Jake's Rib - Chickasha, OK

Go here. Just do it.

I'll wait.

A seriously amazing little rib joint that serves it all - smoked
chicken, turkey, bologna, sliced beef, chopped beef..... everything.

Oh, and get an order of fries. As you can see, you get your money's
worth.

I was quite impressed with my cousin John, who ate his whole plate
(minus the corn cob). That's a growing 16 year old guy for ya.

I've been going here since I was a kiddo, and the service is great, the
staff is friendly, and the people are fantastic.

Just don't try to go during Chickasha's Festival of Lights (from
Thanksgiving to New Year's) - it's packed and you will wait forever.

Make sure you get a to go cup..... they're huge and have their cute
Armadillo logo on them.

Go. Definitely worth the drive.
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Taco Grande - Hays, KS

The best thing to come from Western Kansas. Besides my husband.

Their cheese blasts are to die for. Flour tortillas rolled around
scrumptious cheeses. I know what you're thinking - "so? Taco bell has
cheese rollups...." but no. The blasts are much bigger, much cheesier,
and better.

Get the meat nachos, too.

It's not worth moving to a desolate wasteland for, but I'm glad I get to
drive through Kansas once in a great while to partake of such
awesomeness.
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Meers

Okay, it's a good experience, but it wasn't everything I thought it
would be.

After arriving at 3:30 (what is considered a slow time) we still waited
1.5 hours in a line and at the table waiting to be served. My poor
diabetic mom had to raid the candy machine for Hot Tamales to keep her
blood sugar in check. The promise of meat kept us going.

But anyway! The place is really home-y, and the drinks come in Mason
jars. If you're a true southerner, you know that is THE way to drink
your sweet tea, lemonade, soft drink, etc. Momma taught me this. I love me some that.

As for the food, the burgers are monstrous! I had the basic
cheeseburger and didn't finish it. Carl and my dad both had the pounder:

The dueling plates say it all:

Dad on left, Carl on right

Not one to be outdone by a father in law, Carl caught up:

Now, in all honesty, the taste of the burgers is..... odd. Maybe I'm
just not used to free range longhorn cow meat (it's got almost 0% fat on
it, so the patties tend to crumble). Maybe I shouldn't eat the McD's
happy meal burgers and think that's what a real burger tastes like.
Whatever the reason, it just had a funny taste to me!

I wouldn't wait that long in line for a Meers burger again. But it was
an experience, one that I'd been quite curious of. So now I can mark it
off my list.

Sid's Diner

Eat here. Now.

Seriously. This is what you're eating tonight. GO.

We ate here back in March, and I'm just now posting about it.... yeah.
I know. I'm slow.

This place is so cute! It's Elvis themed, packed with interesting
decor, and one of THE Route 66 stops.

Because I'm brilliant, I just now deleted all the pictures I took with
my phone to post on here. This is why I married a guy who doesn't do
such stupid things with technology. We balance each other out. (Yeah,
he's really smart.)

So I stole this one from the Internet machine. The messy burger pic I
took myself, though.

But seriously. Just eat here. Their fries are fantastic, and if I
wasn't feeling so guilty about the calories, I would have had an old
fashioned milkshake as well.
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Midpoint 66 Cafe

If you're ever in Adrian, Texas, this place is a must-stop.

I say that. It's basically the only place in Adrian (pop. about 300ish)
to stop at all.

Just off I-40 about 30 miles West of Amarillo is Adrian. The cutest
little cafe is there as well. The name is true - it lies exactly in the
middle of the route - 1139 miles from Chicago and 1139 miles from Santa
Monica. The Character Flo from Disney's Cars movie is based off of the
owner....

But I digress.

The food! It's good. The menu is tiny, but what Carl and I had read on
the Internet about the cafe is that you have to try the homemade "ugly
crust" pie. As you can see, it ain't ugly. We split a piece of the
chocolate chip pie ala mode.

Holy cow. I don't know how they do it, but it's like eating a heavenly
rainbow or something.

That makes no sense. But it's really really good and I hope you'll look
for this tiny town whenever you are out the Texas panhandle next. :)
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HD's Onion burger

This is a late post back from April. The day fires ravaged Midwest
City, Carl and I were looking for a place to eat, and HD's on 122nd and
Rockwell seemed like a good idea.

And it was!

It's a cute lil' route 66 themed place (ironically NOT on Rt. 66, haha!)
that specializes in...... obviously, onion burgers. I had a gyro.
Because I'm different like that. I had to take about half of it
home.... it was massive! I love their fries. They are true "diner
fries" and are thick cut. Delicious!

I've heard people say there are no original places to eat in NW OKC.
They are dead wrong. You just have to have a brain, a set of eyes, and
an open mind. Try HD's and sit at the counter. You won't regret it.
:)
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Perri's Pizza & Cafe

Pic 1: a meat calzone
Pics 2 & 3: the saturday special - stuffed meat pizza and garlic stick
Pic 4: friday's special: Baked Ziti. Mmmmmm....

I've been meaning to blog about this place for quite some time. I
actually intended it to be the first real post about cool places to go.
Look up the article about Perri's on the Gazette's website. They say it
better then I ever could. But I'm gonna try anyway. :)
All I know is, whenever we come into Perri's, they really do treat you
like family. The first time Carl and I tried it out Perri herself came
and sat and talked with us. She's a warm friendly person who makes some
irresistible food.
She doesn't rival the Italian food gang over on May. She blows 'em
outta the stinkin' water.
Before we left, she packed up a loaf of fresh baked bread and a sweet
canoli for us to take home - free of charge. If that doesn't say
family.... then I dunno what would!
Perri's got specials every day of the week. The two we have tried so
far (wednesday special - chicken parmigiana with spaghetti. And
saturday's special - the stuffed meat pizza) are unbelievably
delightful. And for $6 for your entree, drink, and a garlic stick (by
the way, her garlic breadsticks are unlike anything you've ever had
before. They are so amazing. And Perri warns you about them, too - 'I
sell them, but I won't pay for rehab'), it's a price that can't be
beat!
You've gotta check out this laid back local cafe. 2 big screen tvs and
a radio (and you get the remote to watch whatever you want!) are waiting
to greet you. The intersection of Penn and Britton will never be the
same. :)
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Big Johnson's

I know what you're thinking.

"Big Johnson's? Are you serious?"

Yes. Yes I am.

Okay, growing up in Tuttle, I've frequented I-44 for the past 25 years
(it's the only way to get to the city!), and right before you reach OKC
coming from Tuttle sits this gas station. It's a Shell (used to be
Texaco back in the day), and there are always no fewer then 8 semis
parked there. Not getting gas or anything. Eating (okay, and maybe
sleeping). The sign by the station (which is quite a bit larger than
the Shell signs themselves) tells us that Big Johnson's Highway Grill is
"Home of the Trucker Burger" and comes complete with a fake picture of a
hand wrapped around an enormous cheeseburger for my viewing pleasure.

I have honestly never thought much about this gas station/truck stop.
For reasons I can't really describe, it seems slightly skeezy. I can't
put my finger on it - it's just one of those feelings you get. However,
that changed last night.

Since Carl and I have been a couple, he mentions every time we pass by
that we've gotta try that place sometime. Everytime. No joke.

So last night I gave in and we decided to give it a try.....

And may I just say that this is a very rare occurrence: I was wrong.
(Haha, just kidding. I am wrong on numerous occasions. And here it is
in writing!)

It's not skeezy. In fact, it's quite good!

Of course Carl got the trucker burger. That thing's a beast. And the
meat is really thick. They should call it the Holy Cow It's a Monster!"
Burger. He ate every bite and declared it's defeated goodness.

I went a little simpler and had a grilled cheese sandwich, fries, and a
diet coke. The little kid in me loved it. So did the 25 year old big
kid that I am now!

We'll certainly be back. Good thing we've got family and friends in
Tuttle that give us the excuse to stop by the Highway Grill.

As if we really need an excuse though, right? :)

Where've I been?!

Wow, sorry everyone! Or maybe I should apologize to the one person who's my follower.... haha, I'm guessing not many stop by here!

We've been on vacation, and while we ate some fabulous foods, I have yet to post about 'em! We've been back for a couple of weeks now, and to be completely honest - we've been eating at home. So I don't have any new posts about quirky fun places to try. However, this gives me and Carl a good excuse to dine out sometime soon! Stay posted.

Haha!

Roseanne's revisited!

Went to Krebs again with the family a couple of weeks back. My youngest
cousin John (16) ordered lamb fries. Not knowing what they were, he
scarfed 'em down and even offered me a couple.

I know full well what they are. I'm an Okie. It doesn't phase me.
Plus they're just so goooooooood.

Afterwards, we broke the news to John about what lamb fries really
were. His reaction?

"Whoa, I just had balls in my mouth...."

Hahahahaha!!
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Cuppies & Joe

Cute cute cute place around 23rd and Shartel. A variety of "cuppies"
(specialty cupcakes) and coffee products are what is offered. While
they are a bit pricey ($2 per cupcake) they truly are oh-so-heavenly,
and I do hope to be back.

I like cozy quirky places like this. Carl and I sat on one of the
couches, took our shoes off (well, I did....), and played a riveting
game of "would you rather...?) It's reminiscent of the cafes in Austin,
TX that I've visited.

Plus, my foam on my latte came in the shape of a heart! :)

Granola!

I owe this one all to Diana B., as she posted this recipe via facebook,
then proceeded to answer all my questions and give me pointers on how to
find these items (I had NO clue about wheat germ!) at the store.
I really love knowing exactly what's going into my food, and not reading
scary things from a box at the store (partially hydrongenated wha?
Yellow food dye #6?). Now I can make my own granola.... fancy that!
I did modify it a bit for me. I don't do walnuts (see? Tastebuds of a
child.) So I used almonds. As for the dried fruit I used cranberries
for the first batch and cherries for the second. I dunno, I'm kind of
raisined out I guess. I wonder what mango would be like. Mmmmmm.

Okay, so I haven't asked permission to repost this, but I hope she
doesn't mind. I'm 100% sure I'm the only one who reads this anyway.
I'd probably faint of shock if I was proven otherwise!

4 c. Quick oats
1/2 c. Wheat germ
2 c. Dried fruit
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (I used almonds)
1 t. Cinnamon sugar
3/4 c. Honey
6 T. Butter

Preheat the oven 300 degrees. Mix the first 5 ingredients in bowl. Mix
last 2 in separate bowl. Add honey mixture to the dry stuff and stir
well.
Pat down into a well greased pan and bake 30 minutes-ish (my oven cooks
things fast, so adjust based on what you've got!). Pop it out, let it
cool a bit, then cut (warning, it probably won't cut very well/evenly.
If yours does, let me know the secret!) or crumble up for trail mix or
yogurt or to add with cookie mix.

This was quite fantastic - I took it to my parents house and the whole
family chowed down. I felt good knowing my mom (a diabetic who does NOT
take care of herself like she should) liked it a lot. Yeah, it's got
some honey in it, but it's better for her than the jellybeans she likes
to munch on.

Thanks Diana!
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Soooo good

The first post from the Walls Family Restaurant. :)
I know it doesn't look very healthy, and maybe it's not, but it sure is
good.
Last week I made stuffed peppers. Twice, actually. The past few years
I've learned I really like peppers, which is a big deal when you still
have the taste buds of a kid (read: I don't like vegetables). I found a
recipe from my mom's very old betty crocker cookbook, then I modified
it. And modified it. Now I just mix a bunch of different things we
have in our kitchen together, and my stuffed peppers turn out different
every time. I kind of like that, when you know something so well you no
longer need a written recipe, or when you have enough confidence about a
dish that you can modify without worry of what the end result will
become.
Anyway, peppers + grapefruit + loaded baked potato (not mine. I can't
wat one that big. This is Carl's plate!) = a heavenly dinner!
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Coit's

There's what, three or four of these in the metro, so there's really no
excuse for not trying one out. This is one of those greasy dives where
your food is served via styrofoam doggie bag. But it's pretty tasty all
the same. What I like is that they're a drive in but also a sit down
place, so you get the best of both worlds.
What these guys are known for is their root beer, so you can't visit
without getting one. I don't particularly even like root beer, but
Coit's is so smooth and creamy that I find myself enjoying it anyway.
I was surprised to find that a drive in like this has southern style
foods. They have chicken fried chicken, okra and sweet potato fries (I
love those!) along with the regular burgers, fries, and floats. Their
portions are quite large for me - I had to take mine home.

If nothing else, at least get a root beer next time you pass by. It's
better than the bottle!
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Okarche - good as can be!

Okay, first of all, I love how the first thing you see when you come into town is this:

Aa plane nose sticking up outta the ground at the army surplus store. Folks, we've entered small town America.

25 miles NW of Oklahoma City in Okarche lies two amazing dives of equal
but completely different dimensions.
Eischen's Bar has been around since 1896. It's a little place off of
2nd and Oklahoma that serves THE best chicken I have ever had. And if
you know me, you know I'm a poultry girl.

The menu is rather limited (roast beef and bbq sandwiches, whole fried
chicken, nachos, chili, and okra), but everything they make that we've
tried is impeccable. Credit/debit cards are not accepted, so bring
cash with you. Also, coffee and tea are not served - they offer 'beer,
pop, and water' on all their signs. Another bit of a warning: the place
is called Eischen's BAR for a reason. There's a huge old fashioned bar
that's the focal point of the restaurant, and the drinks are flowing.
So if you are at all uncomfortable with eating in a bar like atmosphere
(and some people are) or you have little ones, go during the day when
it's less busy and you have more room to spread out.
The first time Carl and I went was in 2006 for our 6 monthish
anniversary. It was a Friday afternoon and the place was dead. We had
the video arcade inside the restaurant to ourselves, including the
packman machine, which Carl of course thoroughly enjoyed.
Not so tonight! We brought some friends with us, and it was so busy we
felt lucky to get a seat! We ordered a whole chicken (8 pieces) and a
side of okra. It all comes with bread, onions dill pickles and bread
and butter pickles. We had to take home some leftovers, obviously -
that's a lot of food! It's perfectly golden fried wonderfulness. It's
a wonder Okarchians aren't all 600 lbs..... the food is so addictingly
amazing!

You've got to stop at the Tower Cafe on your way back to the city and
have yourself a cinnamon roll. These are rumored to be the same rolls
served at the state fair. However, they are super fresh from the
kitchen, not bused into the city. The cafe and bakery also serves some
good sounding burgers and a buffet. I've never had anything else there
besides their rolls, but someday I hope to come back to the Tower for a
burger or salad. They sure look tasty.

So if you're in the metro area and want something new that's not far
away, check Okarche out. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Krebs

Okay, if you're whole or part Italian and you've never been here, shame
on you.
And if you're an Oklahoman..... double shame.
And if you're one or both of the above mentioned and you've never heard
of Krebs, something is very very wrong. With you.
Krebs is a tiny town about 1 mile outside of McAlester. Wikipedia says
that the population is 2.051. Small town. But in this town are 3 of
the most fabulous Italian restaurants:

Isle of Capri
Pete's Place
Roseanna's

Handmade Italian food. So good. I was lucky enough to have a good deal
of family from McAlester, so we ate at these places often. There's
another Italian place in McAlester (or as grandma called it, 'in Tandy
Town'), Gia Como's, which is also authentic.
All places boast the best food and Italian sauce, and are in friendly
competition with each other. Many times a reservation is required to
guarantee a table. A warning though - if you try to go for a meal
during the lunch hours, you'll be disappointed - half of the restaurants
are open for dinner only.
All the restaurants have their own special exclusive delicacies. Gia
Como's has great golden chicken, hand rolled ravioli, and homemade
sauce. Pete's Place has their own Choc beer and some darn good lamb
fries (yep, I'm an Okie, so I eat lamb fries!!). Roseanna's has great
homemade sauce and gnocchi. I don't believe any of the other
restaurants even have gnocchi. And as for Isle of Capri..... you know,
I haven't eaten there since before my granda died in 1997.... I couldn't
really tell you what delicacies they boast about.
If you want food that looks and tastes like something from Carino's or
Olive Garden, it's not the place for you. But if you want REAL Italian
food with a homey atmosphere (no joke, all of the restaurants are
actually IN converted houses), you're reading about the right place.

No visit to Kreb's is complete without stopping by Lovera's Italian
grocery store. You can get some amazing Made in Oklahoma Italian
products to take home with you, including olives, pickled okra and
peppers. They also sell meats and cheeses, but by then you've stuffed
yourself with so much Italian food at the restaurants that you're not
too interested in more food! Still, it's an interesting little place to
visit. Go at least once!

For this visit to Krebs, we ate lunch at Roseanna's. Mmmmm.
Picture explanation:

1. My Italian sausage sandwich I ordered. To give you an idea of their
humongous portions, this made FIVE meals for me. Crazy, right?
2. Carl's half size portion of the Italian dinner. It came with
spaghetti, lasagna, gnocchi, a meatball, ravioli, and a salad. It's
hard to see covered in all that yummy sauce, but it's a huge meal.....
and that's only the half portion!!
3. Carl victoriously finishes his meal. He's the only one of our group
to have done so. I don't know how he did it!
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Cafe 7

Last Friday we decided to try a new place that was mentioned in the
gazette several months ago. Cafe 7 is just north of the May and
Memorial intersection. It's a cool little 'build your own' kind of
place, where they prepare sandwiches, pastas, salads, and pizzas as you
like them. Cafe 7 claims to make your order in 7 minutes or less, and
each meal costs about 7 dollars. Nifty idea, yes?
I ordered pizza made with pesto, chicken, bacon, fontana cheese,
pineapple, and fresh basil.

This combination was heavenly, and it makes
me realize that more places would do good to have a pesto based sauce
option rather than the tomato based or alfredo sauces. Carl got an
alfredo based pasta that he said was yummy.

Cafe 7 is good food at a great price!!

Happy Belated Pi Day!

Picture explanation:

1. Carl ravaging a pecan pie that never had a chance.

2. Me, excited about my vanilla moonpie. Wahoo!

3. John is clearly enjoying himself. :)

4. Two things every southerner should have. There's nothing like an RC
Cola and a moonpie!

5. Just waiting for us - one reason 7-11 beats the pant off Walmart:
moonpies.

Yes, happy 3.14 everyone! Most people probably don't know it, save for
the true geeks, but March 14th is Pi day (and if you need further
explanation, leave this blog because your daftness is beyond help).
Last year the husband and I celebrated in transit to Europe. As it can
be difficult to find Pies of sorts in international airports, we had to
get creative. Therefore a pizza pie was how we celebrated this geekful
event.
This year it nearly passed us by. Last night we stood outsode 7-11 at
11:57 PM and celebrated Pi day the hick way - eating moonpies and pecan
pies by our pickups! John Teasley joined in the merriment with us.
What fun!

I hope to always celebrate Pi day a different way every year.
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