On the subject of enchiladas, I think the biggest news for Oklahoma City is how much they have improved over the past 20, 10 or even 5 years.  I know that some of the best enchiladas (and Mexican food in general) is found south of Interstate 40.  This article, though, is not about the best enchiladas in the Metro, but rather about some interesting ones I have found in the north part of town (and which I think compare favorably to other cities).

Several of the enchiladas mentioned are from restaurants that are known primarily for their American style Tex-Mex food (not in these words, of course, but this is how I think of them).  Even in some of these restaurants, though, I have found some gems which I thought should be shared.

The following list is not ranked in any order, but it goes roughly from west to east:

Green Chile Kitchen

12 E. Main St.
Yukon, OK

Review of Green Chile Kitchen

In some ways I thought their presentation of New Mexican cuisine fell a little flat, but the green chile was excellent, and one of the best ways to get this is in the green enchiladas.

Green chile enchiladas at Green Chile Kitchen

Green enchiladas are served just about everywhere in New Mexico, and now they are available at Green Chile Kitchen in Yukon.  I thought these enchiladas were special because of the green chile, which has a more pure chile taste than many of the others in the Oklahoma City area.  It is not over-the-top spicy, just a flavorful chile with a little bit of kick.

San Marcos Restaurant No. 3

12201 N. Rockwell Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK

Review of San Marcos

San Marcos has four restaurants in the Oklahoma City Metro (including one south of Interstate 40), but this location is the one at which I have personal experience.  I think the menu is the same at all of the restaurants, but the “authentic” dishes seem to be seldom ordered at the Rockwell location (and I would guess, based on the demographics of the other neighborhoods, that they would be more popular at these restaurants).

Green enchiladas at San Marcos

I have to give the disclaimer that the most authentic enchiladas are not necessarily the best ones, but in this case I think it is worth giving the green enchiladas at San Marcos a try.  Like the previous restaurant mentioned in Yukon, you will not get a dish here which is super spicy (but yes, it is a little bit spicy).  This is a green tomatillo sauce which I think is popular in central and southern Mexico.  For this particular sauce I like to get chicken enchiladas and some sour cream on the side (these are listed simply as “Green Enchiladas” on the menu).

Birrieria Diaz

6700 N.W. 39th Expressway
Bethany, OK

Review of Birrieria Diaz

Still on the far west side of Oklahoma City is a small restaurant serving authentic Mexican food that has made converts of many locals who formerly had Tex-Mex as the predominant choice.  Like most authentic Mexican restaurants, enchiladas are not a big part of the menu.  Also like most restaurants I have experienced in Mexico, the enchiladas here do not major on the cheese.  The root for the word “enchilada” is “chile,” and the dominant flavor of the enchiladas at Birrieria Diaz is the chile (either red or green).

Red enchiladas at Birrieria Diaz in Bethany

The red and green enchiladas are both good, but I like the green slightly better.  The photo shows a full order of the red enchiladas (and both types of enchiladas are available in a half order).

Abel’s Mexican Restaurant

5822 N.W. 50th St.
Oklahoma City, OK

Review of Abel’s

Abel’s serves Tex-Mex style enchiladas, but the “Mexican” styled red and green enchiladas are the ones I think are special.  The green enchiladas at Abel’s have a sauce similar to the tomatillo sauce found at some other restaurants, but I particularly liked the flavor here (as well as the rice and beans, salsa, drinks, and the entire meal as a whole).

Green enchiladas at Abel’s

Abel’s red enchiladas also make a good meal, and should be added to the list of “enchiladas worth seeking out.”

Casa Perico Mexican Grille

4521 N.W. 63rd St.
Oklahoma City, OK

Review of Casa Perico

I will have to say that I was somewhat surprised to find the next entry to this list at a restaurant that generally does not impress me very much, but I think the rajas enchiladas here are among the best enchiladas in the city.  Some rajas dishes seem to have a very odd flavor, but Casa Perico does it the right way (in my opinion, of course).

Enchiladas de rajas at Casa Perico

These have a very robust chile flavor without being overly spicy, and the cheese provides a good balance to it.  Some even better news is that there is another Casa Perico at N.W. 122nd St. and Pennsylvania.

Poblano Grill

13593 N. May Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK

Review of Poblano Grill

Poblano Grill has a green tomatillo enchilada similar in quality to Abel’s (and others), but it is not on the menu.  It so happened that I asked the waiter if they could make a tomatillo enchilada, and I was rather surprised that they could!  It was even more of a surprise that it was one of the best green enchiladas I have had in OKC.

Tomatillo enchiladas at Poblano Grill

Poblano Grill is now on my short list of places I want to try again because of being able to make special orders, and because what I had was very satisfying.  When I said the Mexican restaurants have come a long way in the last few years, Poblano Grill is a prime example of this (most of the menu continues to be Tex-Mex, but it is a very good sign that they now have other items).

Poblano Grill also has a location in Midwest City.

Mamasita’s

1121 N. W. 63rd St.
Oklahoma City, OK

Review of Mamasita’s

I have not been to Mamsita’s for a while, and I do not know if they have changed the menu, but what I really liked was the fact that they served enchiladas with blue corn tortillas.  I think Green Chile Kitchen in Yukon was thinking about doing this, but of course it is better if you can actually get it this way when you go.

Enchiladas with blue corn tortillas at Mamasita’s

Overall I did not think this was actually one of the best enchiladas in Oklahoma City, but just the fact that it had blue corn tortillas made it a treat for me.

I envisioned this blog as a means to express various thoughts that did not fit into the format of my restaurant reviews, and of course my thoughts can change over time.  My thoughts about Japanese food are largely shaped by my visits to Seattle (and later by two extended visits of a few months).  If I am ever able to visit Japan I’m sure this will greatly expand my knowledge of one of the world’s best cuisines (and I certainly hope this can happen).  For now, though, I just have my rather limited knowledge with the invitation for others to share theirs.

It is understandable that people in Oklahoma City (and everywhere) are mainly interested in what is good and not in what is authentic.  I have found that the most authentic Japanese food is the best food, but I just express my ideas and not everyone has to agree with my beliefs.  I do not consider sushi rolls with cream cheese and avocado to be traditional Japanese food at all, but I would not argue with those who call it authentic because I believe these are being adopted by some restaurants in Japan.

In contrast, though, I have never taken Japanese steakhouses very seriously, because I do not believe this is part of traditional Japanese cuisine.  Some restaurants in the United States are good though–it is just a matter that most seem to be overpriced.

Seattle has a third type of restaurant that I would call nontraditional known as teriyaki restaurants.  I have found these to be a good bang for the buck although the teriyaki sauce tends to be sweet (it certainly makes a good lunch at least every once in a while).  Teriyaki House in Enumclaw was my favorite, although there were some good ones in Federal Way as well (these restaurants seem to be concentrated in south King County).

The two most authentic Japanese restaurants I have found in Oklahoma City are Tokyo and Sushi Neko, although there are some others I have not tried (the one on North May in the Lakeside area near Wilshire Blvd. looks like a good possibility).  Personally I like Tokyo so much I rarely even think about going anywhere else.  The problem in Oklahoma is getting fresh fish (fresh fish is a must for Japanese cuisine).  I will not say necessarily that Tokyo has the best fish, but I have always enjoyed it (particularly the salmon).  Mainly, though, I just like the flavor of the food at Tokyo.

Happy Lunch at Tokyo Restaurant–Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City has an abundance of strip mall sushi restaurants, though, and these can also be a good resource.  I do not care much for the California rolls and other specialties of these sushi places, but many of them have more traditional Japanese food on the menu as well.  Without arguing whether these restaurants are authentic or not, I will say that I have found Tsubaki at MacArthur and Memorial Rd. to be particularly good.  I think three of the four times I have gone there I have ordered tempura udon, a Japanese noodle soup with the shrimp and vegetable tempura providing most of the flavor.  Even by Seattle standards I like the tempura here, and I do want to share this with readers.

Tempura Udon at Tsubaki–Oklahoma City

I will say that good Japanese food is not limited to the west coast, and Oklahoma City definitely has its share.

Authentic Chinese food is rather hard to define, but over time I have come to the place that I know it when I taste it.  This is food that for the most part is found only in the Asian District or else is hidden on a “secret menu” (if restaurants have it at all).  My mission here, though, is not to just direct readers to secret or hidden food, but to find very good Chinese food that I think people should have a chance to try for themselves.

The issue of finding an “authentic Chinese lunch,” though, is one of the most challenging tasks I have found.  Several restaurants, and even some outside of the Asian District, offer delicious and sometimes very exotic Chinese dishes.  Most of these are large plates that are meant to serve a group of people “family style” (they would normally order several plates to get a variety of food).  This does not usually work very well for lunch, though, when I want a moderate quantity of food and I have to choose just one plate.

American style Chinese lunch specials fit my budget and appetite very well, but over the years after getting used to “real” Chinese food the American style just does not satisfy me unless there are no other options.  I do not encourage anybody who is not familiar with Chinese food to pick an “authentic” dish at random off of the dinner menu instead of their tried-and-true lunch favorites.  What I would like to offer, though, are some practical suggestions for those who are familiar with more authentic food or those who just think they would like to try it.

Definitely one of the best restaurants for an authentic Chinese lunch is Chow’s at 3033 N. May Ave.  For years Chow’s has served dinner only, but it has been open at lunch time since 2011 (it is still closed on Tuesdays, though).  There are two pages of “Lunch Special” dishes on the menu (these are the Chinese style selections) and an additional page of “Chow’s Special” dishes (consisting mostly of American style food).  All are lunch specials served with soup (hot and sour or egg drop), and a somewhat smaller food portion for the main dish.

Green Beans with Minced Pork at Chow’s

A good example of the Chinese style dishes is the Dried Green Beans with Minced Pork.  I don’t think this is anything people would find weird or hard to eat.  On the contrary, I think traditional Chinese food like this tends to have much sharper and well balanced flavors than Americanized dishes.  This is certainly a dish I would recommend trying.  (see Chow’s menu)

Grand Village at 2336 N.W. 23rd St. serves the same type of authentic Cantonese style Chinese food found at Chow’s, and has a good selection for the lunch specials.  I understand that Grand Village has changed owners since the last time I visited, but I still see good reviews of it (in fact, some say it is even better now).  Thus I will include it on this list as another very good lunch possibility.

Fish with Black Bean Sauce at Grand Village

One item I really liked here was Fish with Black Bean Sauce.  There are quite a few other items, though, including everything from salt and pepper pork chop to eggplant with garlic sauce.  Grand Village’s menu is available on line.  Grand Village is closed on Wednesdays, so between this and Chow’s, diners will always have good options near N.W. 23rd and May.

A good choice in far north Oklahoma City is Szechuan Bistro at 1010 W. Memorial Rd.  This restaurant specializes in spicy Sichuanese dishes, and even normally mild items like lettuce wrap have somewhat of a kick to them.  I think the lunch menu is somewhat of a mixed bag as far as being authentic.  Although I think there are some very good lunches, the best items I have found so far have been from the dinner menu.  In spite of my questions, I think the lunch specials are much better than at the average restaurant.  I have made available a scanned version of Szechuan Bistro’s menu.

Within the Asian District (near Classen Blvd. and N.W. 23rd St.) there is ample opportunity to get authentic Chinese food for lunch.  I have not found much of the authentic food on the lunch specials, but I have found very good selections off the regular menus at equivalent prices.  The drawback to ordering this way is that it helps to know a little bit about Cantonese food (Fung’s Kitchen, Grand House, and Golden Phoenix all specialize in Cantonese style dishes).  Even for the initiated, though, the problem is that not very many of the best dishes are downsized for a lunch portion. Some smaller items that would make a good lunch choice are pan fried noodles or congee at Golden Phoenix, Fujian tofu or some of the hot pots at Fung’s Kitchen, and rice noodle soup or the hot pots at Grand House.  Fung’s Kitchen and Grand House also have dim sum on weekends, but this always falls out of my price range for a typical lunch.

Every restaurant has items I particularly like, but for the narrowly defined “lunch specials” I would suggest Chow’s or Grand Village (or Szechuan Bistro if you are in north OKC).