I finally remembered to try my pickled mango tonight. I had it with my leftover panko chicken and rice. YUM YUM YUM! Good stuff. That makes up for the pickles only being OK.
I can't wait to go back and try more delectable stuff at this market.
This is all the blog I have the energy to post tonight. Coming next: The Korean House review.
Friday night, I ventured with Anna and another friend to Banh Cuon Tay Ho (Little Saigon Shopping Center, 2524 North Military Avenue, after eating a delicious meal at the Korean House (review coming soon).
Oh. My. Goodness. This place was phenomenal. Granted, there was a lot of stuff that I had no idea what it was, much less how to use it. However, I did pick up some goodies.
Tapioca balls, green onion rolls, some yummy recommended by Anna spice blend, limes (5 for $1), cilantro (.59 each)
Enoki mushrooms (.59 for the pack), garlic greens, ginger, daikon radish, japanese pumpkin
Baby bok choy, pickled mango, Korean pickles
Soup spoons, pocky (love this stuff), rice candy, and coffee candy (from Singapore, oddly enough).
And then there was this guy
which is about how we felt at discovering this awesome place. I love how happy he looks! Heehee.
Back to my blog title--yes, I do still cook. Tonight I used some of my ingredients to make a well rounded meal.
I stir-fried the baby bok choy with a lot of ginger and a touch of sesame oil. This was delish! I shredded the daikon with some carrots, tossed with some rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and another dash of sesame oil. I steamed some sushi rice. Finally, I breaded some chicken cutlets in panko and lightly pan fried them. All of this was topped with some toasted black and white sesame seeds and a soy dipping sauce that I whipped up. Not bad, and I have leftovers.
Here is what it all looked like, and I should add that this was way too much food for me!
This is about one of my favorite Oklahoma City restaurants, The Queen of Sheba. This is Ethiopian food, and yes they do eat! I have eaten Ethiopian at a total of 3 restaurants (Ft. Collins, CO, Crystal City, VA, and OKC). I have liked them all.
Ethiopian food is traditionally served family style without silverware. In place of silverware, you use a crepe-style bread called injera. Injera is made from a self-fermenting grain called teff. I've had some injera that tastes similar to sourdough. However, the injera at The Queen of Sheba is very neutral. It's spongy in texture, yet hearty enough to scoop up delectable portions of meat and veggies.
The last time I ate there, I was with two Ethiopian virgins, including my friend Anna. I suggested we get something so that we could sample a bit of everything. They were agreeable, so we got a meat sampler that also included my favorites--delectable lentils, chickpeas, and other vegetables.
My favorite is the lentils cooked in berbere. Berbere is an Ethiopian spice blend that chili pepper and other spices in it. They also have meat dishes cooked in variations of berbere. I also like the chickpeas; they are very mild and a good suggestion for someone knew to Ethiopian cuisine.
Here is our platter of food. Starting from the salad and moving clockwise--green beans, lamb, my favorite lentils, potatoes and carrots, beef in sauce, chickpeas, and in the middle is 2 chicken legs in a rich, spicy sauce. It is all on a large piece of injera. Behind the platter is a place of rolled up injera. They provide all the injera you need, which is nice when you don't have silverware to rely on!
The service here has always been very good, though it can be slow at times. They are very courteous, kind, and have been helpful the times I've had questions. It is located in OKC at NW 23rd and MacArthur in the SE shopping center. The storefront faces MacArthur.
On our way home from Atoka on Thursday, I got hopeful thinking we were going to eat at one of the renowned Italian places in Krebs (near McAlester). However, do to time constraints, we instead ate at a place called the Pig Out Palace on the I-40 service road at the Henrietta exit. It's a buffet place, but they also have a regular menu--think truck stop fare. Lets just say that I skipped the buffet--though the cobbler did look good. I had a burger. It was OK, a bit dry. I hope I don't have to go here again, but probably will due to convenience. At least the service was good! With a name like Pig Out Palace, is it no wonder that the focus is on mounds and mounds of buffet food that had possibly been in the warmer for hours? Yuck.
OK, I'm going to make these next reviews brief so can get to the good stuff.
My next work trip was to Stigler. I'd never been to Stigler, though I know people from my childhood who live there. We decided on a local cafe like place called the Eaton Hole--named after the owners. Rustic on the inside, we sat next to a stuffed bobcat. I took a glance at the salad bar and was not impressed. Mounds of iceberg lettuce just turn me off. What a waste. I went with the simple Patty Melt at 4.99 with onion rings. The patty melt was fine-meet was cooked appropriately and wasn't too dry. The onion rings were made from thin slices of onions--more like onion spears than onion rings. They were crispy and not too greasy. They were served with a dipping sauce that turned out to simply be ranch dressing topped with Zattaran's Cajun seasoning. They also had complimentary hush puppies. They were good but a little too greasy.
Next up was just the other day in Atoka. I had a couple of friends tell me that the only decent place in town to eat was a Mexican place called Cazadores, and this was backed up by the hotel staff. Lucky for us, it was across the street from the hotel. We risked being splattered ala Frogger and walked across the highway full of semis. It was standard Mexican. The service was good, though the brightly painted wooded seat backs were uncomfortable. I had a chimichanga with fajita beef. It was small--which is good as I hate it when they are huge and then I eat it all and feel miserable. :) I barely ate my rice and beans, but they were typical. The pico had cilantro in it, so that made my happy. Everyone else was pleased with their meals as well. I'm sure in the event I have to go back to Atoka, this is the place I will eat dinner.
I pass by this pond right after I leave my house to go to work. I have eat least 20 shots of this location--taken as I am driving with my hand out to the side and the camera on continuous. One day last week I was able to almost stop as there were no cars coming.
This might be my favorite yet--notice the bird? I "felt" him take off but didn't see him until I saw my pictures. I definitely want to get this one blown up. 
My first road trip with my new job was to Weatherford. Actually, it was to Burns Flat, but that town is too small for a hotel so we stayed about 35 miles away in Weatherford. I texted a friend from there on our way and she gave me some restaurant suggestions. We decided on Casa Soto for Mexican food.
My coworker and I both went for the tacos. I can't remember what they were called exactly, but they were described as having grilled steak, served with cilantro, tomatoes, and onions, plus the requisite beans and rice. And of course, I had a margarita.
The food was good, not great, but good. The cilantro was missing, though my friend said you couldn't buy it in Weatherford. :) The meat was good--tender, good flavor, but a little dry.
Next time I'm in the area, this is a place I'd eat at again. Service was good, prices were fairly cheap.
This was a few weeks ago, so I've forgotten details. As I get caught up and more into "real" time, I'll have more details and pictures!
Thanks for reading...
Restaurant reviews from the Oklahoma road.
My new job has me traveling the state fairly often, many times in small towns that don't have chain restaurants (yay). I'll try and leave an account of these road trip eating experiences here, as well as some of my favorite places around Norman/OKC.
Coming Soon:
Casa Soto (Weatherford)
Eaton Hole (Stigler)
Cazadores (Atoka)
Pig Out Palace (Henrietta)
The Queen of Sheba (OKC)
The Korean House (Midwest City)
