#156 - Mickey Mantle's Steakhouse, Oklahoma City OK

Last Saturday I went to a wedding in Oklahoma City.  My co-worker Tia said "I do" with her soul mate Chico.  The weather didn't really cooperate, but I've heard that a rainy wedding day is a good sign.  It didn't rain during the ceremony, but the skies opened up during the reception.  Our cell phones kept going off with the severe weather alert sirens. But of course that didn't stop us from having a fantastic time.

After the wedding I headed down to Bricktown to meet Kelly and Michele.  We were staying down there, just to get out of Stillwater for a night.  They had gotten down there while I was at the reception, so by the time I was heading their way they were hungry. We met at Mickey Mantle's Steakhouse, in the heart of Bricktown and just a few blocks from our hotel.  It's named after the New York Yankees legend who just happens to be an Oklahoma native.

I rarely use valet, but it was still pouring rain when I arrived so I took full advantage. I was very surprised to see that it costs $8, and they ask when you park if you're eating there (because I'm sure some people say they will and then just go to other places). But it was well worth it to avoid the rain.

I figured we could just sit in the bar.  The fact that the bar was a fully enclosed, separate area should have been my first clue that they allow smoking in there. But I really didn't think about it.  One step in the door and I was overcome by smoke.  It didn't help that there was a guy sitting just inside the door smoking a cigar.  Nope, no chance.

Mickey Mantle's is definitely a high-end restaurant.  White tablecloths, tables fully set, and mood lighting.  The seating is a mixture of large booths around the perimeter and tables.  They've got small 4-person tables and larger tables for bigger groups.  Plus space for private dining.  And a wall of wine.  I know they're looking for atmosphere with low lighting, but I literally had to use the glow from my phone to read the menu. Our table was a semi-circle table in the corner, and other tables in the middle had a little more lighting but not much. Michele asked our server for more light and voila! More light.  And we definitely weren't the only ones who didn't like the really low lighting because I heard several other tables compliment the change.

This restaurant is very much like The Palm or Ruth's Chris.  Everything is a la carte, and all the portions are huge.  When Kelly first said we were going there, I was a little disappointed because I knew I would want a steak.  And I knew there was no chance I could eat all that food since I had the wedding earlier.  But they wanted to go there, so who am I to complain?

I have this weird thing  where I always look at the drink list to see what the most expensive bottle is.

Yep, a bottle of Bordeaux for SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS.

That is absolute and complete insanity. I can't even begin to wrap my mind around spending that much on a bottle of alcohol. Or even letting someone else pay for it.  We asked, and our server said he's never sold a bottle, but he knows that some have been sold in the past.  Craziness. Quite honestly, everything on the drink menu was high.  I was going to skip drinks completely until Michele noticed the paloma drink special.  It was $5, and I was sold

Casamigos Honey Paloma - Casamigos tequila, fresh ruby red grapefruit juice, fresh lime juice, honey

Wow, this drink has some serious power. But it was also really smooth. I'm guessing that's from the honey.  I've never heard of honey in a Paloma, but it worked very well.  

We ordered the fried asparagus and potato crusted calamari appetizers.  

Topped with jumbo lump crab and Bearnaise sauce

This was excellent. The breading was light and had really good flavor, and the asparagus spears were thick so they were still very crisp.  The lump crab was very fresh, and was truly big lumps.  The Bearnaise sauce was delicious as well. 

This calamari was delicious.  The potato is actually jalapeno potato chips.  Very interesting crust for the calamari; I've never heard of that kind of breading before.  The cocktail sauce had a lot of flavor. I think it's a cool presentation when the lemon is wrapped in that cloth, to prevent the seeds from going into your dish.  Nobody wants to bite into a lemon seed. 

Kelly and Michele first split the Caesar salad

Michele was on a mission, so I didn't get the picture before she had cut it up.  But that's okay.  I tried a bite, and it was delicious.  The dressing was light and extremely flavorful. I did not try a crouton since there were only a couple.

They then split the shrimp scampi and jumbo lump crab

The sauce was amazing. I wasn't even that hungry and I could have eaten the whole dish. I didn't try the shrimp, but they both said it was really good. They joked with our server, "complaining" that Michele got 4 shrimp and Kelly only had 3.  He explained that the whole dish comes with 7 shrimp.  That makes sense.  

I wasn't that hungry since I had eaten at the wedding.  So I just got the lobster bisque

Wow, this was fantastic.  It was spicy, which kind of threw me off.  But it was spicy in a good, earthy way.  The pieces of lobster were really good, and very big.  And there was a lot of it in there.  The bisque was smooth and creamy.

Michele and Kelly ordered espresso shots, and they were served with these adorable rock candy stirrers

Well, you know I have to go back.  I didn't get a steak, I didn't get to try any of the sides, and I want another Paloma.  And besides, the things we did have were wonderful, so I know I won't be disappointed with other items on the menu.  Maybe we'll go back for another fun group dinner.  Or a date night.  We'll see.

Mickey Mantle statue, in front of Bricktown Ballpark, across the street from the restaurant 

My Chef's Hat - Orecchiette With Pancetta, Peas And Fresh Herbs

A couple weeks ago I was at Lowe's.  I've gotten good at not killing my basil, oregano, thyme, and parsley, so I was looking for some new herbs to try.  So I branched out and bought some sage and mint.  I'm really not sure why, because I've never bought or cooked with either before.  But I figured if I bought them, it would force me to use them.  

Flash forward to today, and I have yet to use either.  The good thing is, they're still alive. Actually, since it's literally rained almost every day for the past month, they are thriving. 

I posted a picture on my Facebook page of the mint about an hour ago, and no big surprise, my first thought was making mojitos and mint juleps. But then I thought more, got on Pinterest, and looked for recipes using mint.  I figured there had to be something I wanted to make with it.  And besides, I was getting really hungry.  I was already planning to make pesto because some of my basil plants are going nuts too. This is one of my 3 pots, and these are after I took off about 20 leaves for the pesto!

Of course, Pinterest came to the rescue.  Actually I found a bunch of recipes where I can use the mint and sage.  For today's lunch, I went with orecchiette with pancetta, peas and fresh herbs.  

Here is the recipe photo

And here is my version

I was almost out of orecchiette, so I went with fusilli corti bucati.  It's one of my favorite pasta shapes, and I knew the corkscrews would hold the pesto really well. I also didn't have pancetta, so I used bacon.  Which worked out because I had bought bacon the other day and needed to portion it out and freeze it.  I didn't add cheese since that's already in the pesto.  I also roasted a head of garlic.  Roasted garlic is so much sweeter than raw. You can really almost eat it by itself.  Almost.

This dish was excellent.  All of those flavors worked really, really well together.  I was worried the mint might be overpowering, but it wasn't at all.  I'm not sure if I put too much or not enough according to the recipe, but for me it was just right.  

I will most definitely be making this dish again.  Next time I will try it with pancetta and see which I like better.  And I will always make it with pesto for more flavor.  And add more veggies like asparagus, mushrooms, and snow peas.  


Recipe found on Food & Wine

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Flashback Friday - Becoming a Runner

Obviously this blog is primarily about food.  New restaurants, repeat restaurants, recipes. It's my journey to expand my culinary experiences.  But I wanted to find a way to expand the blog slightly, while keeping within the general framework.  So I've begun this new weekly post called Flashback Friday.  These posts will be About Me.  Longer, more in-depth than just a quick 1,000 word post on my front page.  That reminds me, I still need to do that shorter one...


I'm currently reading The Chill of the Night by James Hayman, and during a conversation, Sgt. Mike McCabe says to his partner Maggie Savage, "you eat like a 12-year old girl". That's the way I ate throughout elementary and middle school.  I could eat anything without gaining weight.  Even the boys in my class were jealous.  But then I hit 13, and I couldn't eat like that anymore.  I still remained very slender, because I was on the field hockey and basketball teams in school, and on my summer swim team. Then I went to college, and that "freshman 15" piled on with a vengeance.  And ever since then it's been a constant battle.  

I was never a runner growing up.  I always dreaded that one-mile run you had to do each semester in gym class.  Even though I could run a 7 1/2 minute mile, during class I ran slowly with my friends.  Pretty sure a couple times we barely made the cutoff time. And although I ran a lot playing field hockey and basketball, that was about short spurts of speed and quickness.  I always detested long distance runs.  But as I got older, I realized cardio was what kept me in shape.  So I tolerated it and pushed through.

In 2011 I decided to run my first 5K.  I had been running/walking Boomer Lake pretty regularly, and one time around the is a 5K, so I figured might as well do it for real.  Mainly so I could get a tee shirt out of the deal.  I signed up for the Run/Walk for the Thin Blue Line, a race that benefits families of fallen police officers. And it was right on Boomer Lake.  I wasn't able to run the whole way, but I finished it. And in the grand scheme of things, that's all that matters.

In 2012, I took on the 10K challenge.  I registered for the See Spot Run. This race benefits Free to Live animal sanctuary.  My friend Suzanne Cowden-Hirzl and her family coordinate this race in memory of her brother Chris, who was tragically killed in 2008.  I was probably crazy for this being my first 10K, considering the hills on the course were absolutely brutal.  But I did it.  And shockingly I ran almost the entire way.  And it was so fun that I've done it 3 times.  I missed it this year because they moved it to an evening event and it was the same day as Preakness.  And I had already been planning a Preakness party at my house.  So dressing up and a big hat won out.  

After my first See Spot Run, with Suzanne

In 2013 I added another 10K to my resume, with the Redbud Classic. I love this race because we run through Nichols Hills, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Oklahoma City.  I always hope I'm going to find myself a hot, single man who lives in one of those huge houses. But when I'm running a race it's all I can do to concentrate on not tripping on something and falling flat on my face. So I never find any hot men.  And I'm quite sure the men living there are all married.  The neighborhood gets really into it, hosting tailgates on their lawn and even hiring bands to play in their driveways.  I missed it this year, but am already planning to run it again next year.

Betty and I before the race in 2013

My friend Betty and I went to watch the runners at the OKC Memorial Marathon on the last Sunday of April 2012.  I had always said that I would never run a marathon or even a half marathon.  For some reason I was convinced that everyone ran the whole thing, and that they had those runner's bodies that I definitely don't have. And I just knew that there was no way I could do that.  But then I saw people walking. Lots of people walking.  And very overweight people. And I saw firemen in FULL gear. And people old enough to be my dad or grandfather.  And I decided that I had absolutely no excuse NOT to do the half marathon. 

Firemen walking the half marathon in full gear - many of them run the first 1-2 miles!!

Photo op with Abe Lincoln at the 2012 half marathon

The OKC memorial marathon is a run to remember for the 168 victims killed in the bombing of the Murrah Building in 1996. It's really a great race, and over 25,000 people participate.  The first 2-3 miles are pure adrenaline. So I signed up in January of 2013 and started training.  I had no idea how it would go, so my goal was 2.5 hours. Amazingly I not only ran the whole way, I did it in 2:19.  My only goal with each race is to do it faster than the year before.  So in 2014 I was really happy with 2:17.  This year should have been 2:15, but I got sick 3 times during my training.  So I was ecstatic that I finished in 2:25. And even more shocked that I ran the whole way, considering my training fell apart.  I always start way at the back, with the walkers, so as I pass people I feel really good about myself.   

My first half marathon! Post-run photo with my friend Sarah

For some reason I thought it was a good idea to sign up for The Scorcher, a half marathon right here in Stillwater.  It's only 6 weeks after the OKC marathon.  I think I figured that since I would be in shape from OKC, I would just push through and then run another half. Dumb move, because I'm definitely not in shape for it.  It's next weekend, so we'll see.  I might do it...or I might go to Vegas for the weekend with my friends instead.

I did the Color Me Rad in 2013 as well.  But that doesn't really count as a run, because you spend most of the time dodging kids and strollers.  The biggest appeal is getting colored dye dumped on you from every single direction.  We did have a great time though.

AJ & I - the "after"

Will I ever do a full marathon?  Not a chance. I have bad knees and shins already, and have heard horror stories about how long it takes people to recover afterwards.  It takes me a good 2 days to be able to walk completely normally just after a half. More important, I have no clue what I would think about for 5 hours.  So I'll just stick to 10K's and half marathons.

So I guess I'm officially a runner.  When I know I have a long run ahead of me I usually dread it, and often do everything I can to talk myself out of it.  But then I push myself out there, and end up feeling amazing when I'm done.  Every single time.  Really, that euphoria hits with every run, even the short 4-milers.  And let's be honest. I run so that I can eat.  I run so I don't weigh 500lbs from all my food blog adventures. And I run because it keeps me in pretty good shape.  I'll never be a size 0...but I don't want to. I just want to be healthy and happy.

My Chef's Hat - Buttermilk Baked Chicken & Roasted Mushrooms with Garlic & Thyme

Buttermilk is one of those things that I don't use very often.  To be honest, I never cooked with it until probably about 2 years ago.  No real reason, I just never did.  And the biggest issue with buttermilk is they don't sell anything smaller than a quart, so when I do buy it to make a recipe, at least half goes to waste.  So lately when I've been buying it, I make a concerted effort to make several items before it goes bad.  Well, that's the other thing. Buttermilk is essentially sour milk.  So how do you know when it goes bad?  With regular milk you can do the smell test; you can't do that with buttermilk.  So I just go with my gut. And thankfully my gut hasn't revolted against me yet.

Before Pinterest, I printed recipes I wanted to try.  And had a ton of them.  Seriously, it was about 100 of them. So my project today was to pin them all so I could find them faster and actually remember to actually use them.  And I found more than a few that make again and post about I need to  Of course as I was pinning I found more recipes I wanted to try.  And I came across buttermilk baked chicken, a recipe I had pinned a long time ago but never made.  Since I had about half a quart left, I figured this was a perfect recipe for dinner tonight.  One of my favorite new side dishes is fried okra salad and I thought about making that to go with it, but I have a potato that's starting to sprout, so I needed to use it.  But I couldn't find a good recipe for potatoes with thyme, and that's one of the main ingredients in the chicken. So I kept searching.  And came across roasted mushrooms with garlic & thyme.  Yes, I realize that defeats the purpose of using up more of the buttermilk or even using the potato, but that's not the point.

Here are the official recipe photos

And here's my version

The chicken was very moist and tender, and really good.  But it was lacking something in the flavor department.  I didn't have hot sauce like the recipe called for so I put cayenne into the breading mixture.  I think it would be better with hot sauce, so I need to add it to my grocery list.  The marinade has chunks of onion and minced garlic, but I think adding onion powder to the breading mixture would help.  The recipe calls for crushed corn flakes.  All I have are corn flake crumbs.  I may buy regular corn flakes next time and try them out. I took the advice of one of the commenters, and tossed the onions into the breading and baked them for the last 15 minutes.  I really liked that. The recipe photo looks like she actually fried the chicken because of the golden brown color.  So I'm not sure if that's lighting or what.

The mushrooms were fantastic. Roasting mushrooms really concentrates the flavor.  I went heavy on the garlic, but that only added to the goodness.  And since the dish bakes for 15 minutes, most of the garlic bite is gone. I think I might have gone a little too heavy on the bread crumbs, but that's an easy fix.  I use baby portabellas so I think that's why they were a lot darker than the recipe photo.  

I will definitely make both of these again.  Soon.


Buttermilk Baked Chicken recipe found on Food Network

Roasted Mushrooms recipe found on Cakes Cottage

#155 - Big Fish Sushi & Hibachi Japanese Restaurant, Stillwater, OK

Last night on the way home from Tulsa, we talked about the lack of restaurants in Stillwater. Or, more accurately, the lack of restaurants on the West side of town. Before the market  crashed in '09, we were on track to get several restaurants not far from my house.  But then the economy tanked, and new construction stopped for a couple of years.  Then construction started back up again. The East side of town is getting new apartments, homes, shopping and restaurants. The West side has a relatively new hotel and another one under construction, a new huge garden apartment complex and a new neighborhood of homes...but absolutely no restaurants.  And I just don't get it.  So our options are El Vaquero, Sonic, and Big Fish Sushi & Hibachi Restaurant.  

I took the day off work today.  It's Memorial Day weekend, and since I have a busy weekend of funtivities planned I figure I would take the day and clean up the little room between the kitchen and garage.  It quickly becomes a catch-all for stuff.  And then I can never find any stuff.  So every 6 months or so I do a purge, plan really hard to keep it clean, and end up doing another purge.  I originally was going to eat lunch at home, but Big Fish kept creeping up in my mind.  So I decided to go, for food blog research of course!  Michele and her kids joined me as well.

I never even remember that Big Fish is there.  It's in a strip mall about 1/2 mile from my house, just a few doors down from Stillwater Wine & Spirits, so I should remember!  But I don't.  Rather than a name, it's just the fish logo above the door.  And if your'e heading East into town, you have to remember to make the correct left turn into the strip mall, or you have to go a mile down the road and turn around. Which of course happened to me even though I kept reminding myself about the turn.

Big Fish is a decent size for a strip mall.  There's a sushi bar, of course, with barstools. The dining room has a mixture of tables and booths.  I think there's also hibachi, but I never made it to the far side of the restaurant.  There were only 2 people in there when I arrived, and they were waiting on carryout.  But you can't judge the restaurant crowd in a college town during the summer. 

I was originally going straight sushi.  But Michele raved about the bento box, so I decided to give that a try.  The staff are all Japanese.  Great sign of course.  The down side is that our server, who Michele knows, speaks extremely broken English. There was a lot of pointing at the menu.   Michele, Kennedy and I all got the combo bento boxes, and switched out "sushi" (since we had no idea what that meant) for specific types of sushi. After we ordered, I just said "let's see what we get".  All our meals came with soup and salad

The salad was good, but had way too much dressing.  When I was done, there was still quite a bit left at the bottom.  They could do half as much and it would be plenty.

The egg drop soup wasn't hot enough.  As a matter of fact, it was more like lukewarm. But, it had excellent flavor.

I'm not a fan of miso soup.  But Michele raved about after she tasted it, and insisted that I try it.  So I did.  And was very pleasantly surprised.  It was really good, and not at all salty like others I've tried.  So yes, I am now a fan...at this place.

Jacksen got the spicy salmon and salmon rolls.  I didn't try any, but he devoured them fast so I'm guessing they were good.

SPICY SALMON - Dices of salmon mixed with spicy sauce & cucumber

SALMON - fresh yellow fin salmon rolled

Kennedy got the tempura shrimp bento box with spicy salmon roll (dices of salmon mixed with spicy sauce & cucmber)

I tried a piece of her roll, and it was really delicious.  But not spicy at all.  A little disappointing, but it had great flavor. 

Michele got the tempura veggie bento box with Philadelphia roll (smoked salmon, avocado, cream cheese)

I'm normally not a fan of tempura, because it's often a beer batter and really thick and heavy.  But this one was done with panko bread crumbs.  So it was very light and airy.  I tried a piece of zucchini, and it was excellent. I also tried a bite of her Philadelphia roll, and it was very good.

I did the chicken Teriyaki bento box with super crunchy roll (snow crab, avocado, crunchy, scallions inside; cooked shrimp outside)

Man, this was delicious.  The dumplings in the top left section were excellent. Reminded me of wontons.  The chicken was had great flavor, but was a little dry. Because they used chicken breast and it was pounded thinly.  It's so hard to keep that moist.  I didn't notice at first, but there's broccoli, peppers and onions underneath the chicken, soaking up the teriyaki.  Those were cooked tender-crisp, and were really good.  I normally get white rice, but decided to go with the fried this time.  I'm glad I did, because it was fantastic. Had carrots & peas like normal fried rice, but they also included little pieces of pork. Very good flavor.  The crunchy roll was delicious as well.  I really liked it.  I honestly never got around to eating the California roll.

I was stuffed, and took some of the rice home with me to eat later.  Clearly it didn't last very long...

Oh, and Kennedy got a gift from our server!

I am really impressed with this restaurant.  And I'm glad I found out about it, because I'll definitely be coming here more often.  It's a good, nearby place to come with my parents when they're in town too.

#154 - Savoy Restaurant, Tulsa OK

Last night was A Stately Affair, a black-tie OSU event in Tulsa that recognizes icons for OSU in Tulsa. This is the 3rd year of the event, and the first time I've ever attended.  It was an outstanding evening, raising over $600,000 for scholarships for OSU-Tulsa.  It was held at Southern Hills Country Club.  It sure is nice to occasionally see how the other half lives

I had an appointment in OKC yesterday morning, drove the 90 minutes to Tulsa, worked out, and then was in heels all night.  So no chance I was driving back to Stillwater. Great call, because I was absolutely exhausted by the time I got back to my hotel.  

This morning I was really hungry and in need of breakfast.  The free buffet at Fairfield Inn is decent, but I wanted something different. So I got online and searched, and came across Savoy Restaurant.  It had been rated one of the top breakfast places in Tulsa. Sold.

It's located in a strip mall and from the outside doesn't look that exciting.  But strip mall restaurants rarely do

I was surprised at how big it is on the inside. It's separated into 3 sections, each seating about 40.  It was about 1/2 full when I arrived at 6:45am.  As I sat I noticed several tables of men having business meetings.  This definitely seems like a great place to eat and meet.  By the time I was leaving the place was almost full.  The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch only.

This place is definitely a diner, in every sense of the word.  They've got a couple of items that are only served on certain days too.  When I told the server it was my first time there, she told me that the cinnamon rolls would be ready at 7am.  Tempting, but when I had seen a picture of them they looked huge. So I passed.  And then I looked, and they are 8oz each.  That's like a double burger.  My friend Shawn told me that they're known for their cinnamon rolls.  

I started with coffee.  Lots of it.  And in true diner fashion, the servers were walking around, constantly filling our cups if we wanted it.  I like that.  

After some serious deciding, I went with the farmer's breakfast with wheat toast and eggs over easy/medium. Biscuits and gravy is an option for the side and I thought about it, but again, I knew I wouldn't need all that food.

Italian sausage, onion, bell pepper & tomatoes on hashbrowns with two eggs, cooked your way

The breakfast was very good, but a little under seasoned for my taste; I added a little salt and hot sauce and that made a big difference.  I really liked Italian sausage, as it added a very unique flavor to the dish. The hash browns were really delicious.  Crispy on top, fluffy underneath.  Perfectly cooked. I asked for the eggs to be between over easy and medium. They were done a little more towards medium, but still good.  And they use farm fresh eggs.  You can taste the difference.  I really liked the wheat toast.  Might very well have been homemade.  Nice thick slices. After I placed the order I realized I should have ordered the toast dry, but it was very lightly buttered.  Big difference from most diners that slather it on.

Will I go back?  No question.  I told Shawn that we need to go back so we can split a cinnamon roll. 

Repeats with a Twist - Interurban Restaurant, Edmond OK

Ever since I got involved with the Creative Bloggers Network, I've been trying to upgrade my blog.  I still have a LONG way to go, since many of my colleagues do this for a living.  And mine is just a side job…for now.  I recently went back through every post, double-checking links, updating pictures, etc.  And when I  came across Interurban Restaurant (one of my very early posts) I realized it was definitely wasn't a good effort.  I completely forgot to take any pictures, and the post was relatively short and uninspired.  So since I had an appointment in Edmond yesterday, I decided to fix that by going back.   

I've been to Interurban numerous times, usually to the Norman location as I'm driving down to Dallas.  And I’m usually wearing blazing orange.  Not on purpose, it just happens. I sure hope they haven’t spit in my food because of it.  Why would they spit in my food? Because Oklahoma State is blazing orange, and U of Oklahoma is in Norman. And we're bitter rivals.  I don't have nearly the same level of hate because I didn't go to OSU.  But I do understand it.  

The Norman location is upscale casual, whereas the Edmond location has a more sports bar feel.  It's located in a strip mall, and the restaurant itself is pretty big.  There's an outdoor patio in front, with a few tables.  As you walk inside, the host stand is straight ahead.  You could see the large kitchen behind the host stand.  To the right and up a couple of steps is a good sized bar area. To the left of the host stand and up a couple of steps is seating area where I was.  All of the seating is a mix of tables and booths, and I was at 2-seater booth. There's a bunch more seating on the same level as the host stand. I arrived at 11:20am, so there were only a few tables there.  By the time I was leaving the restaurant was over half full...and getting more crowded.

We so need one of these in Stillwater.  If they can have locations in Ardmore and Duncan, then there's absolutely no excuse not have one in Stillwater.  I've been to the Ardmore location, but I wasn't super impressed. And there was OU memorabilia everywhere the eye could see.  So I probably won't be going back to that one.  And what's funny, is the Norman location doesn't have any OU memorabilia at all.

I thought it was interesting they included a drink menu.  At 11:20AM.  On a Monday.  I’m guessing they do that every time customers are seated, but still.  It seemed kind of odd.

Interurban has a very broad menu.  They cover burgers, salads, steak, sandwiches, Best Mex, pasta, and pizza. And they've also got some lighter portions that are 600 calories or less. So if you want it, they're most likely going to have it.

All of the Mexican dishes come with chips & salsa to start

The chips are corn tortilla chips. Thicker cut than most places.  The flavor is a little different, but really delicious.  I have to say, I'm not a fan of the salsa.  It's very runny and doesn't have much flavor at all.  I saw pepper flakes in there, but I couldn't even tell when I tasted it. Very disappointing.  I ordered a side of guacamole as well, hoping for a better outcome

This completely, 100% made up for the salsa.  This guacamole was excellent.  Chunky, freshly made, and really flavorful.  I think there was a spice in there, but I can't figure out what it was. Next time I will just skip the salsa completely

In keeping with my new healthier-choices-when-dining-out kick, I decided to go with Brett's fish tacos

Flour tortillas, blackened Tilapia, Monterey jack, avocado, cabbage, pineapple salsa,
bistro sauce, with borracho beans

Wow, these were amazing.  So much flavor in every bite.  The fish has a definite kick from the blackening, but it's not overpowering.  The pineapple salsa was excellent, and added a great sweet bite.  The avocado, salsa and Bistro sauce lent a great cooling touch to the tacos. The borracho beans were really good as well.  The only reason I didn't finish them is because I was determined to finish the guacamole.  And it was a pretty good-sized portion.  

I will definitely be going back.  When I  first sat down, the table next to me had gotten fajitas, and they smelled amazing.  So that is next on my list to try.  Guacamole of course, no salsa.

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My Chef's Hat - Grilled Corn, Avocado & Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

I took a picture of my side dish tonight for dinner, ready to post a witty comment and link the photo and blog post onto my Facebook page. And when I looked through my posts, I couldn't find the recipe anywhere. I searched over and over, and nothing.  And then I realized that this is yet ANOTHER recipe that I've made a million times over that I never posted about.  

Grilled corn, avocado & tomato salad with honey lime dressing is one of my favorite dishes.  Especially in the summer, when the corn is so fresh and sweet and the tomatoes are extra juicy.  Last summer I was so excited to be able to use the tomatoes I grew in my garden.  But I don't have any of those yet.  With all the rain we've had the past 2 months my tomatoes are starting to come out much earlier than last year.  So hopefully that means I'll have even more this year!  Of course I found the recipe on Pinterest.  I swear that's where I find almost all of them.

Here is the official recipe photo:

And here is my version

I paired it with BBQ ribs and my mom's baked mac & cheese recipe.  I normally don't do 2 sides because the salad is plenty, but I had made mac & cheese for the Preakness party last night and was craving a little of it.  

This dish has so many wonderful flavors that all work great together. I started adding thinly sliced red onion almost from the start, because it pairs so well with the rest of the ingredients. You might think the honey makes it too sweet, but it really doesn't.  It does add a creaminess to the texture.  I cut the kernels off the cob and sautee them in a pan rather than grilling the whole thing because that takes a while.  And I also have a hard time getting the char on the kernels from the grill.  Probably because I don't get the grill hot enough.  And I have a bad habit of turning the corn too often.  But if I get the grill hot enough to char the corn, then any meat I'm cooking on the grill will burn. Serious struggles here.

Like I said before, this dish screams summer.  It would be fantastic to take to a party. And it would be great for a picnic, because it carries well; there's nothing in the dish that needs to be refrigerated or will go bad any time soon.  I may be making this as a side dish for April & Matt's Memorial Day cookout.  


Recipe found on For the Love of Cooking

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#153 - Firehouse Subs, Stillwater , OK

Last night was Preakness, so of course I had to have a party.  When I was in my 20's and living in Maryland, we went to Preakness every year for like 5 years, in the infield.  It was a huge party.  It still is, but not nearly at the same level as it used to be.  I always said I wanted to go back and dress up, do the big hat and pretty dress, and sit in the grandstands with the fancy people.  But since I couldn't get back to Maryland this year, I decided to bring a little Maryland here to Stillwater.  It was a long, very fun, night, so I spent most of the morning cleaning my house.  But it was well worth it.

Eventually I realized I was starving.  And I really didn't want to cook anything; not with a freshly scrubbed kitchen.  I wanted something relatively quick and easy, and it hit me that I had never been to Firehouse Subs.  It began 20 years ago, started by 3 firemen. They've now got over 850 restaurants, and lo and behold there's one in Stillwater.  It's located on 6th Street, not too far from campus.  It's not very big, seating maybe 30 people.  You order at the counter.  I got my order to go so I'm not sure if they bring the food out to you or not.  

The first thing I noticed as I walked in was the hot sauce bar

It's about 50 different types of hot sauce.  And they are very clearly numbered on each bottle.  They've got Bone Sucking Sauce, which happens to be one of my favorite BBQ sauces.  So just because of that, I knew I would have to do something different.

I asked the cashier about the sauces, and he said that they can't put any sauces on for you.  You've got to do it yourself.  Makes sense really If you don't like the sauce, it's your own fault.  And you determine how much you put on, so if you scald your tongue, you can't sue them.  And they've got mini to-go containers for you to put different sauces in. I wanted something a little hot, but not crazy. So first I did the Mountain Man roasted habanero sauce

I accidentally spilled a little, and when I wiped the edge of the to-go cup I tasted it. And immediately scalded my tongue.  WOW that has got some serious heat.  I mean ridiculous. Roasting the habaneros doesn't do nearly enough to tone it down.  And this is just a level 6!  I smelled a couple others in the same range, and settled on the Virginia Gentlemen bourbon chipotle hot sauce

Same level 6, but less kick.  It was a little sweet and really good.  

They've got specialty subs, regular subs (hot & cold), and subs & salads under 500 calories.  All of the subs come Fully Involved (Loaded complete with mayo, deli mustard, tomato, onion, and a kosher dill pickle on the side). After much contemplation I went with the steak & cheese.  I did wheat bread, added mushrooms and also added lettuce & tomato, because for some odd reason this one does not come Fully Involved.  But it does have mayo, deli mustard and the pickle.  Kind of weird but oh well.

This was really good! I really liked that it was still more than warm enough even after I got home, put away my groceries, and cut flowers and put them into water.  I do wish they had a smaller size.  They only do medium (8") and large (12").  I wish they do would do a small, about 6".  And by 1/3 through the second half, the bread was super soggy. Not sure if it's because they went heavy on the dressings or because I didn't eat it right away. So I just dumped the bread and ate the insides.

Will I go back? No question.  This is a nice change of pace from Subway for when I'm in the mood for a sub.  And I want to try some of the other subs.  And sauces.

Repeats with a Twist - McGill's, Tulsa OK

Last week I was doing my stewardship visits with club seat holders in Tulsa. I was meeting a couple, and they recommended McGill's.  I enjoyed my first meal there so much, I figured why not.  And this way I could try it for both lunch and dinner.  

The atmosphere of the restaurant is still very dinner-like, with low lights.  The main difference is no white tablecloths.  Our reservation was for 11:45, and when I arrived a few minutes early the restaurant was already about half full.  I'm sure it gets packed as the lunch hour progresses.  The lunch menu is much smaller, and the prices are very reasonable.  

I'm trying to make better food choices when I go out to eat.  I'm very good at doing that at home, but it's not so easy on the road.  The bad stuff really tempts me.  I was already planning to have seafood for dinner, but decided to try a seafood dish for lunch anyway. Honestly, I can never get enough good seafood, and they have that here.

I started with the french onion soup

This was excellent.  I wish they had a larger portion, because I would have devoured it. So many times broth is really salty, but this one wasn't at all.  It just provided a great depth of flavor.

Bruce got the tuna salad, served in a hollowed out tomato, with fruit

I was surprised at the size of this dish.  It was a ton of salad!  And lots of fresh fruit.  I'm sure it's very light and refreshing.

Stephanie got the salad trio.  It's a scoop each of tuna salad, chicken salad, and seafood salad, with bread toasts and fruit.  

Again, looks really light and refreshing.  And a ton of food.  Stephanie was only able to finish about half of it.

I thought about getting the pasta lobster, but when the server described the dish, it sounded heavier than I wanted. So I went with the orange roughy

Lightly dusted and sauteed in white wine

Wow, this was really, really good.  I was pleasantly surprised at how large the fish was. It was light and really well seasoned.  The brown rice was seasoned as well.  Not sure what they used, but it was excellent.  Brown rice is often very mealy (which is why I mix it with white rice when I make it), but this one had more of a white rice texture.  The vegetables were cooked tender-crisp.  

I will definitely be going back.  And more than likely for lunch, or happy hour.