“Prediction? Pain.”
— Clubber Lang, poet laureate
Generally, we think of eating as a pleasant experience, but there’s something to be said for discomfort, too — a bite of pepper that gets your nose running, a salsa that requires a glass of milk, hot wings that are ... hot. Sorry. The heat must be getting to us. So why don’t you enjoy these spicy dishes while we cool off.
— by Greg Elwell, photos by Mark Hancock and Garett Fisbeck
Misal of India
580 Ed Noble Parkway, Norman
579-5600
Indian food has a reputation for bringing the heat, but there are few dishes quite so fiery as Misal of India’s spicy apricot lamb shank. Misal’s can keep it under control, but — with your permission — it’ll set the temperature of the vindaloo sauce to blazing and burn your mouth with delicious, fiery spice.
Flatire Burgers
318 E. Ayers St., Edmond
359-2006
No, there’s no DONKEY! on the Hell’s Kitchen burger at Flatire, just loads of burning-hot toppings that would tempt the devil himself. It’s covered in sweet onions, jalapeños and a serrano salsa, with pepper jack and a killer chipotle mayo, and you’ll be damned (happy) if you do and damned (sad) if you don’t.
Chelino’s Mexican Restaurant
6509 Northwest Expressway
728-2770
Do you hate your mouth? C’mon. It has never done anything for you. So consider ordering Botana and the Special Salsa at Chelino’s if you’d like your revenge. Botana will throw grilled onions and fried jalapeños at your taste buds while the salsa stabs your tongue ... with flavor.
Knucks Wheelhouse
103 E. California Ave.
605-4422
What’s the point of mild hot wings or tame fried pig skin? Tell your server to crank the Sriracha hot wings and ghost pepper pork rinds at Knucks Wheelhouse to 11. And if a cold beer doesn’t ease your pain, owner Drew Mains said they make their own ranch dressing to cool you down.
Spicy Dawg
14359 NE 23rd St., Choctaw
390-2888
Most dogs aren’t hot. You’d have to be drunk to swipe right on most of them. But the eponymous Spicy Dawg is like the greatest supermodels in history ground into a fine paste and forced into a casing. If the combo of hot links, pepperoni, jalapeños and mustard doesn’t do it for you, they have a wall of hot sauces you can buy to finish the job.
Banana Island Restaurant
1117 NW 25th St.
602-1188
Evil Jungle Chicken is a curry dish that doesn’t even mess around. It’s not “happy pasture fish” or “innocent forest turkey.” Banana Island’s EVIL. JUNGLE. CHICKEN. is a force of sheer delicious destruction served over rice. Order a side of Maalox or an ambulance.
Siam Noodles Thai Cuisine
7016 SE 15th St.
733-3552
Why doesn’t “spicy dish” at Siam Noodles have a clever name? Because you have to think to come up with a clever name. And after eating “spicy dish” (either with fish, beef, chicken or pork), you’ll understand why nobody had time to ponder a funny name. They were too busy aiming a firehose filled with milk at their melting faces.
Print headline: Painful pleasures
