I ran across an article on The Lost Ogle by accident the other day. I don't usually read TLO because it seems they just like to run down Oklahoma personalities. I guess some might see it as satire but the Pioneer Woman article from the other day really came off as jealous whining. But that's whole other topic. The article I'm talking about was a list of OKC restaurants that the author missed. A lot of the ones on the list were names that you hear often as restaurants that are missed. But I started thinking about it and began thinking that when some of those places still existed, I don't recall thinking they were all that great. Some were okay, some were good, some less so. But I just wonder if nostalgia has more to do with it than anything. If those places remind us of a good time in our lives or a time when our lives were simpler.

I don't recall ever loving the pizza at Crystal's but I loved the restaurant. I went there as a young teen so my life was certainly more simple then as my parents took care of all the important stuff in my life. The Crystal's building was cool with the different rooms (it was like a quest finding different, out-of-the-way rooms) and all the games on the two different levels.

Applewood's fritters were great but I don't remember their food being all that...well, memorable. Is it just nostalgia that makes us miss Applewoods?

Was Molly Murphy's really that cool and fun or were they just mean? Was the Eagle's Nest really upscale and metropolitan or do I only think that because it's where I had my first grown up meal on my 13th birthday? And the list goes on.

Thoughts? Feelings?

I am by nature a very sentimental person, as I love to remember old times and relive them. But I am not nostalgic, meaning I think virtually everything is better today than it ever has been.

I mourn some historic structures that are gone for good but only because I'd love to see them restored and improved. Most ended their lives as horrible messes which had been in a bad state for a long time.

Otherwise, I'm very sure 3Sixty is way better than the Eagle's Nest or anything else in that space.

Crystal's was cool only because it had some games and fun stuff but playing virtually every game ever made for free at FlashBack -- while drinking beer and listening to great music! -- is light years better.

Molly Murphy's was super over-rated. It was fun for a while but their food was very unremarkable and I found the characters more annoying than anything. And it was a complete and admitted rip-off of the Time Machine in DFW. It went out of business because the novelty wore off and it had long stopped being any sort of destination.

Of all cloudy memories, the most subjective of all is taste. Split T had the best burgers in the world! etc.

Truth is there are dozens and dozens of great places now and the old places would not stack up very well... Except for in our romanticized memories.

For the most part I think is spot on. However. Nicks at the top. Was fantastic and only closed because they were for forced out.

WRT retail - yep, I believe Rainbow Records and Sound Warehouse (not so much Peaches) were as good as I remember them, not much like them around anymore (Trolley Stop and Guestroom are the ones I go to and they're cool, but as far as new releases go, they're just OK).

Of all cloudy memories, the most subjective of all is taste. Split T had the best burgers in the world! etc.

One of the few places that has stayed open and allowed me to go back and see if it was just memory or if it was really any good is Pizza Shuttle. When I was at OU I thought it was a pretty decent pizza (not the best) especially for the price. Eating their pizza many years later I realized it was bathed in the grease of nostalgia. The pizza just wasn't very good at all. I guess you could make the argument that the recipe changed or something and that's what made it taste less than good when I got older, but I don't think that was the case.

WRT retail - yep, I believe Rainbow Records and Sound Warehouse (not so much Peaches) were as good as I remember them, not much like them around anymore (Trolley Stop and Guestroom are the ones I go to and they're cool, but as far as new releases go, they're just OK).

Some of that has to do with technology. I remember a time when you had to go to a place like Rainbow to find the new bands, the up and comers, the obscure, etc. Now a simple internet search will return far more, far quicker than a visit to your local record shop.

Of all cloudy memories, the most subjective of all is taste. Split T had the best burgers in the world! etc.


When I was a kid my dad had a landscaping business and we mowed Vincent Stephens house and the Split-T but in 8 years of mowing it we never ate there once..... We did try to mow commercial properties early in the morning/week before customers arrived. Oddly we ate at that filling station on Western and Avondale (Bolan Service Station now) just about every Wednesday when we were mowing residential in Nichols Hills.

I think Molly Murphy's was indeed fun, not mean. I agree that nobody went there for the food, and if they ever did they certainly stopped doing so as the quality (what there was of it) quickly dived. But it was indeed fun.

Now, if you want mean, go to Dick's Last Resort. All I can say about them is they live up to the name. They're a bunch of dicks, and eating there would be a last resort. There's a reason they're closing left and right.

I think when it comes to Okie-Mex it has taken a big step back compared to the 80's when places like Nino's and Cocino de Mino were in their heyday.

They have altered the recipes so much to try to keep their food costs down that none of it is anywhere near as good as it was back then. Biggest case in point is the chicken soup base cheese jelly they serve as complimentary queso these days.

When I worked at Nino's (first mowing his home and properties and later as a tortilla delivery driver) the queso was made with a food service brand of processed cheese (Velveeta).... Now I'm not even sure there is any cheese left in the recipe.... Yes I know there could be an argument made that Velveeta isn't cheese but it's best known for being made into queso with Rotel.

One of the few places that has stayed open and allowed me to go back and see if it was just memory or if it was really any good is Pizza Shuttle. When I was at OU I thought it was a pretty decent pizza (not the best) especially for the price. Eating their pizza many years later I realized it was bathed in the grease of nostalgia. The pizza just wasn't very good at all. I guess you could make the argument that the recipe changed or something and that's what made it taste less than good when I got older, but I don't think that was the case.

I would venture to say that Pizza Shuttle didn't change, you did. The people who now are who you were back then I imagine still love it, that being a broke college student who may or may not have a legal blood alcohol level. I saw this in very very stark contrast when I lived in Austin and went to Magnolia Cafe. Ask the people who were there in their college years, and that place is absolute heaven on earth. No better food anywhere on the planet.

In reality, I was served ice-cold pancakes, and since there wasn't a dangerous amount of alcohol that needed to be soaked up by said ice-cold pancakes (not room temperature, actually, actively COLD) I was completely unimpressed. But the people who DID go there when they were too drunk to know any better remember the good times and overlook the faults.

I think Molly Murphy's was indeed fun, not mean. I agree that nobody went there for the food, and if they ever did they certainly stopped doing so as the quality (what there was of it) quickly dived. But it was indeed fun.

Now, if you want mean, go to Dick's Last Resort. All I can say about them is they live up to the name. They're a bunch of dicks, and eating there would be a last resort. There's a reason they're closing left and right.

Didn't say mean, said annoying.

That place was good for about 2 visits then got old fast. Which is exactly why it died.

One of my pet peeves on this topic is the old "that place has really gone downhill" line.

The much more likely facts are that you are older and wiser and there are lots more, better options now and will be even more in the future.

Didn't say mean, said annoying.

Traxx asked if they were mean in the OP.

Traxx asked if they were mean in the OP.

Oops, sorry.

Wasn't it the re-tread of Applebees on Memorial that had My Pi pizza for a while?

I remember trying it on one of my trips back and thinking, "This sure looks the same and the taste and texture are familiar, but it just isn't that good."

While my old self remembered it as the best pizza ever. Again, there are reasons why it died.

When I was a kid my dad had a landscaping business and we mowed Vincent Stephens house and the Split-T but in 8 years of mowing it we never ate there once..... We did try to mow commercial properties early in the morning/week before customers arrived. Oddly we ate at that filling station on Western and Avondale (Bolan Service Station now) just about every Wednesday when we were mowing residential in Nichols Hills.

The thing to keep in mind about Split-T is from what period of time are you remembering it: From it's heyday in the 70's into the very early 80's, or it's "second run" from about the mid/late 90's until it closed? The former was what made it great. The latter was...awful. I used to work in that neck of the woods and maybe once or twice a month we'd walk over to Split-T and the place was generally a shambles. The burgers were....edible. I fully expected the place to close down one day while we were in there eating. And there was not much of a lunch crowd. So, in that vein, yeah, memories bias reality, but in this case, it's *which* memories are biasing :)

For me, my favorite memory-shaded place is Shakey's Pizza. I loved their player pianos, straw hats, stained-glass/coke barrel doors, wood benches, and even as an adult I can honestly say I've never had a pepperoni pizza that matched the flavor of Shakey's pepperoni. Alas.

One of the few places that has stayed open and allowed me to go back and see if it was just memory or if it was really any good is Pizza Shuttle. When I was at OU I thought it was a pretty decent pizza (not the best) especially for the price. Eating their pizza many years later I realized it was bathed in the grease of nostalgia. The pizza just wasn't very good at all. I guess you could make the argument that the recipe changed or something and that's what made it taste less than good when I got older, but I don't think that was the case.

I delivered pizza for pizza shuttle in college. It was never about quality. It was about price. Their $10 for 3 pizzas and sodas delivered special was nuts, and so popular. But the pizza was greasy crap and only fit for the stomach of a college student (90% of the customers).

Before it's demise, Pepe's in Edmond was great at one point. It definitely isn't a case of nostalgia. I think that Pepe just got to old to manage it properly.

For me, my favorite memory-shaded place is Shakey's Pizza. I loved their player pianos, straw hats, stained-glass/coke barrel doors, wood benches, and even as an adult I can honestly say I've never had a pepperoni pizza that matched the flavor of Shakey's pepperoni. Alas.

There are still plenty of Shakey's in California and I had very fond memories for the same reasons but I can assure you their pizza does not compare well with even chain pizza now.

Went once for old-time's sake and never returned in my 25 years out there.


I was trying to think about places that still exist and actually provide a modern day comparison. A&W comes to mind and I remember thinking they had the best burgers and root beer on the planet. Of course, not even close to modern options.

I remember when McDonald's was the biggest thing ever with only their basic burgers, fries and shakes. When is the last time any of us even ordered one of their regular burgers? And if you did, you see it's a joke by modern standards.


I'm not saying it's not fun and even satisfying to wax nostalgic but with food and restaurants in particular, I just don't think any of our old faves can hold a candle to what is available now. And yes, I realize that is sad in its own way.

There are still plenty of Shakey's in California and I had very fond memories for the same reasons but I can assure you their pizza does not compare well with even chain pizza now.

Went once for old-time's sake and never returned in my 25 years out there.


I was thinking more about the Shakey's of around 1975 or so.

I don't think *any* surviving contemporary version of a "classic" restaurant is as good as that original counterpart. I have no doubt that "current" Shakey's is much departed from CiCi's or whatever. Heck, I can think of a more current version: Fuddruckers. Used to be one in OKC years ago, burgers were really good, lots of fresh stuff to put on them; but found a "contemporary" namesake version of it in Dallas a couple of years ago and it wasn't anywhere near as good. Smaller burgers, cold buns, no "buffet of toppings", just a very bland burger joint that couldn't hold a candle to, say, The Garage here in OKC (and a mustard-onion cheeseburger from there is sounding pretty good right now....)

Look at the other thread about what Braum's is becoming - they've **had** great reputation, but they're changing and evolving and the memory being created is a combination of nostalgia from the 70's and the reality that they're changing in ways that benefit their bottom line, but spoil their food and their stores. It's like an inevitable retail de-evolution into something only a faint shadow of itself, persisting in name only and living off the memory of what it once was.


Another old lost favorite of mine was Dodson's Cafeteria. No one had their veal cutlets or chocolate icebox pie since they closed.

^

I would submit that the food hasn't changed that much, it's just the standards and thus our expectations have been raised greatly since the 60's and 70's.

And the people I know in the restaurant business pretty much agree.

I remember when McDonald's was the biggest thing ever with only their basic burgers, fries and shakes. When is the last time any of us even ordered one of their regular burgers? And if you did, you see it's a joke by modern standards.

Pretty much every Wednesday after pool league... The #2 (2 cheeseburger meal) is my once a week fast food foray. ;)

And no I don't think they are as good since they took out the pink slime. ;)

Honestly as far as fast food burgers go I still prefer McDonald's to others.... Yes even over In-N-Out.... And maybe it's just because that's what I grew up on. Back when the thing was to hit the drive-thru and order a dozen for anywhere from $1.20 to $2.50.... Does anyone still order burgers by the dozen like that?

^^

Makes me think of Braum's Bag of Burgers... 5 for $5 I think...


Closest I came to ordering burgers by the dozen was at the white castle in New Orleans in the French District after a night of ... umm, excessive consumption. 50 cents each at the time if I recall.

Pretty much every Wednesday after pool league... The #2 (2 cheeseburger meal) is my once a week fast food foray. ;)

And no I don't think they are as good since they took out the pink slime. ;)

Honestly as far as fast food burgers go I still prefer McDonald's to others.... Yes even over In-N-Out.... And maybe it's just because that's what I grew up on. Back when the thing was to hit the drive-thru and order a dozen for anywhere from $1.20 to $2.50.... Does anyone still order burgers by the dozen like that?

McDonald's Big Mac is just as good as it ever has been (as is their double cheese burger) as are their fries. And McDonald's is a few times a month place at the minimum

McDonald's Big Mac is just as good as it ever has been (as is their double cheese burger) as are their fries. And McDonald's is a few times a month place at the minimum

I'm not much of a fry eater anymore but I do still like McDonald's fries when you can get them fresh and crispy. When I get fries that have sat and gotten soggy they usually don't get eaten.

Closest I came to ordering burgers by the dozen was at the white castle in New Orleans in the French District after a night of ... umm, excessive consumption. 50 cents each at the time if I recall.

I get White Castle on such a rare occasion that I'm going all in and ordering the Crave Case when that occasion arises!

I would venture to say that Pizza Shuttle didn't change, you did.

Yeah, that's what I was trying to say. :D

WRT retail - yep, I believe Rainbow Records and Sound Warehouse (not so much Peaches) were as good as I remember them, not much like them around anymore (Trolley Stop and Guestroom are the ones I go to and they're cool, but as far as new releases go, they're just OK).

There was a record store named Peaches? That completely explains where that 60 or 90 min tape I have somewhere has a label on it that says "Peaches" I need to go through some boxes and dig it out.

I have (Oklahoma) childhood memories of going to Mazzios and being mesmerized by the lights outside of Crystals. I have always wanted to go there but never went. Also Godfathers Pizza and the commercials for them.

For those of you who were in the Denver area my most fond memory was The Organ Grinder. I loved that place and wish it were still around. (Wow all pizza places!) The Organ Grinder had a huge organ in it with pipes that controlled a bunch of instruments that was played by wind pressure. They would play old movies and the organist would play music to the movies.

14036

McDonald's Big Mac is just as good as it ever has been (as is their double cheese burger) as are their fries. And McDonald's is a few times a month place at the minimum

I don't really eat at Mcdonalds anymore after years of working there, but what's frustrating is that when a store is run and staffed right, you can't beat them for quality, freshness, and speed of service. Every other fast food company is constantly playing catchup to McDonald's operating procedures. The Founder is a great movie to watch, and it's not far off, and shows the thought they put into everything to be able to handle high volume in the quickest way possible. The trouble is it seems to be getting harder to find those really well run stores.

When I was in high school/college almost all McDonald's in the metro were corporate owned, and they had a large regional office (on NW expressway) and there was tons of oversight. Now, I don't believe there are any corporate stores in the metro, and they closed the office in the early 2000s. It has made a significant difference.

There was a record store named Peaches? That completely explains where that 60 or 90 min tape I have somewhere has a label on it that says "Peaches" I need to go through some boxes and dig it out. ...

Yep, on 63rd/May, where Akin's is now, I believe, is the location I went to, there were probably others around, though.

Some of that has to do with technology. I remember a time when you had to go to a place like Rainbow to find the new bands, the up and comers, the obscure, etc. Now a simple internet search will return far more, far quicker than a visit to your local record shop.

Yeah, I know, but the whole personal recommendation, chat with the guys working there thing (HIgh Fidelity, anyone?) is just lost (and the recommendation algorithms in online stuff don't come close to making up for that). That's where I found out about so many bands that shaped my musical tastes. Now it's just tiring to try to deal with finding new bands on the internet - too many and not enough quality control.

Yeah, I know, but the whole personal recommendation, chat with the guys working there thing (HIgh Fidelity, anyone?) is just lost (and the recommendation algorithms in online stuff don't come close to making up for that). That's where I found out about so many bands that shaped my musical tastes. Now it's just tiring to try to deal with finding new bands on the internet - too many and not enough quality control.

The on-line version of the guy at Sound Warehouse is something like Pandora or one of the many others that use algorithms to find songs and artists you like based on what you tell them you already like, or what you choose to like once heard.

Again, I would argue this is a million times better than relying on a couple of people to guess at what you may like based on what they have happened to have heard.

I find absolutely tons of music and bands I like this way. Even on youtube where you can listen to an artist then browse the playlist that is always suggested.

And I can do it any time I want in my pajamas rather than driving down to a record store, finding the right guy then completely trusting him. AND I can pre-listen before I buy or download.

Even later, how many hours did I spend in Tower records going from station to station to listen to whatever CD's they happened to be running through headphones?

I will also say it wasn't long ago where you couldn't even hear a huge majority of music because our local stations didn't carry it. Even when I was in college, KGOU was classic rock. No alternative or progressive or new wave or anything. I would go read Billboard in the OU library then buy records blindly, if I could even find them in record stores.

This is one of the areas where I think their have been the greatest improvements of all, not even factoring in that who gets their music out is no longer controlled by 5 or 6 rich older white guys who owned record companies and then engaged in rampant payola to get those records heard.

Some of that has to do with technology. I remember a time when you had to go to a place like Rainbow to find the new bands, the up and comers, the obscure, etc. Now a simple internet search will return far more, far quicker than a visit to your local record shop.I do love being able to download one song that hear and want. Plus the other things the internet music shopping provides. But one of my favorite memories was walking into Rainbow one night and hearing this amazing music playing. I asked the clerk what it was and he told me it was "Song For America" a new album by a new, pretty much unknown band named Kansas. I bought the 8-track and Kansas has been my favorite band since.

^

Despite everything I just posted, I can relate to that.

In fact, I remember going to a debut listening party for Depeche Mode's Violator album at the old Stark Club (it was called something different by then) in Dallas.

This was 1989/90 and still no internet so this is how things were done. And I was blown away and that album remains among my very favorites. The anticipation and setting certainly played into all that.


However, I bought lots of bad music back in the day, based on one song I had heard or a music review I had read. And no returns!

And it took me forever to find bands like REM, The Smiths and some of my all-time favorites because there was simply no way to hear them in OKC. By the time I moved to California in 1990, I had a huge backlog of music to buy and digest because I finally had access to things like KROQ and it was a seemingly un-ending flow of great stuff that had been out for a while and I had simply never heard.

In the late 90s early 2000s there was an old CD store I went to fairly often in Robinson Crossing. The owner had a huge collection and I remember getting a lot of bootleg and non American published alternative and industrial music from him. It was sad when I moved back to Ok in 2011 that he and the place on Boyd and Debarr were gone.

I was eating Sussy's pizza in the 50's and have continued since he died and Sullivan's on Reno opened and had the original Sussy's recipe, and then Nomad II, same recipe. I love that pizza and in my opinion, it's the best we have ever had in OKC. I'm looking forward to the place in Bricktown. As for Shakey's, it was fun and decent. My wife and I loved the Portuguese linguica (a good sliced sausage. Their pizza wasn't great but we liked it and enjoyed the entertainment. Dodson's will always hold a special place in my heart. One of the first places we ate at when I was a child and also our wedding rehearsal dinner was at Dodson's. I don't think the quality changed over the years, it was just pretty good (not great) food. Another place I grew up on was Coit's and it was always what it was! Good root beer and in my opinion good hot dogs. I think I could go on and on, but I've bored everyone enough with my rambling.
C. T.

Coits - I loved the frosted mugs root beer. Never liked the corn dogs or anything else. No nastalgia there. I'd rather get that milk carton thing of root beer at the fair.

Malcolm Gladwell says McDonalds fries are nowhere as good today as they were before 1990: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/03/05/the-trouble-with-fries

Coits - I loved the frosted mugs root beer. Never liked the corn dogs or anything else. No nastalgia there. I'd rather get that milk carton thing of root beer at the fair.

Try the root beer on tap in a frosted mug at Pop's. It's fantastic.

Try the root beer on tap in a frosted mug at Pop's. It's fantastic.Of all the times I've been there on poker runs and such I didn't know they had that. I've always got stuff out of the coolers. Next time I'll definitely try it.

Yep, on 63rd/May, where Akin's is now, I believe, is the location I went to, there were probably others around, though.

There was one in Tulsa on the SE corner of 51st and Sheridan. If that one didn't have what I was looking for, I would stop at the 63rd and May store on my way to Duncan.

Malcolm Gladwell says McDonalds fries are nowhere as good today as they were before 1990: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/03/05/the-trouble-with-fries

Knew someone who was a manager at a McD's when they stopped using beef tallow. He told a story about attending a regional managers conference after the change wherein one manager took to an open mike during a Q&A session with management, begging McD's to please go back to the tallow, because "bubba likes his fat." The audience erupted with applause.

People are sick of being told what to eat, or that X is going to give them a Y increased risk for Z. And most of that hysteria was promulgated back when the conventional wisdom told us to limit dietary cholesterol, whereas we know now that dietary cholesterol has almost no relationship to serum cholesterol. A *great* editorial appeared iin the LA Times the other day by a doctor who skewered the AMA and the ongoing mantra about saturated fats and their supposed link to heart problems, when in reality the data doesn't show it.

Sorry, sorry, I'm digressing. But some stuff in that article reminded me of the fats/heart/cholesterol business and it struck a nerve.

Malcolm Gladwell says McDonalds fries are nowhere as good today as they were before 1990: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/03/05/the-trouble-with-fries

[I haven't read the article but I agree 110%. They used to have the best fries hands down. They changed the way or the cooking oil they used to deep fry them. The fried pies use to be much better also.

^^^^^^^^
If you miss the old McDonald's fried pies the ones at Whataburger are a pretty close approximation.

[I haven't read the article but I agree 110%. They used to have the best fries hands down. They changed the way or the cooking oil they used to deep fry them. The fried pies use to be much better also.

Also, in the article behind that link Gladwell explains exactly how they changed the preparation, which moved them away from the fries you and I know and love.

^^

Makes me think of Braum's Bag of Burgers... 5 for $5 I think...


Closest I came to ordering burgers by the dozen was at the white castle in New Orleans in the French District after a night of ... umm, excessive consumption. 50 cents each at the time if I recall.

white Castle or Krystal's? Never seen a WHite Castles in Nola but have hit Krystal's many times in the quarter after a bit too much

white Castle or Krystal's? Never seen a WHite Castles in Nola but have hit Krystal's many times in the quarter after a bit too much

I think you're right. Krystal's on bourbon st. I always confuse the two (so similar in their products). Got the bagful which was under 8 or 9 dollars for a dozen of them. White Castle has something similar.

yes they are very much the same.. I do like Krystal's better however. those are great grease bombs on a late night

Malcolm Gladwell says McDonalds fries are nowhere as good today as they were before 1990: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/03/05/the-trouble-with-fries

Hrm.. 1990? They must have done a phased transition. I started working at McDonald's in 1991 and they were still using the beef tallow. Nasty stuff to work with. We had a big rolling bin and you'd dig the stuff out of it with a big metal scoop. When cold, it was slimy and nasty and messy, and after working there for a bit I learned the hard way not to hang my work clothes (even after cleaning) in the closet with the rest of my clothes, because they'd make everything stink. We eventually switched to the vegetable oil, but I can't remember how long I had been there. It came in a liquid form, unlike the beef tallow, and in jugs that we pour into the vat.

The big downside was (and probably still is) that it was much less resilient compared to the beef tallow, so if the vats weren't cleaned more often and the oil replaced every few days, you got terrible fries. Properly cleaned, with fresh oil, the fries were still good. Well, at least until they got sued and had to remove the beef flavoring from the oil.

^^^^^
I worked at Pizza Hut when I was in high school (in the eighties) and learned to either put my uniform straight into the laundry when I got home or to leave them in my car (which stunk because of it). We always assumed it was the onions, though it wasn't a specific onion smell.

Some places really have gone down in quality. Others were never all that good, but we didn't know any better because lack of options. And then there are those places where we were at a specific time in our lives, and that changes how we think about those places.

I was introduced to Pizza Shuttle and Papa Johns at the same time, when I was 18 and a freshman in the dorms at OU. I remember thinking that Papa Johns was "really good, but really expensive", while Pizza Shuttle was "pretty good, and cheap". Previous to this, my standard for really good pizza was mid-90s Dominoes, so you can see that I really didn't know any better. We ordered Pizza Shuttle a lot, because you could stuff yourself for next to nothing. You could dig up enough change in your car to get Pizza Shuttle. Papa Johns was for those times I was flush with cash and wanted to splurge.

I'll still get Papa Johns on occasion, but there are so many better options (Old Chicago has much better pizza if I'm looking for a chain), I really only get it if I'm craving that garlic butter. I haven't dared to try Pizza Shuttle since I left college. I'm pretty sure I don't want what it would do to my stomach. Still, I've got good memories of that place. The fun that I had while eating their pizza was real. Those memories really happened. It's the quality of the food itself that was an illusion. But in many ways the food quality is secondary to the events surrounding the food.

We ate at Taco Tico when I was a kid. I remember thinking it was the best Mexican food ever. I tried it again maybe a year or two ago (there's one still open in Shawnee). I drove all the way out there just to try it. It's just a fast food taco. Not really all that good. I don't know if me as an 8 year old just had bad taste in Mexican food, or if the quality has actually decreased. The store in Shawnee wasn't really very clean, and one of the people working there was a former client who had neck tattoos and had done some time in prison. Maybe it was always that quality, and I was just too young to know any better. Or with it being one of the last surviving stores, maybe it has gone downhill. I don't think I have a way to measure it. On the other hand, I'm a Del City boy, and Canton Palace there has definitely gone down in quality. I've eaten there consistently enough to notice that the food is not quite what it used to be. So there are certainly some instances of places slipping.

I do believe that we've got far better dining options today than we ever had before. We've got some serious first class dining options available in OKC today. We have far more options and much higher quality than existed even 20 years ago, much less back in the 60s and 70s (disclaimer, wasn't alive for most of those decades). Part of that is due to being a bigger city, and part of that is due to the growing "foodie" culture.

Leo's Peking Place in stillwater was as good as I remember it to be. Their food was different and I have not found another Chinese restaurant that is similar. I've found some that are as good, but they are nothing like Leo's.

We ate at Taco Tico when I was a kid. I remember thinking it was the best Mexican food ever. I tried it again maybe a year or two ago (there's one still open in Shawnee).

Nope. Closed in December 2016.... There are still Taco Ticos in Duncan and Claremore.

I tried the Sancho at the Shawnee location and it wasn't as good as I remembered eating in Hutchinson, KS as a kid.... I remembered them being toasted a little and the one in Shawnee was more like a burrito with lettuce.

^^^^^
I worked at Pizza Hut when I was in high school (in the eighties) and learned to either put my uniform straight into the laundry when I got home or to leave them in my car (which stunk because of it). We always assumed it was the onions, though it wasn't a specific onion smell.I worked at Casa Bonita. Mom made me take my clothes off outside the back door and leave them outside on the porch. And of course my shoes never saw the inside of the house.

^

Despite everything I just posted, I can relate to that.

In fact, I remember going to a debut listening party for Depeche Mode's Violator album at the old Stark Club (it was called something different by then) in Dallas.

This was 1989/90 and still no internet so this is how things were done. And I was blown away and that album remains among my very favorites. The anticipation and setting certainly played into all that.


However, I bought lots of bad music back in the day, based on one song I had heard or a music review I had read. And no returns!

And it took me forever to find bands like REM, The Smiths and some of my all-time favorites because there was simply no way to hear them in OKC. By the time I moved to California in 1990, I had a huge backlog of music to buy and digest because I finally had access to things like KROQ and it was a seemingly un-ending flow of great stuff that had been out for a while and I had simply never heard.
There are a lot of great advancements these days. Like you said, you can find most things on YouTube and give it a listen before you buy. You can buy just one song off of an album and it doesn't even have to be a single. And it truly is better, but the nostalgia in me kind of misses talking with the dudes who worked at Rainbow and turned me on to new and different artists. The feeling of "discovering" a band few others know about. In lieu of not being able to hear that stuff on radio in OKC, I watched 120 Minutes on Sunday nights on Mtv as well as Postmodern Mtv. KSPI the Spy could have some good stuff too if you were in the right part of the city and got it to come in on your car radio. But not hearing it on OKC radio also made me feel that I was privy to something not everyone got to hear. It was kind of cool.

In lieu of not being able to hear that stuff on radio in OKC, I watched 120 Minutes on Sunday nights on Mtv as well as Postmodern Mtv.

Those shows were my salvation in the mid 80's. I would stay up late and take notes, then buy music accordingly.

I also used to watch Soul Train on Saturday afternoons as that as another resource for music you couldn't otherwise hear, although a completely different genre.

Those were the good ol' days!! ;)

I also used to watch Soul Train on Saturday afternoons as that as another resource for music you couldn't otherwise hear, although a completely different genre.

Those were the good ol' days!! ;)

I remember watching Soul Train because we only had 4 channels and it was the best thing on any of those 4 channels.... lol

Taco Tico actually bears little resemblance to what it was in the seventies and 80s, and this includes the recipes. From Wikipedia:


Dan Foley opened the first Taco Tico in 1962,[1] in his native Wichita, Kansas, and began franchising new locations in 1967. The company was a regional hit by 1980.

In 1988, Foley sold the company and chain to a former executive from KFC. The meat recipe, which gave Taco Tico tacos their unique flavor, was changed at that time. The meat, at that time, was sent to the stores in frozen tubes from the main distribution center. The new flavoring was unpopular and Taco Tico has since switched back to the original.

As of 2014, there are locations throughout the Midwest and Southeastern states. Newer buildings are adobe with teal-green and orange awnings, signs, and trim.

On March 5, 2013, 10 restaurants were closed by the Kansas Department of Revenue for failure to remit $434,939.23 in sales tax.[2] The restaurants were later reopened after a bankruptcy filing and a deal between Ajax International Group and the Kansas Department of Revenue.[3] Three independently-franchised locations were unaffected by the closure or bankruptcy filing.

On July 11, 2013, The State of Kansas re-closed 10 Taco-Tico franchises for failure to pay state taxes.[4]

Three remaining Wichita-area Taco Tico restaurants closed in August and September 2013.[5]

On February 5, 2014, the new owner reopened one of the former Wichita, KS locations (13th Street & Tyler Road), with plans to open at least four more stores in Wichita by the end of 2014.[6] Stores have also reopened in Arkansas City, Augusta, Derby, and Newton, KS.

On October 25, 2014, one of the closed locations in Topeka, KS reopened after being purchased by new owners.[7]

As of October 2016, fourteen Taco Tico locations remain in the United States. [8]

^

Despite everything I just posted, I can relate to that.

In fact, I remember going to a debut listening party for Depeche Mode's Violator album at the old Stark Club (it was called something different by then) in Dallas.

This was 1989/90 and still no internet so this is how things were done. And I was blown away and that album remains among my very favorites. The anticipation and setting certainly played into all that.


However, I bought lots of bad music back in the day, based on one song I had heard or a music review I had read. And no returns!

And it took me forever to find bands like REM, The Smiths and some of my all-time favorites because there was simply no way to hear them in OKC. By the time I moved to California in 1990, I had a huge backlog of music to buy and digest because I finally had access to things like KROQ and it was a seemingly un-ending flow of great stuff that had been out for a while and I had simply never heard.

Man, I feel sorry for you, you needed a good record guy. :( I got hooked up with Scott Booker (and the jazz guy and another guy that worked there, can't remember their names, though) way back at Rainbow, and we all hit it off WRT what we liked, what we knew each other liked, and it all worked out to everybody's advantage - they sold stuff, I bought stuff that I liked. Same thing happened with Jim at Size - we knew each other's tastes so well, we found *tons* of great music together...

I do, however, find good stuff online, as you mentioned in your earlier post, but it can get tedious (I'm jaded, though, listened to so much music over the decades that it's hard for me to find someone unique enough to be interested in), even if it works out sometimes. I also still read actual books, listen to actual records, and watch actual DVDs (and sometimes VHS tapes) so I'm not normal.

Since McDonald's has been in the discussion here.... McDonaldland..... Mayor McCheese, Hamilton B. Urglar (Hamburglar), Grimace, The Fry Gobblins, Captain Crook, Officer Big Mac...... I know some of those characters still show up on the playgrounds but do kids even know who they are these days. I know they haven't been used in advertising for years.