Signature dishes and restaurants around Oklahoma showcase the many nationalities that have influenced the state’s cuisine. Oklahoma’s Native American tribes have also left their mark on the state’s regional food. Groups touring the state will find a variety of great culinary experiences waiting for them.
FireLake Fry Bread Taco in Shawnee is Oklahoma’s only fry bread taco restaurant owned by a Native American tribe, and its customers include tribal and nontribal members alike. At Aaimpa’ Café in Sulpher, groups can dine on authentic Chickasaw dishes after touring the Chickasaw Cultural Center.
Legendary restaurants have also helped preserve the state’s heritage. In 1910, Oklahoma City’s Cattlemen’s Steakhouse opened its doors to hungry cowboys, ranchers and cattle haulers, and it’s still serving quality steaks today. Since the 1960s, Hammett House in Claremore showcases Oklahoma’s official meal: chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes and cream gravy topped off with pecan pie.
FireLake Fry Bread Taco
Shawnee
Traditional fry bread links generation after generation of Native Americans living in Oklahoma, and FireLake Fry Bread Taco near Oklahoma City serves this tasty bread year-round. The restaurant opened last September next to a Potawatomi tribal grocery store as part of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.
Recipes for fry bread vary from region to region across the country. This tribal recipe uses sugar instead of salt, which produces a slightly sweeter taste. Bluebird flour was specifically chosen because it creates the lightest and fluffiest bread possible. The bread is made by hand throughout the day, but not rolled and fried until it’s ordered so it’s as fresh as possible.
“In Oklahoma, people take their fry bread recipes very seriously, and before we opened, the management and tribal chairman did a lot of experimenting with our recipe,” said the director of public information for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Jennifer Bell. “The recipe is a perfect combination from different tribal elders and the tribal chairman’s kitchen.”
Diners can order three kinds of Indian tacos made with beef, grilled chicken and ground bison raised in Oklahoma. Taco seasonings aren’t used since they’re not authentic to the Native American culture. Choices of toppings include beans, lettuce, tomatoes, red and white onions, cheese, chilies, black olives and salsa. Their popular dessert fry bread can be topped with powdered sugar, cinnamon and honey, or strawberries and whipped cream.
“We’ve tried to incorporate our own tribe into the restaurant,” said Bell. “The menu is printed in the Potawatomi language and in English. We want to give people the opportunity to taste our culture and invite them to stop by our Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Center that’s less than a mile away.”
Cattlemen’s Steakhouse
Oklahoma City
Cattlemen’s Steakhouse has been awarded the “Oklahoma Gazette’s Best Steakhouse” award and the Daily Oklahoman reader’s choice award for “Best Steakhouse” 22 years running. It has also been touted by the Food Network, food magazines and many travel books. The restaurant serves more than 10,000 people weekly, and it goes without saying, that most people who walk through the door order steak.
When it opened more than 100 years ago, the restaurant’s location in Stockyard City was a beehive of activity as herds of cattle were driven to Oklahoma City in an unending stream. In 1945, the restaurant changed hands in a legendary dice game. Since then, photos on the walls attest to the movie stars, rodeo greats, politicians and more who have stopped in for a good meal.
Rib-eyes remain the most popular cut, and the fillet follows as a close second. Steaks come with a salad drizzled with house dressing and a baked potato. Every steak can be ordered for breakfast, too. For dessert, house-made coconut cream pie reigns as the runaway bestseller.
“Cattlemen’s buys USDA choice and prime steaks that we age according to our closely guarded house secret,” said Dick Stubbs, owner for 25 years. “We custom cut our rib-eyes and tenderloins, and our meat is corn fed and quite tender.”
