Food, Glorious Food!

I'm a foodie! I don't care if it's an expensive restaurant or a hole in the wall, if the food is good, I'll be a devoted fan.

Here's a list of 10 of my favorite places to eat. Most of them are in Oklahoma City, but there's one in Shawnee and my number one place is in Tulsa.

Enjoy!

10. Saturn Grill http://www.saturngrill.com/ -This is a trendy little spot where you can go for a nice early dinner (it's open for lunch, but space constraints make it hard to find a table). I like to go with a couple of girlfriends and get the Rustic Roman Pie and a bottle (or two) of wine to share.

9. Chelino's Mexican Restaurant (no website)- They have several locations, but the best, in my opinion is the one on SW Grand (I think it's the first one they opened). Everything on their menu is good, but I recommend you try the shrimp cocktail appetizer! It's a real treat!

8. Hamburger King in Shawnee, OK http://www.hamburgerking.com/-

This is one of my favorites from my college days. I love this place so much it's where my parents took me after my college graduation. They don't serve french fries....only potato wedges. The decor is kitschy (I think some of the knick knacks have been there since they opened in 1927) and you order from your table by phone. Lots of fun!

7. Sherri's Diner (no website)- I'll drive all the way to the south side of OKC just to have an order of fried pickle slices from this place! I've had fried pickles from all over, but NONE even come close to Sherri's.

6. Zorba's Mediterranean Cuisine http://www.zorbasokc.com/- I love everything on their menu, but there are 2 items that I seem to order more often than any other: baba gannouj and pistachio baklava. I've never had pistachio bakalava anywhere else, but I dream about theirs.....yummy!

5. Cheever's Cafe http://www.cheeverscafe.com/- The dinners here can be a little pricey, but well worth the cost! Menus are changed seasonally, so it always seems like a new experience. Lunch is an inexpensive way to check this place out and I highly recommend the Chicken Fried Steak with Jalapeño Gravy!

4. Prohibition Room http://www.prohibitionroom.com/- This restaurant has only been open a month and a half and it is quickly moving up my list of favorites. they have a unique list of prohibition era cocktails that would have been served in a speakeasy and their menu is fantastic. If you can only choose one meal to eat here, I suggest brunch. From 11am-3pm on Sundays you can enjoy an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet of sweet and savory selections and bottomless mimosas (or coffee if you prefer) for only $20! It's the place to be!

3. Tokyo Japanese Restaurant (no website)- This is my favorite place to go for sushi in the city. The atmosphere is laid back and the waitstaff is always very helpful. It's a great place to take your friends who are first-time sushi eaters because everything is so FRESH.....they'll love it! My recommendation: The Double Crunchy!!!!

2. Iron Starr BBQ http://www.ironstarr.com/- Self described as "upscale urban BBQ", I can recommend everything on the menu in good conscience. My personal favs are the St Louis Ribs with dutch oven potatoes and southwest slaw and for dessert, the bread pudding!

AND.....my all-time, absolute, favorite place to eat:

1. Coney I-Lander in Tulsa, OK (no website)
Not to be mistaken with just any coney place, this branch of local coney parlors has been serving the Tulsa Metro area since 1926. There are TONS of message boards on the web where people who have either moved away from Tulsa or who have visited there and experinced the perfection of their conies will wax eloquently about their virtues. Having grown up in Tulsa, I remember eating here as a small child and even then it was my favorite. One of the great things is the word scramble that's posted each week in the store. I loved to see if I could solve it before my mother.

Whether you're dining in or taking it to go, the conies are always served in a styrofoam tray. I like to get mine togo so they put a second tray on top as a lid......by the time you open them to eat them, the cheese on top is all melted and fantastic. Anytime I go to Owasso to visit my family, I make sure to eat there at least once......and I'll order 6 and will most likely eat them ALL in one sitting. I really don't know what it is that makes these so much better than any other coney I've ever had....I used to think it was the chili, but now I'm convinced it's the combination of all the ingredients.

The buns are kept warm and soft in a steamer and the weiners are slow-grilled (not soaked in a vat of yucky weiner water). The mustard, finely chopped onion and their secret-recipe chili top them off for an unforgetable meal!

If you want to talk me into something, call me up and tell me you want to go to Tulsa with me and have conies.......I wouldn't be able to resist!