OKLAHOMA
These 5 Oklahoma Meat Markets Are Worth Driving Out of Your Way For
My grandmother used to send my grandfather to "the butcher" the same way other people send someone to the bank. It was a destination, not a quick errand or a…
Food
Stories from the back roads, the small towns, and the slow corners of the country.
OKLAHOMA
These 10 Cheap Oklahoma Restaurants Have Locals Coming Back For Seconds
I’ve learned something about cheap eats: the less a restaurant worries about its parking lot, the better the food usually is. Some of my favorite meals have come from strip…
NEW JERSEY
Five Bites that Tell the Story of the People who Brought Them to New Jersey
New Jersey's diversity is well documented in census reports and demographics. But a more interesting measure might be what's on the plate. For generations, immigrants have arrived in the Garden…
OKLAHOMA
This Norman Mexican Restaurant Has Been Perfecting the Same Recipes for Over 40 Years — and Lines Form Before It Opens
The test I use for any Mexican restaurant is simple: how does the salsa taste before I've ordered anything? If it's thin, acidic, and clearly from a jar, I adjust…
OKLAHOMA
This Oklahoma Farm Dinner Has People Booking a Year in Advance for One Magical Night
Over the years, I’ve learned to be wary of dinner reservations that demand more planning than my last vacation. If people are willing to wait months and still show up…
OKLAHOMA
This Southern Oklahoma Pie Stand Has Been Perfecting the Same Recipe Since the 1800s
Here's a rule my grandmother strictly abides by about judging pie crusts: if you can't see the layers when you tear it open, it isn't worth eating. She made fried…
OKLAHOMA
I Found The Best Burgers Ever In This Tiny Oklahoma City Diner
I have a rule about people who say they've found the best burger in whatever city. I don't believe them. Not because I'm cynical — though I am, a little…
OKLAHOMA
This Iconic Oklahoma Route 66 Diner Has Been Feeding Travelers the Same Way Since 1927
My grandparents used to talk about diners the way other people talk about churches. Sacred, they'd say. The kind of place that holds a community together whether anyone admits it…
OKLAHOMA
This Historic Oklahoma City Steakhouse Has Been Serving the Same Perfect Steak Since 1910
I've eaten at steakhouses across the country — the kind with white tablecloths and wine lists the size of encyclopedias, and the kind with paper napkins and waitresses who've been…
OKLAHOMA
These 13 Oklahoma Mexican Restaurants Serve the Real Thing Every Single Time
My grandmother on my mother's side made tamales every Christmas. Not the way some families make tamales — buying the masa pre-mixed from a bag and filling them with canned…
OKLAHOMA
This Family-Owned Oklahoma Mexican Cafe Serves Free Queso Before You Even Order
I have a theory about parking lots. A half-full parking lot on a Tuesday afternoon at a small-town restaurant is not an accident. It's a signal — one that experienced…
OKLAHOMA
This Tulsa Seafood Institution Has Been Flying in Fresh Fish Since 1932 — and the Lines Have Never Stopped
People used to tell me that ordering seafood far from the coast was a gamble not worth taking. My mother's rule was clear: fish within 100 miles of an ocean,…