Spring can be a fashion nightmare. Sweaters or short sleeves? Jeans or jorts (never jorts)? A ballgown or a bikini? If the weather never makes up its mind, how can you? And it’s even worse figuring out what to eat. No one wants to go in a restaurant for a warm-up meal and come out to a heat wave or stop in for ice cream and emerge in a blizzard. This week, we give you hot and cold options so you’re always a step ahead of Mother Nature.
Read more of Oklahoma Gazette‘s Summer Guide stories here.
Chae Modern Korean
1933 NW 23rd St.
405-600-9040
Counteract the cold with a steaming-hot bowl of oxtail soup and get ready for a rush of heat from the seasonings. Oxtail beef is some of the most flavorful around, and it gives the broth a silky texture. Thick udon noodles help fill you up, too. Head in for happy hour 4-6 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays and get half off small appetizers like the pickled sampler. It’s a true taste of Korean spices that will have your mouth puckering with delight.
Katiebug’s Shaved Ice and Hot Chocolate
103 N. Broadway, Edmond
405-397-4812
When the sun starts beating down on the state like an angry MMA fighter, the best defense is one of Katiebug’s delicious shaved ices with handcrafted syrups made with organic cane sugar. Mother-daughter team Melissa and Katie Morgan always have experimental flavors on hand for folks who like adventure in a cup. And when the weather chills out, Katiebug’s makes decadent hot chocolate with homemade flavored marshmallows.
VII Asian Bistro
2900 N. Classen Blvd., Suite G
405-604-2939
Oklahoma City is crazy about pho. Chicken-fried steaks are wonderful, but for a meal people will line up to eat no matter the temperature outside, you need only turn to VII Asian Bistro. (It’s pronounced “seven,” by the way.) Sultry spiced broth and tons of noodles are slurped up with savory cuts of beef. If you add too much chili sauce to your broth, cool off with an iced Vietnamese coffee. Bonus: You might have enough energy to vibrate into neighboring dimensions.
Roxy’s Ice Cream Social
1732 NW 16th St., Suite B
405-521-1300
After a hard day at the office, it’s nice to pull up a seat at Roxy’s bar and tell them, “Make it a double.” Unlike most other bars in the area, a double at Roxy’s Ice Cream Social is nonalcoholic and won’t make for a dangerous trek home. If you’ve heard of chocolate ice cream but haven’t had a chance to try it until now, head to Roxy’s. While you’re there, try some of the special flavors like horchata, lemon sorbet and Mississippi Mud.
Taj Cuisine of India
1500 NW 23rd St.
405-601-1888
When you think of the Taj Mahal, you might think of a grand spectacle that will overwhelm your senses. When you think of Taj Cuisine of India, you might think of your senses being overwhelmed in a slightly different way. Though the heat goes from mild to wild, the flavor of the food at Taj is always expansive. The scent of rich curry sauces and succulent tandoori chicken waft toward the door, beckoning visitors inside for a spicy meal beyond compare.
Tucker’s Onion Burgers
2166 NW 24th Ave., Norman
405-561-7373
The burgers get top billing at Tucker’s, as they should, but don’t forget about excellent hand-dipped milkshakes. With a menu that focuses on doing a few items very well, Tucker’s built a local following for juicy burgers covered with charred onions with sides of salty shoestring french fries. Nothing washes down a Mother Tucker (an enormous triple burger) like one of the restaurant’s strawberry, vanilla or chocolate shakes.
Urban Teahouse
519 NW 23rd St., Suite 107
405-606-7005
Tea is good hot or cold, so on a day that could go either way, visiting Urban Teahouse is the best choice you can make. An iced matcha latte is an excellent replacement for coffee on steamy Oklahoma mornings and has enough caffeine to power a small city. Or go hot with some of the fresh-brewed teas waiting on the wall. Owner Kristy Jennings is an able Sherpa through the delicious world of dried leaves.
This article appears in May 3-9, 2017.