T-town doins' Spring of '08

We celebrated the end of Spring Break '08 by trippin' up to T-Town for a long weekend.

S wanted to attend yet another Tulsa-based preparatory seminar sponsored by the organization that is hosting her pending cross-OK bike ride, so we thought we'd cash in a couple frequent flyer comp room coupons and see some family-friendly sights in OK North's capital city.

First on our list after picking up S from work in downtown OKC and bombing into town was dinner at Ollie's Station, where I had the strangest Monte Cristo sandwich I've ever eaten.

And I've eaten a lot of Monte Cristo sandwiches in my "trying to avoid as many fried foods as I can with the exception of Monte Cristo sandwiches" adult life.

I'll not go into the finer details of what entitles a sandwich to be dubbed with such an exotic and literary-inspiring title (especially when you can just wiki it here), but Ollie's version of my favorite of all restaurant sandwiches, finds itself dipped and fried in a corn-based catfish fry batter that while strange to describe was even stranger to eat.

But eat it I might, share it I may, and enjoy it I did.

S feasted on Ollie's homemade meatloaf, homestyle mashed spuds, homespun noodle soup, and homegrown fried green tomatoes. The girls ordered and ate, but the one item not on the menu was what attracted and held their attention for the duration of our trip to Ollie's Station...the trains.

Moving, smoking, chugging, and whistling model trains of every scale, era, style and color, encircle the dining area on raised tracks running on specially built platforms attached to the walls, hanging from the ceiling, and running between the booths and tables.

If you are loco for trains, this place is your station. If not, bring your iPod and enjoy the good food and friendly service.

Coming up next, big bags at the breakfast buffet, Zoo people are the same all over, and the best red beans and rice, period.