El Chico Cafe (OK)

I recently traveled to Oklahoma-- one of the 5 states (MA, RI, TX, OK, and now NY) where I have lived my fabulous life, to welcome my Very First Nephew to the world. This week's posts are all about the yumminess I got to eat while there. Hey, a girl's gotta eat, even if it's around the very demanding schedule of a baby in no particular rush to get here!

While I was initially dragged kicking and screaming (okay, more like sulking and crying) from Massachusetts to Oklahoma, I have to admit the state gave me my love for Tex-Mex and spicy foods (along with some amazing friends whom I still treasure). In fact, a chain restaurant still holds the title of best chimichanga in my book: El Chico. I love this dish so much, I actually went there THREE times in one week! THREE. TIMES.

Let's start at the beginning though: El Chico is famous for their flaky crispy chips and salsa. The salsa is rich,  tomato-ey (sp?) and has a decent, peppery kick. It won't burn off your tongue, but you will feel a nice prickly heat. The chips are the perfect consistency: not too large, just thin enough. Okay, they may occasionally the break off in the salsa, but I prefer that to crunching through too-thick chips.

My sister opted for the chimichanga trio, which came with cheese, beef & chicken. Don't be fooled--these are good, yes, but not as craveable as my must-order dish! Confession (I secretly hoped this spicy food would kick my sister into labor. No dice. Stubborn baby!!)

ALL MINE!

Mmm...oozy.

El Chico makes an outrageously spectacular chicken fajita chimichanga. It's filled with seasoned chicken fajita  meat,  Monterey Jack cheese, and fresh crunchy bits of green jalapeno. The chimichanga manages to be crispy, yet not greasy. The cheesy filling oozes out of it in the most delicious way. I tried chimichangas at many different restaurants, and they just don't compare to this one. Yes, it's a chain, with locations in several states, but the consistency of the deliciousness is what wins it for me at El Chico.

The fact that their house margarita is 20 ounces for $5.55 (!!) that certainly doesn't hurt either!

A few days later, my mutha &  I slipped out of the hospital for a much-needed meal. My mother told my sister 'Don't you dare have that baby while we're gone,' (she didn't!) and then we zipped down to the Promenade Mall location of El Chico.

This place is maddeningly dark inside, but service was quick and efficient. I ordered the same thing: house rita & chicken fajita chimichanga. There's a slight difference in presentation here: no tortilla cup of queso, no squiggle of chipotle on the chimichanga, and the refried beans are puréed (whereas at the BA location, it was half purée, half whole beans). Good, but it's maybe just not quite as cracktastic. I still ate almost all of it, but the Broken Arrow location is the tops to me.

If you have room at the end (and I only did once), share the sizzing skillet apple pie, which has a brandy butter sauce. Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaacktastic! I believe they used to serve it with vanilla ice cream instead of the current cinnamon-- I liked the vanilla version better. Oooh! That brandy butter sauce..

This was my first meal in Tulsa, and one of my last. I went here three times in a week, people. THREE TIMES. And I got the same thing everytime: chicken fajita chimichanga. ZOMG.
(They have 3 locations in the Tulsa area, but the Broken Arrow one listed below is by far the best!)

El Chico Cafe

732 W New Orleans St Broken Arrow, OK 74011

(918) 451-0633

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The Vault (OK)

I recently traveled to Oklahoma-- one of the 5 states (MA, RI, TX, OK, and now NY) where I have lived my fabulous life, to welcome my Very First Nephew to the world. This week's posts are all about the yumminess I got to eat while there. Hey, a girl's gotta eat, even if it's around the very demanding schedule of a baby in no particular rush to get here!
I had a quick Happy Hour one night with some of the former coworkers, now fabulous friends, from my days in TV News. Seeing as Tulsa is practically unrecognizable from the days when I lived there, I left the locale up to them, and they suggested The Vault, a former bank turned restaurant/lounge. Formerly the First National Auto Bank (built in the late 1950s), it was, at the time, the world’s largest auto bank with 6 drive through lanes. That equals ample close parking now. :)


I had the Lovely Rita, made with Luna Azul reposado tequila, house made beet syrup, lime juice & agave nectar. This was silky smooth and absolutely delicious. It's not often that I sip a cocktail that exceptional-- I highly recommend the Lovely Rita! (PS: I had TWO--they are sublime!!)

Lovely Rita

Someone ordered some bruschetta 3 ways for the table: tomato, basil, feta & olives, a crab, veggie cream cheese & capers and a Chef’s choice, which had shredded chicken, red onions, a hefty layer of avocado, and bacon. They were all delicious, but the chef's choice was cracktastic. This bruschetta was anything but boring.

I also tried the pretzel roll, but this wasn't my thing. I'm not really a pretzel person in any form, actually. Back to more bruschetta!

LKP in the TomTom room

Upstairs, the Vault has a separate, casual lounge called the TomTom Room. It wasn't open at the time, but they let us in for a peek and I copped a seat in this sweet chair. This space looks like a lot of fun.

TomTom Room

 The Vault is a gorgeous, sun-soaked spot, with tables downstairs and up, lots of room, friendly service, and an interesting, inspiring choice of drinks (including choices from NYC's famous watering hole McSorley's and Brooklyn's Red Hook ESB!) and nibbles. It's spacious, you can actually hear your friends without yelling across the table-- and look at that view from above! All that personal space is just dreamy to this New Yorker! Dreamy!  I'd head back here for sure...

The Vault
620 S Cincinnati Ave
Tulsa, OK 74103
(918) 948-6761

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Andolini's Pizza (OK)

I recently traveled to Oklahoma-- one of the 5 states (MA, RI, TX, OK, and now NY) where I have lived my fabulous life, to welcome my Very First Nephew to the world. This week's posts are all about the yumminess I got to eat while there. Hey, a girl's gotta eat, even if it's around the very demanding schedule of a baby in no particular rush to get here!

Towards the end of my trip (Nephewpalooza 2013), I went out for a meal of New York style pizza with my mother and friend of hers, who is a former New Yorker herself. They were excited to bring me to Andolini's, a pizza place started by two brothers from New York. New York style pizza in the middle of "Amurica?" Bring it to my skeptical tastebuds!

We started with the strikingly presented antipasti plate-- which came beautifully arranged prosciutto twirled to look like Roses. Prosciutto rosettes! Rich, thick, sweet balsamic vinegar was drizzled all over the plate of fresh tomatoes and mozzarella.
I happily ate some sweet briny olives and delicious roasted red peppers, but left the mushrooms for the other ladies.

You have plenty of options at Andolini's, but we ended up choosing the Vesuvio: smoked mozzarella and diced chicken breast with, of course, red sauce. I love me some red sauce! (I mean I LUUUURV it-- would happily eat it with a spoon right out of the bowl! Dinner!)

Coming from NYC, where excellent pizza is everywhere (and even the dollar-slice joints are often damn decent), I was a quite skeptical, but this pizza was delicious. The crust was light, airy, toothsome and not greasy AT all. I had two slices and enjoyed every crispy, delicious bite.

Andolini's also has some great outdoor seating on the side street, away from the busier bustle of Cherry Street. It was a bit too chilly for us to sit outside that day, but there were still a lot of people there.

Rufus would love a bite...

But the true test of Andolini's? How it fared as next-day leftovers. I heated up a slice of the Vesuvio pizza in a pan and I swear it was even more delicious. The flavors had marinated marvelously and the crust was still crispy and chewy- I can't believe how good this was. Doubting Thomas= convinced!

I couldn't get over how much the food scene certainly has changed since I lived there (more than a decade ago now), and of course, of course. If you're looking for a family-friendly spot for pizza, or just a great spot with friends or dates I give Andolini's two thumbs up. Save some red sauce for me!

Andolini's Pizza
1552 E 15th St
Tulsa, OK 74120
(918) 728-6111

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Gigi's Cupcakes (OK)

I recently traveled to Oklahoma-- one of the 5 states (MA, RI, TX, OK, and now NY) where I have lived my fabulous life, to welcome my Very First Nephew to the world. This week's posts are all about the yumminess I got to eat while there. Hey, a girl's gotta eat, even if it's around the very demanding schedule of a baby in no particular rush to get here!

After our lunch at Rib Crib (that post here), Holly and I wanted something sweet. She said she suggested Gigi's Cupcakes, a store that just happened to be on the way to her house. Easy peasy! We walked in and the smell of fresh vanilla and baked goods surrounded us in the most delectable way.

PEEPS!

There were lots of Spring & Easter-themed cupcakes-- they have a lot of fun keeping up with the seasons/holidays! Peeps cupcakes!

We ordered four of the cupcakes, which tower high and tantalizingly with delicious buttercream frosting. I was taken in by the beauty of the wedding cupcake, a miniature version of a wedding cake with more frosting frankly than cupcake.

Holly's favorite is the margarita cupcake, and I was delighted to learn she would share some with me! It has lime frosting and sugar crystals on top. We also picked up a banana pudding and a S'Mores.
The wedding cake was good, and I love frosting, but that was too much frosting even for me. However that's an easy problem to solve: just don't eat it all! The cupcake was delicious; light and moist with rich vanilla frosting.
I didn't try the S'mores cupcake, but I did try the banana pudding one the very next day. It was good, but my favorite part actually was the banana pudding inside. Holy tastesplosion-- that was so delicious, they should sell it separately on its own. Oh my goodness I wish there were more of that delicious pudding filling.

The margarita cupcake, however, stole the show. This is super moist with the perfect sweet and sour flavor combination. Not too sour, balanced with a sweet tartness, and the frosting was just perfect. It had just the right amount of sweetness and the dusting of sugar crystals gave it a nice crunch. Once again, Holly picks a winner. I'd go back and get this one!

Overall Gigi's cupcakes are delicious, are beautifully presented and yes, I love the extra frosting. I realize some people might not like that so much -you can always scrape off the frosting that you don't want. What a lovely problem to have!

Gigi's Cupcakes
14101 N. May Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 286-6200

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Rib Crib (OK)

I recently traveled to OK (one of the 5 states where I have lived my fabulous life) to welcome my Very First Nephew to the world. This week's posts are all about the yumminess I got to eat while there. Hey, a girl's gotta eat, even if it's around the very demanding schedule of a baby in no particular rush to get here!

Rib Crib is a chain that actually started in Tulsa, I believe in the 90s, and yet I had never been there until I went with my friend Holly. I squeezed in a quick visit with her in Edmond (a suburb of Oklahoma City) the week my new nephew arrived!

I started with their spiked cherry limeade which, to my surprise, is blue. It has Blue Curaçao in it. Why not? It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but it was sweet, delicious, and went down way too quickly.

Holly says she doesn't normally have a "usual" dish at most places, but at Rib Crib she does: the chicken nachos. They're actually an appetizer, but they're big enough for person has an entrée. These have a smattering of banana peppers on top, and I am a sucker for banana peppers. So yeah, I had two bites of this. If I were a regular at Rib Crib, this would be my usual, too.

This menu is huge, and it took me a good 10 minutes to mull over my dizzying options. I ended up getting the club sandwich: smoked chicken and pulled pork on three slices of bread. This sammich was huge, and I ended up taking out some of the bread just to make it easier to actually eat.

The pulled pork was delicious but the smoked chicken was by far my favorite part of that sandwich.

I'm not really a fries person, either, but their seasoned fries were delightfully crispy & flavorful and I ate way more than I planned on eating, so that's three thumbs up for them!




The service was excellent, the food was delicious, and the prices are affordable. Get some chicken nachos and thank me later!

Seriously-- chicken nachos, y'all.
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Rib Crib
2601 S Broadway
Edmond, OK 73013
(405) 513-5883

Norma's

Catchy name, n'est-ce pas? 

Norma's is one of my all-time, can't fail, kinda-splurgey-but-worth-it spots. It's in the lobby of Le Parker Meridien Hotel, just a short walk from Central Park. I met up with M, one of my college roommates, for a weekday breakfast there. I only go here on special occasions, and this was definitely one!
Every visitor to Norma's gets a complimentary mini-smoothie. This day's was kiwi, pineapple, strawberry & banana (I may be forgetting something). Delicious and just enough of a sweet kick to start!

I HIGHLY recommend making a reservation here (which I did). Then you can breezily saunter (smiling, of course) past the tourists who didn't know such insider info. The wait can be long at Norma's. Trust me-- OpenTable this business!

M is a pancake fan, so I recommended the banana-macadamia nut pancakes. I had a bite of these from a friend's leftovers and knew I had to get to this place. That's how good these are. That drizzle on top? Oh, just some banana brown sugar butter. You won't need syrup with these babies.

Pancake Apology

M gave me a generous bite of her pancakes, and I can tell you these are damn good. I can also tell you they are better the next day, but M was going to be on the move all weekend and couldn't take the leftovers. I snapped a funny picture of her "apologizing" to the pancakes for being unable to take them. Kind of an 'It's not you, it's me' moment for food. I dig her sense of humor... cuz we're funny like that. :)

I have tried a few different dishes at Norma's, but the past few times I've gone I've stuck to my favorite: huevos rancheros. These are a bit different--a light fluffy cooked omelette on top a thin smear of refried beans, tiny quesadilla triangles tucked in around it, and a fabulous topping of pico de gallo and guacamole. This is savory breakfast nirvana for me. Can I get a YUM up in here???

Coffee at Norma's comes in a French press, and we did some considerable damage to both of ours. Did I mention I got up pretty early? This coffee is strong and powerful, and I was so grateful for it. I might have been feeling a bit buzzy the rest of the day, too--worth it!

Entrées at Norma's start around 20 bucks, so it's definitely not a Cheap Eats place, but it is worth every delicious bite. Tourists, locals, and everyone in between will find something to savor here!

Norma's
119 West 56th Street (inside Le Parker Meridien Hotel)
New York, NY 10019
212-245-5000

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Blue Plate Diner (Middletown, RI)

ABF & I took an impromptu weekend trip up to Newport, Rhode Island. Any New England getaway is fine with me! We stayed just down the road from Blue Plate Diner, which is fairly new but already popular with the locals. It's in Middletown, just a 5-minute drive from downtown Newport.

We stopped in there between the lunch & dinner rush, and I spotted the FourSquare sticker on the door. I checked in and they offered 5 dollars off our tab of 25 or more (we were apparently the first ones to use this deal, but it went through just fine)--you know I love saving money!

I wanted something marginally healthy, so I opted for a Cobb salad (one of my dishes I love to compare from place to place). This was so good. I don't know what they do with their hard-boiled eggs, but these were the best I've ever had: soft, flavorful, I even ate the yolks! Winner.

I also had a nice, piping hot mug of coffee with cream. It was freeeeeezing out that weekend!

ABF ordered the burger, and of course he offered me a bite! This was fresh, scrumptious, and juicy.
Our food came quickly, the staff were friendly, and every bite was so, so good.

Blue Plate Diner

665 W Main Rd

Middletown, RI 02842

(401) 848-9500

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