Burgers, Barbecue and Pie

rumaki-
Thanks so much for the detailed response.  That is disappointing that they didn't give you extra cinnamon rolls for the road, especially considering you weren't able to take anything else.  I will have to visit the Fairway Stroud's someday, just out of curiousity sake.

Not worth making a special trip.
 
The food is fine, but the building lacks the history and charm of both the original which it replaced, and the Oak Manor location up north.  If you're in the neighborhood and want fried chicken, and you don't want to drive up north, you should definitely stop in at the Fairway spot.  If you're staying up north by the airport, stick with the Manor.  Same food, better ambiance.
 
Buddy

Sunday April 22, 2012 (cont.)
 
While still out driving around, I wanted to visit the Oklahoma state capitol building, which is famous for having an oil well right on the grounds. 
 

With this being late Sunday afternoon, the building itself was closed, so we couldn't visit the inside.  Also on the capitol grounds was a lawn area covered with small American flags. 

We had to walk over to see it and it certainly made for some interesting photos.  Apparently, we weren't the only ones who thought so, as these young ladies were taking photos of an equally young man dressed in a suit. 

Both Johnny and I speculated that this had to be some kind of campaign publicity shots.  Maybe cousin Johnny should run for office in Oklahoma!

 
This had been a busy day, so we went back to the hotel and relaxed for several hours.  Since our dinner destination, Cattlemen's Steakhouse is open until 10:00PM, this allowed us to have a late dinner, which we both like.  Located in the stockyards section of the city, Cattlemen's has been in business over 100 years.  We got there earlier enough where we could still get a nice daylight shot of the outside of the building. 

And the front door handle is a Roadfood classic!

 
Before being seated, the young host asked if we wanted smoking or non-smoking.  I can't remember the last time I was asked that question, but it has been quite a few years.  We were escorted into the back dining room, which was mostly big, plush, comfortable booths. 

Just behind us was a glass encased area,

which is where the smoking section was.  One of my favorite thing about Cattlemen's is the large murals.  They have two of them (that I know) of cattle and cowboys,

only the cowboys are dressed up in suits.
 
Both of us started our meals with the steak soup. 

This soup was really thick and could have almost passed for a beef stew.  It did have lots of vegetables and tender chunks of meat and is the perfect appetizer.  Salads also come with the meal, starring their house dressing. 

The ingredients are a bit of a secret, but it tastes garlicky and cheesy and is delicious.  There was also a basket of regular bread on the table,

which I ignored.  Johnny broke up some of the hard, crusty style of bread into small pieces and used them as croutons on his salad.  Much better were the warm, soft rolls that came with dinner.

 
For our steaks (there was never any thought to not getting steaks), Johnny ordered the peppered steak. 

This was a filet, covered with a tasty peppercorn sauce, with additional peppercorns sprinkled on top.  While he did enjoy the sauce, he thought the filet was on the small side and I would agree.  He would have much preferred to have a different cut of meat with the peppercorn sauce.  He did enjoy the baked potato, which came with plenty of butter and sour cream.  We both split an order of the mushrooms,

which was in a light wine sauce and proved to be a good compliment to our steaks. 
 
I went with a filet mignon, which was wrapped in bacon. 


This was a decent size filet and tasted just fine.  In case anyone cares, Johnny gets his steaks medium rare, while I prefer medium and we both were pleased temperature-wise.  Instead of a baked potato, I decided on fries and when our waiter asked if I wanted gravy with the fries, I said yes.  The fries were well done and extra crispy. 

I was expecting the gravy to be the typical brown gravy that comes with fries back home but instead, it was the whitish cream gravy. 

I had a good time dragging my fries through the gravy and this was a really good side dish.
 
You would think after all this food, we wouldn't be able to eat dessert, but we have been mostly pie deprived up 'til now.  Johnny liked his pie more than I did.  His coconut

came with a tall meringue and tons of toasted coconut on top.  My chocolate pie

had a mild chocolate flavor, plus looked and tasted mass produced.
 
Some people might be wondering if we ordered the famous lamb fries.  No, we did not.  I had tried them on previous trips and Johnny wanted no part of them.  I didn't think it was my place to try and talk him into it.
 
Our waiter was a nice enough guy, but being young, he was just a little too laid back.  Since it was dark by the time we left, I was able to get a shot of the neon on the way out. 

One additional note:  now that Johnny has eaten here, he has visited the three Cattlemen's that have been reviewed in Roadfood books, including the one in Fort Worth and the one outside El Paso.
 
Cattlemen's
1309 S Agnew
Oklahoma City, OK
405-236-0416
 
Straight back to the hotel for the night.
 
Much more to come.....       

Monday April 23, 2012
 
Oklahoma just might be the best state in the the country for burgers.  And this was the day we were going to try to prove it.  Before leaving the hotel, the friendly desk clerk asked what we had planned for the day.  I told her we were starting off with a drive down to Chickasha.  She corrected my pronunciation by saying that it is Chicki(shay), not the Chicki(shaw) I said.  No doubt, there are towns and cities all over the country that I have been mispronouncing for years!
 
Our first stop of the day was at J & W Grill, a tiny red and white building in the middle of downtown Chickasha. 

At first, my heart skipped a beat when I saw the closed sign in the window, but we could see there were lots of people inside, so they must have forgotten to remove the sign.  Their lot is small and there were no spots left, so we had park a short distance down the street.  As we started walking towards the place, a big pickup with huge wheels came down the street, driving onto the sidewalk and parking there.  I couldn't wait to see who got out of the truck, assuming it would be some big, tough looking guy.  Instead, it was a young high school girl who looked more like the prom queen.
 
The inside only has 16 seats, all at the counter. 

When they get busy and no seats are available, you can relax on this great looking black and red chair, 

Luckily for us, two seats near the grill were open, so we could watch the cook in action.
 
Even though it was only 9:00AM and everyone else was eating breakfast, they were happy to make us a couple of burgers.  And here at J & W Grill, burgers mean onion burgers.  It was opened in 1957 by a man who got his training in El Reno, so we knew what to expect.  Knowing the daunting day ahead of us, we both kept it simple by ordering small burgers.  We watched our burgers sizzling on the grill, between the pancakes, ham and hash browns. 

Soon, the buns were placed on top of the meat patties for a short amount of time to steam them. 

They got quite a routine here.  In a short amount of time, we had our burgers, loaded with carmelized onions, topped with pickle only.  We both oooohed and aaaawed and how good these were. 


The burgers had a nice outside char, excellent moist flavor and the onions were infused into the beef even more than the places we visited the day before.  This was clearly the best onion burger I have ever had.  Both of us washed down our burgers with a root beer.
 
The man at the grill was owner Darren Cook, a big bear of a man.  We did have a little difficulty with his Oklahoma accent, but that might have been because his back was to us most of the time, working at the grill.  Nevertheless, he was a great guy to talk to.  He told us how he used to have a paper route past the building, started working here at 12 and eventually bought the place.  How could you not root for a guy like that?   I did try to get a photo of Darren, but didn't want to bother him while he was working.  So, here he is at the grill. 

While we were talking, he asked where we were from and the usual questions.  We told him the day was mostly going to be about eating burgers and Meers Store was next.  He told us we would really like Meers Store and their owner and his wife came into J & W Grill regularly.  Not surprised at all.
 
Even though all we ate was the burgers, we couldn't help but notice how good all the food looked.  You could serve this

ham breakfast up to me anytime!
 
J & W Grill
501 W.Choctaw Avenue
Chickasha, OK
405-224-9912
 
We continued south towards the tiny town of Meers.
 
Much more to come.....

You're killing me with those burgers.

Looking over the segments coming up, it did strike me just how little a variety of food there was on this trip.  Although Johnny and I ate extremely well, it doesn't make for a very exciting or interesting trip report.  Sorry for the repetitiveness of the burgers and barbecue, plus fried chicken and steaks. 
 
I'm not sorry about all the pie we ate.  I will never apologize for pie! 

Sorry for what exactly?  For the really interesting and infromative trip report with the great pictures of delciious looking food?  I don't think so.  I don't care if there are 20 more pictures of onion burgers.  Keep them coming!

Really, BB? Loving this report, as always!

I am sorry that I wasn't able to join you for more of the burgers....or see the look in your eye when you saw that CLOSED sign with me in the car! :-)

TTM-
Oh, don't worry.  As soon as we saw the closed sign, your name came up immediately!

Monday April 23, 2012 (cont.)
 
The Meers Store is a destination restaurant, that people seem willing to drive great distances to come visit.  The town of Meers itself is so small, it doesn't appear on most maps.  On the Meers Store website, it says the town population is the six members of the Maranto family, eight cats and a dog.
 
We had heard that there is usually a line to eat here, so we decided to arrive when they opened.  Getting here a few minutes early gave us a chance to look around a little bit.  The outside of the building is charmingly rundown,

 



which is surely how they like it.  We appreciated this sign,

which reminds people not to leave their pets in the hot Oklahoma sun.  They even have a shaded kennel area on the side of the building. 

We had read that there was longhorn cattle across the street from the restaurant, but instead we saw these beautiful horses.

 
When they opened up at 10:30, we were the first customers through the door.  Apparently, too early, as most of the staff was sitting down at tables eating.  The inside restaurant is pretty much a continuation of what you saw on the outside.  They have obviously added on many times and I think there is supposed to be seven different levels.  The floors here are astonishingly uneven and you have to watch your step everywhere you go. 

We walked around for a few minutes trying to find the seat which would allow the best light for taking photos, eventually giving up and grabbing a table in the center of a comfortable looking room near the kitchen.

 
The menu, which comes in the form of an old mining camp newspaper, is pages long. 


But, most people come here for the famous Meersburger.  The meat for the burgers is 97% lean grass fed Longhorn beef from their own private herd.  Longhorn beef is supposed to be lower in cholesterol.  Unless you specify otherwise, the burgers will be cooked medium well and have mustard, dill pickle, tomato, lettuce and purple onions as toppings.  If you get the Meerscheeseburger, the only choice for cheese is American.
 
They do have their lingo here.  If you order the burger the way it is recommended, it is called a cowboy burger.  If you want mayo on it instead of mustard, this is known as the sissy burger.  If you replace it with ketchup, this is the Yankee Burger.  They believe that ketchup belongs on fries, not beef.  And if you want mustard, ketchup and mayo, they state on the menu, "These poor souls are confused." 
 
We started off the meal with frickles, a.k.a. fried pickles. 

Oddly enough, they use bread-and-butter pickles.  It had a very thick, highly seasoned outside coat and these were absolutely addictive.  That is standard ranch dressing on the side for dipping.  As you can see, the food here is served in wide, tin pans.  And drinks come in Texas sized mason jars.

 
Both Johnny and I ordered the Meerscheeseburger, which is a 1/2 lb. of meat and served on a bun seven inches across. 

This would normally be a handful, but they conveniently cut it into fourths.

This burger was moist, lean and flavorful on a real nice soft bun.  The freshness of the toppings also came through.  Another excellent burger!
 
Despite how big the burger was, we couldn't say no to dessert. Johnny ordered the cherry cobbler,

little knowing what he was getting himself into.  This picture doesn't truly show just how big this bowl is, but those are four regular scoops of vanilla ice cream on top.  BTW, the ice cream used here is homemade.  I would have loved to help Johnny on his dessert, but I had my hands full with the equally big banana pudding.

Had we known, we would have just split one dessert.  As it was, neither one of us were able to finish, despite how good both desserts were.
 
We did have an interesting experience while at Meers Store.  Not long after we placed our order, a woman came into the room we were sitting in, looked around and then informed us that we might want to move because she had a couple of vans of what she called mentally challenged adults that were going to take over the room.  We were quite happy where we were, so we stayed and they soon filled up every table around us.  They were a group that rode down from Chickasha and this was obviously a big event for them.  Everyone was very nice and we quickly became part of the group.  When they all sang happy birthday to Nadine, we joined right in.  Kelly, the woman who was in charge, went around to took photos of all the tables and I made sure she took a photo of us, too.  They took great interest in Johnny and I and when it came out that we were eating our way around Oklahoma, this got everyone excited and we now had a whole bunch of new suggestions.  When I mentioned Jake's Rib in Chickasha, they said that Roy's BBQ in town was much better.
 
Meers Store
Highway 115
Meers, OK
580-429-8051
 
The area around Meers is beautiful and this is a part of Oklahoma I hadn't seen before.  There are lakes, hills and the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge.  Unfortunately, our next destination closed at two and we had a long drive ahead, so we weren't able to explore more.  But, we couldn't help but pull over and take some photos when we saw buffalo.
 
Much more to come.....

I'm lovin' this BB. A plethora of my favourite type of burger. Very nice.
 
Is this the home town of Vincent Maranto??

DT

I want that cherry cobbler!!!!!!

Man, that cobbler and that banana pudding both look gorgeous.

rumaki


I want that cherry cobbler!!!!!!

You better bring the whole family to help you eat it all!
 
Ralph-
My photos of the cobbler were all turning out terrible, so I picked up and took it to another table next to a window to get that shot.  Poor Johnny, his ice cream is melting and I am carrying his dessert around the restaurant.

You're killing me with those burgers. How would you like it if I posted photo-after-photo of pies you couldn't reach?

Monday April 23, 2012 (cont.)
 
When it comes to the planning of these trips, I usually take care of it.  This is because I enjoy it and Johnny is always way too busy with work.  On this trip, Johnny came with a list of places he wouldn't mind visiting because he saw them on one of the food tv shows.  A few of them were already on my list, but several others I hadn't known about.  One of those places was The Diner in Norman, so we decided to squeeze it in.
 
Located on a busy main drag through the downtown area,

they close at 2:00PM everyday.  They are known for their breakfasts and their chili, which is why we were here.  As soon as we walked in, an energetic young lady

greeted us with a big smile.  When Johnny said he saw the show on tv and we were here to try the chili, she immediately scooped out two samples for us to try.

As we dug in,she informed us that The Diner was a two-time Oklahoma state chili champion.  And we could taste why, because it was excellent.
 
This, of course, led to larger bowls of chili and she asked if we wanted cheese on top.  Now, who is going to say no to that? 

I am certainly no chili expert, but I would call this a dry chili, because there was almost no liquid at all.  Still, it was heavy on moist meat, with a complex flavor.  There are a lot of different seasonings going on there.  And the more we ate, the spicier it got.
 
The interior is long and narrow, with counter seats and booths against the wall. 

The Diner is over 100 years old and there is no question they are doing things right.  And our service could not have been better.  When she found out I was from PIttsburgh, she wanted to talk hockey.  Her favorite team is the Colorado Avalanche, which alos meant she hated the Detroit Red Wings.  But, her all-time favorite player was Brendan Shanahan, who used to play for the Red Wings.  She even named her son Brendan.  Who would have guessed I would be talking hockey with a waitress in Oklahoma?
 
The Diner
213 E. Main Street
Norman, OK
405-329-6642
 
 
We checked out the area outside the restaurant and came across an attractive old theater. 

Damn, we missed the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band by one day!  Even better, they have a statue of Norman's own James Garner,

dressed up as his famous tv character Maverick.
 
Norman is also the home to the University of Oklahoma, so I took advantage of being here and visited the bookstore to buy a Sooners t-shirt and a sweatshirt.  Having a few moments, we walked around the campus a bit.   On the side of the football stadium, they had a series of statues

of football legends, such as Billy Sims

and Bud Wilkinson.

 
By the way, the traffic we experienced in and around Norman was by far the worst on the entire trip.  It seemed to take forever to get back onto the highway.  Anyway, we continued on, heading east towards Shawnee.
 
Much more to come..... 

Michael Hoffman


You're killing me with those burgers. How would you like it if I posted photo-after-photo of pies you couldn't reach?

Good news!  Only four of five burger joints left!
 
davwud-
You got me with Vincent Maranto.  Who is that?  And thank you for the kind comments. 

Possibly Vince Maranto the comedian?
 
Although on the CBS sitcom "Mike & Molly" there's a character named "Vince Maranto", played by veteran actor Louis Mustillo.

buffetbuster

Michael Hoffman


You're killing me with those burgers. How would you like it if I posted photo-after-photo of pies you couldn't reach?

Good news!  Only four of five burger joints left!

davwud-
You got me with Vincent Maranto.  Who is that?  And thank you for the kind comments. 

The chicken got it.
Vincent (Vince) Maranto is indeed a character on Mike and Molly. The show is great and he's part of why. There are a few fringe characters (like him) that have no filter. They say what's on their mind. Very funny stuff if you like that kinda thing.
 
DT

Monday April 23, 2012 (cont.)
 
Once arriving in Shawnee, we made our way to the Hamburger King. 


The outside could use a coat of paint, but it looks like they recently repainted the signs on their windows.  The inside has both booths and counter seats. 

Being in business since 1927, Hamburger King exudes Roadfood atmosphere.  On the back wall, they have a great photograph of original owner George Macsas with musician Bob Wills and actor Jack Hoxie. 

At each booth, they have a telephone for calling in your order.
 
 
At this point, Johnny and I were starting to get full.  So, we finally wised up and decided to split a cheeseburger.  Here is the burger portion of the menu. 

When I picked up the phone to call the kitchen, you don't hear any kind of dialtone or ringing, so you aren't really sure if it is working or not.  I stayed on the phone for several minutes and watched as several employees walked around the kitchen not answering the phone.  It was at about this time Johnny took a photo of me waiting,

not so patiently.  After what seemed like a long time to me, I hung up and moved to the booth behind us to try their phone.  And no one was picking up that phone either.  Finally, I got a waitresses attention and asked why the phones weren't working.  She gave me a bored look and went over and answered the kitchen phone.  So, here is this woman 20 feet away from me and I am on the phone giving her our order.  The whole thing just seemed silly to me.  I have enjoyed this system of ordering in the past, but this time it was a problem.  Luckily, the service got much better from here.
 
The first item out was the frito pie. 

We thought this dish was kind of greasy, with a mild chili.  It was fine at first, but didn't taste nearly as good after it cooled down.  We ordered the cheeseburger basket, which means it came with potato wedges. 

We both liked these big, crispy coated fries, especially the creamy interior.  Johnny said it reminded him of what they call western fries back in Baltimore.  The burger itself was a disappointment.  First, the bun and toppings to meat ratio was way off. 

We should have gotten a double meat to balance it out.  The beef also tasted dry and Johnny did not like the bun.  This was the burger we least enjoyed on our trip.  But, to be fair, this was our third burger of the day and we were close to being burgered out.  I do think it necessary to give the burger here another try someday.
 
They do have homemade pie

and who are we to say no?  Johnny took the banana cream. 

The filling was a gloppy mess, but Johnny admired the excellent thin, flaky crust.  It tasted too much like a bad banana pudding to me.  My slice, fruit salad pie,

was something neither one of us had seen before.  We knew ahead of time that it would be canned fruit cocktail, plus there were some cut up banana bits.  The inside filling reminded Johnny of a strawberry glaze.  Along with that impressive crust, this pie turned out be much more successful than expected.
 
Hamburger King
322 E. Main Street
Shawnee, OK
405-878-0488
 
Since we were already in Shawnee, we debated whether or not there was enough appetite left for the other classic Roadfood restaurant in town, Van's Pig Stand.
 
Much more to come.....

BB:  As usual, I totally enjoyed your travel journal, food stops, pics and interest in the things that surround you.  You make a wonderful read. Chili, burgers, steaks, veggies, pies and desserts and much much more.
 
Sincerely
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Buffetbuster has the best reviews out there; great pics too.  I enjoy all the reviews on Roadfood, but I always look forward to BB's reviews, except for his un-natural liking for anything with banana in it. 
 
Thanks for another great set of reviews!

Thank you to Paul and the grillman for the generous comments.
 
The Grillman-
Bananas are one of those foods I am always surprised to read that someone doesn't like.  But, people look at me funny when I tell them I don't like cheesecake.  Sorry to say there are still quite a few banana desserts coming.  Just hide your eyes!

This report has been great so far!  I've enjoyed all of it.  And I know where to eat next time I go to Oklahoma!
 

buffetbuster


Thank you to Paul and the grillman for the generous comments.

The Grillman-
Bananas are one of those foods I am always surprised to read that someone doesn't like.  But, people look at me funny when I tell them I don't like cheesecake.  Sorry to say there are still quite a few banana desserts coming.  Just hide your eyes!

 
Sorry, bananas are one of the few foods I don't relish.  It's not even a real fruit.  Think about it; real fruit has juice.  You can have orange juice, apple, grape, cherry, apricot, peach, pineapple, strawberry, berry, grapefruit, watermelon and cantaloupe (ah, agua fresca)  even tomato (somewhat of a fruit); but when was the last time you heard of someone sitting down at the diner and ordering a glass of banana juice for breakfast?  Can't happen....
 
oh, you can have SMOOTHIES; but not juice.  It's just not right.  And the texture just creeps me out.
now, I'm done hijacking the thread; back the discussion of the trip.
 
good job, BB.
 
 

Louis-
It is always a pleasure to hear from you!  Sorry we missed each other during the Nashville trip a few months ago.
 
The Grillman-
You make a good case, but I'm going to keep eating banana pudding and banana cream pie anyway!  I do understand about texture though.  There sure aren't many foods I don't like, but the ones I don't are usually because of texture.

Great report, Buffetbuster.....looking forward to more...thanks! That fruit cocktail pie looked good to me.

Monday April 23, 2012 (cont.)
 
On one of my early Roadfood trips over a decade ago, I stopped at both Jake's Rib in Chickasha and Van's Pig Stand in Shawnee and thought they were very good.  Unfortunately, I have never been able to revisit either one.  Now, here we were in Shawnee and I really wanted Johnny to be able to try at least one of them.  So, we talked ourselves into at least splitting a sandwich or something.  This was probably a mistake.....
 
Van's still looks great,

including the wonderful pig shaped neon sign. 

There is also a similar painted pig on the back fence in the parking lot. 

The inside is clean, comfortable and attractive

to anyone who loves wood and lots of it.  The booths are tall-backed, with lots of graffiti.

 
Of course, once we got inside and looked at the menu, our eyes were hungrier than our stomaches and we ordered more food than we said we would.  A two meat combo was agreed upon, with Johnny choosing the ribs and me ordering the pork. 

The ribs were fine, but nothing special. 

The meat did tear away easily from the bone, but I thought it needed sauce.  Actually, Johnny liked them better than I did.  The coarse textured, lightly sauced pork was more my taste and had really good piggy flavor.  Speaking of the sauce, it was on the sweet side and we both liked it.  Side #1, the fried okra was just average, but the other side was what they call a Vanized baked potato. 

This is a twice baked potato, with a strong bacon flavor and we could detect some onion in there, too.  No doubt, this was a hit with both of us.
 
Since we were here in the middle of the afternoon, we basically had the place to ourselves.  In the back dining room they had a nice fireplace, plus photographs of all the local high school cheerleading squads over the years. 

It was interesting to see how much clothes and hairstyles have changed.
 
Van's Pig Stand
717 E.Highland
Shawnee, OK
405-273-8704 
 
The food at Van's is very good and it deserves a better review than I am probably giving it here.  Truthfully, we were just too full to really appreciate it.  It had been a long day already, so we headed back to the hotel to catch up on some rest before dinner.  We still had one more Roadfood stop before leaving central Oklahoma.
 
Much more to come.....   

leethebard


Great report, Buffetbuster.....looking forward to more...thanks! That fruit cocktail pie looked good to me.

Thanks Lee.  That pie turned out much better than any pie made with fruit cocktail should have!

Monday April 23, 2012 (cont.)
 
After long naps for both of us, we woke up refreshed and ready for dinner.  Tonight, we were headed for Eischen's Bar in Okarche, OK, around 45 minutes northwest of Oklahoma City.  We were really looking forward to this, since not only does appear in the Roadfood books (but not on the website), but twice during the day we had others tell us how great this place was.  Eischen's has been in business since 1896 and proudly proclaims itself as the oldest bar in Oklahoma.  The fact that they are open late (the kitchen stays open 'til 10:00) allowed to have a late dinner.
 
Okarche is a small town with a population a little more than 1,000.  Eischen's is easy to find, due to lots of signage. 


We parked in what looked like a bank parking lot and Eischen's is directly behind the bank.  They have two main rooms here, the bar side

and the dining room. 

Both are very dark and surprisingly big, since the building looked small from the outside.
 
Strike #1 occurred as soon as I walked in the door, as there was an unmistakable, unpleasant smell of grease.  As some of you who have read my trip reports might know, I have never complained about this before.  But here, it was powerfully strong.  Like anything though, you get used to it and in a short amount of time, I didn't even notice.  
 
Strike #2 was the floor of the dining room,

which had some kind of green powder on it.  Johnny had seen this before and this is so people won't slip on a slick floor.  So far, Eischen's isn't off to a good start with me.
 
The menu is small

and most come here just for the fried chicken.  And from what Johnny saw on one of the tv food shows, they will only fry up entire chickens, so ordering parts here is not possible.  The chicken was outstanding! 


It had maybe the crispiest skin I have seen on a bird, which I like.  The meat was tender and very juicy, with great flavor.  We both thought this was among the best fried chickens we have ever had, although not quite in a category with Stroud's or a Bon Ton Mini Mart.  Johnny also pointed out that he ran into some spots of the chicken that were grease soaked.  With the chicken, you get slices of bread cut in half,

plus a basket of pickles and onions. 

By the way, we didn't get any plates.  Or silverware.  Or glasses for our cans of soda.  They brought out several sheets of wax paper to eat over.

 
Just to see what is what like, we also tried a roast beef sandwich. 

We found the meat to be dry and I wouldn't recommend it.
 
On the way to the bathroom, I spotted this cartoon hanging on the wall.
 
 
Eischen's Bar
109 N 2nd Street
Okarche, OK
405-263-9939  
 
It was straight back to the hotel, since we were getting off to an early start the next day.
 
Much more to come.....     

Tuesday April 24, 2012
 
It was an early departure for us, so we could beat OKC rush hour traffic.  An hour later, we arrived at our breakfast destination, Rock Cafe in Stroud, OK. 

This place has been a Route 66 landmark since 1939.  In 2008, Rock Cafe was devestated by a fire.  Our waitress brought over a coffee table book on Route 66, to show us a photo of owner Dawn Welch in front of the damage. 

Unbelievable!  Obviously, they have rebuilt and now, the inside is much bigger than before.

 
To start us off, we split an order of beignets. 

These came out very hot and had a crunchy exterior.  They were soft inside, but were quite dense.  We would order these again.
 
Johnny ordered the apple streusel crepes. 

These were thicker than typical crepes, but not as thick as a pancake.  Feel free to think of them as crepcakes.  He praised them for not being overly sweet.  Good, thick bacon on the side, but we both would have preferred our hash browns if they were crispier.
 
I went with the chicken fried steak.  Instead of the beef, I substituted it for a pork cutlet. 


Man, was this good!  Juicy, incredibly tender, covered in a mild cream gravy, I couldn't have been happier with it.  The gravy came on the side,

along with a soft biscuit.
 
We really liked the feel of Rock Cafe.  There  in the center table was a group of locals, swapping stories and laughs over cups of coffee.  I eavesdropped a little.  One guy was wearing a prank visor, which made it look like he had ghost white hair.  He told them that tomorrow he was going to wear his Rafastarian (instead of Rastafarian) hat, which got a chuckle from the crowd.  And not long after our food arrived, a woman walked in and said in a loud voice, "I smell chicken fried steak.  And I want a bite!"  This was owner Dawn Welch and she chatted with us for a few minutes at our table, before heading for the kitchen.  A very likable person, it is thought that the character Sally Carrera from the movie Cars is based on her.  In fact, there are several cutouts of cars that appeared in the movie in front of the restaurant.

 
We got back in our car and continued on towards Tulsa.
 
Rock Cafe
114 W. Main Street
Stroud, OK
918-968-3990 
 
Much more to come..... 

Tuesday April 24, 2012 (cont.) 
 
Arriving in Tulsa too early for any of the lunch restaurants to be open, we had to kill some time.  So, our first stop was the famous Golden Driller. 


This monument to the oil worker stands at 76 feet and is the tallest free standing statue in the world and the third tallest statue in the U.S.A.  Very impressive!  We also made a quick stop at the University of Tulsa's bookstore, where I bought a Golden Hurricanes t-shirt.
 
We drove to our lunch destination Claud's Hamburgers

and were the first customers in the door when they opened.  Claud's is a great looking, small, white burger stand with all counter seats. 

As you can see on the menu board,

it is all about the burgers here.
 
Knowing how much food we had ahead of us again today, we both took it easy and ordered just regular cheeseburgers.  Onion, mustard and pickle automatically come on your burger.  They will add tomato and lettuce upon request, which Johnny did, but I declined.  Once again, we chose our seats wisely as the grill was right in front of us.  There were two men behind the counter and the younger one was making our burgers.  We watched the beef sizzle

and then they put the buns right on the grill for a short amount of time.  

American cheese was then added and then the top bun.

 
In just a few minutes, we had some beautiful burgers set down in front us. 

Although not particularly big,

these provided big flavor.  Not greasy, it still was juicy and there was a little pink on the inside despite being so thin.  This was an excellent burger!
 
Still, something was amiss.  We were halfway through when Johnny remembered that there are supposed to be onions fried right into the beef, like at the other onion burger joints.  It even says that right on the menu.  You can see the raw onions on top of the bottom bun in this photo. 

Drat!  It sure seems the young guy made a mistake.  While we were very happy with what we were eating, we couldn't help but wonder how much better it could be with the fried onions.  Immediately after making our burgers, the older man took over the grill.  We considered saying something, but what was the point?  On my next visit to Tulsa, I may need to revisit to see what I missed.
 
Claud's Hamburgers
3834 S. Peoria Avenue
Tulsa, OK
918-742-8332
 
Back to the car for lunch # 2!
 
Much more to come.....   

Before I forget, I wanted to post this link.  Tulsa just might be the most burger crazy city in the U.S. and this blog is an invaluable source.

buffetbuster,
 
You are killing me with all your burgers. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
That chicken fried pork & gravy for breakfast has me drooling.  'Scuse me Davydd, but that's the way to eat breaded pork - toss the bun and taste the meat.
 
jrp

JRPfeff-
Thanks for taking the time to post all those burger photos in a row.  It is easier to compare them.  Right now, I am leaning towards the double at Jack's being the best looking, though not the best tasting.  We still have a few more contenders from Tulsa coming up.

And you know what happened when we stopped in Tulsa for a onion burger ... I had a little man standing on my shoulder.  A Traveling Man.

Jim-
I hate traveling with that guy!  Which place was it?

I think it was Hank's.  We pulled in after 6:00 on a Saturday Sunday Saturday.
 
nb - I checked the trip report and it was a Saturday.  What's up with that?

Sorry to hear that.  You may not want to read what I say about Hank's then!

No, you'll probably make me that much more determined to eat there.
 
Note: Corrected previous post, I think it was a Sunday.  I was right the first time.

Tuesday April 24, 2012 (cont.)
 
Next up was a quick meal at the small Tulsa chain, Coney I-Lander. 

They have a great sign, but the building looks like a typical non-descript fast food joint.  I tried to visit this hot dog restaurant on my last visit to Tulsa, but they were closed for the entire holiday weekend.  Since it was cousin Johnny's turn to buy, he went up to the counter,

while I grabbed a booth.  
 
He brought back a couple hot dogs, a tamale and root beers.  

We ate the tamale first. 

It was filled with moist beef and covered with chili and cheese.  Not too bad.  The hot dogs are indeed small. 

We liked the soft steamed buns and the chili, which was beanless and had no heat to it.  The wiener itself was of low quality.  The side of the root beer cup shows the house motto: 

Since 1926, We Haven't Changed a Bite!  Just over where we were sitting was a word scramble,

which Johnny quickly solved.  I was too busy eating!
 
Coney I-Lander
7462 E. Admiral Place
Tulsa, OK
918-836-2336
 
One famous tourist attraction that I completely missed during my previous visit to Tulsa was the giant praying hands at Oral Roberts University.  I would not make that mistake again. 


This is the largest bronze sculpture in the world. 
 
From there, we drove to downtown Tulsa to check in to our hotel.
 
Much more to come.....       

BB:  I have spent a lot of time in Tulsa and I know it well.  The praying hand with the defunct hospital is famous along with Oral Roberts.  Thank God that he was not killed because he got his millions of dollars and in spite of that the enormous hospital failed.  I started a business there around 1985 and it is still very active with abouy 150 employees
 
In regard to the place with the green floors, I would have left right then and there.  I have no respect for any place that is not mega clean.
 
I sure do enjoy your trips and reports and photos.  You are among the  best among several other best.
 
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

buffetbuster





We got back in our car and continued on towards Tulsa.

  

 
Buffetbuster


Ok, I have to ask, Is this the car that you rented for your trip?
 
I'm amazed at all of the great looking burgers you've found in Oklahom. I'll certainly have to try a few when  I visit next year.
 
You know, my expression of disapproval had to pop up when you ordere the pork cutlet instead of the chicken fried steak !
 

WJ-
Considering how much beef I ate on this trip, I thought you would cut me a break on the disapproval face.  Then you are really going to be unhappy with my next meal!

This is the first time I have looked at this report, BB. It is quite an adventure and i have enjoyed reading and look forward to my network upgrade to see the photos,

 
Looks like an old 1960's Pizza Hut Building to me?   They may not have changed but I betcha they moved once...LOL
 

buffetbuster


Tuesday April 24, 2012 (cont.)

Next up was a quick meal at the small Tulsa chain, Coney I-Lander. 

They have a great sign, but the building looks like a typical non-descript fast food joint.  I tried to visit this hot dog restaurant on my last visit to Tulsa, but they were closed for the entire holiday weekend.  Since it was cousin Johnny's turn to buy, he went up to the counter,

while I grabbed a booth.  

He brought back a couple hot dogs, a tamale and root beers.  

We ate the tamale first. 

It was filled with moist beef and covered with chili and cheese.  Not too bad.  The hot dogs are indeed small. 

We liked the soft steamed buns and the chili, which was beanless and had no heat to it.  The wiener itself was of low quality.  The side of the root beer cup shows the house motto: 

Since 1926, We Haven't Changed a Bite!  Just over where we were sitting was a word scramble,

which Johnny quickly solved.  I was too busy eating!

Coney I-Lander
7462 E. Admiral Place
Tulsa, OK
918-836-2336

One famous tourist attraction that I completely missed during my previous visit to Tulsa was the giant praying hands at Oral Roberts University.  I would not make that mistake again. 


This is the largest bronze sculpture in the world. 

From there, we drove to downtown Tulsa to check in to our hotel.

Much more to come.....       

Keep it coming...love the burgers....great report.

Big Glenn-
Johnny and I thought the same thing, that must have been an old Pizza Hut building.  And it surely doesn't go back to 1926.  From what I read, the original Coney I-Lander location was in downtown Tulsa. 

buffetbuster, I have to echo the many others who are now salivating for burgers.  As one said, your report is a true resource.  We are heading to visit friends in Texas soon, and a couple days in Oklahoma at restaurants and museums are now in the plan.
 
But regard the onions fried in at Claud's -- I did think, when reading the menu, that they meant you have to request them fried in, like you have to request the lettuce and tomato.  
 
At least that's the way I read it.

Upon re-reading the menu at Clauds I do see that you apparently have to order the onions cooked in. I didn't read it that way the first time.

Neither did I ces1948.  But, now that I see it, that sure looks like what happened.  Now I feel bad for accusing the young cook of making a mistake, when it looks like our error. 
 
Thanks for pointing that our easydoesit.  And have a wonderful time on your trip to Texas/Oklahoma.  If you hit any of the burgers places written about here or find some new ones, it would be greatly appreciated if you could report back and tell us what you found.

Tuesday April 24 (cont.)
 
Before we arrived in Tulsa, I wrote long time Roadfood member Howard Baratz if he would be interested in joining us for a meal while we were in town.  I had never met Howard before, but we have a mutual friend who told me he is a great guy and we would enjoy his company.  He replied that the timing was perfect, since Mrs. Baratz was out of town.  We settled on Tuesday evening dinner and Howard picked us up at our hotel.  When Howard asked where I wanted to go, White River Fish Market was my top choice.  Part of the reason is because Howard (along with tiki) is the one who recommended Michael Stern visit the place, which ultimately led to it being reviewed here on Roadfood.
 
White River Fish Market

is in what looks like a small strip mall.  They have a wonderful fish neon sign in the parking lot. 

Arriving around 6:30PM, there was already a good crowd.  The first thing you notice when you walk in is all the beautiful fresh seafood on display. 

 


They aren't kidding about the market part of their name and we were told that most of the top restaurants in the city get their seafood here.  Everything you see here is flown in fresh.
 
We quickly moved to the front of the line to place our order.  The selection here is daunting,


but Howard helpfully offered good advice.  After you pay, you find some open seats and the food is brought to you.  The dining room itself is large and comfortable.

 
I believe all three of us started off with the gumbo. 

There wasn't a lot of sausage, onions and beef in it, but it made up for it with terrific flavor and just the right amount of heat.  Delicious!
 
Howard got the grilled sea bass,

which he was nice enough to allow Johnny and I to taste.  This fish just melted in your mouth and I have already decided that is what I am going to order the next time here.  
 
Johnny, a.k.a. Captain Combo, couldn't resist the fried combination dinner. 

On the plate, you see catfish, sea scallops, shrimp, deviled crab and hush puppies.  His favorite may have been the large scallops, which were well cooked (not rubbery) with a light coating.  He also liked the onion and green pepper flavor in the deviled crab and thought the catfish was very moist and delicate.  One of his sides was the onion rings. 

As you can see, there were lots of whole rings and even more half pieces.  Though they were on the greasy side, they were a hit with all three of us.
 
My meal started off with the shrimp cocktail. 

Oh man, was this good!  These shrimp were plump and fresh and this may have been my favorite item here.  The entree was the grilled mahi mahi,

which was nice and moist and seperated easily with a fork.  There were a few bones, which is no big deal.  I definitely took advantage of the cup of butter on the side and enjoyed dragging bit of firm fish through it.  The hushpuppies come with all meals.  I am not typically a fan of hush puppies, but these were better than average.  They had a thick, crunchy outside coating and the flavor was greatly enhanced by red pepper.  One of my sides was the spiced rice, which was basically just dirty rice and was nothing special.  But Johnny and I both enjoyed the cole slaw,

which was wet, sweet and minced into small bits.
 
After all the red meat I had eaten on the trip so far, White River Fish Market was just the change of pace meal that I needed.  A big thanks to Howard for bringing us here!
 
White River Fish Market
1708 N. Sheridan 
Tulsa, OK
918-835-1910
 
Apparently, my reputation preceded me here as Howard suggested a pie stop before we called it a night.
 
Much more to come.....               

BB & Johnnie,
  You continue to inspire us to target those places that you report !!
You two will be entered into the Legends of the RoadFood  for our children's children to read of and admire.
 
    Much Like the "Cisco Kid and Pancho"  ,
    "The Lone Ranger and Tonto" 
       (or maybe the Smothers Brothers!)

Fantastic trip report, buffetbuster! No need to ever apologize for too many photos of those burgers. And I love the term "pig stand!" That just says it all. Thanks for this no calorie tour of all these wonderful Roadfood eats!

About Eischen's Bar:  If the okra is $6.00 it had better be good!
 
About Coney I-Lander in Tulsa: I tried the location that was in the Sterns' books because they recommended it.  But I wasn't too impressed.
 
I found a much better Coney I-Lander down the road a couple of miles toward the center of town (2838 East 11th; ph. 918-592-3113.)  The chili was excellent, as was the tamale; both were much better than the hot dog.  I think the Sterns--and everyone else--should check out this other location.  They might be surprised.
 

Louis

About Eischen's Bar:  If the okra is $6.00 it had better be damn good!

 
  The portions are huge. An order is enough for three or four people. Well, maybe not these two guys.
 
buffetbuster, next time you are in OKC you should try the (in)famous Bobo's Chicken. It's the real deal.

MayorAl-
Thanks again for pulling that photo out.  I just wish I could still fit into that Cypress Grill t-shirt!
 
tcrouzer-
Your right!  As much as I like the name bbq parlor, pig stand is even better.  And thanks for the compliment.
 
iceomat-
I did a little reading on Bobo's Chicken and it looks like the real thing.  Thanks for the tip!  As we were leaving OKC and Central Oklahoma, we were both thinking we could easily spend another week and not run out of interesting places to eat.

I was in Tulsa a few years ago to speak at a conference, and didn't have a car,  so I was very limited in my ability to get around.
 
But I did go to the "Blue Dome District," to see the famous gas station with the blue dome.  I ate across the street at the diner -- had biscuits and gravy -- OK, but not world-altering.  
http://www.bluedometulsa.com/index2.php#/home/
 
Tulsa has fabulous Art Deco architecture.  Did you get to see some of it -- between burgers, I mean?
 

rumaki-
Being a big fan of Art Deco, I checked out a lot of the sights during my last trip to Tulsa in 2008.  You can see part of it in this trip report.  But, I know nothing of the Blue Dome District.  Very nice!