Favorite new finds (upscale too)..

[Rewardsnetwork]

I'm out and about in restaurants all of the time so it's pretty hard for me to stumble across a restaurant that I would consider a "find" unless it’s a fits into the Diners Drive-ins and Dives category. That's where I usually look to find a place that shocks me and makes me think "why couldn't I have found this place sooner". Rarely do I stumble into a place I consider a "find" that is also extremely nice and even what I would consider upscale. Usually when I come across an upscale restaurant that I've never heard much about there is a reason. Either they are brand new or nobody talks about them because their not very good and are struggling.

Recently I've found 2 places that some of you may have known about for a while but to me they were finds who also served some seriously high quality food and also provide up scale service and atmosphere.

1. Coriander Cafe in Norman - http://coriandercafe.com/about-us/
I have 2 customers on Campus Corner and as usual parking is a pain. I finally found a parking spot near this restaurant. I made my rounds with my customers and since I had just eaten at both of them recently I decided to give this place a shot. I'm extremely glad I did and I cannot wait until this Thursday when I have another appointment in Norman because I haven't been able to stop thinking about how good and fresh the food was. One of the owners (Chris) stepped out to say hello and check on things and as it turns out he's a very nice guy who is very quality driven. He's also very talented and seems to have a passion for what he's doing. I'm not sure how much business he does because I went at a weird time but I hope a bunch of people find this place and support it for years to come.

2. Queen of Sheba - http://www.ethiopianrestaurant.com/oklahoma/sheba.html

I have a feeling that a lot of people already know about this jewel but I've drove by it for years, saw the sign and didn't think about stopping in. You can read great food reviews about this place but what really shocked me about this place how nice and clean it is on top of having great food. When I walked in it felt like the scene in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy walked out of her house and everything was in brilliant color. The exterior or location of this restaurant does not do it justice. I'd call this place Ethiopian fine dining because of the effort, expense and quality of the atmosphere that the owner was talented enough to pull off. I've not had a lot of experience with this cuisine type to be able to say if it was better or more authentic than others out there but it was very tasty regardless. Definitely a change of pace from what you normally find in OKC and again the owner is a very nice person who is focused on quality, service and providing an dining experience that is top shelf.

Anyone else have any experiences with these places that they'd be willing to share? I'm more of an overall dining experience person vs. food critic because I'm not qualified to be and taste is...a mater of taste.

[kevinpate]

For those interested, the Queen of Sheba uri provided is broken and leads to a 404 error page, or at least it does on my system.
One can try this instead:
http://www.ethiopianrestaurant.com/oklahoma/sheba.html

[Rewardsnetwork]

Kevin,

Thank you. It won't let me edit it again so I'm glad you posted a clean link.

[Martin]

link fixed in op. -M

[WilliamTell]

So now we are encouraging known advertisers to post here?

I would take your recommendations more seriously if you wouldn't have told us you were trying to start a marketing business and get paid for your recommendations.

[Rewardsnetwork]

William, I'm not trying to start a marketing business. I'm an employee for one. How in the world do I get paid for my recommendations? The only reason I told anyone on here what I do is so that they could benefit from it. I don't make 1 penny if someone from this board becomes a frequent dining member with the company that I work for. I also probably spend more time in and see more restaurants than the average members so I thought I might be able to add something to the board. I've been reading this board for a little over a year and I finally decided to contribute. I have been afraid to contribute just because of people like you but like everything in my life I handle it head on so If you've got a bone to pick with me then just call me. I'm a real person on here who doesn't plan on lobbing negatives at people or restaurants while hiding behind a computer. There is nothing wrong with someone promoting their restaurant on here and if I'm promoting anything it's the restaurants who are my current customers, not myself. It would make little since for me to try to sell anything on here since diners are not my customers, restaurants are.

BTW..The two restaurants I posted about are NOT my current customers. I was just really excited to find them and thought I'd share.

My# is 290-8554

[ljbab728]

So now we are encouraging known advertisers to post here?

I would take your recommendations more seriously if you wouldn't have told us you were trying to start a marketing business and get paid for your recommendations.

William, as long as we know where someone is coming from I have no problem with these kinds of posts. Everyone is free to take or not take any suggestions seriously as they see fit. We have had many instances where people from the restaurants being discussed have posted here and gave their input. Thunder has a whole thread in another area promoting his business.

[Thunder]

Thunder has a whole thread in another area promoting his business.

It may be that way, but its more like community input to help me and I like to share my progress. :-P

[EBAH]

I'm a fan of Queen of Sheba, great food, great atmosphere, good times in general. My only eservation is that it can take a REALLY long time to get in and out of there. I've gone out with a large group of friends to eat there and it took almost an hour to get our checks after we ate. I wasn't really very mad, it's just kind of a slow restaurant depending on the day so it makes us a little hesitant to go. It's really delicious though. Their big selling point that should make them wildly popular in the city, is the coffee. They have a roasting "ceremony" where they take fresh, green, Ethiopian coffee beans (Ethiopian Coffee being my favorite BTW) and roast them, grind them and brew them at your table. You have to make an appointment in advance, but it's pretty reasonably priced. I'm pretty sure it's the only place in town that will do anything like that at all.