Top 8 Oklahoma Dining Destinations

Looking to explore food destinations around our great state? We’ve picked out eight of the best dining destinations in Oklahoma (in no particular order) to tantalize your taste buds.

By Lindsay Morris

Sam & Ella's Chicken Palace Photo courtesy of www.facebook.com/samandellas.com

Meers Store and Restaurant 26005 OK-115, Meers • (580) 429-8051

Meers is a small town near Lawton – about three hours from Tulsa. Once a bustling town of miners seeking gold in the Wichita Mountains, all that remains of the original town now is the restaurant.

The Meers Store and Restaurant is famous for the Meersburger, a seven-inch diameter burger made exclusively from prize-winning Texas longhorn beef raised on the family’s ranch. The restaurant claims their beef is actually lower in cholesterol than chicken. The Meers Store and Restaurant serves a delicious selection of steaks, barbecue and home-baked bread and desserts, including homemade ice cream. While you’re there, you can pick up longhorn beef steaks and hamburger meat for sale in their store, along with barbecued brisket, spareribs, Polish sausage, chicken and thick-sliced bacon. Rock Caf é 114 W. Main St., Stroud • (918) 968-3990

On your next trip to Oklahoma City, take a pit stop in Stroud and visit the Rock Café. The historic café, which was a busy local Greyhound bus stop during World War II, originally opened in 1939. In 2008, the restaurant was destroyed during a fire, but reopened in 2009 after extensive repairs by historic preservationist David Burke.

The homestyle cooking and décor reflect the history of Route 66. One of the favorite menu items is the bison burger. All burgers are served on homemade buns. The chicken fried steak is cooked the Oklahoma way – topped with white gravy and paired with a side of mashed potatoes. Cattlemen ’s Steakhouse 1309 S. Agnew Ave., Oklahoma City • (405) 236-0416

If you’ve never been to Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, it is high time you made a stop there. You are guaranteed some of the best steak in the state in an atmosphere that is elegant, but relaxed. Cattlemen’s opened in 1910 and has been a popular dining destination in Oklahoma City ever since. There, you can get a high-quality steak and all your sides for about $25. A unique menu item is the lamb fries … let’s just say, it’s a part of the animal you wouldn’t normally think of eating. They are battered and fried, served with a lemon slice and cocktail sauce. Top things off with a piece of their gigantic pie and legendary coffee, and you will be as full as a well-fed cattleman.

Hammett House 1616 W. Will Rogers Blvd., Claremore • (918) 341-7333 Hammett House is a staple in Claremore that has been dishing out delicious home-cooked meals for more than 50 years. Hammett House opened in 1969 after almost 20 years of planning by founder LaNelle Hammett. In 1991, Bill and Linda Biard purchased the restaurant and reinvigorated this Claremore landmark eatery.

Hammett House features homemade specialties like “mashed potato” rolls, soups and salad dressings. The homemade dressings are truly special – the locals call the spicy garlic “the pink stuff,” and the cilantro lime ranch dressing is also noteworthy.

If you tell someone you were in Claremore, they will ask if you had a piece of pie from Hammett House. Their pies are sky-high and include unique flavors such as buttermilk chess, peanut butter chocolate chip and sour cream raisin. Ike ’s Chili 1503 E. 11th St., Tulsa • (918) 838-9410

Ike’s has been a part of Tulsa’s history since 1908. It’s believed to be Tulsa’s oldest restaurant still in existence. The old Ike’s was located on Admiral, but the restaurant moved to its current location in 2012.

The recipes that have kept this business rolling for more than a century are not only tasty, but also affordable. With every dish on the menu under $10, you can choose from a variety of burgers (served with delicious waffle fries), chili cheese fries, Frito pie, coneys and three-way chili (served with chili, beans and spaghetti). Frank & Lola ’s 200 E. 2nd St., Bartlesville • (918) 336-5652

A favorite restaurant in Bartlesville, Frank & Lola’s is a whimsical, brickwalled bistro serving upscale American flavors. They pride themselves on serving fresh, never frozen, locally sourced beef that is carefully processed and prepared by McFerron Quality Meats in Nowata.

The menu includes entrees such as a rib eye, pork loin and catfish. Their burgers are a popular choice, and you really can taste the quality in the fresh beef. Be sure to save room for the bread pudding – their signature, baked-toorder dessert served with bourbon sauce and vanilla bean ice cream. Sam & Ella ’s Chicken Palace 419 N. Muskogee Ave., Tahlequah • (918) 456-1411

Though the name presents a bit of a quandary, Sam & Ella’s is one of the best pizza places in Oklahoma. One of the most popular pizzas is the Rock Island Red, featuring red sauce, ham, sweet onions, mushrooms, pineapple and honey. Vegetarians will love The Pie Without a Face – bell peppers, red onions, black olives, mushrooms and pineapples.

They also feature a selection of tasty subs and salads. Country music superstar Carrie Underwood worked at Sam & Ella’s when she went to college at nearby Northeastern State University. Eischen ’s Bar 109 S. 2nd St., Okarche • (405) 263-9939

Eischen’s is known for being the oldest bar in Oklahoma. About two hours southwest of Tulsa, just west of Oklahoma City in Okarche, Eischen’s was established in 1896. It closed during statehood and prohibition but re-opened shortly after the end of prohibition.

While Eischen’s is still a bar, it is better known for its delicious whole fried chicken, fried okra and Frito pie. The exterior and interior of the building are nothing special, but once you taste their fried chicken, you’ll be glad you made the trip.

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Tall Tales and Strange Things

Oklahoma Oddities

Oklahoma has a variety of urban legends, spooky stories and unexplained phenomena. Mysterious lights, magnetic forces – and the daddy of all Oklahoma legends, Bigfoot – have made their way into the state’s unexplained myths and mysteries.

By Karen Szabo

Alleged Bigfoot tracks in Oklahoma's LeFlore County. Photo Courtesy of Native Oklahoma Bigfoot Research Organization

1 Spook Light For years, people have seen a mysterious light appear and disappear on a road in Peoria, located in far northeastern Oklahoma, near the Missouri border.

Despite years of numerous sightings and investigations of the mysterious “Spook Light,” there have been no concrete explanations – although there are plenty of theories. In one, a pair of star-crossed Quapaw lovers leapt to their deaths. Another tale tells of a Civil War soldier who was struck in the head by a cannonball. One of the more popular theories is that of a local miner, who tragically lost his head in a mining accident. The Spook Light is from his lantern as he wanders the area searching for his head. Some less chilling theories credit the flickering orbs to gas and mineral deposits or refracted headlight beams, but all have been discredited upon further examination.

The only thing known for certain is that the Army Corps of Engineers described the Spook Light as a “mysterious light of unknown origin” in 1946, which has remained the “official” explanation ever since. 2 Cry Baby Bridges There are a surprising number of Crybaby Bridges in Oklahoma towns such as Alderson, Moore, Bixby, Kellyville, Lawton and Vinita. Each share one thing in common – a mother either murdered or accidentally killed her baby on the bridge. To this day, anyone visiting the bridge at night can reportedly hear babies crying.

The legend of the bridge in Heavener begins on a dark and stormy night. On Friday, June 13, 1924, a young mother was crossing the bridge with her newborn baby in a horse and buggy when a storm approached. Lightning struck and startled the horses, causing them to buck and knock the baby out of her mother's arms. As the storm raged around her, the woman could hear her baby's cries. As she searched the bridge in the dark, she slipped and fell off the bridge, into the water below and drowned. Legend has it you can still hear the baby crying from the bridge every Friday the 13th. 3 Center of the Universe The Center of the Universe in downtown Tulsa is a small concrete circle in the middle of a larger circle of bricks. It’s not much to look at, but the Center of the Universe isn’t for looking – it’s for listening. If you stand in the middle of the concrete circle and make a noise, the sound is echoed back several times louder – but only those inside the circle can hear it. Thought to be the sound reflecting off a nearby planter, there’s no clear consensus on what causes this natural sonic distortion. 4 Magnetic Hill If you park your car at the bottom of the famous Magnetic Hill on Pioneer Road in Springer and put it in neutral, you’ll feel a force "pull" you and the car up the hill as you let off the brake. Locals think that the ghosts of car crashes past are the ones moving your car away from where they died. Other theories include a magnetic force, alien contact or an optical illusion. Located off I-35 between Ardmore and Davis, Pioneer Road is a public road, and it is advised to bring another person to watch for traffic. Do not try to be pulled up Magnetic Hill when roads are wet or during inclement weather. 5

Hex House The legend of Tulsa’s Hex House involves Carol Ann Smith and two women found living in her dark and unheated basement. The two women were supposedly hypnotized – or “hexed” – into giving every dime of their paychecks to Smith. Smith had also collected life insurance policies on several people who “conveniently” died, including her father, late husband and housemaid.

The story broke when Tulsa police searched Smith’s house while investigating a World War II ration book fraud case. They found the women living in cages with barely any food. For seven years, they had been beaten, starved and treated inhumanely while Smith lived a lavish life upstairs. Smith was sentenced to only one year in prison in 1944 and fled the state upon her release.

Located across the street from Veteran’s Park, the Hex House was demolished in 1975. The basement is supposedly still intact under a paved parking lot.

6 Shaman ’s Portal Located in the panhandle, Beaver Dunes Park is known as “Oklahoma’s Bermuda Triangle” due to the strange disappearances that have occurred there dating back to the 1500s. Men traveling with the Spanish explorer, Coronado, are said to have disappeared from the sand dunes in paranormal flashes of green lightning. Over the years, many more lives have been lost in the sand dunes without explanation. Theories range from an electromagnetic anomaly (similar to the Bermuda Triangle) to a UFO crash. Allegedly, anyone who learns anything about the phenomenon disappears.

7 Oklahoma Octopus Three of Oklahoma's man-made lakes – Lake Thunderbird, Lake Tenkiller and Lake Oolagah – are thought by some to hold a species of freshwater octopus that attacks and kills unsuspecting swimmers. According to legend and rumor, the creature is the size of a horse and resembles an octopus with long tentacles and reddish-brown skin.

Although no physical evidence of an octopus exists, cryptozoologists have pointed out that species of jellyfish have been able to adapt from saltwater to freshwater conditions. This same adaptation may have been possible for a giant cephalopod trapped in an inland lake when coastal waters receded.

8 Bigfoot Bigfoot is probably Oklahoma’s most famous mystery. The legend of a creature – half man, half ape, living in the woods – may seem like a tall tale, but many believe Bigfoot is real. For decades there have been Bigfoot sightings across the state in Adair County, Grove, Talihina, Broken Bow and near the Pensacola Dam, to name a few. The most common Bigfoot sightings happen in wooded areas after the sun has set. Bigfoot field investigators recommend nutty bars and marbles to draw him in.

Descriptions vary, but the most common Bigfoot attributes include a height of up to 10 feet and a weight between 400 to 1,000 pounds. They are usually black, brown or a reddish color, although researchers in Adair County claim a stark white Bigfoot exists in that area.

Adair County is home to the Mid-America Bigfoot Research Center and – according to some researchers – Bigfoot itself. Each year, the center hosts a Bigfoot Symposium featuring vendors, Bigfoot-related artifacts and evidence, and speakers with tales of the famed creature.

Broken Bow is another hotspot for Bigfoot sightings. Every year, thousands descend on the area hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive creature among the tall trees.

The Honobia Bigfoot Festival and Conference is a three-day gathering in the heart of Oklahoma's densely wooded Kiamichi Mountains. In addition to arts, crafts and musical performances, the conference features presentations from prominent Bigfoot field researchers, and of course plenty of opportunities to hear tales of Bigfoot from people who claim to have had firsthand encounters.

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