guess you could share it if you weren’t there with people under seven years old.

Passionberri has ample seating and also have free wi-fi so once summer arrives you can just lounge around and spend your entire afternoon here.  Now, if the owners of Passionberri were smart, they would open up a few more in Edmond, OKC and Moore so everyone can conveniently enjoy fro-yo goodness! However, I’m afraid some others may be beating them to it as we’ll see in future fro-yo reviews.

My favorite fro-yo joint in L.A. has got to be Yogurtland.  Why?  It’s because they actually charge you by the ounce, weighing your yogurt and toppings all together. They also have 10 different flavors of frozen yogurt and their choice of toppings was more than I can count with my hands.  In contrast, Passionberri has only three, mild yogurt flavors, and they’ve gone for the full service model, charging based on dish size and how many toppings you choose to put on. So, if you’ve been spoiled by the pay-per-ounce model of some other fro-yo places, prepare to be disappointed. On the other hand, if you’re used to the Pinkberry/Red Mango model of business, you’ll be happy to find the pricing substantially cheaper at Passionberri.

Bottom line: Passionberri is a decent fro-yo option with quality ingredients and competitive pricing. But, its limited selection of flavors and toppings combined with a non-pay-by-the-ounce pricing model may leave it vulnerable when compared to other fro-yo options we’ll explore in this series.

Stay tuned, and let us know what you think about Passionberri in the comments.

Let’s start off by clarifying that we — myself, Sarah and Tim — went to Sauced in February (yes, it’s taken us that long to publish this review). We know that February isn’t the greatest month for sitting out in the ample patio, drinking a beer and eating a slice. So, if that’s what the charm of Sauced is really about (and we suspect it is), we clearly missed out.

But at the same time, a restaurant can’t be completely about atmosphere and experience. They do, after all, serve food as well, and the the food just didn’t strike us as all that memorable.

Now, it’s not the worst thing in the world for food to be “OK.” The worst thing is when it out-and-out sucks and it’s expensive. The food at Sauced does not out-and-out suck and is maybe only a little expensive, so it doesn’t have everything going against it — it just doesn’t have that much going for it.

Sauced is fine. It’s OK. It’s good. The food is just not memorable. And that’s unfortunate for a place that has so much going for it in the “experience” department.

The pizza ($16.50 for cheese plus $1.50 per topping) — we split a half-pepperoni and sausage and half-garlic, mushrooms and brocolli pie — was on the dry side. It’s a big pie with a very thin crust, but that crust was quite bland and there was very little sauce on it (ironic, considering the name of the restaurant). We did appreciate the availability of some unique toppings, like broccoli and carrots, but overall, it just fell short. That, plus the hefty price tag, make this a poor pizza value in our opinion.

You might see the large diameter of the pizza as improving the value, but the super-thin crust means that, even at a large size, it’s not very filling. The three of us easily finished every last bite of our large (which cost $21) and could have had more. Put it all together and it’s average pizza at a pretty substantial price.

We also tried the hummus and chips appetizer ($3.10). It wasn’t anything to write home about, either. These were ballpark-style tortilla chips and some pretty bland hummus with a little seasoning tossed on. Frankly, I didn’t taste anything.

The one thing I did have that was great was the coffee and I’d gladly get another cup of that. Again, this adds to the appeal as a hang-out or coffee shop as opposed to a dining establishment.

If I lived in or near the Paseo, I would go to Sauced because it’s a neighborhood kind of place. I like the funky art on the walls. I like that it has a great beer list and a place to sit outside. But I don’t live right there and I don’t know that Sauced has enough to pull me back for another taste. A restaurant needs to make that first impression count and while I wouldn’t necessarily ward anyone away from Sauced, I am not going to push people in that direction.

I have a feeling we’ll get some pretty spirited comments on this one. Please, let us know what you think in the comments, whether you agree or disagree with our review.

This is part two of Greg’s Oklahoma City Cupcake Smackdown. If you recall, we’ve had two cupcake bakeries open up here in the city in relatively short order, so we’re taking a close look at them both. Here, we’ll take a look at the newly opened Cuppies & Joe. Click here for the review of Sara Sara Cupcakes.

The first thing I’ll say about Cuppies & Joe is that you should go to Cuppies & Joe. Even if you don’t like cupcakes. Even if you don’t like Joe (but who doesn’t like Joe — I mean, what did he ever do to you?).

Why? Because Cuppies & Joe is a great place to hang out. It’s like if your friends invited you over, but instead of bedrooms, they all just decided they wanted a bunch of tables and chairs and somebody on a keyboard playing easy-going music.

The restaurant is owned and operated by the Diefenderfer family, who, I was told, just really like making cupcakes. And pies, too. You can check out their online menu to get an idea of their full selection.

At $2 a piece ($22 per dozen), the cupcakes aren’t break-the-bank expensive, but they’re also not that big. Unlike Sara Sara Cupcakes, Cuppies & Joe serves the size of cupcake your mom probably makes. But let me tell you, you only wish your mom’s cupcakes tasted this good.

While Sara Sara does a host of specialty cupcakes, Cuppies focuses on some basics with a few twists thrown in. You can have chocolate or vanilla cake with chocolate or buttercream frosting and any combination therein. The Boomerang is chocolate with mocha frosting. The Neverland is peanut butter cake with chocolate frosting.

All of them are good. And if you want something a bit different, the Horsebite (carrot cake with cream cheese frosting) and the Roman Holiday (tiramisu) are great.

But the one that knocked me off my socks was the Sassafras. Here’s a short story about it:

My brother loves Red Velvet cake. I am indifferent toward Red Velvet cake. Every year for three years, my mom forgot that my brother was the one who loved it and got me a Red Velvet cake for my birthday. Then, remembering it again, would get him the same cake for his birthday. Thus began my fiery hatred of Red Velvet cake.

The Sassafras is a Red Velvet cupcake with buttercream frosting. On paper, I should hate this thing. In reality, I’m surprised I’m not at Cuppies & Joe right now, half-naked and smearing whatever I can’t fit into my mouth all over my body. It was great.

My wife would also like to point out that if you like Starbucks, but don’t like paying crazy money for Starbucks, Cuppies & Joe has some of the best coffee around at very low prices.

My only worry for Cuppies & Joe is the parking issue, which can be hairy. There’s a few street spots out front, but they’re on a very busy stretch of 23rd street which can make for some nail-biting parallel parking. A better bet is to take the little alley around back where there’s a private parking lot available.

If you can find a place for your car, you won’t have any trouble finding a place in your stomach for some of their delicious cupcakes.

Now, where else can a guy get some cupcakes? Let me know and I’ll be there soon. Oh, and let us know what you think about Cuppies & Joe in the comments.

I am a comic book geek, so I hope you will grant me this brief history lesson. Marvel Comics debuted a muck-encrusted character named Man-Thing in May of 1971. About a month later, DC Comics introduced their own vegetable-based hero, Swamp Thing. The way publishing works, there’s no way DC Comics was copying Marvel — they came up with the ideas independently and put them out almost simultaneously.

It happens a lot. “Deep Impact” and “Armageddon” came out in the same summer. In Oklahoma City, we have our own version with two cupcake shops — Sara Sara Cupcakes and Cuppies & Joe — opening up within about a month, and about a mile, of each other.

And so, in the grand history of Andrew’s Shady Restaurant of the Month and Sarah’s Onion Burger Tour, we begin Greg’s Oklahoma City Cupcake Smackdown. But in this case, since there’s just two restaurants and they both opened up so close together, we’re publishing both reviews at the same time.

This post covers Sara Sara Cupcakes. Click here for the review of Cuppies & Joe.

Cupcake-only bakeries have been popping up all over the U.S., usually in major metropolitan areas. The big one, Sprinkles, has franchised around. Despite the timing, Sara Sara is not jumping on the trend. Instead, this bakery is a tribute to Sara Brinson, the daughter of co-owner Dana Brinson and niece of co-owner Toni Hoffman, who died last year. She loved baking cupcakes and had talked about opening a store like Sara Sara with her aunt. Her family, looking for something to do with their grief, turned to the kitchen and followed up on that dream.

And the dream has taken off. The publicity for this little shop, nestled in a house next door to Iguana Mexican Grill, has been huge. Word of mouth has the place bustling and with good reason — they make good cupcakes.

Taking a bullet for you good people, I have eaten all or part of: Count Rockula, Strawberry Shortcake, Cherries Jubilee, Judge Joe Cannon, Cappuccino, The Destin and Coconut Cream. I know, I know. I totally deserve a medal to be pinned on my enormous belly.

I’ve only heard two knocks on Sara Sara — the cupcakes are a little dry and the prices are a little high. And I cannot wholly disagree. The Coconut Cream and the Cherries Jubilee I tried could have been a bit more moist. That said, they weren’t so dry that I couldn’t eat them, they just were a little dry.

I talked to chef Eric Smith and he candidly addressed the problem — lack of training. Because the construction time ran up so close to opening the doors, there wasn’t much time to perfect the cupcakes. They’ve gotten better, however, and they’re honing in on the perfect times for their different recipes.

Meanwhile, the Strawberry Shortcake, which was warm and fresh when I ate it, was perfectly moist. And my favorite, the Count Rockula — chocolate with chocolate cream, cocoa puffs and marshmallows on top — was so good I don’t remember anything but wanting more.

The price is $3.25 per cupcake or $36 for a dozen, which might seem like a lot, but really — how many cupcakes are you going to eat? For a cake meant for one (or two, if you’re capable of sharing), the price tag isn’t that shocking. If you’re planning on downing three or four, then, yeah, the price goes up.

A bit more shocking is the price for a glass of milk. At $3, it’s steep, but there’s no better companion to a warm brownie than a cold glass of milk served in a frozen glass. I had the chocolate milk and it was heavenly. Other beverages include hot chocolate ($5), espresso ($3) and soft drinks ($2).

This is not your everyday bakery. The design is stark and modern, like an Ikea full of baked goods. This is almost an experience restaurant — a cool place to take your friends or to pick up a few cupcakes to try at the office.

Located downtown, they’ve definitely got a chance to become part of the neighborhood and expand their business. As it is, they’re not hurting — the cupcake display was almost empty when I visited. I guess everybody wants a sweet treat now and then.

I’m not much of a dessert guy, so dining at an ice cream shop generally isn’t my first choice. That, plus the fact that the outside temperature is often below freezing this time of year, is enough to keep me away from anything with “frozen custard” in the name. But I heard about Bodensee Frozen Custard and the fact that they serve much more than sweets. I also heard that this single-location cafe runs a very clean shop so when I found myself meeting a friend for dinner on the south side of town the other day, I decided to give it a try.

I discovered that Bodensee offers a nice selection of sandwiches, soups, salads, sides, and a full espresso and coffee selection. Not only that, but I found an incredible value in the $5 lunch combo. This selection (which managing partner, Lloyd Tidwell, tells me they actually offer any time of day, not just at lunch) gives you a choice of any full sized sandwich, choice of side, drink (with free refills), and a taste of custard, all for $5 even. I can tell you that if I lived or worked anywhere near this restaurant, I would definitely take advantage of this value regularly.

I had the Prussian Cheese Steak sandwich. It’s $4.69 by itself but you can get it, in its full size, as a part of the $5 combo described above. This seems like a crazy price discrepancy to me, but hey, I’ll take it. The sandwich isn’t huge, but it’s certainly an adequate portion. Neither is it amazingly unique, but it is very tasty and fresh. The bottom line is, I wouldn’t be head over heels about this sandwich at $4.69, but at $5 with everything else included, I’m in awe.

My friend had the club ($4.59 on it’s own). It was pretty basic, but again, tasty and fresh. That seems to be the standard here. You’re not going to be writing home about the sandwiches you discover, but you’re going to get something fresh, healthy, well prepared, and at a terrific value.

On every sandwich, you get to choose your bread, dressings, veggies and cheese. It’s actually a lot of choices to make and a little awkward (in my opinion) when you have to spend so much time setting the specifications for your order, but if you’re into customization, this is the place for you.

Of course, the calling card of Bodensee is the frozen custard, so I had to try some. It was about 10 degrees outside when I was there, but I sacrificed for the sake of this review and ordered a parfait ($2.99 small, $3.49 regular, $3.99 large). There are about fifteen to choose from and I got the Bodensee. It’s sweet creme custard, banana slices, and strawberry topping in a parfait glass. I’m no custard expert, but still I can tell you it’s very good. It’s so creamy it’s almost hard to believe. The place obviously knows what they are doing as a creamery and, naturally, this is where the heart of their business lies.

You can get the custard in a bunch of other forms like mixes, sundaes, malts, shakes, floats, freezes, cones, smoothies, and the like. Again, tons of choices to make in flavorings, toppings and mixins. They also make a no-fat, no-sugar-added frozen yogurt that you can substitute into most of their selections.

One thing I really like is the “taste” of custard that comes with the $5 lunch special. It literally is a taste — a very small paper cup barely bigger than what you’d get as a sample most places with a little scoop of custard. But honestly, this is about how much dessert we all should really eat. It’s nice that they include it on the combo so that you can get a taste of their specialty, which of course may entice you to come back and try something else.

The one thing I’m not really fond of at Bodensee is the atmosphere. The interior of the restaurant is really disjointed and doesn’t give the impression that they really spend much time on environment. There is a front room that is done up to look like you are outdoors in Vienna somewhere. A painted mural on the wall and patio tables with umbrellas (though you are indoors) establish the motif. Now, it’s not super well done, but it still provides at least a bit of decor.

The problem comes when you move into the back room, which is almost completely bare and features a hodgepodge of coffee tables, benches, tables and chairs with no decoration whatsoever. This is a room you can reserve as a meeting room for many different party and group meeting options they offer. There is a ventless gas log fireplace in this back room, which would have been great on the cold day I was there, but there was nothing really cozy about it. It was just kind of stuck in the corner. There is so much more that could be done to the interiors to make this place more inviting. I also feel that adding free wifi connectivity could really help as they are promoting themselves as a cafe and coffee shop.

That said, I can’t render too much judgment on the “feel” of the place as I was definitely not there in their peak season. I imagine the mood is so much more lively on a hot summer night when lots of people show up to enjoy the cool, refreshing, and excellently prepared custard.

The bottom line for me is that Bodensee is a great value. I’m not sure the $5 lunch combo (which I’m told is available all day) can be beat anywhere, by anyone. It’s so much better than fast food — it’s fresh, custom made, healthy and tasty — and yet they are delivering it at prices that beat most fast food restaurants. Seriously, where can you go to get a complete meal, drink included, for $5 even?

This amazing value, plus the uniqueness of their dessert offerings, make Bodensee worth a try for those who live nearby. Please let us know what you think in the comments.

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.

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.

Dear Reader: the following review was written by my wife. Though it is posted under my name, I take no responsibility for its content and I adamantly deny that I have ever been to this restaurant.

Thank you,
Andrew

As the wife of the creator of Oklahoma City’s shady restaurant series, you can imagine how often I have been pulled into strange, scary, and unsafe eateries. Sometimes I get tired of all these weird meat and cheese offerings and just want a pretty little sandwich on a non-disposable plate. A Spot For Tea offers just that. It’s a fancy little tea and lunch shop that a girl can go to and have a chance to eat real food. I am very happy that I found this place. Their slogan — “Bringing You Joy In a Teacup” — really sums my experience.

A Spot For Tea is a luncheon spot that also offers party hosting services like bridesmaid luncheons, receptions, and even little tea parties for moms and their little girls. They also have great food to accompany the fancy “fru fru” atmosphere. The food offerings include quiche, chicken salad, tuna salad, fruit salads, club sandwiches, croissants … you know, everything that my husband would label as “girly food.” Truth be told, he would probably really like the food here, even though he would never go in here (he just requested that I reinforce the fact that he adamantly denies ever eating here. So, there you have it). It’s sad that just because they don’t serve fried goat or squirrel, or whatever other weird thing he is always talking about, that he will miss out on fresh, unique, and yummy food. My sandwich came with a muffin accompanied by apricot butter and a frozen cranberry salad. Yum!

The story behind the start of this place is great. You can read all about it on their web site (which is actually pretty dynamic for a restaurant web site). The owners want this place to be the picture of hospitality, and for people to view it as a ministry as much as a restaurant. I plan on having a little dress-up party with my little girl and her little friends here soon. What a fun idea!

A lot of what you see here you can buy to take home for yourself — from the aprons the staff is wearing to many of the tea sets on display. I had the chance to walk around and look at things while Andrew drove across the street to get a mystery-meat kabob from that scary hookah bar he keeps talking about. A Spot for Tea really does have a neat set up that is a great setting for banquets, receptions, and parties.

I can’t wait to try more of their many teas. They had what appeared to be over a hundred different types of tea. You can purchase their teas by the ounce to take home and brew yourself. They also include directions on how to brew the perfect cup of tea. The food is great too, and I want to try more. I’m sorry I don’t have many adjectives to describe food. I mostly use the words “yummy” and “really yummy” to describe food. I don’t know all those fancy French terms my husband likes to throw around (he really doesn’t know what they mean either).

I hope you get the chance to try A Spot For Tea. If you have a little girl like I do, take her with you. It will be a special memory for both of you. If you have a husband like mine who is scared of “girly food,” send him across the street to eat kabobs and pita bread, or leave him at home and go enjoy one of the funnest and yummiest lunch spots in town.

PLEASE NOTE: BrewHaHa is no longer open.

Most people who know me know that I’m an early riser and an early worker. I like to get in a couple hours of work on church stuff and trading before heading into the office at 8am. And, as such, I’m always on the look out for good places to spend those morning hours.

My default favorite place is Panera. There’s just a million reasons why Panera is great. Endless and tasty iced tea, great bagels for $.96 (tax included), classical music, free wifi, lively atmosphere . . . the list goes on and on. So, Panera is the place to beat in my book. However, I’m also a big fan of the local establishment and since Panera is a chain, I’m willing to try out the local places in hopes that one of them will become my new favorite.

But no luck so far. And today, I tried again to no avail. As I type this, I’m sitting, by myself, at BrewHaHa, a new coffee shop in the north Bricktown area at 222 East Main in Oklahoma City. It looks cool from the outside, and I even read an article about it in Downtown Magazine, which made it sound pretty cool too. And, hey, it’s close to my house so even better. I love being downtown and I love the local place. Plus, it opens at 6am. It’s the only place besides Panera that I’ve seen open at 6am in this city. So, I had high hopes.

But, alas, the hopes are gone. I’m sure BrewHaHa is a nice place at other times of day, but in the morning, it’s crazy boring. I got here at 6am and I was the only one here. It’s now about 6:45am and I’m still the only one here. The selection of food items is extremely minimal. The atmosphere is kind of cool with local art on the walls, but they’re playing 98.9 FM on the radio which is mostly just commercials and talking — not great for working. They do have free wifi which I am using now, but I think they only have one electrical outlet anywhere in the building. All in all, I’m having to work hard to stay awake around here.

If you’re reading this, don’t take this as too harsh of a critique on the place. I’m sure it’s worth a try at another time of day. But in the mornings, it’s just not cutting it. Too bad. If anyone in OKC can put together a local morning establishment that rivals Panera, I’ll be there.

6:56am and the second customer just walked in…

As I’ve said before, I much prefer local restaurants. But I’ve got to give credit when a chain restaurant really goes above and beyond. In the case of Panera Bread, I feel like I pretty much owe them some recognition considering that they’ve given me thousands of hours of great office space, virtually rent free.

You see, I’m actually at Panera right now, working on my laptop on their free wireless internet network. I like to get up early every day and get some personal work done before heading into the office. A while back, I was self-employed, and I’d spend even more time here, sometimes using their space for entire days at a time. Sure, I’d buy lunch here, but that’s a pretty good rate for 8 hours of rent. Especially when the rest of the time I’m just working and making use of free iced tea refills.

Since moving back to Oklahoma City, I’ve looked around for a local alternative to fill my early morning office / cafe need. But I haven’t found anything better than Panera yet. And here’s why:

Hours of Operation. Panera opens at 6am every day and stays open until 8pm or 9pm. It’s just hard to beat that availability. I have yet to find a local alternative that opens at 6am. The closest I’ve found is 6:30 and when you’ve only got until 8, that extra 30 minutes makes a world of difference.

Food. As opposed to Starbucks or other coffee shop options, Panera serves real food. And the food is great. The multitude of bagel options for breakfast are creative, made with quality ingredients and prepared well everyday by someone who must get here at 3am or something to get all of this baking done. Even better, if you’re around for lunch or dinner, there are great sandwiches, soups, salads and now some artisan pizza in the evenings. It’s nice to have a place that can satisfy at any time of day.

Free wireless internet. A few years ago, someone up at Panera headquarters must have made what I consider to be the most brilliant decision ever — to offer free wireless internet in their stores. It’s not only free, there’s even a support number to call if you have trouble (ask for the internet brochure). Now that’s service! A reliable, high-quality wireless network at no cost. This single offering has earned them my loyalty and repeat business and I’m sure there are many others out there who feel the same way. Way to go, guys!

Iced tea. Their tea is great, and they fill up two huge containers of it on their drink station so they never run out. When you’re officing at Panera, $1.50 or so buys you a whole days’ worth.

I’d love to find a local alternative that can rival these offerings for my morning ritual. If you know of one, leave a comment and let me know. But even if I find one, I doubt I’ll leave Panera completely. I’ll have to visit them at least once a week. They’ve just been too good to me.