Pho Bulous

Pho Bulous does not have what I would call an extensive menu, but it has enough that there are good choices other than its signature dish, the pho. This is a suburban restaurant in a strip shopping center, but there are so many competing Vietnamese restaurants in north Oklahoma City I believe that many of them are stepping up their game, and give customers more than they may expect to find in similar restaurants located in other cities.

In the case of Pho Bulous I believe the main attraction is the pho. I found it to be one of the best in the Oklahoma City Metro, and they have several varieties of the soup including vegetarian soup that is only available at lunch (but this is one of the few restaurants that offers it). Note: as of 2020 the menu says “vegetable broth available upon request.”

Vermicelli Platter

Grilled chicken vermicelli platter

The Grilled Chicken Vermicelli Platter was better than I expected in many ways, based on a comparison with other restaurants. The chicken was very good, especially in the quantity of meat that they give, and had just the right amount of char. I liked the fact that there was a generous portion of nuts, and the other vegetables were good. It had a very good chile sauce (a must for me), and overall this was a good meal. The only drawback was that I did not taste any mint, even though the menu said that it was included. I gave the dish five stars because it was that good, but this kind of inaccurate menu description does not sit well with me. In being objective, though, I can say that in spite of this it was a very good dish.

Pho

Noodle soup with chicken

The Noodle Soup with Chicken (chicken pho) seemed to be made with the same care that most restaurants use for their beef soup, and I thought it was quite good. In fact, compared to other chicken soups this may be the best one I have had at a Vietnamese restaurant. Other restaurants (Pho Hieu in Yukon for example) add other ingredients that make them better in some ways, but the one here was pure chicken meat with chicken broth, and I was quite impressed with the flavor that it had.

The pho here has MSG, but apparently not very much because I did not have a reaction to it. Because of the soup’s flavor and the fact that it was for practical purposes MSG-free, this restaurant is definitely near the top of my list for the noodle soup.

Other Dishes
My dining companion had a Lettuce Wrap which was described as “passable.” Obviously they are trying to appeal to more people by having other items on the menu, but the Vietnamese food is what I would consider their specialty.

Drinks
In addition to the standard drinks, they have boba drinks (tea and coffee). I think the hot jasmine tea is one the expensive side, and I do not order it.

Recommendations
Pho Bulous offers some of the best bang for the buck I have found in Edmond (provided I skip the hot tea). The pho is some of the best I have tasted, and the vermicelli platter is good quality as well.

RATING: 23

Asian Food Details

Tea:	Jasmine (bags)
MSG:	Yes (in a small amount)
Buffet:	No

Special Ratings

	Chicken Pho (Noodle soup with chicken)
	Grilled Chicken Vermicelli Platter

 

Menu (Jan. 2020):

Cattlemen’s Steakhouse
1309 S. Agnew Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 236-0416

Cattlemen’s Cafe at the Stockyards

Probably a stereotype easily evoked in people’s minds about the Sooner State is one in which western garb is the accepted mode of dress and cowboys may be seen sauntering along the dusty streets into the sunset. In the Stockyards section of Oklahoma City, this perception is not far from the truth. For most of the twentieth century, and into the present one, Cattlemen’s Restaurant has been a gathering spot not only for those who make their living from various aspects of bovine husbandry, but also for locals and tourists who feel more comfortable in a down home cafe than in the typical fancy steak house in which boots and a cowboy hat would seem as out of place as country and western music over the piped music system.

While this reviewer generally likes to avoid “tourist traps,” a visit to Cattlemen’s is highly recommended, even if it seems that the clientele is composed more of camera laden tourists than the cowboys who have been Cattlemen’s “bread and butter” for so long. The food and service have remained true to the time when the restaurant had not gained national recognition, and it is an experience that is difficult to match, even in the cattle producing regions of the Southwest.

Starters

Cattlemen’s famous house salad

The House Salad is highly acclaimed for the creamy garlic dressing, and I found the lettuce to be about as fresh as can be expected given the transportation logistics of supplying this vegetable not normally grown in the immediate vicinity. It did seem, however, that there were too many white, pale, and practically inedible plant parts thrown into the salad.

Cattlemen’s is renowned for its Lamb Fries, served as either an appetizer or a main course. Served with a tangy sauce, they make a unique and flavorful dish. Personally, though, I did not find much that I considered special about this delicacy. I think I already have enough hair on my chest that I do not wish to regularly consume something that is purported to grow more.

Steaks
Of course, the main reason to come to Cattlemen’s is for the steaks. Several varieties are available, ranging from the highly marbled rib eye to leaner cuts such as the filet. All of the cuts taste as you may remember them from the days before mass-production cattle ranches and feed lots pumped the animals full of growth hormones and antibiotics before being shipped to chain steak house restaurants and the places offering the “$7.99 specials.” The biggest shock I received after a number of years without visiting Cattlemen’s was how much the prices had increased into the range of some of the fancy steak houses, while the second biggest surprise was how much the steaks still tasted as they did years ago.

The Rib Eye Steak is one of the recommended cuts for a special treat, as it costs a little more than some of the other cuts. Cattlemen’s features a USDA prime cut that is supposed to be the best steak available, but the regular rib eye I ordered was in the top category of my beef experience. The expertise of the cooks in preparing the meat to the red, pink, or brown level ordered by the customer is a large part of the positive experience here. Fat and gristle are removed from the steak before serving, so it would not be unreasonable for the waiter to pick up a “clean plate” at the end of the meal with only the shallowest pool of juice leftover from the steak ponding on the bottom of the plate.

The Filet is the smallest steak served, and also one of the best. The staff at Cattlemen’s recommends ordering this steak medium to medium rare, so this might be a consideration in figuring out whether or not to order this particular cut.

Cattlemen’s strip

The Cattlemen’s Strip was the first steak listed on the menu, but I did not think it lived up to other cuts I have tried. This is known as a New York strip or Kansas City strip at most restaurants, and is usually a cut I find very flavorful and enjoyable. At Cattlemen’s, though, it had quite a bit of gristle and was cooked unevenly.

Back to the positive category, though, I would recommend the T-Bone as one of the better choices that are served (I shared a take-out order so I have a good idea about the taste but not how filling it is compared to the other steaks).

Side Dishes
The Baked Potato is usually as exceptional as the main dishes, but I have not always found it to be so lately. With a limited menu, the establishment has gained a lot of its reputation by producing high quality, perfectly cooked potatoes that taste as if they were subjected to the slowest cooking process possible. Of course with such a reputation there is nowhere for it to go but down if the potatoes happen to be a little “off.” I have experienced good ones over the years, but I do not know if recent experiences are an indication that the quality of the restaurant has changed. I really do not go to the restaurant enough to judge if the food is really different than it used to be. The sour cream, cheese, and bacon bit toppings that come with the potato are of a pretty standard quality, and it is really the tuber itself that provides the basis for the experiences I have had.

Dessert

Pie is available for dessert

Cattlemen’s keeps a pie case near the front door so patrons can hardly avoid having to make the decision of whether to eat more, even though I do not think anyone ever complains about the regular meals not being of sufficient quantity. The Pie does not match the quality of my grandmother’s, but it is pretty good for ones served in restaurants.

Other Choices
Prime rib is served on weekends, and chicken fried steak is always available. Other dinners are served, such as chicken and seafood. It is not often, though, that a person would have the opportunity to enjoy steaks of the quality served at Cattlemen’s, so this seems to be the choice of most diners. While Cattlemen’s is not as inexpensive as it used to be, the “stockyards ambiance” does not require that prices be at the inflated levels that customers have come to expect at most places in order to enjoy a high quality steak.

Additional Comments
I have seen mixed opinions on the Internet about whether Cattlemen’s really has the best steaks in Oklahoma City, or whether it is mainly a matter of the history, setting, and reputation that the restaurant enjoys. My own opinion is that some of the steaks will probably live up to people’s expectations, while others may not. It seems that a really top-notch steakhouse should have cuts such as the New York strip that are equally enjoyable as the filet, and I have not found this to be the case at Cattlemen’s. Some places in OKC might give Cattlemen’s some stiff competition in the steaks, but I still think Cattlemen’s delivers what people expect–excellent steaks in a setting that may be even more memorable than the food.

RATING: 24

Cuisine: Steaks
Cost: $$$
Hours: Open Daily
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No smoking
Alcohol: Beer

Most Recent Visit: Jul. 11, 2014
Number of Visits: 10+
Best Items: Filet, Rib Eye, T-Bone, House Salad

Special Ratings

	Filet
	Rib Eye
	T-Bone
	Cattlemen’s Strip Steak
	Baked Potato
	House Salad
	Lamb Fries

Zorba’s Mediterranean Cuisine

6014 N. May Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 947-7788

Zorba’s

Since Zorba’s opened in 1991 it has been one of the city’s most popular restaurants for Mediterranean food. With recipes “from Cyprus to Spain” (according to Zorba’s menu), the name “Mediterranean” is very descriptive.

Zorba’s began in a small building near the Mayfair shopping center (where Sheesh Mahal is now located), and moved to the present location in 2007. The new building is much larger, with a bar and some big screen TV’s that are usually tuned to sports or news (at a low enough volume, though, so it does not disturb the conversation). Additional cooks at Zorba’s can serve a larger number of customers, and I think the menu now offers more items.

At the old restaurant I met the owner, got recommendations about what to order, and observed him cooking. I really enjoyed the quality and consistency of the food, and it was easy to know what to order (the owner would give me recommendations).

I thought when the new restaurant opened it got off to a rocky start–with the additional cooks hired to operate the new restaurant and larger menu there were inconsistencies in the food that were not there before. Some of the new items were a “miss,” but mostly I just didn’t know what was the best thing to order any more.

My current thinking is that if you want Middle Eastern food there are other restaurants in town that do it better, and there is a Moroccan restaurant a couple of blocks north of Zorba (so that is a logical place to go for that type of cuisine). Having said that, there are a number of items that I really like at Zorba’s (including a Moroccan dish), and Zorba’s also excels as a place to bring a large group who want to order different types of food. I have raised the rating of Zorba’s from my earlier reviews because I want to highlight what it does well rather than things I have found to be disappointing (many of which I am now attributing to the “growing pains” it had when it first opened).

Salads and Appetizers
Since salads are one of the better items I will start here. Several choices are available, and a salad or soup comes free with most dinners. Unlike Mexican restaurants where queso and sopapillas are usually served “free” (but built into the prices charged), the “free” appetizers here are definite enhancements and really do not jack up the prices to levels that are too high.

Tabouli at Zorba’s

Tabouli is one of the choices available as a free appetizer, but the one here is not my favorite in town. I found it to be rather skimpy on the green vegetables, and even though the flavor was good I would prefer one with less bulgar and more vegetables and herbs.

The Greek Salad (another one of the free salads) was very good when I ordered it several years ago. I have heard from readers, though, that Zorba’s is now including fewer olives and other enhancements to the lettuce.

Persian salad

The Persian Salad seemed rather simple, but it was fresh and flavorful. I would say this is a good choice, and is my favorite of the three free salad choices.

Zorba’s signature salad

Zorba’s Signature Salad is not one of the ones that comes free with the dinners, but I think is the best one I have tried (and ranks among the best in OKC). The photo shows that it has just about every ingredient imaginable, but also it is very fresh with a good flavor.

Soups

Lentil soup

Soups are also one of the free appetizer choices with some of the dinners, and there are three choices on the menu. The menu describes the lentil soup as “seasoned to perfection and cooked with the freshest ingredients.” I would say they are correct on the second part but I disputed whether it was seasoned to perfection (I think the soups at Nunu’s and Camilya’s are better).

Vegetable Sampler

Vegetable sampler

On an early visit I ordered a Vegetable Sampler that includes dolma, falafel, spanakopita, tiropita, hummus, baba ghannouj, asparagus, and salad. I thought this plate was not filling enough to make a meal, but it is now served as the “Hospitality Sampler” with some additional items. Mainly I wanted to see which of the vegetable side dishes were the best.

Dolma, or grape leaves, was one of the best items on the vegetable platter. It had a fresh, mild flavor, and was even better when dipped in the yogurt sauce that was provided.

The Falafel was the only fried food on the platter that I thought was at the level of quality I usually find in good Mediterranean restaurants. I could not tell if it was made from scratch or from a mix, but it had a good flavor. Again, the yogurt sauce helped.

The Tiropita (cheese pie) and Spanakopita (spinach pie) were fried, and somewhat of a disappointment. The spinach pie had a fried crust that I thought was too greasy, and the spinach was not spiced as well as I have had in other places. The cheese pie seemed lacking in flavor (in the photo the spinach pies are on the lower left and the cheese pies are to the right of the falafel).

The Pita was very good, and I think is something for which Zorba’s is known.

Hummus was very good and possibly one of the better ones I have eaten (although a pretty small sample came on the vegetable platter).

Shish Kabob Platter

Shish kabob platter

The Shish Kabob Platter seemed to be one of the few meat dishes that contained a balanced amount of vegetables along with the meat. This is good if you like rice, since it comes on a large bed of white rice. The vegetables on the skewer, though, seemed rather flavorless compared to most shish kabobs I have tried. Out of the tomato, onion, potato, squash, and mushroom, I cannot think of anything that really stood out. I really think Zorba’s could do better with their vegetables.

The meat on the shish kabob was all right but I thought it was not very tender. The flavor was OK but I have had better at other Mediterranean restaurants.

Moussaka

Moussaka

Moussaka seemed to be one of the better dinners served at Zorba’s, being a Greek dish I have not found even at some of the city’s Greek restaurants. I enjoyed the one here, and thought it had a good flavor. I am not saying Zorba would be proud of this dish but I think he would at least be happy.

Chicken Dishes

Chicken bandarri

The chicken dishes point out both my enjoyment and frustration with the food at Zorba’s. Chicken Bandarri was a serving of three stewed chicken thighs with a tomato garlic sauce over a bed of basmati rice. The highlight was the chicken, and I really ordered it because so few restaurants offer dark meat chicken by itself. The sauce was not quite as flavorful as I had expected, based on experiences at a number of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurants. The rice came in a quantity that was way more than I could eat, and in fact I thought the entire dinner was too big and I had to take one of the chicken thighs home. The rice was also dry (but I really would not say the same thing about the chicken).

Moroccan chicken

Moroccan Chicken is another chicken dinner available, and this one provides slow cooked chicken with Moroccan seasonings, a lemon olive sauce, and basmati rice. This was the opposite of the chicken bandarri in that the Moroccan chicken had an excellent sauce but I thought the meat was a little dry. Cous Cous Cafe a couple of blocks from Zorba’s specializes in Moroccan cuisine, and normally I would not think to order this type of food at Zorba’s, but in this case I think the Moroccan chicken is something that is quite good. The fresh raisins and olives added flavor, and I thought the sauce was done very well. This was certainly one of the “hits” I have found at Zorba’s (and the meat was not dry enough to really make a difference).

Catalan chicken

The Catalan Chicken was served with a flavorful basil butter sauce, and I thought the garlic mashed potatoes were flavorful. This stuck in my memory as being one of the two best meals I have had at Zorba’s (along with the Moroccan chicken).

Desserts

Mediterranean style dessert

The Baklava was not the best I have tried, but several types of Mediterranean style desserts are offered. I liked everything I tried, including the baklava.

The original Zorba’s offered Persian tea (either hot or cold) on the house, and I thought this was a very nice touch to the meal. The tea was discontinued at the new restaurant, but now hot tea is available at an additional price. This is not the same tea served at Cous Cous Cafe with sweetener mixed in, but it is good enough for me to enjoy (and is a lot better than the drinks that were offered when Zorba’s first moved to its new location).

There seem to be more items on the menu than previously, and even though I have been disappointed in some items I usually find others that I like. The prices are a little high at Zorba’s but not outrageous compared to other restaurants. It is a good family restaurant with lots of tables and something on the menu for everybody.

RATING: 22

Cuisine: Mediterranean
Cost: $$
Hours: Open Daily
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No smoking
Alcohol: Beer, wine

Most Recent Visit: Jun. 22, 2016
Number of Visits: 9
Best Items: Moroccan Chicken, Catalan Chicken, Dolma, Zorba’s Signature Salad

Special Ratings

	Moroccan Chicken
	Chicken Bandarri
	Catalan Chicken
	Shish Kabob
	Moussaka
	Dolma
	Falafel
	Hummus
	Spinach Pie
	Cheese Pie
	Tabouli
	Greek Salad
	Persian Salad
	Zorba’s Signature Salad
	Pita
	Baklava

Menu (Jun. 2016):

Blue Donkey food truck

I am somewhat new to the food truck craze, mainly because I do not often make snap decisions to have a meal as I pass by something that looks interesting, but rather I am already going to a predetermined location.

Food trucks in Oklahoma City seem to travel quite a bit, although the ones I think are luckiest find a home location and only occasionally have to travel to other spots. In examining Blue Donkey’s Facebook page it lists a number of locations where the truck will be located at certain times. Its home base is the Arts District in downtown Oklahoma City (near the Oklahoma City Museum of Art). There is quite a bit of downtown traffic at lunch on weekdays, but the down times at evening and weekends afford Blue Donkey ample opportunities to travel elsewhere in the Metro where likely customers can be found.

One of these excursions was at N.W. 122nd Street and Rockwell, where the Blue Donkey truck showed up several weeks in a row, establishing enough of a pattern that I could predict when and where I could find it. This afforded me the opportunity to try all three of its menu items (tacos and two side dishes), and also gave me the desire to go back and try it again (which I did until I no longer found the truck at that location).

The Food

Tacos with donkey poo and black beans

Information on the truck indicated that this is Guatemalan food. I have been to Guatemala and did not really recognize the food they were serving as being from that country, especially considering the very high spice levels of the food that somewhat approached those of Hatch, New Mexico, the “chile capital” of the United States.

There are two types of Tacos, chicken and beef (I only ordered the chicken ones). These were quite good and whether they are actually Guatemalan or Mexican does not matter very much because I enjoyed the end result.

One of the side dishes is called “Donkey Poo” and consists of guacamole and cucumbers. Also in abundance is a very spicy chile that I was not expecting in a Guatemalan food truck, but it was good.

I thought the Black Beans were more flavorful than the guacamole, and would be my preference except for the fact that they were even more spicy. The problem with this is that it is in a food truck setting where the selection of drinks is limited, and I cannot get my usual iced tea to quench my mouth with this type of spicy food (as I recall Blue Donkey did not have iced tea, much less the refills that I would have required). I was able to take the food home and provide my own drinks, but absent this I am not sure Blue Donkey would have been an enjoyable experience.

Black bean soup

The Black Beans also come as a large side order that is in the form of a soup (but these are the same beans served as a side dish on taco orders).

Additional Comments
I am still at somewhat of a preliminary stage in evaluating the food because there were a lot of factors that entered into my experience, the main one being that this is not a regular restaurant where they could serve the drinks I would want to have with spicy food.

The tacos were certainly good, and probably better than at Big Truck Tacos (another food truck which was formerly located at this intersection). Big Truck had a much larger selection of tacos, though, so I am not sure how the two trucks really compare to each other.

RATING: 20

Cuisine: Guatemalan
Cost: $
Hours: N/A
Accessible: N/A
Smoking: N/A
Alcohol: N/A

Most Recent Visit: Oct. 4, 2016

Number of Visits: 2

Best Item: Tacos

 

Special Ratings

	Chicken Tacos
	Donkey Poo (Guacamole)
	Black Bean Soup

Jerusalem Mediterranean Cuisine

I made my first visit to Jerusalem Restaurant in July 2016, but I was already very familiar with the food served here. This is because the owner Alex was formerly the chef at Camilya’s in Oklahoma City, probably my favorite restaurant in OKC specializing in Lebanese style cuisine. I started seeing consistently excellent reviews of Jerusalem, and now I know that there is good reason for people’s high opinions.

The menu at Jerusalem looked exactly the same as the one at Camilya’s (because I think it is the same). Jerusalem has added some items that are not on the menu such as a couple of kinds of special Middle Eastern style lemonade. In fact, the “bar” area is devoted to preparing the special drinks including a mint tea that I think is a step above the tea I get at Camilya’s.

Jerusalem follows the custom of many Middle Eastern restaurants by serving Halal meat and no alcohol (I know that Camilya’s allows customers to bring their own wine, but I do not know the policy at Jerusalem). For those who are not familiar with Halal, you should think of it as being similar to Kosher (it is not only acceptable to many people’s religious practices, but it also gives a more flavorful and better quality meat in my opinion).

I thought the hummous was better than at Camilya’s (although the one at Camilya’s was already very good), and so far it appears that Jerusalem is like eating at Camilya’s, only better.

Chicken Tawook

Chicken tawook

Chicken Tawook is the name used for the grilled chicken (this is cooked like a shish kabob with vegetables cooked on the grill along with the meat). I am very impressed with the flavor of the chicken tawook, and they manage to cook the meat well without cooking the juices out of it. This was my favorite meat item at Camiya’s, and I was glad to find out that at Jerusalem it tastes the same.

Hummous

Hummous, salad, and pita

I chose Hummous as a side dish (technically an appetizer), although these should be thought of as “family style” dishes, serving at least two or three people. The hummous here had a better flavor than I have experienced at other restaurants, including Camilya’s, and I thought this was the best I have found in the OKC area. I did mention that it is quite large, meaning be careful of what you order here unless you can share or take home the leftovers.

Lunch
There is no lunch menu at Jerusalem, but they do have several sandwiches that are about the right size and price for most people. At Camilya’s I particularly like the lamb kabob and the falafel sandwiches, and I assume they would be good at Jerusalem as well.

Other Items

There are several other items I would recommend based on my experience at Camilya’s, led by the keftah skewer, gyros, spinach pie, labaneh, and mojadara.

The Salad I tried at Jerusalem was as good as the ones I have had at Camilya’s, and these are among my favorite items as well.

Additional Information
The dining room is a little larger than at Camilya’s, but this is still a fairly small restaurant. It is open daily, and is located in a large strip shopping mall (so there is plenty of parking).

RATING: 25

Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Cost: $$
Hours: Open Daily
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No smoking
Special Features: Halal

Most Recent Visit: Jul. 13, 2016

Number of Visits: 1

Best Items: Chicken Tawook, Hummous, Salad (and probably several others based on my experience at Camilya’s).

 

Special Ratings

	Chicken Tawook
	Hummous
	Salad

Although I previously visited the Heart Hospital strictly for the food, the knowledge I gained about Integris Hospital came as a result of a fairly long time spent in the hospital’s waiting room.

Based on this I believe that others in the same circumstance might have some dining options that are not too bad, considering that it is pretty typical hospital food. Like the Heart Hospital, the food at Integris (formerly Baptist) Hospital is fairly cheap for what you get. Unlike the Heart Hospital dining area, though, the one at Integris does not have a name– it is just called “Cafeteria.” I think Integris has a much nicer dining area than the Heart Hospital, except that the patio area here was under construction when I went.

Integris seemed to have a larger choice of menu items than the Heart Hospital. I did not see as much emphasis on healthy dining as I had seen at the Heart Hospital, but there was more of what I would call standard dining options than there was of what I would call junk food. I think Integris really has options for just about everybody.

While the Heart Hospital keeps the same menu all day, Integris seems to make a very drastic change in the menu at about 5:00 pm. Before this time I saw a large variety of sandwiches and lunch items, while after this time they sell their dinner entrees and offer their daily specials (although the price difference at dinner is really negligible).

Lunch
There is much more that I do not know about the food here than what I can report, but I know that my mom really enjoyed the Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich from the lunch menu. I did not try it, but I observed that it had quite a lot of bacon, and it seemed to be good quality (although a little less crispy than I would probably like).

Dinner
Dinner has daily specials as well as their regular menu (in this regard it is similar to the Heart Hospital). I decided to try the Szechuan Chicken, which was the daily special when I was there. This had good chicken, good rice, and OK vegetables. I was pleased by the quantity of food, and there was no need to buy side items because the main dish had everything I needed (meat, vegetables, and rice to fill me up).

The sauce on the Szechuan chicken did not taste anything like Chinese food to me, but I thought it was fairly good (it was, however, the definite weak point of the dish). I would get this dish again if I were at the hospital (the problem, of course, is that they only offer it from time to time). I could not find a web site that listed the cafeteria’s daily specials, as is available on the Heart Hospital’s web site.

Other Details
I was pleased about the choice of drinks–I had a good iced tea with the meal and an Odwalla drink that helped pass the time in the waiting room. There is a wide variety of both regular meals and snack food that I think is far superior to what is sold in the vending machines throughout the hospital.

The hospital’s web site lists the cafeteria as being open until 7:00 pm, but I know that it is open past 8:00 (although I am not sure about the exact arrangement about when certain types of food are served).

Editorial
The food here was good, and frankly better than I had expected. This is not the subject of my editorial, though. I believe that large hospitals in general (and I am not picking just on Integris) should explore other dining options for visitors and possibly patients. It might be time to see if some food trucks could do some good business here, and I am particularly thinking about ones that serve ethnic food.

I had somewhat of a revelation when I ate at a Vietnamese restaurant near St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tucson, and noticed that it was filled primarily with people in hospital uniforms. The restaurant was far enough away from the hospital that most people probably used a car for the trip, although most of them could have walked if they wished. This did show, though, that hospital personnel (and I am sure patients as well) want a variety of food to be available as is the case with people in general.

Right now hospitals do not have a very good reputation for food, but they are getting better. I just think that there are more steps that some of them could take, and I hope they do. A food court or food trucks might be an idea that some of them would want to try.

Update since my last visit: I have received a report from my family that the chicken and dumplings at the cafeteria were disappointing, so this might indicate that I would have trouble finding other items that I like.

RATING: *

Cuisine: American
Cost: $
Hours: Open Daily
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No smoking

Most Recent Visit: Jul. 18, 2016
Number of Visits: 1
Best Item: *

Special Ratings

Szechuan Chicken

Nina’s Family Restaurant

The old Coit’s Root Beer Stand at Northwest 50th and Portland in Oklahoma City has found a new tenant, Nina’s Family Restaurant. Nina’s does not have the carhops, root beef floats, or some of the other features that made Coit’s famous, but it is bound to create its own following.

In the Southwest the line has become somewhat blurred between Mexican and American food, and in this sense Nina’s is “Southwest.” It does not serve Southwest cuisine such as green chile cheeseburgers or other fusion type dishes, but diners do have a choice between American or Mexican food (I think the menu leans more toward the American dishes, though).

Spanish Omelet

Spanish omelet with home fries (topped with bell pepper and onion)

The breakfast pictured in the photo shows how this fusion idea works. The Spanish Omelet was Mexican style with salsa and cheese on top, although I think the idea of an omelette itself is an import to Mexico from the United States (I did not see huevos rancheros or other Mexican style dishes on the menu). The omelette was flavorful and I recommend it, but I just want readers to know that there are not any alternatives to the Spanish omelet if you want a Mexican style breakfast.

The omelette comes with a choice of side items, so I chose the Home Fries. These came with bell pepper and onion (which the waitress suggested they could add), and I thought this was a good touch. Overall this was a very satisfying meal.

Biscuits and Gravy

Biscuits and gravy

Although my meal was huge, my dining companion was having an even harder time finishing the meal, so I ended up sharing some Biscuits and Gravy. This was an alternative choice to the home fries (all breakfast plates come with a choice of either of these items, grits, or toast). To me the biscuits and gravy were stellar, reminding me of the ones I used to get in central Texas.

Lunch and Dinner
For lunch or dinner there are several Mexican choices, although there does not seem to be the opportunity for a “crossover” of a Mexican main course with American sides (at least from the menu). I think if you really want this, though, they can do it. Since I tried the salsa on the omelette, I at least know that this salsa would be very good on the dinners.

Additional Comments
The cost is really in the $$ category by the time you order a drink, but it is so much lower than other places that I have designated it as $.

RATING: 20

Cuisine: American & Mexican
Cost: $
Hours: Open daily except Sun. evening
Accessible: Yes (I checked the bathroom)
Smoking: No smoking
Alcohol: No
Special Features: Serves Breakfast

Most Recent Visit: Sep. 16, 2015

Number of Visits: 1

Best Item: Biscuits and Gravy

Mexican Food Details

Chile Index:

 

Special Ratings

	Spanish Omelet
	Home Fries
	Biscuits and Gravy