Oklahoma is known for its BBQ. I don't eat it a ton, but I've definitely had my fare share. I would say the biggest down side is by the time you leave the restaurant, you smell like BBQ for the rest of the day.
I was meeting a donor in Edmond for lunch earlier this week, and he suggested Earl's Rib Palace. There's several locations in the OKC metro area, including one in Bricktown. I actually went to that one last year during the wrestling NCAA championships; but I have no clue what I got, I didn't take any pictures, and it was so packed and chaotic that I didn't even think about it until well after the fact. So I'm counting this one as my first visit.
You order at the counter, and they bring your food out to you. The Edmond location is a cool building, and the front is a large half-circle. As soon as you walk in, straight ahead is the order counter. Then there's a door to the left leading to an enclosed patio with about 20 tables that follows that same half-circle path. The inside tables are mainly 4-tops, with a couple of larger tables in the middle. All the tables are slat wood. There's also a counter seating area in the middle. I really like the decor; hubcaps, license plates, old signs, and a big picture of Elvis
I arrived about 10 minutes early, and was only slightly hungry. But after sitting there waiting, smelling the goodness and seeing all the plates go by, my stomach was absolutely yelling at me. And of course, for the rest of the afternoon I smelled like a smokehouse.
They have 2 drink sizes: small and large. Well they also have a gallon, but that's for catering orders. The small is a normal person's size. The large I swear is at least 32 ounces, maybe bigger. And it's free refills. I stuck with the small, and only had one.
You can get meat by the pound, dinner platters, stuff from the grill, baked potatoes, sandwiches, or salads. There's a good number of sides to choose from, and you can also get "munchies", which are basically basket-sized portions of a few of the sides. There's mild and hot BBQ sauce on the table. Jaime said everything was good, so I went with the Smokestack sandwich with curly fries
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| Chopped brisket, hot link, topped with cole slaw |
The sandwich was awesome. I've had brisket in the past that was really dry, but this one was exactly the opposite. Tender and extremely flavorful. The hot link had a big kick, but the cole slaw helped cool it down. But then, of course, I had to add the hot BBQ sauce. Man, that definitely packs a punch! I think they might have skimped a little on the brisket. Not sure if it was just mine, but for the price there should have been more on there. But maybe that's normal for them. And I did have a hot link. And let's be honest, I really didn't need any more than I had. I was really disappointed in the fries. They had very good flavor, but either I got the bottom of the batch or they had been sitting for a while--or both. Because they were lukewarm at best, and some were burnt. I should have sent them back, but I was so hungry at that point I just decided to make the best of it. And I was even more bummed because when I was almost done, the guy at the table next to us got his food and I could tell his fries were fresh and hot. On the plus side, the mix of hot sauce with ketchup was a great idea for the fries.
Will I go back? Despite the french fry debacle, yes I will. And besides, I want to make sure I get hot, fresh fries the next time so I can give them a fair review. The food was really good and had a ton of flavor. Jaime said the brownie a la mode is to die for. And I'm a huge fan of deviled eggs, which you don't see on too many menus, so I need to try those as well.
