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Beavers Bend State Park When traveling through Beavers Bend State Park last spring, we kept an eye out for beavers.  We didn't see any, but we saw some other curious creatures. Posing with Sasquatch Today is the first day of spring in 2023. Weather is cool and gray, just like a year ago, when Don and I stopped for lunch in Oklahoma and met this guy.  He was there to greet us, when we headed into the Foggy Bottom Kitchen. Chain Restaurant in a State Park? Don and I were traveling through Arkansas towards Texas. We detoured a bit into the Oklahoma State Park, around lunch time. Why did we even think we could find food in a State Park?
But we did. Swadley's Foggy Bottom Kitchen, looked pretty cute, even if it was a chain. Usually chain restaurants don't make it into my blog, but this was an odd chain of 6 restaurants, located in 6 Oklahoma State Parks. Interesting! Gas Pumps and Wood Shutters The restaurant wasn't old, but the style of the building with the old gas pumps, felt fun and retro.  Best of all, the restaurant was located in a lovely woodsy setting, with a river behind! Big Porch There was a a huge open air dining space, with cute cafe tables and ceiling fans for hot weather.  There was even a tree growing right up through the floor and right through the roof.  The longer tables had great views of the river. Cozy Booth But it was chilly and we chose to sit inside in a comfy booth, near a nice big window.  We had the same great view! Another? I had a hard time studying the menu, when my eyes were drawn to the river and the trees with new green leaves. Was that another Sasquatch, climbing a tree?  I looked back to my menu and started to get hungry. I also became more curious about the Swadley Family, as I read a little "history" printed in the menu. I learned that the family was in the BBQ business for many years, before recently teaming up with State Tourism and Rec. Dept. They created 6 restaurants, mostly during the pandemic. Impressed! Fritter Balls with Sweet Sauce! I sipped from my jam jar and enjoyed some fritters, as I finished reading about the homey family biz. The last sentence made me scratch my head. "and don't be afraid to ask us to bless your meal... we'd love to." Hmm? I wondered who did the blessing. The cook? Our server?
But I focussed on our fun surprise instead! Foggy's is known for their complimentary apple fritter balls, served warm with a sweet, syrupy sauce! Heavenly! Shared Burger Don and I usually avoid huge feasts when we're on the road. Our server was more than kind, when we asked to split an order of the Winchester Burger and fries.  Our half pound burger arrived, nicely divided on two plates. Each half was packed with poblano peppers, apple bacon, onion jam and white cheddar! I could have eaten 20 of these, but really this was a perfect amount. Touristy-Nice As we finished up, a manager came around to ask if we'd enjoyed our meal. We assured that we had, then tipped well and headed out happy. Don even agreed to one more pose!  Our lunch had been such a nice surprise. We've learned to lower expectations during these pandemic years, but this little touristy place treated us well. Last One Don headed to the car and I told him I just had to dash down to the river to check out one last Sasquatch.  I had to avoid a little mud on my way. This goofy guy fit right into soggy, swampy setting! Pondering Back on the road, I stared out the window wondering about the other 5 park restaurants. What were they like? Maybe we'd check out another on our next midwest road trip.  Today, I did some Googling as I finished writing about this memory, from a year ago. And now I'm really scratching my head. All 6 Swadley's have closed. Evidently the state accused the Swadely's of fraud... Just Creepy I honestly had no idea about any of that when I for some reason, decided to do this quick blog post today. Evidently the accusations came about, very shortly after we dined there.
I had so enjoyed out little lunch break with good food, service and view. But all those eerie beasts were trying to tell me something back then.
Creepy and sad...
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On the Way to Pawnee In June, Don and I met up with friends Kim and Dan in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Kim made us dinner reservations for Click's Steakhouse, in Pawnee. We had quite a few adventures on the way to the steakhouse. Osage County There are lots of small towns and prairies to explore, between Tulsa and Pawnee. Dan drove us through the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve.
We saw more horses than bison, but I love horses. And the wind turbines were a lot taller than the grass. But it was a beautiful day to be out roaming with no other cars in sight. Pawhuska, OK We also spent a little time wandering through the town of Pawhuska.
That was a fun adventure, searching for signs of cast or crew, involved in a new Martin Scorsese movie. The movie is based on the book "Killers of the Flower Moon". Bath House Dan and Kim know us well. They knew we would be giddy over a 1939 bath house, in the middle of nowhere.
We didn't have much time before dinner, but we pulled up to have a quick look. Open? The bath house was built by the WPA, using hand cut native stone. It's still in use in 2021, but had already closed for the day.  Luckily the doors were open. We carried some drinks with us through the doors and straight back to the open terrace. We needed to have a toast. Cheers Time was ticking, but we set the camera timer and toasted to our crazy reunion.  We've had many happy hours together, since we first became neighbors, 22 years ago. To the Water Next, we took a quick dash, down the steps to see the lake.  We were so quick, that I missed getting photos of the little swimming beach. It reminded me of lakes my family went to when I was a child.
There was a floating dock and a slide, I believe. It looked peaceful on that warm evening. We took in the view and headed up to the car. Click's Steakhouse We were just minutes away from Pawnee and Click's Steakhouse. I love the idea of a small town steakhouse, on a Saturday night.  The old stone building had a modern facade. I'm guessing the building may have looked different when Clifton "Click" Nelson opened, in 1962. Click We saw Click's face smiling down, when we entered. He was wearing a paper "Rainbo" hat and showing us a huge platter of raw steak!  Lucky for us it wasn't 1962 anymore. Back then, the door was kept locked and customers knocked. Diners had to be checked in and women weren't allowed at all, for a few years. Kim and I would have had to go back to the bath house. In We Go Since it was 2021, Kim and I strutted down the entryway, looking at all the furs and antlers, while Don and Dan parked.  We were seated in the first dining room and I felt like all heads turned our direction. I'm pretty sure we were the only non-locals who were dining. In a town of 2,000, you can be sure that out-of-towners are obvious. Food Pics? I didn't pull out the camera to take photos of our table, or our food. No instagram steak photos. Just didn't have it in me.  I did sneak a photo of the old stove holding the kettle of steak soup. It was a little surprising to see the guests strolling around the huge salad bar and slicing off hunks of cheese, to put in their soup. June 2021. I'm still easing back into this pandemic dining thing, with caution. It didn't look like anyone in Click's had ever worn a mask. Steak and Pies I ordered ribeye which is so unlike me. But when in Rome. The flavor was pretty amazing though. It was huge and I couldn't eat more than half.  I almost saved room for some pie. They were on display nearby and looked exciting. But by the time I spilled my water glass and made a big mess, I had forgotten about the pie. I'm sure the locals were amused.
So this is my silly write-up. I don't have much about the food or the restaurant itself. But I will always remember this outing as a dining adventure with our friends. We adventured first, then topped it all off with a hearty meal. Burger Joint in Oklahoma! You have to love a burger joint with a cool sign. I love the running-cartoon-guy. I love the words, Root Beer and Fresh Pies!
Old Place & Old Car Don and I passed through Tulsa, last November. We stopped in for lunch.  We parked near a mighty fine, vintage Ford. That was an added bonus! Decor! I actually couldn't remember much about the interior.
Once we stepped inside, I thought it might be possible that they've done zero redecorating, since our last visit in the 1990's. That worked for me! Seating When we first entered, the counter seating was all open.
I talked Don into eating at the counter, because I couldn't resist those orange-y red stools, with little foot platforms! Bowl Specials... Root Beer... We had a good view of the menu, with the daily Bowl Specials.  I chose Monday's special, Frito Pie. It seemed like we should be ordering malts and fries and the works. But it was early, and we'd already enjoyed a big breakfast. Entertaining Stuff We ordered and I spent a few minutes looking at all the curious stuff, in the little restaurant.
There was a coat rack, holding a cheeseburger hat. There were shelves above the windows, displaying lots of... stuff.  I'm sure there are stories behind the plastic toy collection, but I didn't ask. It looked like most of the goodies were more from my kids' era than my own. Order Window? In the front of the restaurant, I spotted a large window with more knickknacks on the sill.
I was curious and dashed outside, to see if the window had been some kind of ordering window. I also wanted to compare the exterior, with a photo I'd seen.
But by the time I got outside, a man in a knitted cap, was standing on the sidewalk, in front of that window. He waved two fists above his head and shouted in anger, "JUSTICE! JUSTICE!" Customers React! I was totally freaked out and decided to take photos later. I quickly turned and rushed inside, with a racing heart.  I didn't take a photo of the restaurant staff & diners, when I re-entered. If I had, it might have looked like this old photo of Brownies. The entire restaurant looked up at me, as if I'd been the one who caused the crazy outburst on the street! I just shrugged and laughed and all was good. Food! It was time to eat!
Don ordered a basic cheeseburger, simple as that. That shiny bun lid looks pretty good to me right now. It was gone in a second!  My Frito-Pie was only $4.50. It was pretty tasty, by itself. But, when I noticed the guy sitting next to me, drinking 3 mugs of root beer, I decided I was missing something. Cold Root Beer I flagged down our young server and told her I needed to go for a root beer, after all.
That was a nice attitude for someone nearly half my age! Bill "Brownie" We didn't get to meet an owner or even an old customer, but I enjoyed a few old photos, on the way out.  This photo is from a 1983 newspaper. That was years before we lived in Tulsa, or had kids. But those little faces look sort of like our two kids and their friends. I wish I had a photo or two, from an old visit.  This photo is of the pie baker, Mrs. Cleo Peace. The old snapshot reminded me that we had not sampled pie!
Well, next time I'll let the words on the sign remind me! I'll have Root Beer AND Pie! Lured by the Sign My eyes are well trained in spotting vintage signs in cities and towns.
Then I made Don turn the car around to let me get a better look. Open? Was this place even in business?  We hoped so. We love local steakhouses and cafes. I actually don't care that much about eating steak, but I love a good neon cow sign... or cow statue. I'll take whatever food comes with it.
We hoped they'd be open for dinner, since it was Monday and our hotel's restaurant was closed... Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower We had actually come to Bartlesville to stay in the iconic skyscraper, built by FLW in 1956.
Luckily we got to have both, with our visit to this small Oklahoma city. Open! Murphy's was open!
Two signs were glowing when we arrived around 8:00. The newer sign announced, "Home of the World Famous Hot Burger...''Gravy Over All" WooHoo! Entry We parked and headed inside. There was a good sized waiting area. I heard there used to be lines out the door.  If we'd been there at 6 on a Friday, I'll bet the little room would have been filled with locals. Luckily there was no wait.
I wanted to look at all the framed news articles and photos, but we wasted no time. Small town businesses don't love it, when non-local diners stroll in, just when they're gearing up to head home. "Sit Anywhere!" We stepped inside the restaurant, which looked a little more like a diner than a steakhouse. We were told to sit anywhere.  The restaurant wasn't due to close for 90 minutes, but the place looked pretty cleared out. There were lots of options. The corner table near the window was cute... but kind of large for two. Dining at the Counter Oddly, the counter had chairs instead of stools. We could have had a more authentic experience if we'd sat down at the counter.
But there were more employees than diners at this point. I had a feeling we'd be intruding on their "end of shift" banter if we'd eaten at the counter. Booth Time We figured we should pick a a nice orange-ish booth and be quick about it.  We weren't exactly up for a romantic dinner, so we chose a booth not far from the counter and kitchen window. Lots to watch. Observing Everyone seemed nice, but I didn't spot anyone who seemed old enough (or chatty enough) to share Murphy's history with us. Sometimes you have to just quietly take it all in and not ask tons of questions.
The table gave us the first bit of info. "Established in 1946" The employee shirts prompted a question. "Gravy Over All" was written on the back. What did that mean? One Order of Hot Hamburger! Our young server seemed hurried, so we just ordered the food that the place is known for. While our meal cooked, we watched some staff with brooms and rags. Two women sat at the counter doing important tasks. One was counting money and the other was filling small plastic "to-go" containers, with the famous dark gravy.
I laughed when Don's Hot Hamburger arrived. Toasted white bread, covered with ground beef patty, buried beneath a mountain of hot fries and blanketed with chocolate-brown beef gravy!
I was actually happy, with my grilled ham and cheese. (no photo) The ham was a nice thick slice. It hit the spot. Reading Some History It was still 30 minutes until closing when we finished. But there wasn't a person in sight who looked open to chit chat. I decided to study the walls for some history.  Jane and Michael Stern of "Roadfood" fame, had a write up on the wall. Their books and articles have guided us to many locations. But it was the cow sign that introduced us to Murphy's. Melvel & Lorene Murphy The best framed piece, was a photo of the couple who started this little place in 1946. This photo must have been after the remodeling and expansions of 1957 & 1966.  The couple must have had some big stories to tell from early on, when there were only 8 stools and 4 booths... and Mickey Mantle sat at the counter in 1949. Sturdy Business I read that the steakhouse weathered some difficult times over the years.
I guess the building must have been rebuilt after the fire. I heard they were only closed a few days after the tornado.
Back to the Tower As we headed back to the Tower, I had another thought.
I so wish Melvel and Lorene were still around, so I could ask!
Oldest Bar in Oklahoma Don and I lived in Oklahoma years ago, but experienced Eischen's for the first time this past September!  We rolled into Okarche about 1:30 pm and parked in back, near the beer drinkin' cowboy. I was pretty thrilled to finally visit the bar, that Peter Eischen opened in 1896. In Front We walked around to the front entrance.  It didn't exactly look like the Oldest Bar in Oklahoma, but it still had a great small town, retro feel. Signs and Announcements I was prepared to see a line out the door on a Saturday, but we were able to head straight inside.  There was hardly time to take in all the information on the windows and doors... about supporting our heroes... praying for their safe return... Oldest bar in Oklahoma... No credit or debit cards... No coffee or tea or outside food and drink... And what was up with all those stickers near the door handle? The Bar When we arrived, almost every bar stool was taken and the booths and tables were full.  That gave me a little time to study the place, which was mostly filled with locals on that day. Pre-Fire Photo It didn't take long to get filled in on some of Eischen's history. I found a bar photo taken before 1993, when a grease fire in the kitchen destroyed the restaurant/bar.  The image is so dark, it's hard to see if the hand-carved 19th century back bar is in the photo. The Back Bar Shrine On the back wall, I found lots of photos and memorabilia.
A charred piece of the old backbar helped create a bit of a shrine to the Eischen family business. Before Fire In the center, was a painted image of the old back bar, that traveled from Germany to the US long ago.
Who knows how it ended up in Oklahoma, but a hunting buddy sold it to the Eischens in the 1950's. Boog's Chicken A photo of George Eischen was displayed at the top of the bar's arch. I believe George (known as Boog) was the great grandson of the original owner, Peter. He worked as a butcher at the IGA grocery store, next door.  In the 1960's, he started offering fried chicken as a prize on Wednesday night shuffleboard tournaments. Boog's chicken caught on and it is his recipe that has been drawing crowds since that time. Round Booth After a short wait, Don and I were offered a table in a different room. We held out a while and got this great round booth, opposite the bar. Our young server seemed sort of excited to know we'd come all the way from Texas.  She assured us the chicken was worth waiting for. One whole chicken, cut and fried up in 8 pieces, for $14.00 including tax. Don ordered a beer... since we were at the Oldest Bar in Oklahoma. Cheers The napkin holder was helpful... since we would need many with our messy lunch. But the words on the box, also reminded us that Eischen only serves beer and soft drinks. No Coffee!
Don enjoyed his draft beer in an Eischen's cup. He enjoyed it even more when our server said, "No charge for First Timers!" Cheers to that! Chicken, Pickles and Bread Another woman served our food. I had noticed her earlier, rushing back and forth carrying trays of food. She brought us our piping hot chicken in a paper container.  There were about 8 slices of bread and a huge helping of dill & sweet pickles and sliced onions. There were no veggie or French fry options. We could have ordered chili or fried okra, but we had our hands full with the chicken. Kat? The place was too busy for me to ask more than a question or two. I believe Kat was the name of the sweet woman, carrying the trays.  She seemed delighted that we were enjoying our first visit to Eischen's. She said she was working the day of the fire in 1993. She suddenly got called away before I got to hear more of that story! That really left me hanging! The Kitchen After eating, my hands needed a good scrubbing. On the way to the restroom I sort of glanced into the kitchen and wondered about that fire, nearly 30 years ago.  The fire was many years after the fried chicken days began. Boog first started cooking the chickens in an iron skillet, but by the 1990's there were numerous fryers working at once. Whew! That must have been a scary day! The IGA Room Just past the kitchen window, there was a door to the other dining room. I don't actually know what they call it now, but the space once housed the IGA grocery store, where Boog worked as a butcher.
The Eischen-owned grocery store didn't suffer from the fire, so after the bar reopened, they eventually closed the store and offered up more dining space. I was pretty amused, looking at all the grocery store memorabilia. Off We Go After paying cash for our little feast, we said good-bye to our kind servers... and the critters on the wall. (I'm sure they weren't the same deer heads from the old photos.)
We hit the road feeling full and satisfied. A complimentary beer and the best fried chicken I've had in a long time... along with friendly staff and a decorative, charred bar! Not bad!
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The Dining Blog
This is a blog about Dining Adventures. Sometimes, I talk about food. Below, you can read how this started. On July 4th 2011, I set a goal to try 50 culturally diverse restaurants in one year! (I knew that was possible, living in the Houston area) I spent the year pulling in friends and family to join me, on some unusual dining adventures. I met some curious people, tried some scary foods and explored places and cultures I never would have otherwise. Even though I met my goal, I learned too much to end my adventures in dining. I have continued blogging about memorable dining adventures of all kinds, near and far... and all the discoveries and funny things I've learned along the way! Locations and types of dining adventures, are listed further down. Archives
August 2024
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