By: Mark Hancock Sandro Osmani, the owner of Sandro’s Pizza and Pasta, is keeping alive his family tradition. “My grandfather, Giovanni Osmani, taught me how to cook when our family still lived in Roma,” he said. “We’ve always been in the restaurant business.” And business has been good for the first-generation Italian and Albanian-American. So […]
restaurant review
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Hit me, baby, one more Thai
By: Shannon Cornman I love Thai food the way most women love their children. And if I can have that love in a casual atmosphere, quickly and affordably, at a place that also delivers … Well, then I think that’s the definition of “having it all.” Spoon Thai is not only quick and affordable; it’s […]
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Curry in a hurry
Spice and Rice is behind a filling station and convenience store on the east edge of Norman’s Campus Corner. Because of close proximity to campus and limited space in the tiny strip mall, parking is a bit of a nuisance, but it’s worth the hassle. Don’t go looking for fancy at this one-room restaurant, which […]
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Presto Pranzo!
Credit: Shannon Cornman Seriously, is there anything more uncomfortable than feeling like you don’t fit in? If you’re anything like me, you might have a few issues with the way you look, even if others don’t. And sitting in an overly ornate dining room where everything is crisp and just-so can feel stifling. Who can […]
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Ann can
Credit: Mark Hancock For about 10 years, up until last Aug., I lived in Fort Collins, Colo. From the start, the two things I wished for most were Tex-Mex and Southern cooking. Restaurants in the Fort did neither of them, and when they attempted it, it was almost like watching a particularly stomach-churning episode of […]
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Pho fever
The spacious dining room has vaguely Asian decor. Paper lanterns hang over each table and there’s a big bamboo plant in a vase on the front counter. Modern adult rock was playing on the sound system, and a smoothie machine buzzed periodically. Bottles of hoisin, the ubiquitous Sriracha, hot chili, soy sauce and vinegar stand […]
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Little bakery on the Prairie
If you’ve ever used the words “carbohydrate” or “carb” in the pejorative, you can stop reading right now. (I mean, you all can stop reading right now, if you choose. I wouldn’t recommend it.) Adherents to the Atkins Diet beware: It’s about to get very hard for you to continue. Prairie Thunder Baking Company is […]
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Cous we said so
If gyros were a fruit, I would have several trees in my backyard, and I would go out each morning to pick the ripest ones from its heavy-laden branches. And I would not share. That is how much I adore a gyro. It’s hard to find a bad gyro. Some have more or less meat. […]
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Savory Vista
Bella Vista Italian Kitchen’s neighborhood is not trendy. The restaurant sits next to an auto parts store and a florist with a carnicería right across the street. The homes nearby probably won’t be inhabited by hip young professionals anytime soon. Inside, the Greco-Italian decor is a melange of enormous potted plants, gurgling fountains and walls […]
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Italian artistry
You’ll quickly realize that Othello’s in Edmond is meant to be reminiscent of an Italian grandmother’s kitchen. The atmosphere is rustic, with faux-painted murals and dark wooden tables. A roaring fireplace greets you (on chilly nights, that is), and the full bar can be a great place to stop for a quick nightcap We were […]