Nic's Grill: An Outstanding Burger in Oklahoma City

Today I had the pleasure of enjoying an AMAZING cheeseburger at Nic's Grill in Oklahoma. Nic's is located at 11th and Penn downtown, and was featured in Episode 703 of Guy's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network. This is high praise, but no exaggeration - the burger at Nic's is better than Bricktown Burger's onion burger in downtown Bricktown!



Here are some of my pics from today at Nic's, with my buddy Vern. The small restaurant is standing-room only, and you need to get there early if you're going for lunch. Thursday's the special is chicken, and rumor is it's better than Eishens!

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The Grateful Bean Cafe in OKC

The Grateful Bean Cafe in OKC is located at 10th and North Walker. Our family has been here previously for soda fountain drinks and milkshakes, but today I thought I’d give their breakfast a try.
First of all, their coffee is just 5 cents (that’s right, you didn’t mis-read) and self-serve. The photo to the right is my “2X Grateful Beaner Breakfast” with home fries. You can’t go wrong with this for $7. I should have brought someone else here to share all this food with me!
The Grateful Bean Cafe has some interesting history in Oklahoma City. According to the restaurant menu, in 1910 Tony Kaiser from Switzerland established “Kaiser’s Ice Cream Parlor” at 7th and N Robinson. In 1917 he relocated to the current location on 10th and N Walker, where the restaurant operated continuously until 1989. In 1993 the Grateful Bean opened at Kaiser’s, and the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. The Mid-Town “economic renaissance” began in 2008. I love this part of Oklahoma City and am so glad to know The Grateful Bean has a good breakfast, in addition to good treats and lunch items!
Check it out next time you can in downtown OKC!

Coney Island OKC

These are the things dreams are made of.



That statement is true if you're a lover of chili cheese dogs! Coney Island is a historic and popular restaurant in downtown Oklahoma City, located just one block north of the bus station. (428 W Main St, to be exact!)


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Loaded chili cheese dogs like those above (made with a hot dog, chili, cheese and onions) cost a mere $1.40 each. A veritable feast of delicious carbs can be yours for around $5. What a bargain!

Staff can load up multiple dogs at a time by lining them up on their arm, as shown in this photo. This feat, I have no doubt, takes both talent and years of training!



On this most recent trip to Coney Island, I didn't save room for baklava for dessert. Keep that in mind when you're placing your order. Fresh baklava is hard to beat!



There is a second Oklahoma City Coney Island location, at 240 SW 25th St. I haven't visited that one, but hope to before long. Bring on the loaded chili cheese dogs! :-)


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Boulevard Cafeteria in OKC

For me, an afternoon lunch does not get much better than this: fried chicken, cranberry salad, and tomato salad!



I ate lunch today at Boulevard Cafeteria, which is located just a few blocks from the Oklahoma Heritage Association (where I now work) at 525 NW 11th in downtown Oklahoma City.



Boulevard Cafeteria has cafeteria-style dining as it SHOULD BE: Lots of choices, and everything is great! The large number of folks who gather here each day for lunch is the first clue that this place is really special. If you're looking for a wide variety of outstanding menu choices, look no further than Boulevard Cafeteria!

(And no, I was not encouraged or compensated in any way to share this enthusiastic endorsement! I simply love this place and their food!)

Zarate's Latin Mexican Grill in Edmond

My family and I finally got to visit this wonderful place. I'd been to the location under a couple different previous names but hadn't tried it under the current ownership. I must've heard from a half dozen people that the food was great and my relayed recommendations probably sent another handful of friends there. So, I was glad to finally try it myself.

Zarate's opened up as a small Mexican restaurant about a year ago but began adding a number of other Latin American dishes about 6 months ago. There are flags scattered throughout the small restaurant reflecting some of the countries whose dishes are crafted in the kitchen. I was too bewildered by the choices initially and my wife never got past the Mexican dishes. Fortunately, I settled on a Peruvian "Seafood Saltado" since it appeared to have a smattering of things to sample.

It was a stir-fry of tilapia, shrimp, potato slices, several kinds of onions and a slew of other things in a wonderful sauce surrounded by fried plantains and yucca as well as some rice. On the side was a Peruvian queso that contained a number of flavors. I was told the list but aside from hearing feta I can't recall them (I think this must be very similar). My wife had what she thought were the best spinach enchiladas she'd ever had. My 2 year-old boy surprised me by eating his whole quesadilla (he says it perfect and loves to repeat it over and over).

We'd all had a long day and were worn out but were very happy to have such a wonderful dinner. If I'd been more alert I would've provided some photos. You'll just have to see it for yourself. Oh, ask to hear the specials. We didn't hear them (probably due to the complexities of prepping a 2 year old and 8 month old to eat in public) until we were nearly finished eating. Zarate's must like to have a number of surprises not even listed on the menu.

Backdoor Steak House in Blair

If you ever have an opportunity to visit scenic Altus, Oklahoma, make sure you drive about 10 miles north of town to Blair so you can eat at the Backdoor Steak House. I asked the hotel clerk when I checked in where the best steak in Altus was, and she directed me to the Backdoor in Blair. I was NOT disappointed.

I consider myself to be a bit of a steak connoisseur, and without a doubt the ribeye at Backdoor is one of the best I've ever tasted. Last night I had the fried pickles as an appetizer, so I just ordered a 10 oz ribeye, but it was plenty of food. Rich and flavorful, I'd love to know what seasonings and marinade they use in their ribeye. Generally when I eat a steak out at a restaurant, I realize that the steaks we cook at home are usually better. Not so with this steak from Backdoor.

You can bet I'll be back again-- with the family! :-)

Warehouse Willy's in Poteau

If you're looking for a good steak and some excellent "mud bugs" (fried crawfish) you won't want to miss Warehouse Willy's in Poteau. I had an opportunity to dine in this fine establishment last Friday following the graduation ceremony in nearby Howe, and the food lived up to the high praise it was given by Lance Ford. Sadly, my iPhone is again not taking pictures, so I don't have any photos of "Poteau mud bugs" to share with you, but rest assured these little guys are meaty and tasty! (The provided dip makes them particularly excellent.)

Poteau and Howe are in what I think must be the most beautiful region of Oklahoma. There are mountains there! The following picture (which I did not take but found on Flickr) gives you a bit of a feel for the skyline around Poteau:



I didn't find an official website for Warehouse Willy's, but TravelOK.com does have an entry with directions and the phone number. Next time I venture out to Howe and Poteau, I'm definitely coming back here! :-)