Out to Lunch

As my diet has drastically changed due to a Traditional Chinese medicine diet I have adopted (no wheat, dairy or sugar) it is high time for another restaurant review of OKC. Here are my 2009 recommendations:

Mediterranean Deli - A quirky, diverse clientele of academics, socialites, and Mediterranean immigrants frequent this quiet little secret inauspiciously placed on busy May avenue. The food tastes homemade and authentic, like recipes passed down through generations. My favorite items are the lentils, hummus, grapeleaf rolls, cabbage rolls, olive salads and baklava. Everything I have sampled at this restaurant has been tasty. My only complaint is the atmosphere-- it would behoove the owner to add a little music to really put people in the mood for some great Mediterannean dining! Lots of imported products are available for purchase. I have heard the yogurt, herbs and feta are fabulous!

Saturn Grill - Although I cannot eat this now, I still have day dreams about the Thai Broccoli salad offered at this popular and way-too-busy-at lunch-time bistro.

Cafe do Brazil - This place is sexy. It always makes me want to hop a plane to Brazil and drink a caipirinha on its legendary beaches. I love the building where the restaurant is housed, love Anna the friendly owner and I especially love their vegetarian dish with beans, rice, and collard greens. My mouth is watering as I type.

Cafe de Antigua - A Guatemalan diner run by a Guatemalan family. Serves gigantic licuados straight from heaven. Georgia loves the strawberry banana one while I am partial to the honeydew cantelope combination. Rodolfo always orders some other drink that has red beans in it, I forget what it is called but his mom and grandmother ordered it too when we took them. If you are from Guatemala you probably will love it. Food wise, this restaurant excels at breakfast and makes a leisurely Saturday morning outing.

Boulevard Steak House - Hands down the best steak house in Oklahoma City. I have also been to the Range (which is way more expensive and still quite great) but I have to give the award to Boulevard. We went on our anniversary and my steak came out tender, sizzling, perfectly seasoned and melt-in-your-mouth to die for good. I really wanted to try the oven-roasted Boursin from their appetizer menu, but seeing as dairy is not on my diet I courageously declined.

Irma's Burger Shack - Get the No Name burger. It is local oragnic meat and made the way a burger should be. Great laid-back, family restaurant.

Sushi Neko- Okay, okay, I know that there are other, "better" sushi restaurants around but I'm loyal to my first love. This is the first place I ever tried sushi and I'm addicted to the way they prepare my favorites. Plus I like their miso soup the best and you have to admit their fried banana icecream with choclate dessert is pretty darn fabulous. In terms of atmosphere, this place has got the music down to a T. Not too loud, not too soft, trendy but not in an uncomfortable way. Plus they always give Georgia a balloon when we eat there. The last time we did her balloon blew away after about 2 minutes outside. The staff was so nice because before I knew it, a waiter came outside and gave Georgia another, brighter balloon. So considerate!

Sage - This is a new downtown restaurant started up to supposedly meet the high-end grocery needs of the residents of this trendy, venture-capitalist community. While there are some specialty groceries tossed around the place, overall the restaurant seems more like a bar/sandwhich shop to me. I find the atmosphere rather cold and uncomfortable, but there is one item on the menu, Steak and Potatoe soup (for only $6) that knocked my socks off. So much so that it would be amiss for me not to include it here. The bowl is huge and the soup delicous and filling. It is a steal at $6 and even worth sitting in hard chairs to eat.

Cafe Nova - I've only eaten here once in the past year and it was for brunch. Apparently this is a hot-spot for the after-party morning crowd because they have cheap mimosas. I enjoyed swanking it up with Rodolfo and Gigi that morning, ate a really delicious breakfast and treated myself to a mimosa as well. The portions in the morning are much more generous than the lunch and evening menus. Fun place with wild atmosphere.

Bellini's Ristorante - Still my favorite outdoor spot for dining. Wish I could eat their pizzas. The margarita pizza is divine. Good spaghetti too, but not as good as my next entry's spaghetti. Lovely place.

Victoria's - Used to be the most romantic spot in Norman for a date. Now it seems grimy and slimy to me (perhaps it is just my perspective that has changed). Thank goodness the food is still as delicious as ever. Fresh, handmade spaghetti noodles that are so thick and chewy they make the stuff from the stores seem like an entirely different species of food. And the spaghetti sauce!!! I don't know if it is cinnamon or what but there is some kind of savory/sweet combination that makes this sauce hands down the best I have ever eaten.

County Line - Potatoe salad and brisket heaven.

OKC Museum of Art Cafe - Food is fab or bad, but the windows and atmosphere are spot-on big city glamour. On Thursday nights they serve drinks on the roof. Very cosmopolitan.

Old Kaiser's icecream building - They have an old fashioned soda fountain and bar. I need to take Gigi here for a banana split. Love their warm potato salad. Nostalgic place to lunch.

Prairie Thunder Baking Company - Owned by a Geologist (who happens to share Georgia's birthday) that always wanted to own a bread baking store. This is the place to go to for baguettes and fresh bread. Man that place smells good when they are cooking.