Foggy Bottom Kitchen in Oklahoma

​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...
​