OKC Christmas 2017
When we returned to Dodge City after Christmas there was still a week left of winter break. My sweet husband drove off to his new job in Alabama and I drove off toward Oklahoma City to shop and eat until school resumed in Dodge City. I stopped in Wichita to shop in Home Goods and World Market. As soon as I drove into town I picked up Chipotle to take to the room and eat in front of cable.
The next morning I drove straight to Waffle Champion for my current favorite breakfast in the world: gf chicken and waffles with a side of strawberries. Then I made my first pass through at Trader Joe’s. For lunch I ate at Big Truck Tacos and enjoyed individual salsa bites on each chip. There are six different squeeze bottles of salsa placed on each table. Afterwards I drove to Green Goodies for three gf cupcakes, the chocolate chip cupcake with chocolate icing was amazing. Then I went to Elemental Coffee for a cappuccino. I visited the Oklahoma City Art Museum and afterwards tried Cafe Kacao for the first time. I had the Mexican cold brew drink, the pupusas and a dessert called plantain temptation. This dessert was one of the best I’ve ever tried. It was a bowl of plump and sweet crunchy fried plantains in dark caramel sauce with a dollop of sour cream and Cotija cheese sprinkled over it. Next door was the famous old sandwich shop Neptune’s. The building has a funny shape like many of the buildings on Classen Blvd. Afterwards I went to the mall and finished the evening in Half Price Books to look at cookbooks.
The next morning I went back to Waffle Champion where I had the usual chicken and waffles but with a scrambled egg and some bacon. I went back to Half Price books to look at cookbooks again and then to Anthropologie. For lunch I picked Hatch Auto Alley where I had a veggie goat cheese omelette, delicious potato floats, some meh grits and a taco. My new friend Laal joined me there and we caught up over lunch. I walked next door to Coffee Slingers for a cold brew and then went back to the hotel to take a nap. For dinner I ate Whiskey Cake because I am obsessed with their vegetable sides and this time their deviled eggs were pesto and bacon. They were incredibly delicious! After a stop at Michael’s for some craft supplies I went to the Jason Isbell concert downtown at The Criterion.
The next morning I ate leftovers from Waffle Champion for breakfast and washed them down with two Starbucks drinks. The holiday flat white was my favorite holiday drink this year. I made one last trip to Trader Joe’s and then took a long time shopping in Target. For lunch I went to the Stockyard City neighborhood and ate at Cattlemen’s. I wanted to order everything on the menu when I got there. I had a small steak with baked potato, green beans, fruit and cottage cheese plate, a small salad with Cattlemen dressing and homemade croutons, some cornbread AND the waiter even brought me a sample of lamb fries. They were actually good served with cocktail sauce and lemon. Then I drove to the Botanical gardens where I walked through the large cylinder that houses the very beautiful vertical tropical garden. I went again to Elemental Coffee for a flat white and a gf earl grey and lemon peel doughnut and then to Guest Room records for a Francoise Hardy set. I packed for a while and then met up with Laal and Blaze for dinner at Iron Starr bbq. Paul and I had discovered this place on our last visit and loved the pimento cheese board and the brisket. I tried the corn pudding this time and it was heavenly! It was another wonderful visit to the truly great American city OKC!!
When we returned to Dodge City after Christmas there was still a week left of winter break. My sweet husband drove off to his new job in Alabama and I drove off toward Oklahoma City to shop and eat until school resumed in Dodge City. I stopped in Wichita to shop in Home Goods and World Market. As soon as I drove into town I picked up Chipotle to take to the room and eat in front of cable.
The next morning I drove straight to Waffle Champion for my current favorite breakfast in the world: gf chicken and waffles with a side of strawberries. Then I made my first pass through at Trader Joe’s. For lunch I ate at Big Truck Tacos and enjoyed individual salsa bites on each chip. There are six different squeeze bottles of salsa placed on each table. Afterwards I drove to Green Goodies for three gf cupcakes, the chocolate chip cupcake with chocolate icing was amazing. Then I went to Elemental Coffee for a cappuccino. I visited the Oklahoma City Art Museum and afterwards tried Cafe Kacao for the first time. I had the Mexican cold brew drink, the pupusas and a dessert called plantain temptation. This dessert was one of the best I’ve ever tried. It was a bowl of plump and sweet crunchy fried plantains in dark caramel sauce with a dollop of sour cream and Cotija cheese sprinkled over it. Next door was the famous old sandwich shop Neptune’s. The building has a funny shape like many of the buildings on Classen Blvd. Afterwards I went to the mall and finished the evening in Half Price Books to look at cookbooks.
The next morning I went back to Waffle Champion where I had the usual chicken and waffles but with a scrambled egg and some bacon. I went back to Half Price books to look at cookbooks again and then to Anthropologie. For lunch I picked Hatch Auto Alley where I had a veggie goat cheese omelette, delicious potato floats, some meh grits and a taco. My new friend Laal joined me there and we caught up over lunch. I walked next door to Coffee Slingers for a cold brew and then went back to the hotel to take a nap. For dinner I ate Whiskey Cake because I am obsessed with their vegetable sides and this time their deviled eggs were pesto and bacon. They were incredibly delicious! After a stop at Michael’s for some craft supplies I went to the Jason Isbell concert downtown at The Criterion.
The next morning I ate leftovers from Waffle Champion for breakfast and washed them down with two Starbucks drinks. The holiday flat white was my favorite holiday drink this year. I made one last trip to Trader Joe’s and then took a long time shopping in Target. For lunch I went to the Stockyard City neighborhood and ate at Cattlemen’s. I wanted to order everything on the menu when I got there. I had a small steak with baked potato, green beans, fruit and cottage cheese plate, a small salad with Cattlemen dressing and homemade croutons, some cornbread AND the waiter even brought me a sample of lamb fries. They were actually good served with cocktail sauce and lemon. Then I drove to the Botanical gardens where I walked through the large cylinder that houses the very beautiful vertical tropical garden. I went again to Elemental Coffee for a flat white and a gf earl grey and lemon peel doughnut and then to Guest Room records for a Francoise Hardy set. I packed for a while and then met up with Laal and Blaze for dinner at Iron Starr bbq. Paul and I had discovered this place on our last visit and loved the pimento cheese board and the brisket. I tried the corn pudding this time and it was heavenly! It was another wonderful visit to the truly great American city OKC!!
OKC September 1-4, 2017
Paul and I decided to spend our Labor Day weekend in OKC and we had the best time! I had fun eating from sunup to sundown! I made an ambitious long list of restaurants and coffee shops and we made it to most of them. A couple were closed because of Labor Day.
We left for OKC as soon as I got home from school. I called in an order from Zorba's Mediterranean and Paul and I had a Greek feast in the hotel at 9pm. The food from Zorba's was delicious! I ordered the hospitality platter with stuffed grape leaves, hummus, cheese and spinach puffs, baba ganoush and pita pieces. I also ordered a side of dill rice and a small baklava apple pie. Paul had the Greek burger with feta, onions and olives on a cheese focaccia bun.
The next morning I woke up early and drove to Waffle Champion. I had seen pictures online of long lines of people waiting to get into this place but I arrived early enough to order right away. I like waffles but these were unbelievable!! There's a good reason chicken and waffles have been trending for years now. It's a delicious combination. I ordered the buttermilk chicken waffle with onion straws and a spicy honey drizzle. I also ordered a bowl of strawberries and a cup of coffee. It's hard to remember a breakfast I have enjoyed so thoroughly. (Probably back in July when I was at Page's Okra Grill in Charleston, SC). Next I walked around midtown and discovered Brown's Bakery. The doughnuts!! It is the doughnut equivalent to Gibson's Doughnuts in Memphis. According to the cashier Brown's has been in OKC for 75 years. This place was packed with customers. I got the apple fritter, cinnamon raisin roll, an apple sauce cake doughnut and two chocolate covered doughnuts (one cake and one glazed high rise). Paul loved them. I drove around midtown for a while and then stopped in Elemental Coffee for a flat white. I love the coffee I've tried here and have made it at home. Then I drove to a second coffee shop to try a new coffee roaster: Coffee Slinger's. It is on Automobile Alley and the old brick buildings along the street are revamped car dealership buildings. I ordered a cappuccino and it was tasty and comforting as I sat and read the OKC Gazette. Next door was a beautiful houseware and furniture store called Urbane so I wandered in. I started talking to the woman in charge and we discovered our men are both musicians. We decided to set up a coffee date for the next day where the four of us could discuss music and music careers. (While in the store I bought a couple of cute cards called Mincing Mockingbird cards.) I went back to the hotel and picked up Paul and we had lunch at Yuzo Sushi and Tapas. Though a teensy bit pricey the flavor and texture combinations were new and exciting to me. I had a soft shell crab sushi roll and a peanut chicken salad. The dressing was toasted sesame and peanut sauce. Paul ordered a multi colored seaweed salad (three different seaweeds) and the elote roll. I fell head over heels for this sushi roll. First off Mexican street corn is one of my favorite flavors. You combine this with crab, avocado and rice and you have one fine flavor combo. Next time I'll order two of those sushi rolls and a bowl of the peanut sauce.
Afterwards we went record store hopping. We went to Monkey Feet Records located in a law office. Then we drove north of Nichols Hills to Alley Records in the Britton neighborhood. We talked for a long time to the owner Ronnie. He gave me some suggestions for restaurants and talked about the history of OKC. After a nap it was time for restaurant hopping. We drove to Big Truck Tacos. It started out as a food truck but moved into a brick and mortar location that looks like a revamped Sonic. These tacos were heavenly!! And there are all these bottle of salsa on each table that are packed with yummy flavors. There's a flavor/color guide on each napkin dispenser on the tables. My brisket and potato taco was amazing! We purposefully didn't each much (and that was difficult) because we wanted to hit two more places. We drove to Iron Starr BBQ to try some real Oklahoma BBQ. This place was beyond delicious. We had the pimento cheese plate that came with an assortment of toast, celery and pickled veggies. Amazing. Then we shared a brisket sandwich with three sides: jicama slaw, turnip greens and potato salad. I was over the moon to have turnip greens and they were so good! Everything about this place was a yes for me. Our last stop was Whiskey Cake. We visited this place on our last trip to OKC and fell in love with it. Paul loves their beer flights and I love their farm to table menu. The carrot rutabaga mash is my favorite. So are the cheese grits. Everything I've tried in there is my favorite.
Sunday morning I got up early and spent a long time going through every aisle of Trader Joe's. I'm currently in love with their gf raisin bread. Afterwards Paul and I headed over to Coffee Slinger's and had an amazingly fun coffee date with Laal and Blaze. We talked about music and everything else for an hour and a half and then promised to meet up again the next time we're in OKC. Paul and I drove to the Paseo district (an artsy neighborhood with brightly colored adobe buildings) and had pizza at Sauced on Paseo. The pizza was okay but I'd like to try some different pizzerias in OKC next time. We went record shopping at Guest room Records and then Paul practiced his trumpet in the Penn Square Mall parking lot while I shopped inside. For dinner we had an incredibly tasty meal at Bricktown Brewery. Paul ordered a sandwich with a flight of the in house beers. I ordered the BBQ brisket nachos and they were almost as good as Central BBQ nachos which is the highest praise I can give ANYthing. I also had some decent black eyed peas, fried okra, coleslaw and green beans. We will return to this place for drinks and nachos as soon as possible! Afterwards we returned to the hotel and watched a Jaws marathon and I caught up on Instagram.
Monday morning I spent some shopping time in Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, got my first and probably only pumpkin spice latte for 2017. I finished up some leftover rutabaga mash and cheese grits from Whiskey Cake that I'd kept in the hotel fridge and then Paul and I headed back to Dodge City.
Labor Day weekend was so relaxing and fun! Love you, OKC!
Paul and I decided to spend our Labor Day weekend in OKC and we had the best time! I had fun eating from sunup to sundown! I made an ambitious long list of restaurants and coffee shops and we made it to most of them. A couple were closed because of Labor Day.
We left for OKC as soon as I got home from school. I called in an order from Zorba's Mediterranean and Paul and I had a Greek feast in the hotel at 9pm. The food from Zorba's was delicious! I ordered the hospitality platter with stuffed grape leaves, hummus, cheese and spinach puffs, baba ganoush and pita pieces. I also ordered a side of dill rice and a small baklava apple pie. Paul had the Greek burger with feta, onions and olives on a cheese focaccia bun.
The next morning I woke up early and drove to Waffle Champion. I had seen pictures online of long lines of people waiting to get into this place but I arrived early enough to order right away. I like waffles but these were unbelievable!! There's a good reason chicken and waffles have been trending for years now. It's a delicious combination. I ordered the buttermilk chicken waffle with onion straws and a spicy honey drizzle. I also ordered a bowl of strawberries and a cup of coffee. It's hard to remember a breakfast I have enjoyed so thoroughly. (Probably back in July when I was at Page's Okra Grill in Charleston, SC). Next I walked around midtown and discovered Brown's Bakery. The doughnuts!! It is the doughnut equivalent to Gibson's Doughnuts in Memphis. According to the cashier Brown's has been in OKC for 75 years. This place was packed with customers. I got the apple fritter, cinnamon raisin roll, an apple sauce cake doughnut and two chocolate covered doughnuts (one cake and one glazed high rise). Paul loved them. I drove around midtown for a while and then stopped in Elemental Coffee for a flat white. I love the coffee I've tried here and have made it at home. Then I drove to a second coffee shop to try a new coffee roaster: Coffee Slinger's. It is on Automobile Alley and the old brick buildings along the street are revamped car dealership buildings. I ordered a cappuccino and it was tasty and comforting as I sat and read the OKC Gazette. Next door was a beautiful houseware and furniture store called Urbane so I wandered in. I started talking to the woman in charge and we discovered our men are both musicians. We decided to set up a coffee date for the next day where the four of us could discuss music and music careers. (While in the store I bought a couple of cute cards called Mincing Mockingbird cards.) I went back to the hotel and picked up Paul and we had lunch at Yuzo Sushi and Tapas. Though a teensy bit pricey the flavor and texture combinations were new and exciting to me. I had a soft shell crab sushi roll and a peanut chicken salad. The dressing was toasted sesame and peanut sauce. Paul ordered a multi colored seaweed salad (three different seaweeds) and the elote roll. I fell head over heels for this sushi roll. First off Mexican street corn is one of my favorite flavors. You combine this with crab, avocado and rice and you have one fine flavor combo. Next time I'll order two of those sushi rolls and a bowl of the peanut sauce.
Afterwards we went record store hopping. We went to Monkey Feet Records located in a law office. Then we drove north of Nichols Hills to Alley Records in the Britton neighborhood. We talked for a long time to the owner Ronnie. He gave me some suggestions for restaurants and talked about the history of OKC. After a nap it was time for restaurant hopping. We drove to Big Truck Tacos. It started out as a food truck but moved into a brick and mortar location that looks like a revamped Sonic. These tacos were heavenly!! And there are all these bottle of salsa on each table that are packed with yummy flavors. There's a flavor/color guide on each napkin dispenser on the tables. My brisket and potato taco was amazing! We purposefully didn't each much (and that was difficult) because we wanted to hit two more places. We drove to Iron Starr BBQ to try some real Oklahoma BBQ. This place was beyond delicious. We had the pimento cheese plate that came with an assortment of toast, celery and pickled veggies. Amazing. Then we shared a brisket sandwich with three sides: jicama slaw, turnip greens and potato salad. I was over the moon to have turnip greens and they were so good! Everything about this place was a yes for me. Our last stop was Whiskey Cake. We visited this place on our last trip to OKC and fell in love with it. Paul loves their beer flights and I love their farm to table menu. The carrot rutabaga mash is my favorite. So are the cheese grits. Everything I've tried in there is my favorite.
Sunday morning I got up early and spent a long time going through every aisle of Trader Joe's. I'm currently in love with their gf raisin bread. Afterwards Paul and I headed over to Coffee Slinger's and had an amazingly fun coffee date with Laal and Blaze. We talked about music and everything else for an hour and a half and then promised to meet up again the next time we're in OKC. Paul and I drove to the Paseo district (an artsy neighborhood with brightly colored adobe buildings) and had pizza at Sauced on Paseo. The pizza was okay but I'd like to try some different pizzerias in OKC next time. We went record shopping at Guest room Records and then Paul practiced his trumpet in the Penn Square Mall parking lot while I shopped inside. For dinner we had an incredibly tasty meal at Bricktown Brewery. Paul ordered a sandwich with a flight of the in house beers. I ordered the BBQ brisket nachos and they were almost as good as Central BBQ nachos which is the highest praise I can give ANYthing. I also had some decent black eyed peas, fried okra, coleslaw and green beans. We will return to this place for drinks and nachos as soon as possible! Afterwards we returned to the hotel and watched a Jaws marathon and I caught up on Instagram.
Monday morning I spent some shopping time in Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, got my first and probably only pumpkin spice latte for 2017. I finished up some leftover rutabaga mash and cheese grits from Whiskey Cake that I'd kept in the hotel fridge and then Paul and I headed back to Dodge City.
Labor Day weekend was so relaxing and fun! Love you, OKC!
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma April 21-23, 2017
I’ve driven through Oklahoma quite a few times now that we live in Kansas. I’ve driven through Tulsa and OKCity but I’ve only stopped for gas or groceries. This past weekend I finally visited Oklahoma City and it is such a great city! I visited the 1995 Memorial and walked around the grounds. I drove all over downtown and stopped in the gift shop of the art museum. I drove through Bricktown and stopped in Texadelphia for a delicious Texas-inspired philly cheese steak. I’ll definitely visit this place again for the ranch dip alone. I ate a huge breakfast at Beverly’s Pancake House (veggie omelet and grits) and bought an Oklahoma Starbuck’s mug at the Starbuck’s next door. I stopped in Pinkitzel for cupcakes and macarons. The theme of this pretty pink café is princess sweets meets steampunk. The loud electronic music and décor creates a nightclub vibe made for Edward Gory. I found the Paseo district too. The Paseo Arts District is a winding street of brightly painted adobe buildings housing art galleries, shops and restaurants. I bought postcards and dishtowels in one store. My souvenirs still smell like the incense burning in the store. Then I spent three hours at the Penn Square Mall filling all my senses with shopping in the big city. I ate at Chipotle, shopped in the Russell Stover outlet and went to bed early. What a great city! I’d love to go back!
I’ve driven through Oklahoma quite a few times now that we live in Kansas. I’ve driven through Tulsa and OKCity but I’ve only stopped for gas or groceries. This past weekend I finally visited Oklahoma City and it is such a great city! I visited the 1995 Memorial and walked around the grounds. I drove all over downtown and stopped in the gift shop of the art museum. I drove through Bricktown and stopped in Texadelphia for a delicious Texas-inspired philly cheese steak. I’ll definitely visit this place again for the ranch dip alone. I ate a huge breakfast at Beverly’s Pancake House (veggie omelet and grits) and bought an Oklahoma Starbuck’s mug at the Starbuck’s next door. I stopped in Pinkitzel for cupcakes and macarons. The theme of this pretty pink café is princess sweets meets steampunk. The loud electronic music and décor creates a nightclub vibe made for Edward Gory. I found the Paseo district too. The Paseo Arts District is a winding street of brightly painted adobe buildings housing art galleries, shops and restaurants. I bought postcards and dishtowels in one store. My souvenirs still smell like the incense burning in the store. Then I spent three hours at the Penn Square Mall filling all my senses with shopping in the big city. I ate at Chipotle, shopped in the Russell Stover outlet and went to bed early. What a great city! I’d love to go back!
Beverly's Pancake House
Downtown Oklahoma City
The Memorial
Pinkitzel
The Paseo Arts District
Texadelphia