Hot Spot

One of Oklahoma City's hottest dining spots is the Iguana Grill, 9 Northwest 9th Street. It opened in June of last year -- but I just got around to trying it the other night. Small, in a 1905 building tucked between Broadway and the railroad tracks, it may be a bit off the beaten path -- but folks are beating a new one to get here. With an attractive outdoor patio and several dining areas, it was packed full of people looking for food and fun -- both available here.

Colorful paintings hang on the walls. It's noisy, both with recorded music and talking, laughing guests.

And the food? Chef Ryan Parrott rocks! As a Weight Watcher, eating out is a challenge and a Mexican restaurant provides many temptations. Twelve tortilla chips uses up 3 points -- but how can I resist? I get my own plate, count out my chips and break them into pieces. Then I go after the salsa! And the salsa here was superb -- fresh, tomato-y, just a bit of heat and not too much cilantro.

One of my buddies and I split this order of Enchilada de Camarones -- two large tortillas filled with sauteed shrimp and a chipotle tomato sauce and covered with cheese and a sour cream sauce. For our sides, we chose fresh fruit -- peaches, apples, mangoes and pineapple -- and grilled vegetables. The sour cream and cheese pushed the points envelope but by splitting and adding healthy sides, I was able to work it into my allotted points (this is where the extra 35 come in handy!) The serving was ample enough that we were both satisfied and I can't wait to go back and try some other specialties like the Chile Rellenos -- fresh Anaheim peppers dusted with blue corn and filled with adobo chicken (I'll have to pass on the one filled with the four-cheeses). While this restaurant is worthy of a splurge, you can enjoy a number of choices without straining your budget or worrying about your next weigh-in.

Grand A-Cheevers-ment

Ah, research, it's a tough job but somebody has to do it. And so I had lunch at Cheever's on 23rd Street in Oklahoma City. It's in a historic building -- built in 1927 for Cheever's Florist, a company that is still in business (12236 North May) and still owned by the same family. When the building was sold, the trademark Cheever's name stayed on the building and it was turned into a great little restaurant owned by the Good Egg Dining Company. Heather and Keith Paul, and Sean Ray, who founded the company, also own Red Prime Steakhouse, Iron Starr Urban Bar-B-Q, and Market-C (more about that later).

Robert Black is the executive chef for the entire restaurant group -- and he is a genius. I fell in love with his cuisine several years ago when he was executive chef for the Museum Cafe at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Ryan Lawson is executive chef at Cheever's. So there was a lot of experience behind my lunch!

My friend Melyn and I started with the bread basket as soon as it hit the table. It contained four dainty dinner rolls -- delicately flavored with rosemary and thyme -- served with a little tub of butter protected by a round of parchment with a scrolled C on top. My entree was Mixed Seafood Tamales -- chunks of lobster, shrimp, halibut and scallops with black beans and corn over a sweet potato masa tamale and topped with an ancho cream. Was it good? It was all I could do to keep from licking the plate!

The whole Weight Watchers thing kept me from ordering dessert but didn't keep me from going next door to Market-C and salivating over the choices. Market-C, which opened late last fall, was originally a Phillips 66 filling station. I'd guess -- but I don't know -- that it's about the same vintage as Cheever's. Good Egg has paid homage to the past with the traditional green and orange Phillips 66 color scheme.

Inside, you'll find take-and-heat goodies from the Good Egg restaurants, desserts, condiments and kitchen items. Here's a picture of the Giant Carrot Cake -- six layers of cake with cream cheese icing. You can see why I passed on dessert. Next time, maybe I'll go for dessert and pass on the entree!

Return of a Grande Dame

Oklahomans welcomed the reopening of the Skirvin Hotel almost a year ago. For many years Oklahoma's finest hostelry, the hotel had been closed for nearly 20 years. I recently got my first glimpse at the Grande Dame. She may be even grander than she was before. The towering lobby is impressive and the rich, red draperies absolutely regal. My room was spacious and comfortable and the bedspread entertaining. Yep, I said bedspread. The fabric was custom made and has a history of the hotel written on it. I've read in bed for years -- this is the first time I've read the bed itself. The Red Piano Lounge is an afternoon hot spot and the Park Avenue Grill, a destination restaurant. The food was fabulous and the desserts excellent. As we often do on press trips, we ordered several desserts for the table and spoons all around. The big favorite for the photographers was the Red Piano, a chocolate creation filled with white chocolate mousse and fresh berries. It was just as good as it looks! This is the second Hilton re-do I've stayed in in the last couple of months. The other is the Hotel President, a Kansas City icon. Both the Skirvin and President fell victim to dwindling downtowns. The city centers of both towns are reinventing and revitalizing themselves and Hilton has done a magnificent job on both of these older properties.