Most Missed OKC Restaurant

[ctchandler]

Frankly, I don't remember. It must have been the very late 70s; I didn't take up bowling until the early 70s, and met Andy Anderson at Windsor Lanes' weekend green-stamp sessions. Perhaps I'll dig the date out from the Oklahoman's archives...

Actually I've never been in Jamil's, and only ate at Eddy's a couple of times. Mediterranean cuisine wasn't my favorite in those years. By the early 90s, though, I got introduced to Cello Kabob and learned to love it, especially when sprinkled with sumac...

Jim,
That's funny because Eddie's and Jamil's offered very few "mediterranean" cuisine entrees, but they did provide Lebanese hors d'oeuvres with every entree'. But, how would you know if you hadn't been there? Somebody from Hertz took my family to Jamil's (a reward for completing a major project, millions of hours of overtime and I get a steak dinner, what a deal) or I might never have eaten there. I loved it, so we went back often. Well, as often as my bank account allowed!
C. T.

[Urbanized]

For some reason I always preferred the Tulsa Jamil's over the one in OKC. Maybe it was the road trip aspect, though I only ate there when in Tulsa for other reasons.

[ljbab728]

Frankly, I don't remember. It must have been the very late 70s; I didn't take up bowling until the early 70s, and met Andy Anderson at Windsor Lanes' weekend green-stamp sessions. Perhaps I'll dig the date out from the Oklahoman's archives...

Actually I've never been in Jamil's, and only ate at Eddy's a couple of times. Mediterranean cuisine wasn't my favorite in those years. By the early 90s, though, I got introduced to Cello Kabob and learned to love it, especially when sprinkled with sumac...

Jim, here is the info about Hardy's from the archives. This is from Sept. 14th, 1976.

[Jim Kyle]

Thanks for digging that out! I hadn't remembered that Andy owned the place even before the fire...

[ctchandler]

Hardy's also had an indoor booth in one of the buildings, probably the Made in Oklahoma building. They sold ham sandwiches and they were really good. They were there several years after the restaurant closed.
C. T.

[Jim Kyle]

Yep, I remember that quite well. It was my favorite part of the fair, back when it was still worth bothering to go to...

[ctchandler]

Hardy's also had an indoor booth in one of the buildings, probably the Made in Oklahoma building. They sold ham sandwiches and they were really good. They were there several years after the restaurant closed.
C. T.

Oops, I meant to say "an indoor booth at the Fair". At least Jim knew what I was talking about.
C. T.

[Prunepicker]

Ah, good times...

Hey Prunie, by the way - totally unrelated question - what are you driving lately
and where do you park these days?

I drive a '98 Chevy Suburban. Except for Ingrid's Kitchen and Church I don't
have a usual place. Why?

[Prunepicker]

I have to say that your mention of Shipman's (the one on Robinson(?) rather than
Reno) jogged fond memories.

Reno is the one we ate at the most.

After some serious thought, I think the restaurant I miss most is Der Dutchman.
My tastes were much less experienced when that place was still around, but at
the time I thought their gumbo was about as good as gumbo gets. A bowl of
gumbo, a side of boiled shrimp and some hush puppies was one of the best--if
not healthiest--meals ever.

The hush puppies were the best. Mom was buying them frozen from some
place in town, grocery(?) and they were fantastic. It might have been Der
Dutchman.

[RadicalModerate]

Nostalgic Restaurant Consumer Alert:

It was brought to my attention, just today, by a long-term, hard-working, sweetheart employee of the Original Steak and Catfish Barn Relocated (to I-35 and Hefner) as my immediate family and I were lingering in the parking lot, after another wonderful dining experience, that some apparent "scamster" is attempting to reopen the old location at I-35 and Waterloo Road.

Again: Please be advised that the Next to the REAL Thing is at Hefner and I-35.

The Original original Owners of the place at the Waterloo Exit moved to Italy.

The REAL replacement is at Hefner and I-35

Dang . . . Shipmans . . . Der Dutchman . . . Catfish Cabin . . . Split T . . . =)

She did say that they were planning to put up a fancy sign.
To meet the competition.

Don't miss it. With or without "the sign".
(even if the sign doesn't say "Coit's")

[Prunepicker]

Nostalgic Restaurant Consumer Alert:

It was brought to my attention, just today, by a long-term, hard-working,
sweetheart employee of the Original Steak and Catfish Barn Relocated (to I-35
and Hefner) as my immediate family and I were lingering in the parking lot, after
another wonderful dining experience, that some apparent "scamster" is
attempting to reopen the old location at I-35 and Waterloo Road.

Again: Please be advised that the Next to the REAL Thing is at Hefner and I-35.

The Original original Owners of the place at the Waterloo Exit moved to Italy.

The REAL replacement is at Hefner and I-35

Dang . . . Shipmans . . . Der Dutchman . . . Catfish Cabin . . . Split T . . . =)

She did say that they were planning to put up a fancy sign.
To meet the competition.

Don't miss it. With or without "the sign".
(even if the sign doesn't say "Coit's")

I was with you and CT, let's not forget your far better half and a half, and I
still don't know who's on first or if what's on third.

I wish we had programs with all the players names and numbers.

[Tritone]

Der Dutchman. Used to be the Zuider Zee. Remember?

[Prunepicker]

RM,
In the early 70's a friend and I went to the Catfish Cabin in Mid West City or in
that general area.

The first round was a channel cat. It was fantastic. We ordered a second and
received, what we in Oklahoma call, a mudcat. I immediately noticed that the
tail was full and didn't have the "channel" that channel cats have. I told the waitress
and she could not have cared less. I showed her the tail of the previous cat.

That serving was inedible. You could taste the mud, i.e. the dirt of a bottom feeder.

Since then I've been leary of all you can stand Catfish restaurants.

The Steak and Catfish Barn is the real deal.

[Prunepicker]

Der Dutchman. Used to be the Zuider Zee. Remember?

Yes. From what I remember nothing changed except the name.

[soonergeezer]

Finished reading the Life On the Line today. It made me miss Dodson's fresh veggies & rolls. Does anyone remember Across the Street restaurant? It was on SW 59th street. Great chicken fried steak.

I remember Across the Street, but the one I ate at was on north May just north of Hefner rd.

[soonergeezer]

Black Eyed Pea was caught on the leading edge of the health-food craze that's basically teaching everyone if it isn't a leafy vegetable its going to kill you. They were very much a traditional Southern offerings restaurant, fried chicken, chicken fried steaks, chops, and while it was good, it was never (for us) quite as good as it always seemed it could be. They did have an excellent codfish and wild rice dinner that I enjoyed frequently.

They tried to reinvent themselves at a corporate level by adding the "Grille" moniker to their name, and many of their restaurants in Texas still have it in some fashion, but they just never hit stride here in OK and their franchise holder, as I recall reading or hearing third hand (at least LOL) just gave it up. The location on SW74th and I-240 was empty for a year or more until Joe's Crab Shack went in, and its just nasty. My wife likes seafood a great deal more than I do, and we went there a few times when they first opened, but as their food quality dropped and greasy/nasty quotient increased, even she gave up on them. Obviously plenty of other folks like them as they're still around, but they're not among our regular visits.

There was a time back in the late 70's early 80's when Steak & Ale aspired to be an upscale dinner/steak house. Quiet, dimly lit, slightly higher-than-average pricing, upscale environment with cloth tablecloths, I remember it being a "big deal" to go there - then, somewhere along the way, they shifted their target somehow and became much more mainstream - and the quality went down with it.

As for OKC steaks, the one name whose departure I will forever lament is Glen's Hik-ry Inn. Just won't be another place like that again.

The Black Eyed Pea also had a pretty good individual pot roast. I usually got that or the chicken fry, never great , but always good.

[soonergeezer]

No, not really, CT. Christopher's was closed by the time I found out what it was, and I never visited Junior's. Been to Haunted House, and while it was a very elegant atmosphere, I wouldn't say it was arbitrarily better than Glen's - besides, I think that's a little apples-to-oranges comparison. HH is/was a destination/theme place. I used to imagine/hope to take a date I really wanted to impress to Glen's, but it was gone before that era of my life arrived

Eddy's in its heyday was great, so yes, I'd put it in that Glen's category, What disappointed me about Eddy's was when I took my family there during their "going out of business" era that last couple of weeks, and I should have known better - it was very much reflective of the status of the restaurant (going out and not very good).

I realize all of these preferences are subjective, so if some folks don't like Glen's, c'est la vie. I remember it fondly, and wish we had it back.

I always liked Glenn's. I don't know if anyone has mentioned it, but the Hickry Pit, across the street was decent. I dated a girl that worked at the Pit back in the early 80s.

[RadicalModerate]

Here is my Number One Missed Restaurant . . . in advance: Sean Cummings Irish Pub. It is (soon to be was) our all-around favorite place to go and it will be closing on November 23. It will be closing--according to the owner, himself--because the guy who owns the strip mall in which it is located "doesn't want a pub in the middle of his [fiefdom]." What a friggin' moron and/or dick. Probably both. He's a multi-tasker.

[Prunepicker]

Here is my Number One Missed Restaurant . . . in advance: Sean Cummings
Irish Pub. It is (soon to be was) our all-around favorite place to go and it will be
closing on November 23. It will be closing-- according to the owner, himself--
because the guy who owns the strip mall in which it is located "doesn't want a
pub in the middle of his [fiefdom]." What a friggin' moron and/or dick. Probably
both. He's a multi-tasker.

Sorry to hear. You've mentioned how much the two of you like that place
several times.

[Prunepicker]

I always liked Glenn's. I don't know if anyone has mentioned it, but the Hickry Pit,
across the street was decent. I dated a girl that worked at the Pit back in the early
80s.

Yes, it was good. Jack Hwang took me there in the late 70's.

[TheTravellers]

Here is my Number One Missed Restaurant . . . in advance: Sean Cummings Irish Pub. It is (soon to be was) our all-around favorite place to go and it will be closing on November 23. It will be closing--according to the owner, himself--because the guy who owns the strip mall in which it is located "doesn't want a pub in the middle of his [fiefdom]." What a friggin' moron and/or dick. Probably both. He's a multi-tasker.

I had heard he's moving his pub north to the strip mall that Backwoods (and Joey's - yum) is in (NW corner-ish of 122nd/May), and creating a new seafood restaurant in place of the Pub. Not sure how reliable that info is, though...

[ctchandler]

I had heard he's moving his pub north to the strip mall that Backwoods (and Joey's - yum) is in (NW corner-ish of 122nd/May), and creating a new seafood restaurant in place of the Pub. Not sure how reliable that info is, though...

I don't know where the pub is going to be, but it was in today's paper that he was changing the current Irish pub into a seafood restaurant, similar in some ways to his Boca Boca restaurant, which was an excellent seafood restaurant.
C. T.

[Jeepnokc]

Here is my Number One Missed Restaurant . . . in advance: Sean Cummings Irish Pub. It is (soon to be was) our all-around favorite place to go and it will be closing on November 23. It will be closing--according to the owner, himself--because the guy who owns the strip mall in which it is located "doesn't want a pub in the middle of his [fiefdom]." What a friggin' moron and/or dick. Probably both. He's a multi-tasker.

Seems harsh to call a guy a dick or friggin moron unless you know the guy or more of the back story. (I don't which is why wondering if there is more) Here is article on Red Dirt Sean Cummings shares backstory on closing of Irish Pub, two weeks before opening new Land and Sea | Red Dirt Report Doesn't say if they asked to do something outside in advance or what led up to cease and desist but can't fault a property owner for not signing new lease (doesn't say he cancelled it) with someone that responds to business disagreements by cursing at me. It appeared from today's newspaper story that this is the second time they have lost their lease and that he suspects he maybe better off buying a location.

[RadicalModerate]

Seems harsh to call a guy a dick or friggin moron unless you know the guy or more of the back story. (I don't which is why wondering if there is more) Here is article on Red Dirt Sean Cummings shares backstory on closing of Irish Pub, two weeks before opening new Land and Sea | Red Dirt Report Doesn't say if they asked to do something outside in advance or what led up to cease and desist but can't fault a property owner for not signing new lease (doesn't say he cancelled it) with someone that responds to business disagreements by cursing at me. It appeared from today's newspaper story that this is the second time they have lost their lease and that he suspects he maybe better off buying a location.

You are, of course, correct: What I said was harsh. (plus I don't really know the guy . . . only his actions here).
So, I apologize for my harshness. I guess it was "the Irish in me" coming out. =)

(i'm only a little Irish, otherwise I might have used those ancient Gaelic expressions Sean used in the Red Dirt interview.)

ps: VZDs might be a good relo for The Pub . . . better than Kush Lounge or The Haunted Building With No Parking that used to house Custino's et. al. . . .

[Jeepnokc]

You are, of course, correct: What I said was harsh. (plus I don't really know the guy . . . only his actions here).
So, I apologize for my harshness. I guess it was "the Irish in me" coming out. =)

(i'm only a little Irish, otherwise I might have used those ancient Gaelic expressions Sean used in the Red Dirt interview.)

ps: VZDs might be a good relo for The Pub . . . better than Kush Lounge or The Haunted Building With No Parking that used to house Custino's et. al. . . .

I like the idea of relo to VZDs location. Some may be upset to see VZDs lose identity but would be great location for irish pub