(7.9)

Embers Steakhouse

 

Menu

Embers Steakhouse
inside FireLake Grand Casino
405-96-GRAND

Outside of OKC, somewhere near Shawnee the drinks began to set in as the crowd roared in appreciation of the acts of high violence being committed by modern day gladiators in a cage in the middle of the theatre below. Perched in a private suite high above and catered to in every way, I felt the primal setting demanded that I order the Rib Eye cooked rare.

I was surrounded by an inconceivable group of fellow revelers from every background – police chiefs, fire chiefs, titans of business and industry, and legislative leaders sat next to wild eyed painters and day laborers. The smell of strong marijuana wafting from the painters mixed with the cheap perfume of the waitresses to provide a tawdry, but appropriate olfactory environment. Read more

(6.5)

Shartel Cafe

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Shartel Café
5116 North Shartel
OKC, OK 73118
405-843-0900

Needing a new quasi healthy place to try for lunch I headed out thinking I would try The Wedge (WAY too crowded, I wait for NOONE!) or maybe one of the other newer places along Western Ave. By the way, by quasi healthy I don’t mean that I actually intend to eat healthy. I simply want the option of healthy food and the illusion that what I am getting might be.

After a bit of aimless wandering, I spotted the Shartel Café so I headed in. The place had a few nice outdoor tables (empty since it was about 150 degrees that afternoon) and looked quaint.  Upon entering the place is small but clean and it appeared some thought had been given to tasteful décor, but on a budget. The menu consisted of deli sandwich favorites, salads, wraps, burgers and pasta dishes. There also was a pretty good selection of baked goods to choose from. Read more

(8.5)

Anne’s Chicken Fry

What could be better than settling in for some home cooked, fried food after a weekend spent at upscale sidewalk cafés in Dallas?  I was asked to choose a restaurant of my choice to dine at for my birthday.     Having heard wonderful things about Anne’s Chicken Fry I decided to give this place a shot.  I also thought it would be a good place to spoil myself, since I’m always going to eat healthier tomorrow and this was the perfect excuse to binge on some good southern cooking.  I do have one suggestion for the owner; and that is maybe “All Things Fried” might be more descriptive name for the eatery. 

The staff at Anne’s, from what I can see, are all overweight women that are quite efficient with no emphasis on customer service.  They most likely live in a trailer or possibly a van down by the river.  In most cases one would view this as negative aspect of a dining experience.  In this case, the crude pushy service only made the experience better. 

During this visit I ate Jalapeño Poppers as an appetizer; Chicken Fried Steak with Navy Beans and Green Beans as sides; a side of Chicken Fried French Fries.  Also ordered was a bowl of Navy Beans and Fried Shrimp.  Overall I thought the food was well prepared and lacking Seasoning, namely salt.  That was easily fixed with the shaker at the table.  One possible Scenario that I have for the lack of salt is that the median age there was probably 76 so the restaurant probably responds to the needs of its customers.  Of course if you have blood pressure issues I have no clue why one would go to a chicken fry house…I digress.

The Chicken Fried French Fries were nothing short of brilliant.  I was hesitant about ordering these because I knew I was now being glutinous.  The waiter frankly informed me that they “keep well”.  After I was muscled into ordering them I was amazed at how good they were, with a little salt.  The main attraction, Chicken Fried Steak, was very tasty and as I have been told, you CAN cut the steak with a fork.  The green beans were flavorful but the Navy beans, also referred to as Senate bean soup was lacking flavor, Louisiana hot sauce would have done the trick.  As if we have not had enough grease, we ordered the Fried Peaches.  The waitress mentioned that it was accompanied with a special sauce.  I inquired about the flavor of the sauce; the waitress replied “If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you.”  I for some reason believed she had no problem following through with her threat.  Nevertheless, the peaches were awesome.

The Décor is corny Route 66 Memorabilia the walls are adorned with pictures of Elvis, which is not too cool in my book along with some pretty cool antique type thingies.  I encourage everyone who is a little low on grease to stop by Anne’s for a fill up.  It’s pretty freaking wonderful.

(6.5)

Coit’s Root Beer Stand

Coit’s Root Beer Stand
5001 N. Portland
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
(405)946-8778

Okay, I went here so I could eat pancakes. If you have read any of my previous posts that should come as no surprise. I’m the guy who strolls in and orders pancakes, potato rounds, and a frosty cold mug of homemade root beer. Does that sound like something you might be interested in? No? Well you’re an idiot because it was a very welcome treat.

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(8.0)

Super Cao Nguyen

Super Cao Nguyen
2668 N Military Ave
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
(405) 525-7650

If you are looking to reenact the infamous “Soup Nazi” episode of Seinfeld then I recommend you head over to Super Cao Nguyen and ask a bunch of questions. The first time I ate here I was excited to try it. I had been frequenting the Milk Jug for some time now and I was in need of something just a bit different. I had heard really good things about their sandwiches so I was overly eager to get my hands on one. My wife and I walked through the sliding doors into a rather large grocery store. We look to our right (past all the Hello Kitty stuff) and see a small deli. We head over to a welcome greeting by a rather friendly Asian lady. It did not take long for the friendliness to be overcome by anger.

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