Dink’s Pit Bar-B-Que

Cue old Western music…..

Saturday Obed and I saddled the horses and decided to head north for some pit bar-b-que.  We traveled down a long and winding road to reach our final destination.  It was a two day trip where we battled bandits and outlaws, but we finally reached our destination safe and sound.  It was a long and treacherous trip, but it was all in the name of bar-b-que and I believe that is reason enough to risk your life.  Is it not?

Ok so we didn’t saddle horses…..heck I wouldn’t have the first clue to how to saddle a horse.  If I saddled a horse I can guarantee you I would end up upside down, with my feet in the air hanging from the belly of the horse.  Which could be a precarious situation to be in for a multitude of reasons, which I will not go into right now.  The truth is the horse was more in the shape of an car, the long and winding road….well was a highway, and it took us just under an hour to get there.

Obed and I have been looking for some decent bar-b-que since we left Florida and are surprised how hard it has been for us to find it here in Tulsa.  There is a place on S. Harvard but I isn’t really cutting it for us. Last week I was doing some stumbling on Stumbleupon.com and I stumbled across this article on BudgetTravel.com, “The Best Barbeque Joint’s in America”.  On the article’s list was Dink’s Pit Bar-B-Que in Bartelsville, OK, just one hour north of Tulsa.    Obed and I were all over it and decided that it would make the perfect Saturday afternoon road trip.

We got there for lunch and the place was packed.  When you walk into the location it has all the character that you would expect from a Mom & Pop BBQ joint.  The one thing that I did find interesting is that their mascot is a moose.  In fact when you walk in there is a huge moose head hanging on the wall and all of the employees shirts have an embroidered moose.  Usually you would think a pig or a cow as a mascot for a bbq joint but Dink’s is a moose, and no they do not offer bbq moose on the menu.

First we ordered our drinks, two glasses of sweet tea and I cannot express how happy I was to find out that they actually had real sweet tea and no just “unsweet you add the sugar to it” sweet tea.  I was even more ecstatic when I drank it, it was perfect.  The best glass of sweet tea since I left the Southeast.   The appetizer we ordered was a half order of onion straws which was HUGE and more then enough or Obed and I.

On the table is a bottle of their house bbq sauce which was awesomeness in a bottle.  It is a sweet and tangy, brown-red sauce that is tomato and vinegar based.  It was perfect and I had to put it all over my onions straws. That I was gobbling down like a horse mind you.  The truth is the straws didn’t even need the sauce because they are perfectly seasoned but I had to try the sauce.

They have this “Hot Pig Special” of pork tenderloin sandwich topped with cold slaw and jalapenos, which looked interesting but I went with the “Special Plate “with Southern style shredded pork on a bun, cole slaw and curly fries.  I kind of chicken out because of the jalapenos but when we go again I will muster up some courage and give it a try.

The meat in my sandwich defiantly had that great hickory smoked flavor and I got some of those tasty seasoned bits and pieces of the charred portion of the pig.  Although It was a bit on the chewy side and could have been a little more tender.   The fries were a throw-away, they were soggy and bland.  I finished up the onion straws instead.

The cole slaw on the other hand was muy interesante.  Instead of the traditional mayonnaise drenched cole slaw this one was a refreshing sort of sweet-vinegary cole slaw.  It also had some diced up red and green peppers in it which added to it’s refreshing quality.  It’s a great alternative to your traditional cole slaw.

Obed got the “Special Plate” with smoked sausage, baked beans and curly fries.  He concurred with my opinion about the fries but his smoked sausage and beans were fabulous.  You can tell that the beans are also smoked along with all their meat.  The sausage also had a great hickory smoked flavor and were super juicy and flavorful.  I stole a few nibbles of his sandwich so I am speaking from my own experience.

After stuffing ourselves like hogs we had to pass on any dessert option they had but I was sure to ask for a cup of sweet tea to go.  We will defiantly be visiting Dink’s Pit Bar-B-Que again and next time I am going to hunker down and try that “Hot Pig Plate” even if I do end up snotty, sweaty and on fire.  I can take it and I will just be sure to request a pitcher of sweet tea with my meal.

Dink’s Pit Bar-B-Que is in Bartelsville, OK  at 2929 E. Frank Phillips Blvd., 918/335-0606.

Now if you excuse me I feel compelled to work out, I think just looking at these pics I gained a whole hog on my hips.

Road Trip to Pop’s on Rt. 66

Since I have moved out to Oklahoma from the East Coast, I have learned that they speak a different language out here in the Midwest.  The most predominate difference has been pop vs. soda.  You see along the East Coast, and West Coast if I am not mistaken, a carbonated bottled beverage is called a soda.  However when you enter the areas of the Midwest it is called a pop.  This has created some confusion in a few conversations that I had when I first moved out here.  For example my co-workers were talking about a Strawberry Pop Cake.  I was confused because what I pictured was a cake with popsicles sticking out of it, which made no sense whatsoever.   I was told it was a cake that you pour strawberry pop or soda over. 

All this to say that last weekend Hubby and I took off on a mini road trip with our friends.  We headed out to Arcadia, OK, along Rt. 66, which is about a 1.5 hour drive.  We were headed out to a soda ranch…..sorry pop ranch. Do you know what a soda ranch looks like?  Are you picturing soda bottles running ramped on and open range with cowboys roping them into submission?   If so you are waaaaay off.   Please let me enlighten you.

If you travel down Rt. 66 into Arcadia, OK. you will come upon a HUGH pop bottle with a straw.  This is the landmark of POPS the convenience store/restaurant/gas station/shake shop/soda ranch.

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Fresh Berry Frozen Yogurt Cafe

Did you ever see that episode of Seinfeld?  The one where a new fat free yogurt shop opens up around the corner and everyone is going there to eat the super delicious “fat free” yogurt that is too good to be true.  Then Kramer tells Jerry and Elaine that they are getting tubby.  Well it turns out that the yogurt isn’t fat free, but full of fat. 

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Brookside By Day

 

This morning we decided to go to one of my favorite “mom & pop” breakfast joints, Brookside By Day or BBD. It is located in popular and hip Brookside.  It may not look like much from the outside but don’t let that fool you.  BBD seems to have a cult following, you hardly ever have to wait for a table (or I have just been really lucky every time I have gone) and they don’t have an empty table in the place on Saturday mornings.  It is a very, very causal atmosphere with no frills.  The staff is energetic and very friendly. Our server Charlie was most definitely a character, greeting us with “what’s up” and joking around with a little boy sitting next to us.  The staff’s uniform is jeans and a BBD t-shirt.  I noticed that on the back of the t-shirts was a picture of a campsite with the no symbol over it.  I found this very curious and figured that it had to mean something, so I asked Charlie what was the deal with the sign on the back of their t-shirts.  He informed me that it means no camping out, as in don’t camp out at my table nursing a coffee talking for 2 hours, they have people to sit and money to make.  I thought this was hilarious and I totally understood being a former server myself. If your not flipping tables your not making money.  I have to give them credit for being honest and upfront.

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Kilkenny’s Pub Irish Pub

 

Last night Hubby decided to take me somewhere I haven’t been.  We went for dinner out to Kilkenny’s Irish Pub .  Hubby had been their earlier this week for lunch with his co-workers.  When you walk it the place oozes Irish.  The interior is trimmed in beautiful dark mahogany wood, it has red brick walls and they are playing traditional Irish music. 

 

 

We were sat in the main dinning room just next to the bar area.  The menu is very ample, it took us forever to make a decision.  They offer traditional Irish items and more common American items.  They also have a great pub menu with all kinds of goodies.   After about what seemed like 30 mins. of reviewing the menu I finally decided on a Boxy.  Boxyis a traditional Irish dish, common to rural Ireland, a grilled potato pancake stuffed with your choice of filling.  They offer 7 different fillings.  I chose the Kilamacow, (funny right?)seared beef slow-cooked with Portobello mushrooms and herbs, topped with Irish whiskey sauce.  It was quite delicious, very hearty.  The Irish whiskey sauce gave it a very distinct flavor, it had a little tang.  Hubby got the Celtic Club Sandwich, which was HUGE, it has turkey and ham deli slices, along with homemade pimiento cheese and crisp lean bacon, with a mustard on the side.  I had a bite of it with the mustered and it was Yum-E!

Kilkenny’s has a very traditional Irish ambiance and a ample variety on their menu, anyone kind find something to eat.  The hard part is making a decision.  They of course offer a variety of beers and stouts.  They serve, breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and a pub menu.  I think it would be difficult to go wrong at Kilkenny’s Irish Pub.

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Breakfast at The Wildfork

 

We have officially entered into my birthday weekend, so Hubby took me to The Wildfork for breakfast.  The Wildfork is one of the most popular places for breakfast in downtown Tulsa.  It is located in the quaint outdoor mall of Utica Square.  I had never been, but I had heard a lot about it from our friends.  It has a great patio area that I would recommend taking advantage of, and for you dog lovers, you can bring your pups.  When we were walking up to the restaurant there was a gentleman enjoying his breakfast with his Golden Retriever. 

The joint was pretty hopping and the hostess greeted us with a smile, she sat right away in the bar area.  The interior is eclectic, with art work from local artists on the walls that is for sale and the walls are all painted brick.  We were in the red bar room area and next to us was a sort of sunroom dining area that was lite and airy.   Our sever came up and greeted us right away and asked if we wanted coffee.  She was a super sweet girl named Anna, so if you go I recommend you request her. 

Then breakfast menu has some basic breakfast items and then some more “fancy” items, they even have breakfast pizzas which I found very interesting.  Their prices range from 7.00 to 12.00 a dish, and their portions are very generous.  When I dine at a new restaurant I always try to order something that seems unique to that restaurant and that I have never had before.  I ordered the Atlantic Salmon Frittata with sourdough bread toast, Hubby got the Wildfork Hash with wheat toast.  RIf you like you can get biscuits and gravy instead of toast, which is a crazy amount of food.   My Frittata was quite delicious, don’t let the idea of salmon discourage you.  A Frittata is basically just and open faced omelet, this one has salmon, potatoes, tomatoes and all kinds of cheese……yum-E.  Hubby’s hash was a manly man’s meal, it has sausage, peppers, ham, potato, egg and cheese, and I am sure I am forgetting something.  They also have the delicious apricot and plum jam that they put on the table, the plum was my favorite. 

The Wildfork has a great reputation here in the Metro Tulsa area and I can see why.  They are open for lunch and dinner also and if you are ever in the area I recommend visiting.

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The Hideaway

Hubby had been talking about The Hideaway for a few days.  He had gone there for lunch with his co-workers and was raving about the baked ziti that he had.  So Sunday afternoon after church he took me there for lunch. 

The Hideaway is a local pizzeria with several locations through out Northeast Oklahoma.  They opened in 1957 in Stillwater, OK and now have 9 different locations.  It was very interesting and fun.  The atmosphere is very casual and the staff is super friendly and they dress in  jeans and tie-dye t-shirts.  The walls are covered will interesting and colorful collages.  Great family restaurant.

They have a great variety of pizzas and the perfect small pizza if you want one for yourself.  I tried their Bleu Shroom pizza.  The crust was brushed with olive oil and garlic and topped with mozzarella, bleu cheese crumbles and mushrooms.  It may sound like an odd combo to most but it was yummy!  Of course I love bleu cheese, it is lumpy and stinking…..just some of the great attributes of a good cheese……LOL

They have almost every pizza combination that you can think of and some that you wouldn’t think of, check out the menu for yourself.  If you are ever in the Tulsa or OKC area I would recommend that you find a local Hideaway, with the great prices and selection it is well worth checking out.

The Gaucho Brazilian Steakhouse – Tulsa, OK

So I was in Tulsa, OK this past weekend with my Hubby who is on a business trip.  The last night before we left we went to dinner to The Gaucho, it is a Brazilian steakhouse.  It was incredible, a very unique way to dine. 

From the outside the location didn’t look like much.  It is located in a strip mall and has no windows to the exterior.  However, when you walk in it is very elegant. 

The Gaucho is basically an all you can eat buffet with an eelegant cuisine prepared by Brazilian chefs.  The hostess was very kind and took us to our table.  The waitress that greeted us and was very pleasant and personable.  She explained how the buffet works…it went something like this.  Like I already said it is basically all you can eat.  The buffet is $30 a person.  You can start with the buffet which has appetizers, rice, salmon and a salad bar.  Then on your table you have a card, one side is red and the other side is green.  Once you are ready to eat some meat you flip the card to the green side and then the “Gauchos” come out with different meats on a large skewer and they come to your table and carve the meat at your table. 

Meats served include:

Picanha (cut from top sirloin)
Filet Mignon (dinner only)
Top sirloin
Fraldinha (bottom sirloin)
Chicken (served wrapped in bacon)
Pork Sausage
Leg of Lamb (dinner only)
Pork Loin
NEW – Pork Loin with Pineapple

All of the meats were delicious and cooked perfectly.  I sampled everything that came out and was almost unable to walk when i was done.  My favorite has to be the pork loin which was encrusted with Parmesan cheese, they also came out with a whole grilled pineapple.  I ate my pork loin with the pineapple and it was delicious!  It was a wonderful dining experience.  If you have one of these near you I highly recommend you go or if you happen to be in Tulsa I definitely recommend you visit The Gaucho.

I finished off my dinner with their homemade coconut flan and a cup of coffee.  The flan was also delicious, it was creamy with the firmness of a cheesecake topped off with toasted coconut.

The Gaucho Brazilian Steakhouse
6219 E. 61st St.
Tulsa, OK 74135
918-494-0042