Big Article discussing all of the latest restaurants.. Mahogany looks great for a nice steak dinner and Cheeseburger Paradise looks like a lot of fun.. the others look really good too..

http://newsok.com/article/1742537/?template=business/main

Mahogany is one of Tulsa's finest restaurants and has some of the best steaks around. I was actually a little dissapointed that they expanded to OKC. For one, a restaurant this great does not deserve to be on Memorial Rd. but rather somewhere in Nichols Hill or downtown. The one in Tulsa is near 71st and Yale, not that great of an area, but near the South Tulsa business district and better than Memorial Rd. in OKC. Also I liked that it was local, only in Tulsa. I just hope it stays in only Tulsa and OKC.

Hal Smith owns Mahogany, it makes since that they would locate one in OKC. I do not prefer the location, but that area services Edmond and NW OKC. It will do well.

"The one in Tulsa is near 71st and Yale, not that great of an area"

Have things changed? I remember that as being a very nice area. Or, do you mean it in that uberhip slam against suburbia?

Off topic great quote I read today:

"Suburbia, the place where they bulldoze the trees and then name streets after them."

You may now continue with your regular programming.

71st and Yale is a very nice area, and not that suburban, it's not "walkable", but the area of Yale from 61st to 71st has a lot of high-rise buildings and is treed, hilly and for the most part, well done. There is one bad high-rise office complex on the northwest corner of 71st and Yale, the rest is quite nice. Going west down 71st leads to Southern Hills, you know, the country club with all the major championships, only second in number to Augusta. And the area around the course isn't that great either, multi-million dollar homes and you have to watch out for the drive by shooting from the Range Rovers. Man, that is an area to avoid.

71st Street from Memorial Drive to Garnett Road is another story. It's a great example of the worst, most plastic, most common, big box suburban hell there is. Bulldoze it all and no one would care. Much like Memorial Rd in OKC or Northwest Exp.

When you go west and reach 71st and Lewis, it is typical suburbia. Pretty much in all directions around 71st and Yale is nothing special. Although, the area around Mahogany has some nice buildings and a Coaches and a Quizzinos and some other restaurants. How do I know? My parents live at 75th and Yale.

Oh yeah... it is a million times nicer than Memorial Road. :bow:

The Mahogany in OKC is a mile away from all the craziness of "Memorial Road" and is flanked be a plethora of new office buildings to the north. Pretty similar to the location in Tulsa... just down the street from Gallairdia, with its million dollar homes and Range Rover drive bys.

I lived near 76th and Fulton (about a half mile from 71st and Yale). The area is not bad by any means but it's not that great either and the high rises do make it somewhat unique. Mahogany is extremely good and I hope it does well in OKC (if it's anything like the one in Tulsa it will be packed), I just wish it were in a better location like Nichols Hills, Western Ave., or downtown.

I went to Cheeseburger in Paradise last night with my family. The food was awesome. The wait staff was fast and efficient. This place will be a hit for North OKC especially since there open until 1am for the late night crowd.

They have live entertainment, karaoke every Thursday and a long extensive list of island drinks that are both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. I thought it was funny when the wait staff encouraged the customers in a sing-a-long to the Jimmy Buffet classic "Cheeseburger in Paradise" as they all danced around the restaurant.

The burgers are a little pricey like Red Robin; however, they have a distinct delicious taste of there own like no other in OKC.

We each had a burger and we tried the Carnivorous Habits Platter for an appetizer which included a sample of there mini burgers, teriyaki chicken wings, jerk BBQ ribs and onion strings. For desert, we shared the chocolate nachos. Everything tasted awesome and the food was like no other place in OKC.

You will have a little bit of a wait but the food and experience was well worth it.

I definitely recommend this place for night out with friends or with the family. I would just recommend going early if you take the family. I would think with the late hours they might attract some rowdy folks you may not want the kiddos around.

I will definitely be going back to this place because the atmosphere alone was worth the trip.

Off topic great quote I read today:

"Suburbia, the place where they bulldoze the trees and then name streets after them."

You may now continue with your regular programming.

I love it! That's a good one. Thanks for the addition to my book of quotes!

Mahogany is one of Tulsa's finest restaurants and has some of the best steaks around. I was actually a little dissapointed that they expanded to OKC. For one, a restaurant this great does not deserve to be on Memorial Rd. but rather somewhere in Nichols Hill or downtown. The one in Tulsa is near 71st and Yale, not that great of an area, but near the South Tulsa business district and better than Memorial Rd. in OKC. Also I liked that it was local, only in Tulsa. I just hope it stays in only Tulsa and OKC.

They also have a Mahogany in Omaha and Wichita, I know the Omaha location has been there almost as long as the Tulsa store. Just so you know.

Also, the Memorial location is in the 'North OKC Business District'.

All I have to say is Memorial Rd. is a mess. I try to avoid it at all costs. I only shop at Wal-Mart on Memorial because I don't want to drive forever to shop, but I'd much rather shope elsewhere if I had another choice with comparable prices.

There's been absolutely no planning with Memorial Rd. They're throwing developments up everywhere. It shows.

That is why I am glad that Mahogany is west of May Avenue, away from the craziness of the suburbian megaplex.

I loved Cheeseburger in Paradise.. I sat at the bar for lunch and it was a good time. The wait staff were very friendly.. They were actually doing bar tricks at the time I came in.. One would stand at one end of the bar and the other at the other end and one would toss a beer mug with a coaster on top to the other in hopes of not spilling the beer... They were pretty good at it.. Food was great.. I had the jerk chicken wrap.. Try one of their Cheeseburger in Paradise frozen drinks.. Its amazing!! The only thing I did not like about the place is their overuse of velveeta cheese on alot of their menu items.. I dont know about you, but velveeta cheese tastes so cheap.. gross

I tried Cheeseburgers in Paradise last night. I have to say I have plans to go back when it's a bit less crazy - this review probably isn't all that accurate since we sat in the bar to eat (so crowded - I felt uncomfortable having everyone standing around staring while I stuffed my face!)

We arrived at 6:15 Friday night - first mistake - wait was 90 minutes.. so we headed to the bar to grab a drink... and drinks they have. My second mistake was having a huge drink called Cheeseburger in Paradise - it included pina colada, strawberry daquiri, rum runner all layered in a pretty glass. I really felt it was a glorified smoothy - it tasted great but I didn't think there was too much alcohol in it. At least I didn't taste it or feel it. And it was a big drink.. so by the time my food arrived, I was stuffed!

The service was great.. very friendly. I had a Talapia fish sandwich... I'm not picky but I can't stand pickles so I said 'no pickles'.......lo and behold - pickles and pickle juice all over my sandwich - that kind of ruined of the taste for me - plus I like breaded fish sandwiches and this was grilled so imagine my consternation as I ate surrounded by hoardes of people watching me eat a huge fish sandwich that proceeded to drip and ooze fish and pickle juice all over my chin, plate and table.. LOL not a pretty sight.

Anyway, I'm going back to sit in the restaurant on a weeknight and will order a light beer and a Mushroom Swiss burger. I'll let you know how that goes.

There is some work going on at the old Harrigan's/USA SPE House of Bedlam location.

I miss Harrigan's.

Thanks John, I've wondered what was happening with that space. I wonder if that is where Fuddruckers is going

I ate there this past weekend and had the El Cubano (cuban sandwich). It was great but not the best I had but definitely worth it. It came with the sweet potato chips (not a fan of sweet potatoes in the least bit) they were actually good and tangy. Ordered the chocolate nachos for dessert. They are a must!! Not quite what I expected but they were so good I couldn't stop eating. Came with 3 types of Ben & Jerry's icecream too.

There is some work going on at the old Harrigan's/USA SPE House of Bedlam location.

I miss Harrigan's.

I'd actually have to say I've eaten my worst meal ever at Harrigan's.

Mahogany is one of Tulsa's finest restaurants and has some of the best steaks around. I was actually a little dissapointed that they expanded to OKC. For one, a restaurant this great does not deserve to be on Memorial Rd. but rather somewhere in Nichols Hill or downtown. The one in Tulsa is near 71st and Yale, not that great of an area, but near the South Tulsa business district and better than Memorial Rd. in OKC. Also I liked that it was local, only in Tulsa. I just hope it stays in only Tulsa and OKC.
..

Hi my husband and i are going to be moving to Oklahoma this summjer and I am looking for advise on the towns and schools. He will be working on 1121 e memorial rd. thank you

new2ok where are you moving from? perhaps you can tell us what your looking for, etc.

Hubby working at CarMax, I take it?

Since that's where he'll be working, Edmond is your best bet, as far as schools and town. Easy enough, huh?

Welcome to Oklahoma!

Since you're looking for a place to put the trailor, go for North Edmond. You can find a nice strip of land between Edmond and Guthrie to put the thing on.

Mahogany is one of Tulsa's finest restaurants and has some of the best steaks around. I was actually a little dissapointed that they expanded to OKC. For one, a restaurant this great does not deserve to be on Memorial Rd. but rather somewhere in Nichols Hill or downtown. The one in Tulsa is near 71st and Yale, not that great of an area, but near the South Tulsa business district and better than Memorial Rd. in OKC. Also I liked that it was local, only in Tulsa. I just hope it stays in only Tulsa and OKC.

went and took my girlfriend to mahogany for v-day. very nice.
its not just in tulsa, there is one in omaha too.

There is a Now Hiring sign at the former Harrigan's location and going in is a Carlito's Mexican Grill.

I haven't found any information on whether it is a chain or local joint. There is a lone Carlito's Mexican Bar & Grill in Savannah, GA that I've found, but I don't know why they would choose the Quail corridor as their second location...

That's all I've got right now.

Great news, finally a Mexican restaurant. :stars:

There is a Carlitos located in Newcastle or Tri-City, off I-44. Could be the same restaurant.

I was really excited that Mahogany finally opened a OKC location. My company designed their website for them :)

Check it out: http://www.mahoganyprime.com

There is a Now Hiring sign at the former Harrigan's location and going in is a Carlito's Mexican Grill

I saw that yesterday on the way home. Curious to see what they make of it.

There is a Now Hiring sign at the former Harrigan's location and going in is a Carlito's Mexican Grill.

I haven't found any information on whether it is a chain or local joint. There is a lone Carlito's Mexican Bar & Grill in Savannah, GA that I've found, but I don't know why they would choose the Quail corridor as their second location...

That's all I've got right now.

That actually might not be a bad addition. Since Don Pablos closed, the only other Mexican restaurant on that strip is Abuelos, and it isn't really Tex Mex. El Chico is in the mall, but there isn't a good authentic Tex mex restaurant on the strip.

Elmo--
Why aren't there any prices on the web menu? I love the place, but before I went, wanted to look at the menu on the web...I was really disappointed with the info the website gave.

LOL escan, since you ate there, now your question has probably been answered - if some people saw the prices in advance, they might not ever go!

I know before I ever ate at Ruth Chris, I wasn't aware of the prices and sort of shocked at the menu but what do you do? Once you are there and seated, they have you where they want you! I think the higher priced restaurants know this so they don't publicize the prices on the website.

Those who have been there, how does Mahogany rank with Boulevard Steakhouse, The Ranch, Mickey Mantle's, and other steakhouses in OKC?

Elmo--
Why aren't there any prices on the web menu? I love the place, but before I went, wanted to look at the menu on the web...I was really disappointed with the info the website gave.

They wanted to keep the prices off of the website. Disappointed how? By things other than the prices?

Those who have been there, how does Mahogany rank with Boulevard Steakhouse, The Ranch, Mickey Mantle's, and other steakhouses in OKC?

ive been to the mahogany, which is great, but not to the other ones you have mentioned. ....so i really dont know why i am even replying. :)

It's in line with the ranch....but MUCH better than Mickey Mantle's. Haven't been to Boulevard, so can't compare there.

Elmo-

Just looked ina nd it looks updated...when I looked right before I went, it didn't have all of the locations, etc.

Good job.

It is very similar to Ranch and Boulevard. As previously stated, it is a notch above Mickey Mantle's, Cattlemen's, or any other OKC steakhouse.

Those who have been there, how does Mahogany rank with Boulevard Steakhouse, The Ranch, Mickey Mantle's, and other steakhouses in OKC?

Haven't been to The Ranch but I have to say it's a large step above Mickey Mantle's. I would say Boulevard and Mahogany are on the same level although my preference would probably still be Boulevard.

I heard from my boss that Carabbas (sp?) on Memorial really sucks... Has anyone eaten there?

I heard from my boss that Carabbas (sp?) on Memorial really sucks... Has anyone eaten there?

For chain Italian, it isn't bad at all. A step above Olive Garden.

That's not a glowing reccomendation to me.....it would have to be LEAPS and BOUNDS above Olive Garden (ick) to get my business.

So, what's wrong with Olive Garden? I love the breadsticks and salad and can't think of a time when I had a bad meal or experience there.

I just feel like its not any better than those frozen bagged Italian dinners you get in the grocery store freezer.

I agree escan. Olive Garden gives me that cheap frozen dinner italian feel, similar to Fazoli's in my opinion. I don't see anything special about OG.

I've not been a fan of Olive Garden since finding a half-torn packet of sweetener stuck to the bottom of a vegetable dish, not discovered until someone had eaten the veggies away to reveal it.

We went back about a year ago, just as a test, and their prices were ridiculous and portions miniscule. Don't think we'll be back any time soon. Breadsticks aren't enough to get me back.

-SoonerDave

My kids love their spagetti and meatballs. I like to get the soup and salad lunch. All-you-can-eat salad and breadsticks and a bowl of Pasta ***ioli soup. Never found condiments at the bottom of a plate though. ;)

LOL! I can't type the name of the soup due to the language filter on this site. It should read f-a-g-i-o-l-i. :D

LOL! I can't type the name of the soup due to the language filter on this site. It should read f-a-g-i-o-l-i. :D

Why does the board censor hate British cigarettes? ;)

I used to love Olive Garden, but now I'm spoiled by Zio's and Bravo. I hate to say it, but locally-based chain Johnny Carino's is even worse than OG.

Johnny Carino's, locally based?

If so what city are they based out of?

Last time I checked Johnny Carinos is a national chain.

I used to love Olive Garden, but now I'm spoiled by Zio's and Bravo. I hate to say it, but locally-based chain Johnny Carino's is even worse than OG.

I agree with you about the sub-quality food at Carino's. Thankfully, it's not based anywhere near here. They are headquartered in Austin.

From Hoovers Online:

Italian cooking and casual dining are two things that excite this company. Fired Up operates and franchises nearly 140 Johnny Carino's Italian restaurants in about 25 states and the Middle East. The full-service eateries offer pizza and freshly prepared pasta along with beef, chicken and pork dishes inspired by the cuisine of Southern Italy. The company owns about half the restaurants and franchises the rest. A handful of Johnny Carino's units are located in Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates. Fired Up was founded in 1997 by partners and former Brinker International executives Norman Abdallah and Creed Ford. The company is backed by Rosewood Capital and U. S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray.

Fired Up, Inc.
7500 Rialto Blvd., Ste. 250
Austin, TX 78735

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My mistake. I was under the impression that Edmond-based KampCo Foods owned the entire chain, but they just own the franchises in OKC, Tulsa, Wichita, Norman, and Wichita Falls.

hmmm... i like carino's better than og. different strokes for different folks, i guess! -M

I don't like any of them really.....try Caffe Pranzo. Yum!

Get on the turnpike if you want to reduce traffic on Memorial Road! Works like a charm for getting in and out of Walmart.

Italian food is funny. I used to be extremely particular. I was raised in a big Italian family and my grandpa makes many a dish. He thinks that his food is the only good Italian food on the planet. I used to think the same way, until I lived in Bologna, Italy for seven months. I couldn't find Granpa's food anywhere. You see, Grandpa Gino is from Napoli. He is a southern boy and his food is spicey. In the north, they do not use the spice as much. Fortunately, Bologna is one hell of a food city. I diversified my palet for Italian cuisine.

Debating about which Italian restaurant is funny... it is a mater of opinion. There is no winner to this debate. I do not think that any of the big chains are particularly good, but I have not sampled the entire menu. Who knows... they may have a great dish.

I ate horrible Italian food in Italy, at least that was my opinion.

If you want great Italian, call Grandpa Gino, but don't tell him I sent you and don't ask for the family recipe.

Ciao miei amici!

Looks like Swadley's BBQ is setting up shop in the former Grandy's location on Memorial Road by Quail Springs.

It'll be nice to have something filling that eyesore finally!

I heard from my boss that Carabbas (sp?) on Memorial really sucks... Has anyone eaten there?

I went about a month ago and what I had wasn't really that great. Truthfully, I'd prefer Olive Garden to Carabbas. I'm sure I'd be in the minority on that though.