I agree with Betts. We were recently in Kansas City, and I was amazed by the number of mid- to high-end locally-owned establishments, many with an "urban" twist.

We ate at BlueBird, housed in an old 3-story house about two blocks from the new Performing Arts Center site near KC's CBD. It offered modern yet casual fare featuring locally-grown organic produce and meats. Each Thursday they had a "farmer's tasting" event, where you could sign up for a fixed price and enjoy a complete meal based on what the chef was working on for the weekend.

While they had their menu "standards," their specials changed weekly based upon what was locally available from the growers and farmers they worked with to supply the bulk of their food.

In fact, several restaurants we researched offered "prix fixe" menus and chef's tastings events.

In the case of BlueBird, our meal came to just over $100, including salads, entrees, a shared dessert and a bottle of wine - before tip. It was our anniversary so we splurged a bit.

I think like with many other things in OKC, we find it hard to step away from what is tried and true. We have fabulous steaks here, but do we really need another steak place? We have fabulous Mexican and Tex-Mex, but do we really need another one of those? Of course, I'm not a restauranteur (just an expert eater!) , so don't know exactly what it takes to put a new concept together. I also know that in the past some of those concepts failed miserably (I'm still mourning the disappearance of Cafe del Sol).

I like the idea of a Deep Fork, Metro or similar concept, but with an urban kick - and it would be really cool if it were somehow connected to a local food coop, or one of our farmer's markets, where the chefs could really play with what is local and seasonal. A nice location along Broadway a la Red Prime would be really cool.

I'd also like to see a REAL Italian deli, if at all possible, with a variety of cheeses and salamis and other specialty products. Falcone's doesn't even come close to what I am talking about.