There’s more than one margarita creation story, but the top three involve a socialite, a dancer, a singer and, of course, bartenders. One of the earliest stories is when Ziegfeld Follies dancer Marjorie King visited Rancho La Gloria Hotel in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, in 1938. She asked bartender Carlos “Danny” Herrera to create a drink […]
Angela Botzer
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Artisinal delight
Don’t ask when staff begins baking each morning at the Prairie Thunder Baking Co., 1114 Classen Drive. They’re always baking. As a supplier to Paseo Grill, Picasso Cafe, Kaiser’s American Bistro, Tucker’s Onion Burgers and other local restaurants, this bakery is popular indeed. “The most unusual of our breads is the Swiss Farmhouse bread. It […]
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Cheap eats
Stop in at Grand House Asian Bistro, 2701 North Classen Blvd., for its sumptuous lunch special. This delightful Chinese bistro offers a variety of combos, including sweet and sour chicken, vegetable lo mein, fried rice and an egg roll. All this for $5 is a good deal indeed. Walk in to the brand-new Sheesh Mahal, […]
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Wholly molé
In Mexican Spanish, the term molé is derived from a Nahuatl word (an Uto-Aztecan language), molli, meaning “a sauce or mixture.” The word was used by the pre-Columbian indigenous peoples of Mexico to describe the sauces they made by pounding spices, dried chiles, seeds and nuts in oversized mortar bowls. Subsequently, the Spaniards brought to […]
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Eat, sample, love
The xocolatl (Spanish, from Nahuatl Aztec xocolatl, meaning “bitter water”) was first reserved for priests, nobility and warriors before the popularity spread to the Spaniards and beyond. The world’s infatuation with chocolate continues in Norman at the annual Firehouse Art Center’s Chocolate Festival 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Feb. 1 at the National Center for Employee Development, […]
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Panaderías
If you have a sweet tooth, you are in luck; Oklahoma City is host to a number of Mexican bakeries that will tug at your heartstrings. You will be a regular customer before you know it! Stroll into Panadería la Herradura, 2235 SW 14th St.; ask for capirotada; and prepare yourself for the most wonderful […]
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Elegant education
Photo: Shannon Cornman With the ultra-sophisticated District 21 restaurant, supported by nine state-of-the-art, on-site teaching kitchens, this school is on the sharpest edge of culinary arts in Oklahoma. Each teaching kitchen offers individual student workstations (about 16 students and one instructor per kitchen). This is sheer heaven for any culinary arts student. The teaching kitchens […]
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High time for Downton
Are you overwhelmed by the chill of winter and need to warm your toes? Sit by a roaring fire in the sought-after “upper tea room” at Inspirations Tea Room, 2118 W. Edmond Road in Edmond. Inspirations offers a three-tiered tea tray accompanying a full tea service. The lower tier displays a selection of two types […]
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Gimme a break
The Oklahoma City area is home to a rich variety of ethnicities and cuisines, as well as a fair number of international grocery stores. Try some of these international breakfasts at home; incorporate them into your regular weekly menus; and escape the monotony of eggs, sausage and toast! Bon appétit, n ngon mi ng, guten […]
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A taste for tagine
Photo: Shannon Cornman In this conical-lidded cookware, the meat or fish is placed first on the cooking dish and is topped with vegetables and spices, causing everything to be braised and steamed. This dizzyingly fragrant stew is commonly served with rice, bread or couscous. Cooking tagine vessels are usually (but not always) reddish-orange glazed terra-cotta, […]