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.

The wonderful thing about Oklahoma City (and its truly remarkable lack of zoning structure), is that you can find shady eating all over — sometimes literally a block away from what would be considered “the good part of town.” I have been enjoying shady dining all over town these days, mostly thanks to you readers who faithfully recommend new shady places for me to try. This month’s shady award winner is going to come again from the East side. There are a lot of places I have yet to try on this stretch of road, but the bright orange trailer / shack where Geronimo’s lies just screamed out to me that shady dining could be found within.  Well, it may not have been an audible screaming voice, but with hand-painted, large, black, graffiti-esque, exterior signage saying “Fish” and “Donuts,” Geronimo’s voice might as well have been audible. I was too intrigued to pass it by.

That’s right, Geronimo’s is a small, bright-orange shack of a building beckoning passers-by to come try its donuts and fish. I have to admit, even I was a bit nervous walking into this one. The door is like a hinged patio screen door that has been replaced with rusty steel and bars. It doesn’t look like a mere mortal would be able to push it open as you approach it, but it swings open with ease. The always-packed parking lot eased my tensions and I busted on in, with a few shady companions. The first thing you see is an archaic display case that doubles as a serving counter.  Inside this case is a fairly large assortment of donuts, including some fairly large (read: huge) donuts. The menu is the old school ripple board with the little stuck-in letters advertising burgers, fish, and donuts. There are several fliers hung up advertising local fund raisers and Douglass High School sporting events. The other thing you immediately notice is there really isn’t anywhere to sit. There are a handful of chairs to sit in while you wait for your food, and there are a couple of stools that you can sit at along a very small bar by the window — room enough for maybe 3 or 4 people.

It’s worth sticking around and eating there at the bar. Have you seen the movie “Barbershop”? In the movie, there are the same dudes sitting around at a barber shop all day, chatting about who knows what, right?  Same thing here. You have a couple guys that are always there hanging out and just shooting the breeze, commenting on everyone that comes in and out (nothing negative, but quite often funny), and making your wait for a tasty burger pretty entertaining.  In fact, the last time I was there I learned all about the Douglass High School Football coach and how he is apparently one of the finest coaches in the country and also about how this girl who walked in apparently has lost a lot of weight since last time. There is a place to sit outside on what I like to call “patio seating East-side style.”  Very similar to the patio experience at the former Tom and Jerry’s except there is no fountain, no bistro furniture, and no mosaic-tiled walkway.  OK, I guess it’s really just a couple of picnic tables under a carport.  Regardless, on a nice spring day it’s probably a nice place to enjoy a Geronimo burger.

Speaking of the Geronimo burger, it is a burger with a slice of ham on it.  Nothing fancy, but it’s tasty.  These are little thin patties (probably frozen), but he does them up well.  His burgers are cheap, ranging from 2.50 to 3.50 depending on how you specify it.  He also has fried catfish which seems to be pretty fresh, and everyone agrees it’s pretty good.  You can of course get fries, fried okra, and jalapeno poppers.  Not a lot on the menu. Just very affordable burgers and fries. It’s nothing fancy, but they are rock-solid good burgers for just a couple of bucks. Don’t misinterpret what I am saying, please.  These are no Nic’s burgers that explode with flavor and shave a year off your life. They’re just good old-fashioned affordable burgers served in aluminum foil and a paper bag.

I also really like the donuts.  I’ve had his Texas-sized donuts as well as the regular size. I think they are fantastic, and they are fresh every day. They are fluffy and light and have a hint of lemon. My wife doesn’t like the lemony essence, but I think it’s a nice touch.

There isn’t a lot to write about regarding the food — I mean, it’s burgers, fish and donuts — but the atmosphere is as shady and wonderful as it gets.  You may see me sitting out on this patio, East-side style, once the weather warms up a little.  If you listen to anything I say, go get a donut, get a burger, and enjoy the conversation.  It’ll only cost you a couple of bucks, and you will have some awesome stories when you go back to the office after lunch. Please leave comments on your experiences. We are bound to get some good stories.

As a rule, choosing the Shady Restaurant of the Month is far from easy. Perhaps what once stood out as an abnormality in my pre-conditioned culinary mind has simply become the norm. You see, I eat at shady dives and taco stands nearly every day now, so having one stand out as particularly more shady than the others is becoming more of a challenge. This time, though, the decision came fast and clear. The moment I heard myself actually say out loud, “wow, I’m eating goat meat in a gas station … and it’s delicious!” — that was the moment I knew I had a winner.

JRS Travel Center sits on the corner of Reno and Martin Luther King Avenue. Many a trucker stops here for a fill up and an energy drink, but it’s what is going on in the attached restaurant that will keep me coming back. When we first walked in, there was a sign for Corky’s Grill and a big picture of a nauseating star-shaped burger patty. Everyone has unfortunately experienced one of these unnaturally misshapen mystery meat patties at one time or another. I think the last one I had was at the hospital after my last kid was born. These can be tricky because everyone else is eating them and it makes you want to believe that they aren’t rancid, but it’s never the case. Thankfully, Corky’s has been bought out by an enterprising group of Indian chefs who have turned it into a tandoor grill.

The interior is awesome! The entire menu from Corky’s remains above the counter as well as all of the old signs advertising it’s American truck stop fare. You’ll need to ignore the Corky’s menu. Sorry for the inconvenience to all of you looking for a frozen chicken fried steak with fake gravy. They have draped some bright-colored cloths on the walls to give that distinct Indian feel, but then you sit down in booths that make you feel like you’re eating at Carl’s Jr. OK, maybe Carl’s Jr. in New Delhi.

Of course, a mismatched interior is what shady dining is all about. We’re looking for the place that can surprise us by delivering taste far beyond the expectations set up by appearances. And in the taste department, Tandoor is getting it right.

Tandoor Restaurant delivers the culture, spice, and flavor of Indian cuisine to all those daring enough to try something new. They will gladly show you a beat-up, laminated menu of what they really serve. I didn’t need a menu. When we walked in there was a dry-erase board with a big, bold proclamation:

“Now serving Halal goat!”

I knew what I was getting. No, it’s not because I’m a practicing Muslim needing to follow Halal standards, but rather because I’m a sucker for goat meat. The choices ranged from curries, to masalas, to biryani dishes. For those of you who have never experienced a biryani dish (and that used to include me), imagine an Indian version of fried rice. Indian food purists will surely mock my description. Speaking of Indian food purists … since visiting Tandoor, I have mentioned this place to various India natives and those friends of mine who have traveled extensively in India, and they all say this is one of their favorite places in town. Apparently, I’ve been out of the loop. The buffets in town surely don’t do Indian food this type of justice.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the flavor of the goat biryani. It really heated up as I went though. I found myself wishing I had ordered a Dr. Pepper with my meal this time. Talk about a hidden spiciness, this dish really creeps up on you. The only drawback of this particular selection was picking all of the goat bones out of my mouth. They are basically stewing the goat meat in a pressure cooker so that you get that marrowy, gelatin goodness in the stock. This makes it very tasty, but also means bones are going to break down and sometimes be small enough to hide under piles of rice. That, as well as the whole cloves, made it a little tedious to chew. I’m sure you can safely chew up and swallow these items, but I wasn’t in the mood for how this could have affected my digestive tract over the following few hours so I chose to discard these pieces as politely as I could.

My shady companions got a range of other biryani dishes and curries. We were not prepared for the level of spice. These dishes get warm quickly. However, fantastic flavors accompany that heat and they make the temporary palate-pain well worth it. I, for one, love the explosion of flavor that comes with saffron, clove, and other Indian spice staples.

Perhaps the highlight of the food was the naan. Naan is an unleavened bread found all across the Middle East and into India. It resembles pita bread, but it is much softer and infused with more flavors. They served a garlic naan which had cloves of garlic woven artfully through the dough. It was out of this world. The smell of roasted garlic enveloped our table and made our mouths water. We also ordered plain naan and onion naan. They were both very good. It was like naan other naan I have ever had. Ha!

You do need to be aware of the pricing and the size of the dishes here. The prices were quite high, ranging from $7 to $12, depending on the dish. My goat dish was $11 after tax and I declined the beverage. The good news is that these dishes could feed two or three people comfortably. I think the best course of action is to take six to eight people and order four or five dishes, in essence making your own buffet. I can promise it will be much more tasty than any buffet you have ever had, and less likely to spread disease (depending on who you invite to eat with you, of course).

The shady experience at Tandoor Restaurant will provide you with good food, good fun, and the ability to pick up a pack of cigarettes, an energy drink, and one of those cool, mesh-backed trucker caps with the clever sayings on your way out. Bring an appetite, be prepared for a little spice, and get ready for what is perhaps the best Indian food in the city. But don’t take my word for it, go try it yourself. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Have you ever wondered what “soul food” is? Visit Mama E’s and they will be glad to educate you. I told the friendly lady preparing my meal a couple days ago how glad I was to find a soul food joint in this town and she said, “Baby, this is truly soul food because we make it with lots of love from deep down in our soul.” I’ll tell you what else it does; it warms the soul. In short, “soul food” is “comfort food”and Mama E makes it as well as anyone I know. Soul food is made the way all comfort food should be made. The made-from-scratch gravies are creamy, the casseroles are cheesy, and everything comes with an extra scoop of lard for flavor.

Not only is Mama E’s great, it’s shady too. It’s a small little shack in a less-than-desirable part of town (off 36th between Kelly and Martin Luther King). Luckily, Mama shuts down before it gets too late, so it’s usually pretty safe to frequent during operating hours. Mama E’s is open from 11-7 Tuesday through Friday, but they close at 6 on Wednesday. Mama says, “You better be goin’ to Wednesday night meetin’ at Church!!” Mama E’s has 4 or 5 tables and a long bar with seats as well. Lots of people came and got food to go while we ate. After seeing the portions Mama serves, I’m sure these people were taking them home to share.

Mama E’s has several fantastic offerings to choose from. Chicken and waffles, burgers, catfish, fried ribs, and pork-chop sandwiches. The chicken and waffles are amazing (dusted with powdered sugar), but to me, the real shining star is the Soul Food Daily Special. Sure, it’s $9.95, but wait until you hear what it includes! You get two meats, three sides, a roll or cornbread, dessert, and all-you-can-drink Kool-Aid! When I say two meats, I mean two full servings of meat. When I say three sides, I mean you better be ready for an afternoon nap when you get back to work. You get a roll or a slice of cornbread (or in my case she gave me both because I was taking too long to decide) and dessert, which could range from bread pudding to sweet potato pie (both are great, according to my lunch companions). I’ll admit, I’ve never made it to dessert. First, I’m not a big dessert fan, and second, not many people can make it through two meats and three sides and live to describe the desserts. In all reality, the soul food special could, and probably should, feed 2 people.

Meats can include a variety of options from day to day. You might get neckbone, chicken and dressing, pork-chops, meatloaf, catfish, fried tilapia (or other whitefish), spaghetti casserole, stroganoff, beef tips, fried ribs, or the like. If you have never had neckbone, try Mama E’s. It’s perfectly seasoned and slow cooked for hours until it’s fall-off-the-(neck)bone tender. To give you a perspective on portion sizes, a typical neckbone is about the size of a man’s fist. Granted, its not loaded with tons of meat, but she loads up 3 or 4 of these chunks of flavor for one serving. The stroganoff had big chunks of meat in a homemade gravy. It was very filling and very tasty. The sides were fantastic as well. Baked macaroni and cheese was perfectly done, mashed potatoes had a homemade turkey gravy drizzled all over them, and I also tried a squash, okra, and tomato saute of some sort that was unique and flavorful. Of course, you can also get corn, greens, beans, yams, cabbage, or whatever else Mama has cooked up for the day.

Next time I think I will bring the whole thing home and split it with my wife. I’m pretty much useless after a meal like that if I try to conquer it by myself. And how can you go wrong with Kool-Aid? Its one of those things that you would never be caught drinking while out with your buddies, but Mama makes everyone drink Kool-Aid, and it’s a nice nostalgic flashback. It’s also funny to see all your buddies with Kool-Aid mustaches.

If you have never had soul food you are missing out on a passionate art form, tasty food, and some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Go visit mama, but bring a big appetite!

Sometimes I get in the mood for a taste of “old” Oklahoma City. You know, someplace that’s been around forever that has maintained a loyal, local clientèle. For this past birthday, we decided we would try Jamil’s Steakhouse since it originated in the same decade I was born – the 60s. I have heard of it all of my life, but had never made the trip cross-town to try it. So my husband and I loaded up the car with my mom and his parents and set out for the trip to Lincoln Blvd, just north of the capital district.

I knew it was going to be good the minute we stepped from the car and were met with a big waft of smoke from the smokehouse in the back parking lot. What a great effect for an appetizer. All of the walls inside are filled with hand-painted portraits of famous Oklahomans. It was great fun to try and guess all of them after we had placed our order, although we didn’t have much time because the minute your menu is taken away, the vast array of Lebanese appetizers begins to arrive.

It begins with individual bowls of tabbouleh, which tasted great. It could have had just a touch more lemon juice for my taste, but was still very good as it was not oily. Next is the hummus and pita bread (you pay for the bread), then a basket of smoked barbecue bologna. Now I have to say I think I swore off of bologna around the age of six, but since we were trying new things that night, I decided to indulge in a piece, and it was mighty tasty. I appreciated the fact they used Head Country barbecue sauce, which is made right here in our own state in Ponca City. Next were the cabbage rolls. The tasting of these was left to Mom and me, as my husband has sworn an oath to maintain at least a six-foot perimeter from all veggies. The cabbage rolls were about the only thing with which we were not impressed. I don’t know – a little bland or something, but we passed after the first couple of bites. The relish tray which also came helped to kick things back up a bit.

Our main dishes arrived soon, and my husband, the meat connoisseur, said his steak was one of the best he had ever tasted. His dad had one of the state foods – chicken fried steak – and said it was delicious and not the least bit greasy for a fried piece of food. The same with my jumbo fried shrimp – crunchy and tasty. And the cocktail sauce had a nice twist – it leaned toward the sweet side, rather than hot with horseradish. Probably the only thing we were disappointed with was the grilled lemon pepper chicken, only because Mom had them hold the lemon pepper (can’t stand anything hot or spicy). That made it rather bland, but only because we asked them to make it that way.

If you dine before 7pm for dinner, the early bird specials are available for $17.99, which include all of the appetizers and a baked potato. The early bird entrees are the fried shrimp, the KC petite sirloin, and the lemon pepper chicken.

The service was impeccable, as we had at least three people attending us. If you go, ask for Kenyatta’s table. He has worked there over three years and says the thing he likes best is meeting all the people and talking to them throughout dinner. Probably the thing I liked best were the old, wooden creaky floors and chairs. In my opinion, nothing adds more ambiance than creaky, wooden things. And, as in most restaurants these days, you’ll need a lighted magnifying glass to be able to read the menu if you’re over 40. I have found the greatest invention called The Owl – it’s a credit card-sized piece of magnifying plastic that also lights up. It stores handily in a wallet or billfold.

Since I am the oldest member of the contributors to this site, I will probably be the only one reviewing the old restaurants. But that’s fine by me. Quality definitely does come with age.