#204 - Saki Sushi, Edmond OK

A couple of weeks ago I went to Dallas for the weekend since we had an away football game and I didn't go to the game. It ended up being a great blog weekend, as we ate at 4 brand new restaurants. My original plan Sunday morning had been to get up early, go running, and head out about 9am.  But when my eyes opened it was already 8am...so running was out. And when when I was just about ready to go I smelled sausage cooking. Of course I wasn't going to pass up a home-cooked breakfast, especially because Joni makes biscuits and homemade gravy to go with that sausage. 

It's about a 3-hour drive from Joni's house to OKC, and after a couple of errand stops in town I was hungry. I hadn't been on restaurant.com for a while, so I got online to see what I could find nearby.

If you've never used restaurant.com, you're missing out. Basically you buy a certificate, spend a specific amount of money, and then get half off the meal. At most restaurants the minimum you have to spend is $20, but at some places it's $10. They add new restaurants all the time. Some of the more popular restaurants run out of certificates early in the month, but then they're full again the next month. My mom bought me a bundle deal of $400 in certificates 3 years ago, and then we bought another one last year. I've found some really good restaurants on the site. Now that I think about it, I haven't been disappointed yet. And I still have about $250 in certificates to use.

After some searching, I came across Saki Sushi. I had never heard of it before, but it gave me the chance to get my sushi fix. It's located in a tiny strip mall in Edmond. As with many restaurants in strip malls, looks can be deceiving. The restaurant is larger than it looks from the outside. They've got a patio out front with about 8 tables. Inside it's one large open space with booths on the left wall, 4-top tables in the middle, and on the right it's really cool tables where you walk up a couple of steps and basically sit inside the floor

I've never seen anything like it before! The regular bar and sushi bar are along the back wall of the place. Since I was a solo diner, I sat at a table so I could watch NFL games on the TV behind the bar.

The menu is pretty big, with both cold and hot appetizers, lots of sushi, wok dishes, bowls, Teriyaki dishes and desserts. With my certificate I had to spend at least $20, so I started with jasmine tea, which came out steaming hot and was really good

Next up was an appetizer, and I went with the Harumi veggie spring roll

These were really good. I was pleasantly surprised that you get 3 rolls for the price. They came out scorching hot and freshly fried, and you can never go wrong with that. The sweet chili sauce on the side was a little different color than I'm accustomed to, but it was thick and rich, and extremely flavorful.

As usual, it took me a while to decide what to get. Raw sushi is out. I just can't with the texture, and more importantly with the thought of eating completely raw food. For a long time I wouldn't do rolls that had any raw fish at all. But I've evolved over the past 2 years, and become more adventurous. 

I finally settled on the Rattlesnake and Kopy Kat

Rattlesnake: shrimp tempura, avocado, crabstick, masago, scallion, wasabi, mayo and spicy mayo
Kopy Kat: spicy tuna, fried jalapeno, cream cheese, masago, tuna, crab salad

I really liked the Rattlesnake. The contrast in textures of all the different elements worked so well together, and the roll had excellent flavor. The Kopy Kat had good flavor as well, but I didn't care for the combination of raw tuna and cream cheese. It was just a little too much for me. Had the tuna been seared, it would have been fantastic. I eventually took the tuna off and at the rest of the roll separately.

Will I go back? No question. And I want to go with at least one other person so I can sit at the cool tables.

#200 - Cattlemen's Steakhouse, Oklahoma City OK

When I began this blog 3 1/2 years ago, I was such a creature of habit...eating at the same restaurants, ordering the same dishes, and cooking the same food. So I began the blog to force me out of my comfort zone. The goal was 100 brand new restaurants in 18 months. I eventually added repeat restaurants and new recipes too. It took about a year to hit 100 new restaurants, and by that time I was hooked and had no intention of stopping. About 10 months ago I started working on my social media presence, joined a blogger group, and got more active with sharing posts. I still have a really long way to go to get my blog where I want it to be though. It's hard, because blogging is part-time for me, and my full-time job makes it really difficult to keep up between August - December. But I'm working on it.

So why is all of this important? Well, this post is #200!!  I am really excited about that. 

When I hit #100 I was in Kansas City, and it was a breakfast place. It was okay, but not worth its place on the list. Couldn't let that happen again. It timed out perfectly that my friend Dick was in town, and wanted to go to dinner. He's our rep for our football and basketball tickets and, more importantly, is a great friend. Usually we'll go somewhere in Stillwater, but there are so many more options in OKC, and since he was staying near the airport we settled on Cattlemen's Steakhouse. 

Anyone who has lived in Oklahoma for any length of time has certainly heard of Cattlemen's. It's located in the Stockyards City district, southwest of downtown OKC. Oh, and it just happens to be the oldest restaurant in Oklahoma, opening in 1910. In 1945, then-owner Hank Frey lost the restaurant to the current owner in a game of craps!

The restaurant started as Cattlemen's Cafe, and literally was a diner, with counter seating as well as tables. The main dining room was added over time, and is packed to the brim with booth seating. There's a waiting area upstairs, that I'm guessing they use for private parties. There's a small bar up there, along with about 20 short cocktail tables and a few TV's. I really like that they left the original Cattlemen's Cafe sign outside the restaurant, and didn't mess with the look of the cafe side.

The restaurant opens at 6AM daily, which is honestly kind of surprising for a steakhouse. But it's keeping with the original cafe theme. I was surprised at how crowded it was for a Monday night. They don't take reservations, but our wait was only about 20 minutes. 

So, in the South they eat lamb fries and calf fries. No, they are not fries at all. They are the testicles. The first time I heard that was years ago when I first moved here, and I pretty much refused to eat them. But in the spirit of food blog research, I gave in and we started with the lamb fries

I took a deep breath before tasting...these were delicious! And super tender. I believe slicing them thinly did that, so they need much less time to cook. The cocktail sauce was outstanding, and tasted extremely fresh.  I actually had to stop myself from eating these. Never thought I would ever say that.

Entrees come with a salads. I got the house dressing, which is like a creamy garlic ranch. 

I usually ask for dressing on the side, but clearly forgot.  But I'm glad I did, because I like the presentation with the spice on top. That's something I haven't seen before. The salad was crisp and cold, and the dressing was very good.

When the salads came to the table, we also got croutons and crackers

Never in my life have I seen croutons this big. It's different and unique. But I have to say, I I like the presentation. And they were freshly made, which is a huge bonus.

The rolls were okay, but they would have been better if served warm. Dick asked for honey, which I never think of, and it adds such great flavor to dinner rolls. I only ate part of mine, because I wanted to save room for dinner. 

Each entree comes with baked potato as a side, but you can swap out a few others or pay a little extra for "premium" sides.  We got onion rings, mushrooms, and mac & cheese

The onion rings were just okay. They weren't as hot as I would have liked them, and I prefer breaded over beer battered. But they did have good flavor.

These mushrooms don't look so pretty, but they were fantastic. Perfectly cooked, hot, and tons of flavor. I really enjoyed these.

I can't say enough good about this mac & cheese. It was scorching hot, ooey gooey, several different kinds of cheese, great spices, and a wonderful milk sauce. Very often I'm disappointed by restaurant mac & cheese because I make a really good one myself, but this is one is officially one of my favorites. I probably could have eaten the entire bowl had it not been for the other food. Absolutely amazing.

Dick got the t-bone

This is such a huge piece of meat! He did some damage, and somehow convinced me to take the rest home.

I got the ribeye, by far my favorite cut of meat

Fantastic. Cooked to a perfect medium, tender, juicy, and the au jus had amazing flavor. I only made it through about half mine. So between the rest of my ribeye and the rest of the t-bone, I have steak for another week.

Will I go back? No question. The food was wonderful, and I would love to try this place out at lunch or even breakfast.

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Repeats with a Twist - The Mule, Oklahoma City OK

I'm very blessed that cancer does not run in my family. One of my cousins lost her battle with breast cancer about 20 years ago, but fortunately that is it. Last year I had a mammogram scare when they saw "something", and had to go for a follow-up. Of course I went into panic mode, and it was an extremely stressful couple of days, but thankfully everything was okay and it turned out it was just a shadow. Dennicia recommended that I start going to a place in OKC that does digital imaging. It's 3D, so they see everything; nothing can hide/masquerade as shadows. Is it 100%? Nope, but it is so much more reliable.  A few weeks ago something just wasn't feeling right, on the same side as before. Thankfully I was able to get in the next day, and again, all was well. If you have dense breast tissue, I highly recommend going the digital route.

My appointment was early afternoon, and I had to pick up some items for a suiteholder at their office in OKC, so I left late morning to fit in lunch as well. After some back and forth, and taking into consideration location, I decided to go to The Mule. I had visited there once before and did a review. But my pictures weren't great, so I wanted a second chance. Besides, the food was fantastic.

OKC is divided into 14 districts, each one its own unique area. The Mule is in the Plaza District, an area full of local restaurants, shops, and art galleries. Unfortunately it was pouring rain by the time I got down there, but I lucked into a parking spot right in front. The restaurant itself is quite small. It's on the corner, in a long, narrow building. There's a small outdoor patio on the side of the building facing the main road. Inside, the seating is all along the left wall, the kitchen and a huge bar take up most of the right wall. 

On my last visit I sat at the bar because there were no open tables. It was fine at first, but then 4 really drunk 30-somethings showed up, and it got really bad. They were so loud and obnoxious, and it was only about 2PM on a Saturday. I was determined not to sit at the bar ever again, but there was a wait for regular tables when I arrived this time. And since I was on a time crunch, I gave in and sat at the bar again. Thankfully no drunks this time, just people enjoying their lunch.

I love the Leave a Drink wall

You create your own drink, and they'll add it to the wall, along with your name. I'm doing that next time. They also offer lots of different beers to choose from, and the features change regularly. I really enjoyed the beer I had last time, but since I was headed to a mammogram and then back to work, I passed.

Before my trip to Wisconsin last month I don't think I've ever had cheese curds. During that weekend, we ate cheese curds almost every meal. I had heard really good things about these cheese curds though, and decided to try them out

Watonga cheese curds, beer battered and fried with a side of marinara and ranch

Oh my. Very different texture and flavor than the ones in Wisconsin, but still amazing. They were very poofy, almost like a cheese dumpling. There was a couple sitting next to me, and as these beauties arrived at the table, the woman's eyes got really big. You get a huge serving, and I knew there was absolutely no way I could finish them, so I offered to share. 

The Mule offers a few other appetizes, salads, sandwiches, sides, and desserts. I really liked the FYDH sandwich I had last time, but of course, in the spirit of the blog, I had to try something different. I thought hard about a salad. I truly did. But this place is known for their grilled cheese, so I had to go that direction. I went with the BCLT, and added avocado and egg. 

Sourdough, pecan smoked bacon, gouda, gruyere, lettuce, tomato, mayo

One word. Outstanding. The mix of cheeses was soo good, the bacon was thick cut and perfectly cooked, and the creamy avocado added great flavor. I thought the egg was poached, but the bartender said it's fried in oil. Perfect. Reminds me of when Bob makes us bacon & eggs on Sunday mornings, and fries the eggs in the bacon grease. Might as well inject it directly into the arteries. 

All sandwiches come with a choice of side, including fries, soup, seasonal side, onion rings, or side salad. I automatically ordered fries, which is what I almost always do. In hindsight, I should have done a side salad.  I was so full though, I only ate about 1/3 of the fries. For me, that's huge. Especially since the fries are delicious. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. And a very good portion.

As I was eating, I offered the couple more of the curds. I don't think she believed me, because she asked again about 10 minutes later. I told her definitely yes, again because I couldn't finish it and didn't want them to go to waste.  They left about 10 minutes before I finished, and when I asked for the check, the bartender said that the couple had bought my lunch!! I was so shocked, and so pleasantly surprised. I absolutely would never have expected them to do that, and had I known, I wouldn't have let them. Which is probably why they did it in secret. I was really touched. 

Even after sharing the curds, and eating 2 on my own, I still had over half the serving to take back to the office for my staff. 

I will definitely be going back here again. I'm thinking my next trip will be Sunday brunch. Not a huge menu, but what they offer looks really good.

#192 - Zoe's Kitchen, Oklahoma City OK

The week before the first home game I very rarely go anywhere other than my house and the office. There’s just so much going on and so many last-minute things to finish that escaping town is almost impossible. But this year I had to go to OKC to meet with a couple of donors. Thankfully they were all pretty close to each other, and the appointments were one after another, so I could get there, do what I needed to do, and get out. My last stop was dropping off tickets to Tina. I have a few favorite suiteholders, and she is pretty high up there on the list. I definitely consider her a friend.

We met at her office, and then discussed lunch options. She recommended Zoe's Kitchen. I had never been there before, but had seen it numerous times. She said it was fresh, really good, and they serve wine. Sold.

The restaurant location we went to is on N. Memorial in OKC, in the same area where I often go shopping. It's a chain, with locations in 17 states. It’s a fast-casual concept, and a Mediterranean inspired menu, where you order at the counter and they bring the food to you. The building itself is nice as well, with bright, bold colors and tall windows letting in lots of natural light. There’s an open kitchen behind the counter, and the manager was back in the kitchen as well. I always like to see management working right along with the staff. The best managers are those who will jump in and help, regardless of how menial the task, to get things done. Staff who see their managers do that will usually be more loyal, more hard working, and more respectful.

The one down side of the fast-casual concept is that if you don’t know what you want, you feel like you’re holding up other people while you look and decide. I admit, I do get annoyed at Chipotle when people stand there forever, deciding what they want on their burrito. I mean seriously, there’s like 5 options. Pick something. Zoe's Kitchen is much different, because there are a wide variety of appetizers, salads, entrees, and sandwiches. So having to take a little time to make a decision isn't so bad.

Even though this was a stewardship lunch, we did have a glass of wine.

I can’t remember the brand, but it was delicious. Very smooth.

Tina then recommended that we start with the hummus trio. I’m always up for recommendations, so we did just that 

Basil pesto, red pepper, and classic hummus

Tina’s favorite is the red pepper. It was good, but my clear favorite was the basil pesto. It wasn't even close for me. I couldn't stop eating it, especially since it had a big dollop of pesto in the middle. The classic was okay, but way too much olive flavor. Probably from the 2 olives plopped in the middle. I did like that they included several things to dip with, including flatbread, pita bread, cucumber, tomato, and bell pepper.

Tina got the Greek chicken pita sandwich with a side Greek salad. I didn't try any, but she said it was one of her favorite things on the menu. It looked really delicious, and I have to admit I was tempted to ask for a bite. I often do that, but held back this time.

Sandwich: lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, feta
Salad: tomato, cucumber, peppers, olives, onion, feta, pita bread, greens

I was scheduled to donate platelets that afternoon, so I needed one last punch of iron. Tina said the steak kabobs were delicious, so I went with those

Two kabobs, red bell pepper, onions, grilled potatoes, roasted vegetables

Wow, the kabobs were amazing. Such a great depth of flavor. I’m not sure what they marinate them in, but I need that recipe. The only thing I’d say is the pieces are so big you need a knife to cut them up. The roasted veggies were really good, and had a lot of flavor as well. The grilled potatoes were okay, but nothing made them stand out to me. Just your basic grilled potatoes. This was a substantial plate of food, so not eating much of the potatoes wasn't necessarily a bad thing either. They also have chicken, shrimp, veggie, or salmon kabobs. Tina said the salmon ones are awesome.

This is a restaurant that would really do well in Stillwater. There's already one in Norman, so that should be an easy decision.

Will I go back? No question. The food was really good, and I really like that it's freshly made to order. Besides, there's a lot of other dishes I would like to try.

#188 - Guernsey Park Restaurant, Oklahoma City OK

Once August gets here, I rarely leave Stillwater, and it's even more rare for me to leave Oklahoma. There's just too much to do to get ready for the first game. The last 2 years we've played our first game in Houston and then Dallas, so of course I went to those. But other than that, only 2 exceptions. The first was a couple years ago for a reunion with my Purdue friends, many of whom I hadn't seen in 20 years. The second exception was 2 weeks ago, for Joni's daughter's wedding. 

The wedding was Saturday evening, but I decided to drive down Friday afternoon. You can't check into the hotel until 3pm so I didn't want to be rushed. And besides, I was in pretty good shape work-wise at that point. I had to deliver a couple of suite ticket packages in OKC, and then figured I should stop for lunch before hitting the road. I've stopped for lunch in Norman numerous times on my way to Dallas, always wearing my blazing OSU orange. For those of you who don't know, OU (located in Norman) and OSU are bitter rivals. I don't have the same level of hate because I didn't go to OSU, but I get it. I'm always afraid they're going to spit in my food if I wear orange. 

As usual, I didn't really know what I wanted to eat. I checked restaurant.com first, but nothing jumped out at me. Then I checked Keep it Local. This is an Oklahoma-based program that gives discounts at Oklahoma-owned businesses. Most of the discounts are about 10% off the bill, but the more important thing is supporting local businesses. My friend Dianne had raved bout Guernsey Park Restaurant in the past, saying it was definitely food blog worthy. She doesn't play around when it comes to food, and it's part of the Keep it Local program, so I was sold. It's located in the Paseo District in uptown OKC. Until this year I had never been to this part of OKC, but now I've been here several times and eaten at a few places. 

To be honest, as I walked up to the building I really didn't know what to expect, because it's down a little narrow road, behind the row of shops on 23rd. If you don't know where you're going, you will totally miss it. It's a 2 1/2-story building, with a sizable patio on the right. As you enter the front door, the waiting area and bar is all white furniture. Kind of like what you would see in a NYC nightclub. They've got a sushi bar and some dining tables that are down a couple of steps, and then upstairs is a much larger dining area. I chose to sit upstairs because that's where I could hear the most people. The upstairs has tall ceilings, light maple wood floors, dark cherry wood tables and chairs. There's whitewashed wood paneling on the walls, and one black feature wall. There is also a ton of natural light flowing in from the large windows.

The menu is Asian inspired. At first I thought about getting sushi, but then as I read the other side of the menu there were several items that jumped out at me.  I rarely do appetizers, especially by myself, but I was starving so I started with the oxtail ravioli

Fried oxtail ravioli served with a "Pho" salad and sriracha powder

Wow. This could very possibly be the best appetizer I've ever had. I know some people don't like meat on the bone. You have no idea what you're missing. That bone keeps the meat so tender, and adds just a great depth of flavor that you won't get otherwise. I could have eaten a whole tray of these and I would have been happy.

I've never been a fan of tofu. To me it's just super bland, and I have a hard time getting past the texture. But I knew I wouldn't really be eating well on this trip, so I planned to go healthy. At first I 100% decided to do the tofu wrap, which was shocking in and of itself, but then I started to waiver. Yes, it has lots of iron and is super healthy, but it was almost too healthy. My server immediately said tofu. I didn't really believe him, and questioned why. He said it had a really good mix of flavors. I was almost convinced, and then made a comment about not really being a big fan of tofu, but wanting to be a little adventurous. And then he said the tofu wasn't fried or even sauteed. At that point we agreed it wouldn't be a good choice, so I went with my other option, grilled nem nuong

Grilled sweet pork sausage medallions over vermicelli in nuoc mam with chiffonade romaine in a
peanut vinaigrette, cilantro, lemongrass, oil, mint, and fried wonton wrappers

Again, wow. I can't describe the flavor of the sausage other than outstanding. Like the oxtail, it was so tender and juicy.  I almost always buy spicy sausage at the store, but I really enjoy the sweet as well. I was caught off-guard by the vermicelli being cold, but I guess that makes sense since this is technically a salad. The hot sausage provided a great contrast to the cold noodles and lettuce. I'll say it, I love everything fried. So I was extremely happy with the wonton strips. I've never had peanut vinaigrette, but it was delicious and quite a bit lighter than peanut sauce. This was a pretty substantial lunch dish, but at the same time quite light. And it was so good that there was no way I could leave any. I honestly can't imagine how the tofu wrap has even a remote chance of being more flavorful than this dish.

When I texted Dianne to ask what to get for lunch, her response was I couldn't leave without getting carrot cake. Clearly that's not lunch, but since both she and Betty raved about it, I had to try it out.  I also asked the server to immediately bring me a to-go container, because I knew no way I could eat all of it.

Carrot cake with cream cheese ice cream, ginger tuille, candied orange,
candied pecans, and rum caramel

I have to be honest. Carrot cake is low on my list of favorite desserts. But, this one was really good. The cake was more dense than I'm used to, but it had a lot of flavor. The cream cheese ice cream was so good.  I ate about 1/3 there, and had the rest as a treat after the wedding.

Will I go back? Absolutely. I have to go to OKC this Friday. Maybe I'll head back to Guernsey Park for another round.

#187 - Banana Island, Oklahoma City OK

Over the past 3 years I've racked up restaurant.com certificates. My mom found great deals on Groupon that gave us $400 worth of certificates for $40, and then $200 for $20. And even when you purchase them directly through restaurant.com, you can get a $10 certificate for $4. It's really a pretty great program. You basically get 50% off your meal when you spend a certain amount of money, and some deals require you to spend as little as $10. 

A couple weeks ago my mom and 2 of her sisters were visiting. We were in OKC running errands, so when it was time to eat I went on the hunt. I had seen a restaurant.com certificate for Banana Island, but the smallest amount they offer is $25 off of a $50 bill. Since I'm never going to eat that much by myself I've always had to pass. But with 4 of us, I knew we could do it.

I always immediately ask the staff if they will accept the coupon. As long as they are part of the program they're supposed to, but I've heard of some restaurants refusing. That's horrible. Nobody's forcing you to be in the program, so if you want out, then get out. Don't stay in and then refuse to accept the coupon. Thankfully I've never had that happen. A couple months ago I ran into a situation at a small, family owned restaurant that would only take a paper printout of the certificate, not the one on my phone. But that's the only negative experience I've had.

I sort of recognized the address, and as we pulled up I realized why. It's right next door to my favorite Asian grocery store in the Asian district in OKC. There's actually several small shops and restaurants next door, and I had never even noticed them. 

You know how they always talk about curb appeal? Well, there's really none with Banana Island. We entered via the walkway attached to the store. It's pretty dark, and not very welcoming at all. My mom's first comment was "I hope the food is better than the entrance". We later realized that there's another entrance from the street. 

We started with the fresh veggie rolls

These were huge rolls, absolutely stuffed with raw carrots, cabbage and lettuce. I've never seen anything like it. They pretty much fell apart with every bite. But they were extremely light and very refreshing. Both of the sauces were delicious, I just wish they gave you more. The peanut sauce was rich, but not too heavy. My mom thought it wasn't really peanuty, but I really liked it. I'm pretty sure the sweet chili sauce is the stuff you can buy next door at the grocery store. But I love sweet chili sauce, so no complaints here. My aunt June can't eat a lot of raw veggies so I ate most of hers as well.

My mom got the tom yum fried rice with shrimp

Fried Rice, Thai spices, lemon grass, onion, red & green bell peppers, mushroom, lime juice & chili paste

I tried a bite and it was excellent. We were really impressed with the size and number of shrimp. Normally in a dish you get a few little ones, but these were huge. 

Terry got the mango stir fry with beef

Sliced mango, green & red peppers in house sweet & sour sauce

This dish was really good. I've never thought of adding mango to stir fry, but it adds a wonderful sweetness. 

June got the Malaysian ribs

I was impressed with both the quantity and the meatiness of the ribs. They had a dry rub that was very good, and they were cooked perfectly. We were a little surprised that these didn't come with any side, since it's an entree, not an appetizer. We had a language barrier issue getting to the bottom of it, but June ended up getting a side of white rice to go with it.

I went with the spicy basil noodles with flat noodles & beef. The server said it wouldn't be too spicy, so I went with medium

Flat or thin rice noodles stir-fried with vegetable, egg, basil, chili, soy sauce, and spices

Their idea of medium and my idea of medium are clearly way different, as my mouth was on fire after one bite. But the dish itself was awesome. The beef was tender and very flavorful. The green beans were cooked tender crisp, just the way I like them. I love flat noodles. I've never cooked with them, but I need to change that.

Speaking of green beans, my mom ordered a dish of them as well

These were good, but a little too salty. I really didn't eat much of them because I had beans in my dish.

When my mom started eating I asked how the food was, and she said it was very good. See, that's why you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover.

The only negative is that the food doesn't all come at once. I'm guessing they only have 1 or 2 cooks back there, so they can only cook so much at a time. I got my dish first, and was worried it would be a long wait for the rest. But we all had our dishes within just a couple minutes of each other. We did run into a language barrier with our server. He speaks very little English, and it was severely broken. So we had to do a lot of pointing. But it all worked out and we got exactly what we ordered. I read a few reviews that said people waited for over an hour for their food. That's crazy to me, and that most definitely deserves a vocal complaint. Our dishes came just minutes after we finished the appetizer, so we didn't have any issues like that.

Two women came in and sat down while we were there. I can't remember what the first woman ordered, but as soon as the server delivered the plate she started complaining. It didn't have enough color. It didn't have enough flavor. They usually add more seasoning. There must be a different cook. And on, and on, and on. And then she didn't believe the server when she said they didn't have miso soup. She spelled miso, like that was going to change things. And even when the server brought out the menu to show her that they didn't have miso soup, she still didn't believe her. Not only was she really loud, she was taking the server away from the other customers. I did finally hear her say that the dish itself was really good, but immediately followed it with "but" and a slew of complaints. She must live a seriously miserable existence. The woman with her never really said anything, so she was either mortified, or knows that's how she normally is. I wanted to go and punch the woman in the head. 

Will I go back? Yes I will, because the food was delicious and we had a good overall experience. And hopefully that woman will be nowhere in sight.

Repeats with a Twist - Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar, Oklahoma City OK

A few weeks ago my dad was in town. He and my mom usually come together, but my mom was driving out with 3 of her sisters.  My dad isn't big on driving for that length of time. And besides...5 adults in a car for 19 hours each way would be miserable. So instead he flew back from Maryland with me.  Sunday we were in Oklahoma City running errands, and after a few hours we were hungry. After some back and forth, I decided to go back to Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar. 

I went to Whiskey Cake a couple months ago. It's a farm-to-table restaurant, that locally sources almost all of their food. They also have a garden outside, and inside are herbs that are grown by members of the staff. They also sell spreads, candles and oils. I originally thought this was the only location, but they also have a couple in Dallas and San Antonio. I will say, it's hard to figure all that out because each restaurant has its own website. The OKC location is right outside Penn Square Mall.

On both visits it's been very busy, but I haven't had to wait to be seated. There are several different seating areas, including a large bar seating area, main dining room, and then an outdoor patio. They also have a large open kitchen, and I learned from our server that they don't have any freezers so you know everything has to be super fresh. Since it was Sunday, they had a bloody Mary bar

I don't like tomato juice so I don't do bloodies. But a lot of of people do. This was a pretty big one.

The servers push their fresh juices hard. But for me, there's way too much stuff going on in them. On my last trip, the guy at the table next to me tried one, and immediately sent it back. His wife did like hers, though. I still don't want to chance it.

We started with fried green tomatoes

These were really good.  The batter was excellent, like the batter they do on onion rings. The sauce had a little kick, but not too overpowering. The flavor combination of the dip with the tomatoes was delicious.

My dad has been a vegetarian since '93, and my mom became one when I moved out in '94. For a long time restaurants were not vegetarian friendly, offering maybe 1 or 2 dishes without meat. Restaurants have come a long way since then, with many featuring vegetarian menus, and all have more options. The only fish my dad eats is salmon, and we had eaten salmon two nights before, so he went with the chickpea & edamame Royale

Roasted poblano tzatziki, grain mustard, arugula, peppadew peppers, tomato, wheat bun

My dad doesn't do spicy. His forehead will literally start to sweat a couple bites in. So he did the mustard on the side. He then ate a couple bites of the mustard by itself...and proclaimed that it wasn't good. I had to explain, you don't just eat mustard straight. It goes on the sandwich. But by then it was too late, so he just left it off. I tasted the sandwich, and it had a very interesting texture, but it was tasty. Mustard drama aside, he liked the sandwich. He bit right into the tomato pepper on top, which I thought was super adventurous considering his dislike of spice. But he said it wasn't hot at all, just had a good flavor.

I went with the BBQ Banh Mi

Slow roasted pulled pork, pickled carrots & daikon radish, jalapeno, cilantro,
Korean BBQ sauce, hoagie bun

Wow, there's a lot of flavors and textures going on in this sandwich. The pork was excellent, very tender and juicy. They're not shy with the jalapenos, and the heat was no joke. I think it would be better if maybe they sauteed them to take away a little bite. Or maybe even pickle them. Every time I eat pickled vegetables, they continue to grow on me, and these were no exception. The hoagie was huge and way too much bread. I only ate half with the bread. The other half I just ate the insides. I read another review that said the sandwich didn't live up to the same sandwich at Vietnamese restaurants. Not a knock on Whiskey Cake, but the chance of this living up to what you find at an authentic Vietnamese place is small. This is their version of it, and it says so right there on the menu.

Their sandwiches come with chips on the side. I really like the chips, but still think they should be served warm. That would put them over the top.

On my last trip, I wanted to add fries, and the server told me it was a large portion and it would be way too much food for just me. So I went with his recommendation. This time, since my dad was with me, I got an order of the handcut Parmesan fries

I'm a huge french fry snob, and these were really disappointing. They were scorching hot, but kind of mushy. I'm wondering if they were undercooked.  I was expecting freshly grated Parmesan, but this looked like the stuff in the green bottle you get at the grocery store. And once you get past the top layer of fries, there is no more parm so it's just regular fries. The flavor of the fries themselves was just okay. I wouldn't get them again. 

Another reviewer said their server asked what they wanted as sides, so they ordered several, not realizing it was an extra charge. I agree with the reviewer that this was kind of sneaky, since the dishes do come with chips already. And the side prices aren't listed on the menu.  Which is weird, because they list prices on everything else. My server did tell me that the sides were an additional price, so maybe it was just that one person.

I like how they present the bill, on this cutting board rather than the boring billfold

I will definitely continue to eat here. Overall the food is very good, I like the atmosphere, and I love that their product is locally sourced. And besides, I still have yet to try their namesake dessert.

#171 - La Oaxaquena, Oklahoma City OK

Back in January I started going out to visit with club seat holders. We do a great job of stewardship with our top say 150 donors, but probably not the best job with the others. When I developed the plan and told my boss about it I was kind of prepared for some pushback, but he has been nothing but supportive. I got to visit with our customers on their turf and outside of gameday, and it got me out of the office. The first couple months I was spending one day a week in Tulsa, one day a week in OKC. I eventually added Enid and Stillwater as well. I met with about 40 accounts this year, and I'll do it each year between January - June.

Last week was the final visits for the year. I only had a few scheduled, and one of the days was in OKC. I didn’t have a lunch meeting planned, so I went onto restaurant.com to see if I could find a certificate to use near where my appointments were. I came across La Buena Gusto and it had gotten great reviews, and so I decided to go there. On the restaurant.com site it said the place was open every day. Nope. Come to find out they’re closed on Mondays. I was so bummed, and super hungry. So I got back online to hopefully find another place nearby. And that’s when I came across La Oaxaquena.

Both restaurants are on SW 29th, in a very Hispanic area of OKC, essentially on Capitol Hill. Pretty much everything on that road for a several-mile stretch is Hispanic owned and operated.

I arrived just after 11AM, and when I walked in it was just staff inside. The first thing I noticed was a huge display of baked goods

They looked and smelled awesome, but I needed real food. I also saw people coming in pretty steadily buying big bags of bread and rolls. I’m guessing they provide for several of the other restaurants in the area. And that’s exactly the way it should be done in your local community. Everyone helping everyone else.

I was seated, and given a menu. And the entire thing was in Spanish. Not a single English word in sight. Thankfully they also have pictures of all the entrees, otherwise I would have had no idea. Even with the photos, I still needed some translation. I last took Spanish back in 8th grade, and thankfully a few of the words stuck.

As I was translating and looking at the photos, my server brought chips, queso and salsa

The chips were nice and warm, thin and crispy, and delicious. The red salsa had a serious kick and burned my throat, but was very good. So much flavor. The queso was warm and creamy, but not heavy.  I mixed the 2 together and was in heaven.

I eventually decided on fajitas. I often do that the first time I eat at a Mexican restaurant. I figure if they can do those well, everything else would be good too. Also, I wasn’t sure how ingredients on a couple other dishes translated, and I didn’t want any surprises.

The fajitas were outstanding, some of the best I've ever had. Huge pieces of meat and veggies, seasoned extremely well. The corn tortillas were homemade and very good, and served scorching hot. I ended up only eating 2, and then ate the rest of the fajitas with a fork. The rice was pretty good, and the beans were delicious. The guacamole was freshly made and excellent.

The couple at the table next to me had gotten 2 bottles of sauce, so of course I asked for some

The red sauce was significantly spicier. They were both good, but I think I liked the green sauce better. It was pretty close though.

When I first started using restaurant.com I printed out the certificates. Then I realized I could just pull them up on my phone and the server could validate them that way. So that’s what I did for this place. However, the manager said they had to have the printed page. Bummer. Oh well, it was only $5, so it wasn’t a huge deal. Good thing is, I can use the certificate next time I’m down there. Note to self: when the restaurant is a tiny, local one like this one is, make sure to print it out.

Will I go back? No question. The food was authentic and homemade. My server wasn’t that friendly, but she was efficient and did a good job. And I have that gift certificate to use. And, maybe most importantly, since I refrained from the bakery the first visit, I’ve definitely got to try something next time.