The menu at Silks, Remington Park’s upscale dining option, is pretty much what you’d expect: steaks, seafood, pasta and a few sandwiches. The tablecloths are white. The servers are dressed up.

But it’s the view that makes it. Sitting there, overlooking the track, turns a normal night out into an event. The races are right there. A quick jaunt up the stairs and you’re at the betting windows, putting a few bucks on the trifecta. Back down and your waiter is dropping off your appetizers as the horses line up at the gate.

The aglio roasted mushrooms ($12 for a plate of five) are stuffed with sausage and cheese, topped with bread crumbs and roasted until tender — a tasty beginning.

The crab cake ($8) is very crabby, with lots of big pieces of crab with little touches of diced peppers and celery to enhance both the look and texture. Be sure to squeeze the lemon on top for the max amount of flavor.

Both appetizers come with a small pile of mixed greens with a bit of olive oil. It’s a simple touch, but one that adds to the experience.

A little less expensive and good for a crowd, the hot Parmesan Ranch potato chips ($5) is a guilty pleasure. These cannot be good for the body, but I am convinced that they enrich the soul. And probably harden the arteries. Look: There are trade-offs.

It is weirdly satisfying to eat part of a cow while watching horses race.

Something in your heart knows that this is what it means to have dominion over the beasts of the field. While the clubhouse steak ($24) is a value option — thick-cut top sirloin, topped with blue cheese and fried onions — you’ll be much happier with the 14-ounce rib- eye ($32), which has more beefy flavor and a more tender texture.

The stuffed pork chop ($24) is a nice, juicy bone-in chop, stuffed with spinach and cheese, and topped with a sherry reduction. If I had my druthers, they’d forget about the stuffing, which disappears against the flavor of the sauce, and just do a straight-up pork chop.

Cooked right, it’s a delight. Be sure to get a side of the mashed potatoes, too.

The
boneless breast of chicken Chardonnay ($15) is light and sweet. With
the honey and grapes, it’s not really my favorite, but a good choice for
anyone looking for something not quite as heavy as the red meat.

The
entree that stole my heart was the Szechuan bacon-wrapped shrimp ($24).
I love all four of those words, and I’m pretty fond of the hyphen.
Sweet, spicy, crunchy, chewy and tender all at once.

If
you somehow have room left in your stomach, or are willing to make room
through use of the dark arts, there are desserts. The peanut butter
cheesecake ($8) is rich, smooth and decadent. Others will try to share
this dessert with you.

Fight for it.

I
wish the custard in the caramel coffee crème brûlée ($8) were a little
more set, but that’s my only complaint about an otherwise great dessert.
The custard was creamy, with no grainy sugar, and the top formed a
perfect crunchy shell. There’s no eating this dessert halfway. You will
start. You will finish. You might even lick the bowl.

Only
open on race days, Silks really is an event restaurant. Even if you’re
not seated right by the window, tables have TVs with a live broadcast of
the races. And while there are little things that could improve, Silks
has one thing with which others can’t compete: that view.

Oklahoma
Gazette’s restaurant review policy is to highlight the positive
aspects, and include constructive criticism regarding food, ambience or
service when appropriate.

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