Ink's Shaved Ice...Psychedelic Never Tasted So Good!

     Ink's Shaved Ice...Who knew "snow cones" or shaved flavored ice could be so rad? I mean, really, REALLY wicked awesome.  I promise, you won't find another place like this anywhere near. 

     I'd been wanting to come by but they're usually closed when I'm in their area. Today I happened to be near by and decided to stop in.  It's in the heart of Broken Arrow, just off Kenosha, down the street from main street.  

     

      Kids crowding the outdoor benches could be seen from the street before we pulled in. It seems like a fun place to gather for kids and grow ups of all ages.

     There's a fun dry-erase wall where one can express their artistic talent or mood!

      I snuck in a photo of the good folks that put out these great amazing flavors of shaved ice...I know, I know, you're thinking, "it's just shaved ice" but it's not really...

      ...because of the HUGE flavor varieties. See the green and pink menus on the wall to the left? And you can take those flavors and create and combine to make new flavors. It's CRAZY good!

     This is "Wedding Cake" flavor, and yes, it tasted similar to a white wedding cake!

Mine was a blue coconut, banana and toasted coconut flavor...he made a rose of it!

      They added sugar sprinkles to mine as well. You can even add whipped cream! This is the type of place that's refreshing in the summer, and makes you nostalgic for the summer in the winter!  I mean, let's face it, we eat ice cream in the winter, why should this be any different? Ink's Shaved Ice, where the eats are as cool as the peeps that run it!

Smokies...Real old fashioned hickory smoked BBQ! PART ONE!

This is PART ONE of a two part blog on Smokies.

Smokies old fashioned hickory smoked BBQ is serious GREAT eats. It's out there in Broken Arrow, but oh, so worth the drive. 

     Thanks to Aaron for making our experience such a great one.  It's easy to find...and not just visually...but aromatically as well. I mean, I literally could smell the delicious savory meats being smoked as I was getting near and then bam, there it was!

     So we're greeted by the super nice peeps there and then Aaron came out and said hello. I asked him what I always ask people in restaurants...give me your BEST dish and he accommodated nicely! From the Firecrackers (fried,breaded jalapeno) and fried pickle slices to the juicy, smoked meat...it ALL be good :-) I got to sample the pork, brisket, ribs, sausages and bologna! But wait, THERE'S MORE!!! SO MUCH MORE!! 

Firecrackers (sliced, breaded and fried jalapenos)

     Let's start with the flavors of the meats...hickory smoked deliciousness doesn't do it justice...the meats were flavorful, not too much smoky-ness, but just the right amount. Flavors were balanced and full on savory goodness.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

     Next, Aaron brought out samples of their signature sides. I don't even know where to start...the beans, oh those beans, smoky, tart AND sweet, with a little heat, again, perfect balance. The cole slaw was chunky, with a nice sweet crunch and a nice amount of cracked pepper.  The atomic slaw...O.M.G. Spicy, sweet crunchy yummy-ness. 

     My friend Dawn had the Razorback Sandwich...it was phenomenal.  We were in BBQ heaven.  Razorback Sandwich, atomic slaw, baked beans and the most wicked tasty potato salad you'll ever have.

The meat literally came clean off the bone...THAT'S MY TEST ON GREAT BBQ! Smokies gets an A for tender smoky savoryness!

     Service was as crazy good as was the food! Thanks again Aaron for taking such good care of us. Can't wait to go back and try some other menu items as well as to take more photos and do a full write up about the history of this phenYUMenal place!

8 Facts About Food That Will Totally Creep You Out

Ah, Ti Amo! No Really, Ti Amo! Even on a No-Carb Diet!

                                                                                                                                                                                         Yes, I took a client to Ti Amo's...and I'm on a NO carb diet! See what I had below and the will power it took to not eat any carbs or stray from my diet! Okay, it wasn't really hard to stay on my diet...the stuffed mushrooms and almond encrusted rare ahi tuna caesar made it quite easy.

     Aaand, I forgot my camera again, so the waiter, Angel, took these photos for me with his iPhone :-D Ah, the power of the foodie, nothing gets in the way of sharing a good food story.  And Angel was AWESOME with amazing service he provided to us. 

     So, my client agreed on the starter app, which is great cause...you guessed it, no carbs!

This was creamy, savory goodness...I know, nice pic right? ;-/

Stuffed Mushrooms-Artichoke hearts, italian cheeses, herbs and parmesan sauce $9

I had the incredible Caesar Salad w/Almond encrusted Ahi Tuna

Caesar Salad with Ahi Tuna- Encrusted with almonds, cooked rare.

My client's choice below of Chicken Manicotti

         Chicken Manicotti-Filled w/ chicken and baked in creamy parmesan sun dried tomato pesto sauce $9

     My lunch was absolutely delicious. Service...let me tell you, service was excellent and rivaled the type of service I recently experienced at one of Tulsa's upscale steakhouses, known for pampering, attentive service. Our waiter was Angel...no, that was his name and yes, he actually was a little angel...anyway, his service skills were top notch. He took very good care of my client and me. :-)   Ti Amo's atmosphere was perfect for a business lunch but it's also very cozy and makes for a romantic dinner for two. Ti Amo, Molto delizioso ... evviva!

Ricardo's at Southroads

This blog on Ricardo's will be short and sweet.  Pictured to my left is the tortilla soup.






      
     This was a last minute type of lunch. My daughter and I met while she shopped and she decided she was starving, so she picked Ricardo's.  I recall years ago, a dentist I worked for raved about this place...either he has really, REALLY bad taste or the level of food here has seriously declined over the years.  My daughter ordered the cheese sauce...it was okay. My Jaidy Bug had some mac and cheese off the kids menu and that actually looked good and she ate it all and loved it.

Tortilla Soup

     It was mediocre.  It didn't taste bad, but as you can see from the photo...too much fat is left in this dish. They need to drain the fat or keep it from separating. It's food 101 and I guess I've just been eating at the best local restaurants in town that Tulsa has to offer so this (pictured above) was about a 3 on a scale from one to ten. The flavor wasn't too bad, but that fat in the soup made me a bit nauseous. 

     Service was okay...our server seemed irritable at first, kind of snappy and snide but leveled out by the time we left. She was tipped 25% because at the end of the day, we all have our bad days and it's not her fault the food is lacking.  
     

Tasting Oklahoma: Fueling the Foodie Passion Everywhere!

     I finally found the time to watch an episode of Tasting Oklahoma, produced and hosted by Amanda Simcoe, aka The Cheese Wench.  I hate it when I find myself asking "why did I wait so long to check this out?!!" 

     Tasting Oklahoma is taped in front of a live studio audience with weekly guest chefs, cooking up their special recipes and more. I tried making homemade mayo once before but it didn't turn out quite right. After watching this episode of Poached Shrimp and Spicy Homemade Mayo, I learned why it didn't turn out the first time. It was the poor recipe I used! But alas,  I made it and bam! I learned how to make HOMEMADE mayo in one episode, like a boss.  Perfect, creamy, spicy mayo...mmm, mayo. Wanna learn? View the episode now, just click the link below. Subscribe to their channel Tasting Oklahoma on YouTube or, be bold, buy your seat at the table online! Visit http://facebook.com/tastingoklahoma

MORE ABOUT THE HOST:

     
     This local chef celeb is quite the busy little bee and with good reason. Let's start with the fact that she's a talented chef who knows great food...we're talking amazing farm-to-table goodness. This is why she's highly sought after throughout Tulsa by the best chefs and restaurateurs. 


     Amanda is involved with satisfying the culinary curiosity of foodies and chefs everywhere...no, I mean EVERYWHERE. Check out her impressive career bio and more:  https://www.facebook.com/AmandaSimcoe/info

Mahogany Prime Steakhouse...It's a chain, but it's a Hal Smith chain (GREAT FOOD AND SERVICE).

FINALLY! Dinner at Mahogany Prime Steakhouse.  I know, it's a chain, but they're only located in three cities, Omaha, Tulsa and OKC. AND, it's a Hal Smith property, so yeah, it's gonna be the best.  Of course, I have minimal photos and only had the use of my camera phone (it was a client dinner).  But the taste of the food, the steak, will never be forgotten until my next visit.

     Okay, so, I had to "sneak" in photos because this was a pretty important client dinner so phone pics was all I could do :-(  And if you've ever been to Mahogany's, it's very dim lit.  

     Starting with the atmosphere and the ambiance...one word, SEXY.  It's romantic yet warm and inviting for a client/business meal as well.  The service is beyond.  These servers must be trained very well because they did their job and didn't really connect or communicate on a personal level, but kept it rather "business" friendly.  Reminded me those British type butlers you see on TV but I have to say, I liked it!  We never had to ask for anything as we had two or three servers taking care of our table.

     We started with a bottle of cabernet...one of the clients I sat next to took a pic of the bottle to remember it, it was so delicious. Wish I'd done the same as I can't recall the name of it :-/

     We started with an app that was three in one. It included the crab cakes, fried calamari and shrimp cocktail.  The shrimp were huge! The calamari was okay, pretty much what you get at other restaurants, but the crab cakes, wow. It was almost all lump crab meat with just breading on the outside...delicious!

     Next, came the star of the meal...the steak.  They prepared it with salt and pepper only, which is exactly how I love it. I ordered the Prime Ribeye 14 oz. and yes, I ate it all, don't judge.  It's a fattier steak than the filet, but I love steaks with fat.  One person ordered the New York Strip and another ordered the "Bone In Filet".  I ordered mine medium rare and it was perfectly cooked.  They finish off the steaks in a 900 degree oven to get that crisp on the outside and tender goodness on the inside. Ah, mouth is watering right now just reminiscing about the taste.

                       

14 oz. Prime Ribeye

     We ended the meal with after dinner drinks, I had the Grand Marnier Reserve...they warm it over a wine glass of hot water. Yes, very tasty.

Grand Marnier Reserve

     It was a great experience and one of my new favorites. Best service, serious wicked good steaks and a wine list like I've not seen locally in sometime.  As a person in the advertising business, I have to say, I also love how Hal Smith advertises his restaurants...putting ego aside, knowing there is always going to be competition.  Being an intelligent business man seems to be paying off! Bon appetit!