Shartel Cafe
5116 N. Shartel 843-0900
It’s hard to imagine anything better than the house-made cookies. The best-seller is its white chocolate cranberry walnut. But the cinnamon rolls are heavy hitters, too. Hey, people will eat those things any time of the day or night. The soul-warming mac and cheese or the pasta salad — made with olives, onions, pepperoncini peppers, red peppers and feta cheese — is loaded with flavor, and the mashed potatoes are the real thing.
$$ American
Will’s Cafe & The Lobby Bar
4322 N. Western 604-4650
Believe me, this is more than bar food in Will’s Cafe & The Lobby Bar, a pleasant change of pace. Chef David Henry offers these awesome items for take-out: roasted red pepper pasta salad, roasted tomato and garlic salad and truffle-bacon potato salad, done with house-made bacon, no less. You’ll be back, and your friends and family will want to know where these “to go” items came from!
$$$ Eclectic
Bad Brad's BBQ
700 W. Main, Yukon 354-2122
Before you get that fire going, Bad Brad’s can help with its potato salad, one of the more popular items, and beans in three variations: green beans, sweeter baked beans or cowboy beans, which are spicy pinto beans. It also has corn on the cob, okra and fries, of course. The apple, cherry, peach and blackberry cobblers will be devoured.
Jazmo’z Bourbon Street Cafe
$$ Barbecue
100 E. California 232-6666
You will think you are in New Orleans after trying the rice and beans here. Owner David Southard (not pictured) said he eats the beans and rice everyday (sometimes better than a steak, to him) and the dish would be great in your own backyard. Southard’s 3-year-old son, Ryder, pronounced that these beans and rice are “Yummy, but a little ’picy.”
$$$ Cajun and Creole
Beef Jerky Emporium
810 W. Danforth, Edmond 359-8200
Discover the jalapeño cilantro, spinach, ranch and south-of-the-border dips that are simply added to a cup of sour cream and mayonnaise. The hot and fresh pork rinds that are done in a microwave are amazing and come in plain or barbecue. Finish with sweettreat cobblers — like apple, blackberry or peach — that have been cooked in the jar, complete with crust.
$$ Beef jerky and more
Napoleon Deli
1120 S. Douglas Blvd., Midwest City 732-6773
The salads here are perfection. They include a chef salad, seafood pasta salad, seafood green salad, potato salad or a side salad. The selection of fresh French pastries is wonderful and surprisingly delicious. Cheesecake, cakes and chocolate mousse are standards, but Napoleon also features desserts that you won’t find anywhere else, because some recipes are being kept secret.
$$ Deli with a French accent
Sage
228 N.E. Second 232-7243
Deep in the heart of the historic jazz district, dazzles with its gourmet mac and cheese, which would pair well with beef, pork chops or chicken. Check out the chicken and truffle mac and cheese or the Sage signature salad done with mixed greens and vegetables. For dessert, chef Kevin Ward suggests the two of you chomp down on one of the chocolate-chip cookies — the size of a dinner plate.
$$$ Cafe
—Carol Smaglinski
$$: Up to $15 $$$: $15-$30 $$$$: Above $30
