Y’all, I have been low. Oh so low. Shannon can attest to my low-ness. I don’t even feel like putting fingers to keyboard to write something semi-boring. This kitchen remodel is getting me down. (Poor Cinderella! Poor, poor Cinderella! — And her new freakin’ kitchen!)
I’m so tired of living in a dusty, gluey, stinky mess. I’m actually getting a little claustrophobic from shutting my eyes every time I pass the kitchen/living room. (The living room, you see, is where we are storing the kitchen stuff until the new kitchen is complete.) I have the bruises to prove the eye-shutting thing.
Clemntine, funny lady extraordinare extrodin of the highest order, has tagged me for an dining out meme. Now, since I can’t cook (because of the kitchen being torn up! Not because I can’t cook. I can! I will!), you know we’ve been eating out. AND this little meme will mean I’ve actually posted TWICE this week.
Rules:
- Link to name of person that tagged you.
- Include state and country you live in.
- List top 5 favorite local restaurants.
- Tag 5 other people and let them know they’ve been tagged.
Where I live: Oklahoma, USA
Top Five Local Restaurants
Tulsa is the heart and home of the chain restaurant. We have a few solo proprietors, but not many make it. In fact, we had Ford’s Filling Station for about six months before it left–it was owned by Harrison Ford’s son. Apparently even celebrity won’t help you here.
- Fifty5 Degrees. Named for the true temp at which red wine should be served. I don’t know if this restaurant will make it. It was great when it opened, but it has stiff competition in it’s location. It’s expensive and not terribly intimate. I would feel better spending the money if I didn’t feel like the people next to me were close enough to steal my plate. BUT! The food is fantastic. The family that owns this restaurant owns two others in town and they know what they’re doing. This restaurant has a terrific wine list. It even has a special room you can book for wine tasting. It’s kept at…55 degrees. They even have robes for you to wear so you don’t get cold. (Yes, the first time I saw that I made many a wisecrack.) The pear and cheese plate appetizer is delicious.
- Tin Star. This is sit-down fast food. They serve gourmet soft tacos; my favorite is #10, which isn’t on the menu. It’s chicken, red onions, asparagus, and vinaigrette. They’re sweet corn salsa is to die for. And I’ve never had bad guacamole here, either. It’s all-around good and a great place to have a quick lunch with friends. If you dare, try the chocolate mousse cake with cheesecake embedded in it. Oh. My. Word.
- Hideaway Pizza. I’m an OSU alum and Hideaway Pizza was started in Stillwater, OK. My kids love the noodles, Husband loves the Big Country (think copious meat and cheddar cheese and try not to hurl), I love the Pizza of the Gods (olive oil and artichoke hearts). I also love to look at the collages they are known for. Some of them are truly remarkable. This particular restaurant has opened branches in just about every major city in Oklahoma (all two of them!).
- The Savoy. This place is an institution and it’s family-owned. It’s an old diner, but it’s very large for a diner. This is the place to go for breakfast. The portions are huge, inexpensive, and delicious. I think my tea refills aren’t free (!), but I’ll live because the cinnamon rolls and pecan sticky buns are to die for. It’s a treat for us to eat breakfast here. Next time you’re in town we’ll do this!
- Taco Bueno. Did you really think I could make a list without my old standby? Bean burrito and a muchaco, please. Or just some Mexi Dips and Chips. And don’t forget the cheesecake chimichangas. And the churros. I’m pretty sure they lace their food with something addictive. Oh wait. That’s call trans fats. Got it.
Tags:
- dcrmom at Musings of a Housewife (because she’s all about the memes)
- Shalee at Shalee’s Diner (hello? DINER? She has to know a restaurant or two just for competition’s sake)
- Green3 (since she has nothing to write about these days and I wonder if her town even has restaurants)
- Peach at Without Fear (because I’m so glad she’s back)
- GiBee at Kisses of Sunshine (because this woman’s a whiz in the kitchen and I’d love to see where she eats when she’s not cooking!)
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Hideaway pizza would have been my #6, if we’d been allowed 6. We like to take the kids there for DimSum night, where the waiters pass through the restaurant with trays of various types of pizza and you just take what you want. It’s a buffet without the sneeze-guard. What could be better?
You come down this way so we can go to Inspirations, and I’ll head up to Tulsa for dinner at Fifty5 Degrees. Deal?
Thanks so much for playing along!
Honey, you need to pop over to my blog. We are repainting and reflooring. ALLOVERTHEHOUSE. I can totally relate. Hang in there!
Too funny. I think I will write one up for my blog. Check it out a little later. Also check out the overview on the new Heelys study.
What’s the name of that steak sandwich place right as your coming into Tulsietown? Hubby loves it and Never on Sunday ConeyIsland. Im getting hungry and it’s barely 10:30. Tulsa’s his hometown.
I’ve been struggling to write much as of late too. It’s nice to know I’m in such great company!
I have never heard of any of these places to eat. Guess that means sometime I need to make a trip to OK, huh?? *wink* Who knows… maybe someday….
I feel your pain, too. Today, I just posted a photo of our new kitchen. We still have little things left to do but the big mess of 9+ weeks is behind us. It was well worth the wait. Kinda like childbirth…once the baby arrives the pain is forgotten. PS- My hubby is an OSU grad, too.
OOOOHHHH, Mexi-Dips and Chiiiips…..
$#*&!
No more food talk please.
I have just ONE question, Chili.
Can you “go” with all those people in your house?
Fellow Tulsan here, and we love Hideaway! We were just there last week, and OMG was it amazing! My daughter and I split the Sweet Sedona, and ate leftovers the next day, too. Mmmm. 55 Degrees sounds nice, but I don’t think I could get my husband to try it. He’s very much the ‘real food’ (meat and potatoes) eater. I will suggest Tin Star to him this weekend, though. We haven’t tried it yet, but is sounds delicious. Hope your kitchen remodel wraps up soon, and looks fabulous.
~TaunaLen
Gotcha — I’m all over it, and will post it on Lunes — that’s spanish for Monday, but since you eat at both Tin Star and Taco Bueno, I figure you’re fluent in spanish! At least guacamole spanish (which is my absolute favorite kind of spanish, if you know what I mean)!!
Can I tell you how bad I wish I had me some Bueno right now? 4:00 p.m. is peak time for my eating disorder!
Chili, I really feel for you with your kitchen disorder. Last year, we had to put up with three months of “no-kitchen-ness” and “barely-a-bathroom-ness” while the council (our landlord) renovated our flat. We moved to our house shortly after, which is lovely. Except for the kitchen, which will be renovated sometime this year. I dread having to go through that again! But in the end you know it’s for a worthwhile cause.
Just enjoy your meals out, the lack of washing up and no sweating over the stove until it’s done! I look forward to your pictures of how wonderful it looks
I lived in Tulsa for awhile…as an intern. I didn’t get paid with cash but in lunches. And my boss only knew the holes in the wall! And I have to admit Hideaway is my favorite pizza place ever! I have the magnet on my fridge and pine for it every now and then!
Darlin’…let me encourage you a bit about the whole kitchen remodel. My dad is a contractor and there are a few things you must bear in mind when tackling a big remodel like yours.
1. It will take longer than you’ve planned. Emphasis on will.
2. It will inconvenience you. Emphasis on will.
3. It will be worth it when you see your completed kitchen for the first time. Emphasis on worth it.
Hangest thou in there my Friend!
Found your website when I was looking to see if anyone still made the great pecan cinnamon sticky rolls (spiral-looking things). They were big, flat brown things and so great! I was at OSU in 1969. Does anyone you know still make them?
I think my best guest in the Tulsa is Merrit’s. I like the big fluffy buns, not the flat ones.