Ranch Steakhouse

3000 W. Britton Rd.
Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 755-3501

Ranch Steakhouse

Growing up in Oklahoma I never realized that other parts of the country did not enjoy the same abundance of good quality steaks as here, but in recent years it has been much harder even in the Southwest to find the same kind of beef I remember as a youngster. I am not sure where along the supply chain much of the beef seems to have lost its flavor, but I have learned to distrust many of the claims made by restaurants that they serve a great steak.

Ranch Steakhouse on the north side of Oklahoma City, though, goes a long way in my quest to find steaks that live up to my expectation of the way I know they can be. I do not know if Ranch Steakhouse has the best steaks in Oklahoma, but I believe it is close. I cannot afford to go to all of the steak restaurants to find out which one is actually the best, but at Ranch Steakhouse I am pretty sure people will be satisfied that this is about as good as it gets.

Even though Ranch Steakhouse is quite upscale, blue jeans are about as common here as they are at Cattlemen’s at the Stockyards. It is expensive, but I think people will consider it a bargain for the quality of meat served, especially when compared to upscale restaurants in large cities (although I say this without having much first hand experience with them).

Ranch Steakhouse’s web site includes the following information about the steaks:

Every evening you’ll find an extraordinary menu featuring 100% USDA Certified Prime tenderloins, strips, and ribeyes being skillfully prepared and cut by hand for each guest who dines with us. Our exceptional chef-driven cuisine consists entirely of custom aged hand cut Prime Beef from Nature Source that is never exposed to antibiotics or hormones and fed on grass up until just before being processed. We also offer a selection of Grade 12 Japanese Wagu Filets, 100% Grass Fed Filets and Dry Aged Ribeyes.

In ordering a filet the waiter informed me that there were three levels that could be ordered: the filet I ordered from the regular menu was about $50, the 100% grass fed filet was about $80 (this one is more tender), and the Japanese Wagyu was $30 per ounce (and is the most tender). The latter two are not listed on the menu, and the difference with the 100% grass fed meat is just the amount of time they are fed grass (the regular beef is grass until the time of processing).

The bottom line is that even the “regular” steaks are what I consider to be a special treat, and these are the ones I am saying are among the best in Oklahoma. I ordered the grass fed filet in 2010 when it was not as expensive as it is today, and I would say my enjoyment level of both types of steak was about the same.

Also in 2010 they were saying that their most expensive steak was “Kobe beef,” and I think they had to change this to “Wagu” because of the the term “Kobe” being a trademark for only certain beef which comes from Japan (and there were about a dozen restaurants in the entire United States that served genuine Kobe beef). I did not ask them on the last visit what they mean by “Japanese Wagu,” but I think this is the same steak they were selling earlier as “Kobe.”

For my taste Ranch Steakhouse is top quality, but there may be other levels of top quality available at a few restaurants in the country that are at a higher level then here.

Salads and Appetizers

Chop House Salad

Even though I thought the steaks were top notch, I did not feel the same way about the Chop House Salad. This was a good salad, but it did not seem to me to reach the same level as the salads at Boulevard Steakhouse, Cheever’s, or a number of other good restaurants. The fact that it was topped with cheddar cheese was not a good sign to me, and I was underwhelmed enough by the other ingredients to think that maybe putting cheese on top was actually an improvement. Still, it was not bad, just a little below the level I would expect in a very good steak restaurant.

There are quite a few other choices for salads and appetizers, so I do not know if I would have a better opinion overall if I tried some of the other items.

Steak
Of course steak is the main reason to come to Ranch Steakhouse. All of the steaks are “Prime,” are grass fed until just before the time they are processed, and are hormone and antibiotic free. I believe being grass fed is the most important factor in the good flavor I find in the steaks here.

Strip

The menu has changed somewhat since an earlier visit I made in 2010. At this time the regular menu was not being advertised as being grass fed, but you could get grass fed beef at a higher cost. At this time I ordered a grass fed Strip at the higher cost. This cut, though, had extra fat and slightly different flavor that has since made me stick with the filet.

Tenderloin filet on a recent visit

My most recent order of a Filet was quite good, but was cut into bite-sized pieces which was quite surprising to me (but I think in a good way). I had eaten a filet on a previous visit, and this continues to be my first choice when coming here.

They now offer the filet at three different sizes (7 oz., 10 oz, or 16 oz.). The one pictured is ten ounces (which I shared, and both of us found it to be the right size).

Steaks are available with a choice of toppings for an extra charge, but with beef this good I am not sure it could be improved upon.

Side Dishes

Side sampler

A Side Sampler of vegetables is available for $20 as of the time of this writing, consisting of two vegetables plus a baked potato. The choices of vegetables can be made from their list of about eleven items (I am not including the various types of potatoes). My plate had two baked potatoes because the waiter said the potatoes were small that evening, but normally you get one (also I think the waiter did us a favor because there were two of us). In any case, I cannot complain about what you get for your money.

I have not found all of the side dishes to be equally enjoyable, though. The two in the photo (asparagus and carrots) are among the best I have tried. Probably my first choice on any visit, though, would be the baked potato. It came with all the toppings I like, and the potato is always cooked the right way.

Au gratin potatoes

The Au Gratin Potatoes surprised me, though, by not matching what I consider to be the overall quality of the restaurant (although I felt the same way about the chop house salad). I thought the potatoes had too much garlic, too much cheese in relation to the other ingredients, and potatoes that were not crispy enough with a texture I did not enjoy (other than that it was good, of course).

My choice of broccoli and carrots was on the suggestion of the waiter, and I might advise this tactic when coming here for the first time or when not knowing what you would like from the vegetable menu.

Dessert

Dulce de leche cake

One feature that does seem to be as good as the steaks, though, is the desserts. The Dulce de Leche Cake I tried was one of the best after dinner treats I have had in Oklahoma City. I also understood from the waiter that this is the only dessert Ranch Steakhouse makes in house, so this may be the only one about which I would have such a high opinion. This particular dessert, though, was well worth the money.

Other Comments
After several visits I have concluded that Ranch Steakhouse probably has the best steaks I have tried in Oklahoma City (or in the case of Red Prime, which also has excellent steaks, Ranch Steakhouse seems to be less expensive). The problem, though, is that many of the side dishes at Ranch Steakhouse do not match up to the steaks. Ranch Steakhouse is my personal choice for “best steak,” but for a whole meal experience, including salad and side dishes, other restaurants such as Boulevard Steakhouse or Red Prime might be a better choice.

Ranch Steakhouse is located in north Oklahoma City away from the popular tourist areas (but just down the street from the popular “restaurant strip” on Lake Hefner), so it does not seem to be on the tourist radar for out of town visitors. I think, though, that it offers an excellent taste of Oklahoma steak. It is certainly popular with locals, and it usually seems that even when I go on weekdays, I end up getting one of the few tables available. I think there is good reason the locals make regular visits when they want a fine dining experience.

I think reservations would be a good idea on weekends, but so far I have done fine by going and taking my chances (all of these visits were on weekdays).

They have valet parking here, but for me this would not be something I would want to consider since the entire parking lot seems like a short walk to me.

RATING: 26

Cuisine: Steaks
Cost: $$$$
Hours: Dinner Only (Open Daily)
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No smoking
Alcohol: Full Bar

Most Recent Visit: Jan. 9, 2019
Number of Visits: 4
Best Items: Filet, Baked Potato, Broccoli, Carrots, Dulce de Leche Cake

Special Ratings

	Filet
	Strip
	Baked Potato
	Carrots
	Asparagus
	Chop House Salad

Someplace Else A Deli & Bakery
2310 N. Western Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK

(405) 524-0887

Someplace Else Deli

Someplace Else Deli is too well known, has reviews that are too good, and has been around for so long that it should not have taken me until 2019 to try it, but it did. The problem is that it is located in one of the foremost Asian Districts in the United States, and when I am in the area I am usually on the hunt for some excellent Asian food. My first visit to Someplace Else happened as part of a “crawl” with a friend where we split an Asian meal and then went to Someplace Else to do the same thing. I am glad I did it this way, and I found out that all the good reviews about Someplace Else are true.

Someplace Else actually predates the Asian District, and it was in operation before the first Vietnamese refugees settled in Oklahoma City, sparking the early development of what later became the Asian District. The age of Someplace Else is also the reason I like it. This is not one of fancy new sandwich shops where you make your own sandwich and choose from their exotic ingredients. Someplace Else has a menu, and they make each sandwich one way. You have the option of omitting any topping or ingredient, or adding them, but my experience is that the way Someplace Else makes a sandwich seems to be hard to improve upon.

They also have a very large bakery with mostly pastries and sweet goods (brownies, chocolate cookies, etc.). There are several good bakeries in town with similar items, but what distinguishes the ones here is that they are more affordable than others, yet I think just as good (based on my sample).

Reuben

Reuben

It is hard to see from the photo what is inside the Reuben but it was quite good, and was a combination that I would never have compiled on a “make your own” sandwich. This was because the key ingredient to it was the thousand island dressing which the person taking my order recommended, and for some reason I had enough trust in him to follow his suggestion. It was their house made dressing, so of course I should have known that it would be far better than the thousand island you would find in the average restaurant. The meat was corned beef, as would be expected, and it came with Swiss and sauerkraut. This combination works very well, and I think the reason is largely because of the thousand island.

I am now in a dilemma about whether to recommend Someplace Else or Ingrid’s for a Reuben sandwich. All I can say is that they are different, and they are both good. I like Ingrid’s for the sauerkraut. Someplace Else has sauerkraut on the sandwich, but not as much of it. Both sandwiches are good, and I would not argue with anyone who says it is better at one place than the other.

The Bakery
There is a large selection of pastries and goodies from the bakery. The brownies and chocolate cookies I tried were enough to convince me that this bakery can compete with anyone in town. It did seem to be less expensive than other bakeries, though, so this is a definite plus.

Other Information
Most of the meats for sale in the deli were the Dietz & Watson brand.

Someplace Else is open for breakfast, and has items such as sausage biscuits.

Parking in front of the store is very limited and is on the street.

According to Google the hours are Mon-Fri 7:00 am to 6:30 pm, Sat 9:30 am to 4:00 pm.

RATING: N/R

Cuisine: Sandwiches
Cost: $
Hours: Breakfast & Lunch Only (Closed Sun.)
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No smoking

Most Recent Visit: Jan. 9, 2019
Number of Visits: 1
Best Items: Reuben, Brownies

Special Ratings

Reuben

Tokyo Japanese Restaurant

My impression of Tokyo Japanese Restaurant is that it is trying hard to provide the most authentic Japanese food in Oklahoma City. The heart of Japanese food is fish, and I know how difficult it has been throughout the years to get fresh seafood to the Great Plains (although Oklahoma has never lacked for its own version of fresh water fish). Tokyo has stuck with it, though, and now I think the state has a much better supply of fish and seafood that is worthy of the experienced chefs here.

Of course, Japanese food also includes dishes made with chicken, beef, and pork, and these have always been among the best choices at Tokyo. It is really a “full service” restaurant that serves sushi and all the important dishes generally found in Japanese restaurants.

I can tell from looking at Tokyo’s converted old house that it is not trying to be trendy, it is just concentrating on good food. People might be surprised how pleasant the interior is, though, from looking at it from the outside. The wood floors and Japanese decor in the dining room remind me of the better west coast Japanese restaurants.

Appetizers
The Miso Soup is fresh, and one of the best. Nowadays many restaurants have good miso, and I almost take it for granted. Tokyo seemed to be the first one to set the standard in OKC, though, so it remains my sentimental favorite.

House salad and miso soup served with the dinner menu

A large side Salad is also available on the dinner menu (usually at no extra cost), and the Japanese style dressing is excellent. I did not think the lettuce rated it as a five-star salad, but with the dressing served it is definitely one of my favorites. The “Happy Lunch” comes with a small serving of salad, and I find this to be one of the highlights of eating lunch at Tokyo.

Lunch Menu

Tokyo Box lunch with sushi and salmon teriyaki

About 90% of my visits to Tokyo have been at lunch, when I not only experience lower prices but I can also get some of the most flavorful and healthy lunches in town. An outstanding feature of Tokyo is the “Tokyo Box” combination plate served with some of the restaurant’s best dishes. The box lunch is probably the most substantial lunch served in terms of the quantity of food, and it consists of the customer’s choice of foods from two groups (one of which has sushi as one of the choices). The sushi is whatever the chef wishes to serve, but a California roll can be ordered instead of nigiri or sashimi. The box lunch comes with miso soup, usually making it the best deal for lunch even though it is more expensive than the other plates.

Happy Lunch with salmon teriyaki

The “Happy Lunch” comes with one main item and kakiage (shredded vegetable tempura), rice, and salad, but no soup. This offers a cost saving if you do not want sushi, and between the salad and the kakiage this makes an excellent and satisfying lunch.

The choice of lunch entrées is almost as large as on the dinner menu, and comes at a lower price. I do not know which items have a salad (although the Happy Lunch has a small salad), and other than the Tokyo Box I do not know if anything else includes miso. I would expect, though, that in some way the lunches include less food and therefore have a lower price.

My favorite item to include in both the Tokyo Box and Happy Lunch is Salmon Teriyaki with a very thick and flavorful teriyaki sauce. Atlantic salmon is most common in Oklahoma, but other varieties may be available at times. I was told that the chef buys the best fish available at the market, so that there is not just one type of salmon that is served. Tokyo is arguably the best place in Oklahoma City to get salmon teriyaki (and this is not even counting the excellent sauce to top it off). Unfortunately I cannot say that the salmon is one of Tokyo’s best items because Oklahoma is very far from the source. It is by far my favorite item for lunch, though, because I love salmon and Tokyo serves the best that is available.

Sushi

Tokyo’s sushi bar has some of the freshest offerings in OKC. Items in center are fresh water eel and salt water eel.

The chefs at the sushi bar are probably the most experienced in Oklahoma City, and I would certainly say they are among the best. To me they exhibit all the characteristics of a good sushi chef: they find the freshest fish available, they know how to prepare it correctly, and they will be honest with the customer to recommend the “chef’s choice” for the best sushi (whether or not it is listed as a special).

Sushi can be ordered from the sushi menu, on combination lunch or dinner plates, or from the “chef’s recommendations of the day.” Sushi on the box lunch usually includes tuna and salmon, while the sashimi option includes a couple of additional choices such as a crab stick and octopus. The “chef’s recommendations” (the fresher, higher quality sushi) are sometimes included on sushi plates, but it is best to ask. I have found the tuna to usually be the best sushi served in the box lunch.

Philadelphia roll

Of course the chefs here can prepare California rolls and other types of rolls, but I am not a big fan of these and would not judge a sushi chef’s talent based on these dishes. The Philadelphia Roll (made with cream cheese) was good, but not what I consider to be traditional Japanese sushi.

Yellowtail sushi was the Chef’s Recommendation

One advantage of going for dinner is that there seems to be a more extensive sushi selection, and I usually have more time to experiment with it. For one of my dinner starters I ordered the “Chef’s Recommendation” of Yellowtail Nigiri, which was quite fresh and just about the same as can be found on the west coast. Sushi is a food that I like but only order occasionally, and so far Tokyo has been on the top of my list of places to order it in Oklahoma City. I find Tokyo to satisfy the test for having fresh fish and knowing how to prepare it.

For nigiri the rice is supposed to be as important as the fish, but I am afraid I would have to say the fish is much more important. Still, though, I would rate the rice here as being very good, and does not come apart as easily as some others served with sushi.

The Salmon Sushi also has impressed me with its flavor and red color, and is one of the varieties served in the lunch box (but tuna is probably my favorite).

Dinner Menu

Katsu don

Katsu Don is a dish that is very traditional, filling, and reasonably priced. This was made with a fried pork cutlet with an egg omelet and onions over steamed rice (but it is filling even without the rice). The egg was placed around the edge of the meat (and is the lighter colored substance in the photo). A red colored ginger was added for flavor. I thought everything about this dish was very good, although the flavor was not as exciting as with some other dishes.

The Chicken Katsu had one of the best sauces I have found in any restaurant, and the breading was quite good. This is one of the choices for lunch (in the Tokyo Box), or is available on the dinner menu (in the dinner Tokyo Box or as a separate item).

Tempura udon has a rich, dark broth

A bowl of Tempura Udon I tried from the dinner menu was outstanding, with a dark, rich broth and good noodles. The shrimp and vegetable tempura was the same excellent quality as the one served at lunch. I have always enjoyed Tokyo’s tempura dipping sauce (if you order tempura separately or on the side).

For lunch a bowl of Udon is available without the tempura. This soup is not much more expensive than the miso (if you order the miso a la carte), but the udon is more filling.

Nabeyaki Udon comes with chicken, shrimp tempura, fish cake, egg, carrot, and shitake mushrooms. I think this dish is very “Japanese style,” and is a good alternative to tempura udon.

Vegetable Tempura is one of the options for lunch or dinner and is excellent. I think the plates normally offer a combination of shrimp and vegetable tempura, but it is so seldom that I find restaurants that can make good vegetables that I like to order this at Tokyo.

Beef and chicken teriyaki

Beef Teriyaki is possibly the best dish at the restaurant when judging it as a food reviewer (although I probably like the salmon teriyaki better just because I like salmon). The beef teriyaki seemed to be done perfectly in terms of the quality of the meat, the mushrooms, and the sauce. The sauce had a little bit of sweetness, but was not overly so as I think is done in some of the more Americanized restaurants.

The order of teriyaki shown in the preceding photo shows beef mixed with chicken. I thought the Chicken Teriyaki was also good, but not as flavorful as the beef. The bowl in the middle is for dipping the kakiage. A small bowl of seaweed on the side provides extra flavor and nutrition.

Tea

Miso and tea

Green Tea is on the house and served in a cup (when you need refills they will come around and serve you). Because of what most restaurants charge for either iced or hot tea, I think it is a very good deal when you do not have to pay for it (and the tea here is very good).

Desserts

Plum ice cream

This section reveals one of my secrets–I like to come to Tokyo on my birthday because they give me a free dessert. Actually, it started out the other way around–I went to Tokyo on my birthday because I considered it a special treat, and I did not know they gave free desserts. In any case, they can always count on my business whether it is my birthday or not.

Tempura ice cream

The Tempura Ice Cream is one that I particularly enjoyed, although I do not know if this is normally a “free” one (but birthday desserts are denoted by a candle on top and are always free). Sometimes, though, the regular ice cream is just as interesting such as the plum ice cream shown above (which is not one of their normal flavors).

I have found all of the desserts to be more than I want to eat and sufficient for sharing (which works out great for my “birthday parties”).

Overall Assessment
Tokyo is a friendly, comfortable, and moderately priced restaurant where you can feel at home, especially if you are a regular customer. The sushi chefs are among the most experienced I have met, and this is one of the key factors that makes a good sushi restaurant.

I would have to say, though, that the regular menu offers the food I order most often, and enjoy the most. I do not think I can point to any single item that is the “best I have ever eaten,” but Tokyo has a consistent quality of which everything is good, and some are hard to match even in larger cities.

The sushi at Tokyo has always been surprisingly good compared to other restaurants in OKC and the Southwest, and I think even though the fish here is not the same as in seaport cities, the sushi chefs know how to find the best that is available and to make the most of it.

I do not place great importance on a sushi restaurant having more variety than other places just for the sake of saying it has a “large menu,” but it is good to know Tokyo has a relatively large selection. This, along with its quality, make Tokyo a winner. The fact that much of the cooked food is as good if not better than the sushi keeps Tokyo as my choice for “best Japanese in OKC.” If this ever changes it will probably not be because Tokyo will have gone downhill, it will be that someone else has the skills and makes the effort to provide the same quality. Such skills seem to be all too rare in the Japanese restaurant business.

RATING: 25

Asian Food Details

Tea:	Green (brewed) house
MSG:	No
Buffet:	No

 

Special Ratings

	Chicken Katsu
	Katsu Don
	Nabeyaki Udon
	Tempura Udon
	Tempura
	Beef Teriyaki
	Chicken Teriyaki
	Salmon Teriyaki
	Miso Soup

 

Sushi Ratings

	Chef’s Recommendation
	Tuna
	Snapper
	Tilapia
	Salmon
	Philadelphia Roll

 

Menu (Jan. 2019):

 

Royal Bavaria

3401 S. Sooner Rd.
Moore, OK
(405) 799-7666

Royal Bavaria

Oklahoma has traditionally had a hard time bringing in authentic and truly good ethnic restaurants such as Asian and Mexican, but with a large number of German immigrants it seems to excel in this particular genre of food.

Royal Bavaria is one of the premier German restaurants in the state, and as good as the food is, it is an even more memorable experience for many because of the home brewed beer that is served. I have eaten German food from Washington, DC to Washington State, and the offering here is near the top in quality of the food and the atmosphere.

I should point out that I have been to Royal Bavaria when it had its original owner, and there were quite a few changes I noticed in 2009 with the new management. In my opinion these changes were for the good, but the restaurant did not go from bad to good– it went from good to better.

One feature I really appreciated was that the restaurant is now totally non-smoking. This may be due to a state law rather than customer demand, but I found the previous non-smoking section to be inadequate. There is an outdoor patio that I think now serves as the smoking area for those who prefer it.

The new owner was a long time employee at Royal Bavaria before taking over, and I would say the food is really the same as it has always been. It was explained to me, though, that he felt it to be important to have an extended stay in Germany where he lived with a German family and learned many aspects of home made (as well as restaurant style) German food. Perhaps some would not fully appreciate the commitment made to preparing the food here, but I got the feeling that this was about as authentic as one would find in a German restaurant in the U.S.

I do not need help in determining what food I enjoy, but a dining companion confirmed that the “new” restaurant was authentic and served high quality German food (from having a German background). Being authentic is not a substitute for serving good food, but in the case of Royal Bavaria I think customers get both.

Salad

Salad

I think the Salad selection here is not as extensive as at Ingrid’s, and certainly would not match Castle Falls, but the quality here seems to be as good as anyone’s. The salad shown in the photo is the house salad that comes with some dinners (and I think you can substitute a dinner side dish such as sauerkraut for the salad if you wish).

Hähnchenbrust

Hähnchenbrust with a “beer sampler”

One entrée I sampled at both the “old” and “new” restaurant was Hähnchenbrust in Cognacsause (chicken breast in cognac gravy with mushrooms). This was outstanding both times, and I think may be the best item served. One thing I enjoyed about this dish was that it was good without the breading that comes on many of my other favorite German dishes. I cannot attest as to how healthy this dish is, but it certainly seems to be.

Cordon Bleu

Cordon bleu

Cordon Bleu is a breaded dish stuffed with cheese and ham for a delicious, traditional dish. Different types of meat are available, and the veal I sampled was very good. In terms of flavor this was probably as good or better than the chicken dish I rated as my favorite, but chicken is something I prefer to order when I can. My dining companion thought the cordon bleu was prepared well and was an excellent example of German food.

Schnitzel

Jägerschnitzel

The Jägerschnitzel here was excellent, and although the mushroom sauce was something I liked very much, probably the meat itself along with the breading made it better than at many other restaurants (this was a pork loin). Fried potatoes were served on the side, and they are partially covered with the gravy, so this photo might make the schnitzel look larger than it actually it (but it was ample enough).

This is one case where I think the photo makes the dish look as good as it actually is, and I think it will sell itself (I can only say that for me it did not disappoint).

Other Meat Dishes
The Sauerbraten on my first visit was good but not outstanding. However, I have not tried it recently. I would also give it a favorable rating compared to others I have tried.

Special Dishes

Frankfurters from the sausage sampler

My dining companion on one visit discovered a feature of the restaurant I had not known before–you can make special requests. In this case he saw the Sausage Sampler on the menu, but only wanted the frankfurters from it. They accommodated this request, and it also came at a cheaper price than what customers would pay for the full sausage sampler.

With the German mustard they provided I thought the Frankfurter was quite good (that is, the small portion that I sampled).

Side Dishes
Side dishes were good, but the most notable was the Bavarian Potato Salad I tried on my first visit.

One feature I would probably rate as a minus with Royal Bavaria is that customers have to pay extra for a basket of bread. I tried the bread on my first visit, and thought it was good. On a later visit, though, I skipped the bread, and found the meal to be quite filling enough without the bread.

Desserts

Black forest cake

Black Forest Cake is one of the dessert items available, and I thought this was a good treat after an equally delicious dinner. My dining companion thought this was the only item we had that was not really similar to ones served in Germany, but we enjoyed it anyway.

Additional Information
I do need to mention that Royal Bavaria serves home brewed beer, and sample glasses are available (as shown in the photo of the Hähnchenbrust). I am not a good judge of such things, but a lot of people seem to think the beer is one of the best features of Royal Bavaria. I can say that I enjoyed it, but I will have to let the reader decide how the beer would rate compared to other restaurants.

Royal Bavaria also owns Das Boot Camp in Norman, which is a more casual restaurant that does not serve some of the high-end dishes such as Hähnchenbrust. It is also open for lunch (Royal Bavaria is not), and the Norman restaurant serves as a late night hangout for students and others who like to hang out late at night.

Royal Bavaria is open late enough, though, that customers will be able to enjoy the food and the beer. As of now Royal Bavaria is still in a rural setting, although I see urban development getting closer every time I go out there.

RATING: 25

Cuisine: German
Cost: $$$
Hours: Dinner Only (Open Daily)
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No smoking
Alcohol: Beer, Wine

Most Recent Visit: Jan. 7, 2019
Number of Visits: 3
Best Items: Hähnchenbrust, Jägerschnitzel, Bavarian Potato Salad

Special Ratings

	Hähnchenbrust
	Jägerschnitzel
	Cordon Bleu
	Sauerbraten
	Sausage Sampler Plate
	Bavarian Potato Salad
	Fried Potatoes
	Red Cabbage

Fortune Chinese Restaurant

Fortune is a small family run restaurant in far northwest Oklahoma City that from the outside looks like most of its competitors. All the standard dishes are served, and the menu is pretty typical for Chinese restaurants. A good portion of the restaurant’s business is take-out, and if you dine in it will be easy on the budget. While Fortune may be everything that is expected in a suburban Chinese restaurant, close examination reveals quite a few features that are not normally found.

Upon entering the building one may notice the ample space that makes it possible to hold large family gatherings, and there are even large round Chinese style banquet tables. The new chairs, green plants, and clean environment invite a leisurely meal, or food can be served quickly enough for those who have a time constraint.

Fortune’s interior is comfortable and inviting

There is not a special Chinese menu such as would be found in the Asian District (Fung’s Kitchen, Grand House, etc.) although the chefs here certainly know how to prepare authentic Cantonese dishes. It is a matter of the customer base in the suburbs versus the central city, and the fact that the Americanized Chinese food and the traditional food take different ingredients, a different kitchen setup, and of course the expectation that if they prepared the authentic food there would be a certain number of customers who would order it.

I am sure that Fortune will not change the menu they have had since the restaurant opened in 1987 (under previous owners) and there is really no reason for it to do so. When I started going to Fortune around 2006 I got to know the manager Suni and her brother Wei Min who is one of the chefs and who was largely responsible for preparing the “Seasonal Specials”  they had listed on a special menu board at the time. These were the same type of traditional dishes I had found in Seattle, and the ones at Fortune had a similar flavor. The Seasonal Specials lasted several years, but never caught on with customers enough that the restaurant wanted to continue it.

A few of the special dishes made their way to the menu and others can still be prepared by special request. The trick of looking at the menu is that you have to look at both menus (for some reason some of these dishes are on the take home menu but not the regular one). For any special requests you can always ask whether they are available or not.

I have included items in this review that I believe the restaurant can likely prepare for people, and for those who are interested it is worth exploring “beyond the menu.”

Soup
Several soups are listed on the menu, and lunch specials come with either a bowl of egg drop or hot and sour soup (the one I prefer is egg drop).

Egg drop soup

I like the fact that the Egg Drop Soup has a lot of flavor, and it seems to be better than at a lot of other restaurants.

Corn soup

Corn Soup is one of the ones you can order from the menu, and I think the one here is excellent.

Chicken soup with dumplings by special order

They can also make special soups that would serve as a complete meal, such as the Chicken Soup with Rice Noodles, Shrimp, Dumplings, and Bok Choy shown in the photo. I think the bok choy is seasonal so this soup may vary in its ingredients. I was informed that this is one of the dishes customers can request as a special order because of the fact that it does not take a long time to prepare.

Dinners Ordered from the Menu

Lettuce wrap

Although the Lettuce Wrap Chicken is listed as an appetizer, it is really a full meal. I think this is one of the better ones in OKC (I have tried some in other restaurants that did not live up to the ones here).

Crispy tofu Guangzhou style

Crispy Tofu was originally served as a Seasonal Special and then was added to the menu under the “House Specialties” section (I think it is only on the take-out menu, though). This is a delicious dish in which the sauce is really the key that makes it so flavorful. I am not sure if the sauce is vegetarian, though (it has been some time since I have tried it).

I have asked the restaurant which menu items they consider to be authentic and they have given me this list:

• Crispy Tofu
• House Special Noodle Soup (in the “Noodle Special” section of the menu)
• Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce
• Tofu Clay Pot (this is vegetarian)
• Lettuce Wrap Chicken

One menu item I have tried several times has been General Tso’s Chicken (mostly it has been from sampling it rather than getting a full order). I think this has a very good flavor and is not overly sweet, but fried and battered chicken in a sweet sauce is not traditional Chinese food.

Another item I have particularly enjoyed has been the Tomato Beef.

Not on the Menu but Available to Order

Eggs with tomato are simple yet delicious, and can be served any time

Tomato beef is one of the “House Specialties,” but they can make what I think is an even better dish and which is totally traditional in China, the Tomato and Egg (scrambled egg). Both the traditional version and the menu version have the same delicious sauce, which I think is probably the key to either of these dishes.

Hong Kong tofu

If the Hong Kong Tofu is on the menu I cannot find it, and I do not know if this is its correct name (but I think this was the name used on the Seasonal Specials menu). It is called stuffed tofu in many restaurants, and the one pictured is stuffed with shrimp (Suni told me it is traditionally stuffed with pork, so possibly you could order it that way). This one came with oyster sauce (you can also order it with white sauce, or just leave it up to the chef to decide). The tofu is steamed for ten minutes, so this dish ends up taking a little bit longer to prepare than most of the menu items. This is one of my favorite dishes that I have tried here.

Chicken and potatoes with curry

Curry Chicken with Potatoes is a dish that is not on the menu, but I got it when I asked Wei Min to make a take-out dish that was traditional Chinese that he thought would be good. Since then it has been one of my top choices for take-out orders (this curry is less spicy than Thai or Indian curry, or it can be ordered with brown sauce which is not spicy).

Chicken and tofu

Chicken and Tofu is another non-menu take-out dinner I had when I asked for something that was authentic. This has soft tofu and a white sauce. This version did not have any vegetables other than green onions because it was meant to be kept in the refrigerator for a couple of days so I could wait out one of Oklahoma’s famous ice storms.

Chicken and tofu with vegetables

The Chicken and Tofu with Vegetables is the same dish with vegetables added. The peas and carrots also keep pretty well in this version, and I thought the flavor of this dish was quite good.

I have collected this list of other items customers can special order with no advanced notice, and there are probably others. Of course customers would have to check with the restaurant about any of these:

• Chicken and Potatoes (like the chicken and curry but with brown sauce instead)
• Napa Beef (No. 211 on the menu) with bok choy instead of napa (when the bok choy is in season)
• Combination Tofu with Beef, Shrimp, and Chicken
• Chicken Soup with Dumplings (see the heading for “soups” in this article)
• Ginger Beef (although the ginger they can get here is not the “young ginger” that is available in China)
• Mi Fun, or Hong Kong style rice noodles. These are soft noodles lightly soaked in sauce so that they are more like the “dry” style served at Grand House and other restaurants. The typical version includes shrimp and chicken, although the meat can be prepared to order.
• Bean Curd and Vegetable Hot Pot is a dish I requested. This was much like the seafood hot pot on the menu but with the ingredients modified (and I found it to be very good).
• Citrus Chicken was offered as a Seasonal Special during summer 2006. This dish had a sauce made with orange juice and lemon, and while flavorful, was breaded and heavy on the meat with virtually no vegetables included. This was not quite what I would classify as traditional Chinese cooking, but it neverthess reflected Fortune’s effort to introduce the public to more “gourmet” Chinese cooking. It was also one of the dishes that convinced me to return to the restaurant to try other dishes (they have not specifically said that they can still prepare this dish but I thought I would put it on the list just in case).

Some Additional Details
I did not want to give this restaurant a rating because I normally do not order the regular menu items, and the ones I order are usually modified somewhat to suit my taste. One focus of my blog is on authentic Asian food, and I have been able to find it here.

For those who do order the regular menu items, though, they will find that the food is fresh and prepared when they are ordered. It is made with vegetable oil (which is not only healthy, but a lot of people find that it tastes better than the oils that many Chinese restaurants use).

This restaurant opened in 1987, and the current owners wanted to keep the menu items the restaurant had been serving since the beginning. Customers are happy about this, and there are a large number of people who have continued to come over the years. I am not a fan of American style Chinese food, but I at least know that the food available on the menu at Fortune is fresh and healthier than might be assumed. I do think some of the dishes contain MSG, though, unless you ask them to omit it (the special request items I have tried have also been made with no added MSG).

Fortune offers free delivery with an order of $12 or more for customers within a five mile radius. The restaurant is open every day of the year except Christmas, New Year, and July 4th. They serve beer, and the hot jasmine tea is very good. The service is very friendly, and I think they go out of their way (more than at most restaurants) to serve your meal the way you want it.

Prices change very infrequently, and when they do it has always stayed in the least expensive price category I have (which has been adjusted for inflation a couple of times since I did my first reviews in about 2005).

RATING: N/R

Asian Food Details

Tea:	Jasmine (bags)
MSG:	Yes
Buffet:	No

 

Special Ratings

	Crispy Tofu
	Chicken Soup with Dumplings
	Tomato Beef
	Ma Po Tofu
	Lettuce Wrap
	Tomato and Egg
	Egg Drop Soup
	Hot and Sour Soup

 

Menu (Nov. 2017):