Old Restaurants

[terryinokc]

Was this related to the El Fenix restaurants in Texas?

[Ward]

I haven't read all the replies, but in the mid 80's through the '90's I really enjoyed Harrigans ( great Hawaiian chicken and nachos), Black Eyed Pea, the Village Inns, Harry Bears (especially the fried peaches). The Queen Ann Cafeteria (next to Founders Tower) had really good food, and I mean really good. The Charcoal Oven was excellent until maybe the late 90's or early 2000's, the food taste quality and portion size just detiorated. Fred Gangs Steak House on NW 39th, and who can forget Steak & Ale. Big Beef BBQ on the old Classen Circle.

In the late 70's to really early 80's there was a really good Chinese restaurant named Chung King on NW 23rd just about a block or so west of Penn. A wonderful Oriental guy named Kenny ran it and might have been the owner. As a student at OCU and resident of the area I loved the food and ate lunch there probably 3 times a week. Kenny treated me so well, then it was a shock to hear he passed away and it closed up. RIP Kenny, you were a good man.

And that triggers another memory, the food at the OCU cafeteria was ok but I also really liked the lunch special at Stones IGA on the east end of Shepherd Mall, next to TG&Y. $1.49 for a LOT of food, very tasty and good quality, drink and desert.

Wow what memories. Thanks.

[ctchandler]

Does anyone remember the Subway Deli? Not to be confused with Subway. It opened across the street from Baptist Hospital, then moved West between MacArthur and Rockwell into the building that is now Fazoli's and their last location was on South Meridian in the building that was Pearl's Cajun Kitchen and is now Zapatas. I'm curious about the company that owned them, wasn't it (or didn't it become) The Good Egg Group?
C. T.

[bluedogok]

It was owned by Paul Seikel of Pearl's. His wife ran it when it was on Meridian.

I miss Cajun Kitchen, we ate there quite often and would go often when we're back in town.

[ctchandler]

It was owned by Paul Seikel of Pearl's. His wife ran it when it was on Meridian.

I miss Cajun Kitchen, we ate there quite often and would go often when we're back in town.

Bluedogok,
The minute I saw "Paul Seikel" I had my answer. His wife ran it on Northwest Expressway and when they were in the building that's now Fazoli's she was pregnant. It was on our rotation for lunch and we went there weekly. We enjoyed Cajun Kitchen too. Thanks for helping my memory.
C. T.

[TheirTheir]

Alfredo's on NW Expressway was a place we would go for pizza all the time when I was a kid. I don't recall if it was a full Italian restaurant or just pizza, but it was between MacArthur and Meridian.

[41h@att.net]

Does anyone remember Oui Lin's on N Penn and about NW 12th? There was
something about having the food served on silver platters. Most Chinese
restaurants did that in the 50's and 60's.

They also served hot rye bread and butter. Loved it.

I remember them well! The thing that stands out in my mind is their egg rolls tasted like peanut butter! They probably used peanut oil for frying… do you remember a Chinese restaurant on North May Ave., around 27th-30th street, on the west side? It was a storefront type, in a building with other businesses… not the one that was in the old IHOP…

[Pete]

I remember them well! The thing that stands out in my mind is their egg rolls tasted like peanut butter! They probably used peanut oil for frying… do you remember a Chinese restaurant on North May Ave., around 27th-30th street, on the west side? It was a storefront type, in a building with other businesses… not the one that was in the old IHOP…

Golden Pheasant Restaurant at 2911 N. May.

The strip center is still there.

[41h@att.net]

EXCELLENT!!! That’s it! Thanks!!!

[wunderkind]

Oui Lin's, yes I recall it, the storefront remained until several years ago. I imagine the peanut butter flavor came from adding peanut butter to the egg roll contents. Many years ago there was an Asian restaurant on West Main Street in Norman where I worked, the House of Dragon. North side of Main, currently Brown's Shoe store.
Mr. Chan (owner) added peanut butter to the cabbage mixture that went into all homemade eggrolls, to improve the consistency. Also served Rye bread and butter along with meals. They opened in the mid- 70s. Trivia, but their head chef was Paul Wong and he moved to Ardmore and successfully operated a Chinese restaurant there for years.

[Jersey Boss]

Oui Lin's, yes I recall it, the storefront remained until several years ago. I imagine the peanut butter flavor came from adding peanut butter to the egg roll contents. Many years ago there was an Asian restaurant on West Main Street in Norman where I worked, the House of Dragon. North side of Main, currently Brown's Shoe store.
Mr. Chan (owner) added peanut butter to the cabbage mixture that went into all homemade eggrolls, to improve the consistency. Also served Rye bread and butter along with meals. They opened in the mid- 70s. Trivia, but their head chef was Paul Wong and he moved to Ardmore and successfully operated a Chinese restaurant there for years.

I moved out here in the late 70's and thought one of the oddest things was Chinese restaurants serving rye bread with the meals. Pastrami or corned beef on rye makes sense. With Chinese food, not at all. Rye goes with Central/ Eastern European fare.

[Roger S]

The eggrolls at Fantasy Chinese Cuisine in Norman have a slight peanut butter taste but it's almost more like they are adding a peanut butter powder to them.

[Martin]

huh... i have NEVER seen the rye bread and butter at an asian restaurant. it's always interesting to hear about quirky traditions like that.

my earliest memories of an asian restaurant are from the early 80's... my folks would take us to a place on 5th street in moore called bobo's. my menu preference was 'garlic chicken' since (to me) it was very similar to fried chicken. obviously i had a very refined palate as a kid. : )

[Roger S]

huh... i have NEVER seen the rye bread and butter at an asian restaurant. it's always interesting to hear about quirky traditions like that.

my earliest memories of an asian restaurant are from the early 80's... my folks would take us to a place on 5th street in moore called bobo's. my menu preference was 'garlic chicken' since (to me) it was very similar to fried chicken. obviously i had a very refined palate as a kid. : )

Right... That was my favorite as a kid too..... My friends and I would save up money just to go in to the Mandarin in Del City to eat the chicken there in high school..... I've been back a few times as an adult and it's still good there but not as good as I remember it being when I was a kid.... LOL

I also always thought it was amusing that so many non-buffet Chinese restaurants usually had a PB&J sandwich on their menu..... Always made me wonder how many they actually ever sold.

[Midtowner]

I also always thought it was amusing that so many non-buffet Chinese restaurants usually had a PB&J sandwich on their menu..... Always made me wonder how many they actually ever sold.

I have a young child. A restaurant not being able to serve a grilled cheese or a cheese quesidilla is a dealbreaker. Fortunately, for us, our kiddo enjoys orange chicken, a/k/a sugar chicken. But if we're doing Indian carryout, we're making a second stop.

[ctchandler]

I moved out here in the late 70's and thought one of the oddest things was Chinese restaurants serving rye bread with the meals. Pastrami or corned beef on rye makes sense. With Chinese food, not at all. Rye goes with Central/ Eastern European fare.

Jersyey Boss, The rye bread was common everywhere back in the 60's, I first had it in Maryland. I remember it in OKC in the 70's to early 80's. It was steamed and covered with a cloth napkin. Don't know the history, but I miss it.
C. T.

[The Shadow]

FYI, Casa Bonita currently trending at #7 on Twitter.

[rayvaflav]

RJ's Cafe on North Santa Fe and about NE 46th St. The lunchtime "Hotline" and the owner Rick Strack working the register: "What's the bill?" "Not sure, have you been here before? Did you like it? Do you plan on coming back? What did you have? ... Okay, let's say ... five dollars, does that sound okay?"

[rte66man]

RJ's Cafe on North Santa Fe and about NE 46th St. The lunchtime "Hotline" and the owner Rick Strack working the register: "What's the bill?" "Not sure, have you been here before? Did you like it? Do you plan on coming back? What did you have? ... Okay, let's say ... five dollars, does that sound okay?"

Oh man, does that ever bring back memories. When I worked for the OK House, one of my committee chairs loved to eat there. He wore a loud tie so if he spilled on it no one would ever know.

[ManAboutTown]

Does anyone remember a place called Reuben Rugby's on the northwest corner of NW Expressway and NW 63rd? It was owned by Bob Clift, who later became the head of the Oklahoma Restaurant Association, and was open in the early '80s until about 1985. It had a huge salad bar and the menu was basically American food - burgers, sandwiches, steaks and chicken.

[Bill Robertson]

Does anyone remember a place called Reuben Rugby's on the northwest corner of NW Expressway and NW 63rd? It was owned by Bob Clift, who later became the head of the Oklahoma Restaurant Association, and was open in the early '80s until about 1985. It had a huge salad bar and the menu was basically American food - burgers, sandwiches, steaks and chicken.

I do remember that. It was an amazing salad bar and I love a good salad bar.

[Pete]

As I recall, Reuben Rugby's didn't last very long.

It opened in the early '80s and I believe it closed around 1986.

[Bill Robertson]

As I recall, Reuben Rugby's didn't last very long.

It opened in the early '80s and I believe it closed around 1986.

That sounds about right. There were a lot of 80s restaurants that didn't last long.

[Pete]

^

The economy in Oklahoma really tanked around 1982 (Penn Square Bank collapse was both a symptom and cause) and was pretty bad well into the '90s.

And when things started to pick up again, NW Expressway was no longer the hot spot... Most the bigger places went to Memorial Road then the core started to come back (thanks to the first MAPS) and NW Expressway west of 63rd really stalled, at least in terms of sit-down restaurants and bars.

[Crisko]

Does anyone remember Circus Time restaurant at SW 74th and Pennsylvania?