It was not so long ago that the New York Times extolled the uniquely Oklahoma culinary creation that is the onion burger, a product of the Great Depression that traces its origins back to a handful of diners in El Reno.
Now, another arbiter of good taste and culinary traditions, Southern Living magazine, has weighed in with its verdict on the best burger to be found in the Sooner State.
A March 7 post on the Southern Living website states that the burgers served up at Ron’s Hamburgers & Chili are “The South’s Best Hamburgers In Oklahoma.”
Writer Katie Akin, a copy editor for the magazine, states that “A frosted mug of root beer, a paper-lined basket of crispy French fries, and a burger obscured by spicy red-brown chili poured on top—this is the meal of champions at Ron’s Hamburgers & Chili.”
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In other words, she is referring to Ron’s Chili Cheeseburger, dressed with pickles and mustard, with onions fried into the patty, and then smothered in Ron’s award-wining chili.
“Ron’s specializes in simple food made excellently,” Akins writes. “The fries are hand-cut, the signature chili is made in house, and the hamburgers are notable examples of one of the Sooner State’s best culinary inventions, the fried-onion burger,” adding that studding a ground beef patty with fried onions is a way of “imparting new zing to an old standby.”
Akin does make mention of what Ron’s likes to bill as “Oklahoma’s Best Burger,” the Sausage Cheeseburger, which blends ground beef and breakfast sausage together, and which is undeniably tasty.
Also noted are such things as the Mexican Steak, as well as some of the side dishes available “if you’re not craving fries today.”
Yet, while Akin states that Ron’s is an “Oklahoma institution (that) has been feeding hungry diners and delighting their palates since 1975,” she only lists one location, in Bentonville, Ark. In fact, there are 15 Oklahoma locations, include four in the Tulsa city limits, as well as two in Texas.
White Lion celebrates St. Patrick
The White Lion Pub, 6297 S. Canton Ave., is usually a bastion of Great British food and drink, but come March 17, the place likes to get its Irish up.
Beginning at 4 p.m. Friday, March 17, the White Lion will be serving corned beef and cabbage, along with potatoes and chocolate mint ice cream dessert for only $19.95.
In addition, the pub will have Guinness on tap, as well as its own White Lion Brown Ale and similar festive beverages on tap or by the bottle. Must be 21 or older to attend. 918-491-6533.
Slovenian wine dinner at Basque
Basque, 114 N. Boston Ave., will host a special dinner 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 22, featuring wines from the Ptujska Klet winery, Slovenia’s oldest winery, dating back to the 1200s.
Assistant winemaker Nejc Borko will be the special guest for the evening, guiding diners through the various vintages that will be paired with the five-course meal prepared by chef Andrew Donovan.
The menu will begin with Holland white asparagus and Kaluga caviar, followed by a crudo of Kona Kampachi with a finger lime sabayon, pickled spring onion and shaved licorice root.
This will be followed by Magret duck breast with stinging nettles, morel mushrooms and a sour cherry-foie gras sauce. A saddle of Anderson Ranch lamb will follow, accompanied by fiddlehead ferns, English peas, a ramp ash and currant jus. Dessert is a cheve cheesecake with rhubarb and apple blossom honey.
Cost per person is $120 with wine pairings, $85 food only. Reservations are required. To book: 918-442-2996, basquetulsa.com.
Send us your Easter meal specials
Restaurants wishing to share information about their brunch, lunch and other holiday meal specials with Tulsa World readers may email james.watts@tulsaworld.com. Please send this information by April 1 and include any deadlines for reservations.