Full Moon Cafe - Tulsa, OK

Though I have not been back to Oklahoma in three years, my sister has been happily living and going to school in Tulsa all her life. In my absence, the city has changed immensely and my sister told me repeatedly that when I went back I would not recognize my hometown. She was definitely right.

After we arrive in Tulsa for the Fourth of July, I went with Joel and Aubrae to Cherry Street in search of a restaurant open on a holiday. The street was completely different. I had friends who lived on Cherry Street so I spent a lot of time there. But this street was different. While there were still some of my favorite old haunts – like Kilkenny’s, the best Irish pub in town – there were also plenty of new additions. There were new restaurants, new businesses, even a large new mural on the side of a building. My sister had a point, Tulsa did not look like it used to.

Luckily, one place was still there and was open on the Fourth of July – Full Moon Café. I hadn’t been there in a long time but I could still remember their great burgers and legendary tortilla soup. I ordered the Okie Burger, figuring it would be appropriate for the occasion, while Joel ordered the Veggie Burger and Aubrae ordered the Fish and Chips.

The food was amazing and heart stopping (literally heart stopping, I think it has enough grease to induce a coronary). The Okie Burger is an amazing ground beef patty, grilled to perfection and topped with all the usual fixings like lettuce and tomato. But an Okie Burger also comes with thick slices of hickory smoked bacon and onion straws, which are little strands of onion fried into the most gloriously delicate bits of goodness. One bite into the decadent burger and you know this thing is going to be bad for you, but it tastes too good to care.

The experience wasn’t all perfect though. When we first arrived, we used almost an entire container of sugar packets to get our tables to stop wobbling and spilling our beers. Of course, then we discovered the roof was leaking onto Aubrae and had to move around again. The service was also disappointing. We managed to order and never saw our server again. To get a cup of water or a refill on a beer required the laborious task of finding someone who worked there and then getting her attention. Once you had placed your request, you had to settle in for the ten to twenty minute wait it would actually take to get a glass of water.

I’d go for the burger (or the epic tortilla soup, which I didn’t have on this trip but still can’t recommend enough) but be prepared for the wait.

Total Distance Traveled: 106 miles
Total Time Traveled: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Soundtrack: "Snakehouse" The Cliks