1501 NW 23rd Street
405-524-9100
http://www.mexicasaokc.com/

For years I always promised myself that I would drop by Tom and Jerry’s after hearing so many rave reviews about the establishment.  After all it’s in my hood.  One Valentine’s day, being the ill prepared typical male that I am, I tried to make reservations with for my date and myself to no avail.   A few months back I was pissed to find out that Tom and Jerry’s had closed down; but after inquiring, I discovered that Tom and Jerry’s would be moving north and the former location will be renovated to a fun Mexican restaurant still owned by the same folks.  I also heard they brought in a chef from somewhere special and he was really good and that they were doing some pretty creative things with the dining room.  Well, I don’t know about the chef, but I can tell you the dining room is pretty cool and the food is great!

One of the stand-out items is the queso, which is served complimentary with the chips and salsa. It is über creamy and made with Monterey Jack cheese.  Everyone that I have been there with agrees that it is of superior quality and tastes much better than any complimentary queso around.  Each meal is also served with a complimentary sopaipilla. The salsa is great and they have more fiery habanero version that provides more heat.  The food is great and so is the atmosphere.  While polling some friends that have been there the following notable statements were made. “Their queso is so good it makes you want to sew your ass shut.” Also, “If their fajita steak and chicken were to marry and have a baby they would suitably name him Jesus!” To both statements I proclaimed, “How nice for you…” but I secretly agree. 

I am also told that the owners have kept some of the infamous brunch items around.  I have not tried them but they certainly have a good reputation.  Since discovering Tom & Jerry’s in its new and colorful incarnation I have been a regular and would be remised to not write a review of the place.  They have some more authentic menu options such as street tacos with onions, cilantro and lime with a gourmet twist. (pssst! Al Pastor would be great meat option!). Oh, I forgot to mention that their prices are extremely reasonable; especially the lunch menu.  I recommended Mexicasa to my co-workers who are extremely skeptical of my restaurant choices, after a few South OKC surprises. Everyone left impressed with the quite unique ambiance and great food that satisfied both the meek and the adventurous.

When driving down 23^rd street you have to pay attention as not to miss MexiCasa, not that the building is in anyway inconspicuous. I encourage all to patronize this restaurant I believe you will be impressed.

The Red Cup
3122 N Classen Blvd
Oklahoma City, OK 73118
(405) 525-3430
Web Site
Map

Everyone who writes for OkcBites has been frequenting the Red Cup for quite some time now. Most of the time we all go there together and the conversation inevitably turns to us talking about how we really need to review this place. We always end up taking pictures and talking about what we might say, but these little impromptu brainstorm sessions never really result in anything productive. I think that’s partly because we’re lazy but also because none of us want to attempt to put this place into words. In fact I’m firmly convinced that President Obama’s (it feels good to type that) speech writer would have trouble describing the greatness of this place. So with that small disclaimer I am going to attempt to do it.

I think it might be better to think of the Red Cup as a state of mind rather than merely a restaurant. The actual building is an old house that has been painted green. The roof is adorned with a giant inviting red cup. There is a decent sized patio that allows smoking and dogs, while there are a few other tables nestled in a little grove of shade trees complimented by a soothing little waterfall pouring into a small pond.

On any given day you can expect to see a very eclectic clientele. You might look in one direction and see men and women dressed to impress working on some type of presentation. A casual turn of the head might reveal a small group of college students doing some desperate last minute cramming before an afternoon test. A turn of the head in another direction might result in a group of friends trying to piece together the events of the night before over coffee. One thing about the Red Cup is there always seems to be a state of tranquility within the walls. There might be 20 people in a line being held up by one indecisive person (usually BJ) but nobody seems to act inconvenienced or rushed (except for me, if it is BJ). The environment just feels very relaxing and harmonious.

It is also a guarantee that the Red Cup will have something decent coming out of the Speakers. The music will not be too loud, but it won’t be a whisper either. It is just the right volume for perfect background music. More often than not it is Neil Young, but I have also heard the likes of The Beatles and even Tom Waits. There is something about good music and good conversation that makes food tasted a little bit better.

Speaking of food I guess it is about time I touched on what they have available. This little restaurant has some of the most incredible food available in Oklahoma City, and everything on the menu will leave a person with a strong desire to return. When I go I try and force myself to order something different every time, but I have really only been successful with this a hand full of times. I have tried everything from their Peanut Butter, Banana and Honey Sandwich to their Red Beans & Brown Rice, but I consistently find myself revisiting their Veggie Burger. The Veggie Burger patty is made of lentils and I think it’s made in house. It comes with lettuce, tomato, jack and mayo tucked in between a delicious toasted onion bun. Most of the sandwiches are served with Fritos which for some reason just add a little something extra to the meal. My wife typically gets the Gringo Salad which consists of lettuce, rice, beans, olives, onion, tomato, carrots, salsa-vinaigrette, sour cream and tortilla chips all mixed into a colorful bowl. She swears by this and very rarely deviates from this dish. Since my wife and I are both vegetarians the Red Cup is kind of a safe haven for us. They have plenty of meat free options, and you never have to worry about what type of meaty substance might accidentally sneak into your dish. As you can imagine I could go on and on about how great the food is, but I think you get the point. I’ll let you judge for yourself. Also, if you’re a coffee lover please do yourself a favor and drive past Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. Just keep on going until you reach the Red Cup. I can, without hesitation, say that my favorite coffee in all of Oklahoma City comes from the Red Cup. In fact we purchase bags of it from them and make it at work. There is one stipulation when it comes to ordering their coffee. It must be coupled with one of their amazing desserts. They have a wide array of delicious baked goods to choose from, and each one is just as satisfying as the next. The decision making process basically comes down to what you prefer. Personally I find it impossible to leave without indulging in one of their apricot bars. If you’re on a diet I recommend skipping dinner or spending an extra hour on the treadmill, but damn sure don’t let one of these baked goods slip through your grasp.

I try not to just throw around perfect 10’s, in fact the only other one I’ve ever given has been Bangkok, but occasionally everything about a place just feels right.  I hope I’ve at least done a decent job describing what a wonderful little place this is. Probably the most interesting thing about the Red Cup is that while the patrons might appear diverse they really aren’t that different from each other. Everyone there is just looking for some great food, good conversation and a relaxing environment to enjoy both in. I’m sure everyone who has eaten at the Red Cup has their own reasons for loving the place. These just happen to be a few of mine.

2431 North Classen Blvd.
Oklahoma City, Ok 73106
(405) 521-8819

It seems like everyone that I’ve met has a different place they consider to have the absolute best pho. These are more than just opinions but beliefs that are fought to the bitter end. During one of these heated debates a coworker recommended we try Pho Ca Dao. As an avid contrarian, I decided that I would give this joint a puff, just to nay say it. Ca Dao is located in a semi-shady shopping center deep in the Asian district which automatically got me excited. Upon entering the establishment I was happy to see plenty of tables arranged both in community style rows and smaller group settings. The staff was also courteous and spoke just enough English to take the order but leave everyone a little nervous of what they might get (again bonus points). Our table was equally split between vegetarians and meat eaters, and therefore the orders were also split between pho and vermicelli bowls. After a short wait filled with insults and nervous chatter about the possibility of meat in the vegetarians lunches the meal began to arrive. First, the generous helpings of basil, bean sprouts, jalapenos, and lime; followed by large bowls of piping hot pho. The vermicelli bowls arrived thereafter and instantly ended all speculation on order accuracy. I ordered the lean brisket and was blown away at how lean the meat actually was. The broth was the perfect combination of color, taste, and aroma. Of course I’m a big fan of Sriracha sauce and do not consider any pho, or most any cuisine, complete until my taste buds are on fire and there is a slight perspiration on my brow. While I was enjoying my pho I kept looking over at the vermicelli bowls thinking that the vegetarians got screwed. The bowls consisted of a pile of noodles, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, bean sprouts, basil, mint, roasted peanuts, and a smidge of finely diced and fried onions, along with a side dish of fish oil. To my amazement everyone that got the vermicelli bowls just would not shut up about how bomb they were. The pho eaters floundered back and forth on whether or not it was better than the Phoa Hoa or the one in the old Long John Silver’s where Wayne Coyne worked. Personally I felt that Ca Dao had the best combination of factors that entitled it to best pho. These factors of course are centered on taste but also include quality, service, availability of seating, and ambiance. Note – when I say ambiance I don’t mean that there is a status quo of coolness that must be met. Rather, I mean the feel of the restaurant matches with my preferences for that specific type of food. For example, a good Mexican restaurant needs to be non-chain and a little run down/dirty for it to be worth a damn. Pho Ca Dao met and exceeds every one of those factors. BUT, the reason I came back was to try that mother effen vermicelli bowl. I ordered the combination bowl that came with egg rolls and grilled pork, and my God the world stopped. The eggrolls were amazing, the pork was grilled to perfection, and the combination of flavors blew my palette. After having one of these bowls, it has become one of my weekly meals, and has taken over Mexican food in both hypotheticals: if I could only eat one type of food for the rest of my life, and last meal on earth. Needless to say I am torn on what grade to give this establishment. The pho, vermicelli bowl, and eggrolls are as good as you’ll find. Unfortunately the vermicelli bowl is so good I can’t get myself to order anything else and therefore I am not sure I can vouch for the rest of the menu. Eh who cares, the vermicelli bowls are bomb their getting a 10…biatches.

9 NW 9th St
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
(405) 606-7172
Map‎

There comes a time when all good things must end. Fortunately there is the rare occasion when a good thing returns and becomes even better than its original incarnation. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present back to Oklahoma City once again the Iguana Mexican Grill. It is located just east of Broadway, in Automobile Alley, on 9^th Street and offers some of the most creative Mexican Fusion in the city.

]]> http://okcbites.com/?feed=rss2&p=397 http://okcbites.com/?p=377 http://okcbites.com/?p=377#comments Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:14:49 +0000 Jake http://okcbites.com/?p=377

1903 N Classen
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
(405) 602-8984
Map

I found this place a couple of years ago because I get my hair cut at Hair Rage II on Classen. My wife and I decided to give it a try, but I’m pretty sure we ordered the wrong thing. I’m not sure what it was but it was piled high with beets. I’m sure there is a large group of people someone out there who would take a bullet to defend the honor of a beet, but I can assure you I am not him. After nibbling at our plate of beets for awhile, my wife and I agreed to chalk this up as a misfire. I saw a couple of winters come and go before I would, again by chance, find myself within the walls of Café Antigua.

Coincidently this second time can be blamed on a haircut as well. I was car pooling on this fateful day and my co-worker decided he would give the restaurant a try while I got my hair cut. I warned him that all they serve are F*%$^&g sliced beets, but he had skipped lunch and decided he would chance it. I made my appointment for 4:00 but I usually make it at 5:00. This caused a bit of confusion with my hair cutter (sounds better than beautician or hair dresser) who was expecting me at 5:00. Needing to waste some time I figured I would join my co-worker next door and see how he was enjoying his beet plate. To my surprise I found him sitting there with a delightful looking plate full of eggs, tortillas, black beans, toast and some oatmeal looking stuff called Mosh. I stood in amazement as I didn’t see a single beet. Having eaten lunch already I decided to order what turned out to be fried bananas with some syrupy goodness topping them.

I spent the weekend thinking about that plate of bananas and what I saw on my friend’s plate. The following Monday I talked a few co-workers into heading over there for lunch and the rest is what I consider history. I ordered the “light breakfast” which consists of three eggs cooked with all kinds of spices, vegetables and a side of some spicy green sauce, bananas (not fried) apples and strawberries topped with a super delicious mango sauce, two slices of toast, and a hearty bowl of piping hot mosh.

Curious about mosh? Don’t worry I was too. Mosh is basically oatmeal. This made me feel weird because I always considered ordering oatmeal at a restaurant kind of a waste of my time as well as the restaurants. I figured the little packages of stuff I put in the microwave was as good as oatmeal was ever going to get for me, and I had come to terms with that. Mosh, however, completely blew my mind, and has opened my eyes to how delicious oatmeal can actually be. Basically mosh is oatmeal made with three kinds of sweet tasting milk (I assume they are all from a cow, but I can’t bring myself to ask. If you know and they aren’t do not tell me). I don’t know what type of special things they do to it to make it so good, but I can assure you it is. I’ve rambled about mosh for so long I almost forgot to mention how great their coffe is. It is rich and bold and served to you in a completly unpretentious cup. In essence you get great tasting coffee without questioning whether or not you’re a douchbag.

The actual restaurant is a quaint little place that is brightly colored and has nice eye pleasing pictures of Guatemala adorning the walls. Every time I’ve dined there they have only had one server, but he is like some type of wonder kid. He is very friendly and kind, and knows his way around a restaurant. I’m not sure how he manages all the tables at once, but I can assure you we could all learn a thing or two about multitasking form this kid. Not to mention he also manages to be your cashier when you leave.

The biggest selling point for Café Antigua is they serve breakfast all day long. I wish more places would follow their lead and progress towards this. We live in a new America now, and breakfast should be able to show its face after 11:00 AM. The one drawback is they close at 5:00 PM every day. Basically this just means I can only eat two meals there every day rather than three.

I can assure you that all three writers have eaten here and it comes with an undisputed OkcBites seal of approval. Do yourself a favor and make your way over to Café Antigua a soon as possible. Oh yeah while your in the neighborhood stop by Hair Rage and say hello to “A.”

It is big. Really big….  :)

Apparently there’s a new breakfast joint in town that goes by the name Wellington Pancake House. My wife and I were a bit hungover (more me than my wife) and we were looking for a quaint little place to indulge in a nice greasy breakfast. We knew this place was close by and relatively new so we decided to give it a try. We made the short trip south and pulled into a parking spot. We both may have noticed, but neither said anything about the abundance of what I like to call “grocery getters” surrounding us. For those of you more cool than myself a “grocery getter” is the stereotypical car you would see an elderly person driving. A couple of quick examples might include: Crown Victorias, Older model Lincoln Towncars, Le Sabres, or anything made by Buick. I’m sure subconsciously we both saw this as a bad sign, but we were hungry enough we were going in regardless.

We walked inside and were quickly greeted by a waitress and led to our booth. Once seated I had a chance to look around the place. I noticed a ton of floral decorations coupled with a plethora of small countryesque trinkets. I immediately knew this was either a great thing that would reflect in the food, or a horrible thing that would rear it’s ugly head in a number of other ways. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the latter. Upon closer inspection I noticed more wheel chairs, walkers, and oxygen tanks than I could count on one hand. To make things worse, and by sheer chance, we decided to dine right at the peak of the illustrious church crowd. This basically means the restaurant isn’t only filled with the old people, but sacrimonious old people who love to judge and could probably smell the alcohol on me from a mile away. For some reason this made me happy. Our waitress promptly greeted us and took our drink orders, then she just as promptly forgot she was waiting on us. We waited about 15 minutes and she finally came up and asked it we’ve ordered. We told her no and she apologized. Now I don’t have a problem with this because she was legitimately sorry, and she had to wait on a table of about 20 near corpses that were just as robotic as John McCain and maybe even slower in movement. As a matter of fact these guys would refer to John McCain a young whippersnapper. I know that is almost impossible to believe, but I’m not exaggerating I swear.

I guess I should probably get to the food because some of you may care. I ordered pancakes, two eggs over medium, and a side of well done hash browns, while my wife ordered some type of vegetable scrambler with a biscuit. We both got pretty much what we expected. Nothing mind blowingly wonderful, but at the same time it was pretty tasty. Although, the pancakes weren’t even comparable to other places I’ve dined, and that kind of bothered me. Don’t refer to yourself as an effing “Pancake House” if you haven’t even perfected the craft. Aside from being a chain, this is my main qualm with IHOP as well. One time I want to go a place that doesn’t just talk the talk, but can actually walk the walk when it comes to flap jacks.

Once we we’re outside I asked my wife what the deal with all the old people was and she replied, “it’s Warr Acres, what do you expect?” Then it all made sense.

Neptune Submarine Sandwiches
3301 N Classen Blvd
Oklahoma City, OK 73118
Phone: (405) 525-0414
MAP

It is weird what you can remember from when you are really little. I am talking about your earliest memories here, like when you were 4 or 5 or something. Sometimes it is just a smell or certain lighting in a room but usually it is something small and trivial and leaves you wondering, why the hell is that even a memory. Sometimes you can’t even be sure it is a real memory but just a story you have heard a million times that someone older told you about. Oddly enough for me perhaps my earliest memory is of Neptune Submarine Sandwich shops. And last week I went in another one and ate for the first time in literally scores of years.

DISCLAIMER
Now everything I relay from here on may or may not have happened. Remember we are talking about memories from a time when my young brain was still developing and not all of the neurons necessarily made it from point A to point B. I can’t even tell you how old I was either, but I will guess I was between 4 and 6. Ok, that concludes the disclaimer portion of this particular restaurant review (BTW – why don’t more restaurnat reviews need a disclaimer..)

So we lived near a Neptune Sandwich Shop and I think we used to go there pretty often. Years later the place was still there on Air Dept Blvd in Midwest City. By the time I can actually “really” remember it, things had decidedly taken a turn for the worse so I never went in the place. Now here is where things are weird though. My memory consists only of these three unrelated and hazy bits:

1) Finding a small bag of dead grass in my parents hutch
2) A strong pungent smell that I instinctively liked
3) The unique, thinly shredded lettuce on a Neptune sandwich

All of these mental collages were squirreled away in my nut for decades. I don’t think they made the journey from unconscious to conscious until some years later while at my first concert I smelled that pungent smell again and it oddly made me long for a Neptune sandwich – well more specifically the thinly shredded lettuce from a Neptune Sub Sandwich. As I went through my high school and college years I became even more enamored with that smell and found myself regularly longing for specifically the thinly shredded lettuce from a Neptune Sub Sandwich.

So last week as I entered the Neptune on Classen with some friends I was thrilled when I picked up my “Torpedo” sandwich to find that indeed the lettuce is just as I remember it. Overall a solid sandwich (the bread is especially good – a very soft white bread) and one that I can recommend whole heartedly. A decent price and fast service to boot.  Every other person I was with on this trip were vegetarians,  so I am afraid I can not offer a wider view on thier menu - but they seemed to love their veg sandwiches as much as I like my meatier counterpart.

About 5 years ago, I was introduced to one of Oklahoma City’s best kept secrets.  El Alex Restaurant on the corner of S.W. 25^th and Robinson.  Named after owner Maria’s father, Alex who recently passed.  It was a real treat to see this guy walking around the restaurant in his Pimp hat all done out just on a regular day.  El Alex is no new kid on the block, originally opening in 1981 closing for a brief time and opening back up in the 90’s through today.  Let’s not let this jewel of a restaurant close again.  Go out and patronize good cooking.

Now to the food.  As most are aware, the most authentic Mexican food can be found on the South Side of the city.  I will submit to you while this food is authentic.  Most of it, note I said most, is fast food and not prepared with the ingredient of time.  At El Alex, Maria takes painstaking efforts to make sure her food is well prepared and consistent.    This is not a Taqueria, but a café.  You will receive chips and salsa the salsa is a thin variety but absolutely packed with flavor.  For something hotter, try the Salsa Verde, hands down the best in the city made fresh in the restaurant.    The cheese sauce is well prepared and by those who adore queso boast this as some of the best they’ve had.  The refried beans here cannot be beat and I challenge someone to find a more flavorful and smooth version somewhere else!

In my many visits, I have become acquainted with Maria and have gathered the courage to ask her questions.  She explained that the style of cooking that El Alex serves is from the Juarez, Chihuahua region of Mexico, just as her mother prepared it back in Mexico.   You’ll find that the Enchiladas are nothing like the fake versions peddled at corporate restaurants.  Enchiladas are intended to be served with a slightly spicy chili sauce.  My best description for this sauce is zesty and tangy.  One thing that also makes El Alex stand out from the other restaurants is the quality of the ingredients used.  The chicken, ground beef, pork, steak etc is not waste parts.  Although this isn’t exactly authentic, it makes for an improvement in my opinion from the original. 

The signature dish in my opinion is the Mole de Polo.  This dish is chicken stewed in a brown gravy sauce that has dark chocolate as a key ingredient.  I know most think this is weird by it is a great sweet and spicy dish.  When coupled with rice, beans, beans, tortilla and a little Salsa Verde one has entered the pearly gates of flavor heaven.  Chicken Mole can also be ordered as a gordita.    Other Items that are better than found at other restaurants are the barbacoa, which is to be eaten with lemon and lime, fajitas and horchata.

So if you haven’t been here you owe it to yourself to stop by and give this place a try!   Be aware though that they are only open Thursday through Sunday before venturing out of your way.

One of the more entertaining aspects of this place is the juke box.  For those of you, like me, who didn’t have the forsight to minor in Spanish during your undergraduate years can enter into a frenzie of picking songs that you’ll never understand….