Food trucks are one of the greatest things to happen to innovative dining. And the biggest food truck meet-up in Oklahoma - H and 8th, is one of the greatest things to happen to Oklahoma City. The last Friday of every month from 7-11 PM, dozens of the state's tastiest food trucks gather around Hudson and 8th Ave. in Midtown Oklahoma city to sling their favorite dishes. There's live music, cold beer from local brewers, and some of the best people watching you can find.

I've attended H&8th several times over the last two years and though I haven't been able to try everything, I've tried a lot. Here's a list of my favorite dishes and trucks to try the next time you visit. The trucks rotate each month, so be sure to check out the monthly map here.

If Off the Hook is at H and 8th, you have to try their seafood wontons. However, they do take quite a long time to get your order through. I would stop there first and put your order in, then head to a truck with a shorter line if you need to curb your hanger. Their wontons are creamy, crispy, and full of flavor and served with an amazing sauce. Sorry for the picture quality, these were eaten late into the night.



The guys at Buttermilk Southern Sliders are usually parked over by Industry Flea at 10th and Hudson. Since they're a little out of the way, the line is usually manageable and they serve up biscuits pretty quick. Get the fried chicken biscuit, trust me.


If you're craving something sweet, the apple compote will blow your mind. It's served with graham cracker crumble and a goat cheese spread. It's the perfect combination of sweet and tangy.


If you're looking for something totally unique, check out the empanadas and bacon bombs from Masa Tulsa.  My favorite empanada the Colombiana, which is beef, pork, and potatoes, but I recommend mixing and matching to try all of them. The bacon bombs are shrimp stuffed with cheese and green chilies, wrapped in bacon and served with a tangy chipotle barbecue sauce. How could you go wrong with that?



If you're craving a juicy burger, head over to El Reno Onion Burgers. Don't worry about filling up on it, they're the perfect portion for food truck grazing.


The best part of H&8th for me? All of the wonderful dessert options! You can get an ah-mazing crepe from the friendly ladies at Crepe Brewers.


My favorite is the Biscoff Beauty - a cookie butter, pretzel, and coconut flake filled crepe topped with whipped cream.


If you're looking for something a little cooler, an ice cream from my favorite place in the city, Roxy's, can't be beat. My favorite flavor is strawberry, but their cookie sandwiches are a solid choice as well. (I'm cheating with this picture. It's actually from Premiere on Film Row, not H&8th, but it was such a good one I had to share it here!)


If you're too stuffed with burgers and wontons for a heavy dessert, try a popsicle from Epic Pops. My favorite is their gummy bear flavor. It's tart, sweet, and filled with real gummy bears.


These are just a few of the dozens of food trucks available to try at H&8th. I look forward to it every month to try some of the best food the city has to offer. What are your favorite trucks to visit? Leave a comment below or send me a Tweet and let me know!

While I tend to stray toward restaurants with a massive cocktail list, a wide menu, and flattering lighting, sometimes it's the biggest hole in the wall joints that hit the spot. After visiting my boyfriends family in Eastern Oklahoma, we turned off Highway 59 near Sallisaw, Oklahoma to stop by a barbecue joint that I was told we couldn't miss, Wild Horse Mountain.


Their building is a cross between your crazy uncle's cabin and the setting for a horror movie set in a forest somewhere. But somehow, it works.



You're greeted inside by signed pictures of Oklahoma's finest rodeo queens. If it's good enough for a queen, it's good enough for me.


Their menu is simple, no fancy slaws or salads like I'm used to at a barbecue joint. Just meat - beef, pork, and chicken, and beans.

We went for the beef plate and a quarter chicken, with the medium sauce (I'm no baby! But also not a fan of barbecue sauce that "hurts".) We got our food to go as we had our dog in the car and it was Oklahoma in July, so pardon the styrofoam packaging.


Like I said before, nothing fancy. But MAN, those beans. I'm not particularly a fan of barbecue beans, and slaw is usually my side of choice, but these were something else. They were spicy and rich, with a chili type kick at the end. I can see why they don't offer any other sides. They clearly have this one down.

The sliced beef was a little dry, but luckily the barbecue sauce that was with it was delicious, so we were drowning it in sauce anyway. The ribs were fall off the bone tender. But my favorite meat?


That chicken. The skin was crispy, smokey, and flavorful, just like barbecued chicken should be.


The meat inside was perfectly smoked and juicy, and paired perfect with the barbecue sauce. I would probably opt for two of these and pass on the beef next time. It was that good.

Next time you're heading east out of Oklahoma (or whatever reason you may find yourself near Sallisaw) stop in to Wild Horse Mountain Barbecue and get a little taste of what this part of the state has to offer. You won't find any mason jar drinks or pretty plating, but you will find some damn good barbecue.

Nothing says summer like fish tacos - crunchy, fried fish with fresh vegetables, cheese, and a spicy sauce. This has been a restaurant staple of mine for the last few years, if it was on the menu somewhere I was probably ordering it. After much trial and error, I've come up with a foolproof recipe for homemade, beer battered fish tacos, complete with a tangy slaw and a kickin sauce. It's perfect for entertaining and will impress even the biggest taco snob in your life.



You can't have a fish taco without slaw. This one is simple and light, without any heavy cream dressing. To start, chop up half of a red cabbage into thin slices. Then, add a big handful of roughly chopped cilantro. Squeeze in the juice of two limes, then drizzle in a few tablespoons of olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Toss it altogether, and throw it in the fridge.



Now for the fish. Cod is my go to for these tacos. You want something solid, not flaky, or your fried fish nuggets will fall apart and you'll be stuck with a big battered mess. Halibut would also be a good choice. If you have to use frozen fish, no worries! Just be sure to blot the fish well after it's thawed, or the excess moisture will cause major grease splattering. Trust me, I've been there. About a pound of cod will serve 4-6 people. You'll want to cut it into small, few inch nuggets.

Heat a half inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. You'll want the oil around 360-375 degrees. While your oil is heating up, you can start in on your batter.

You'll need just two ingredients, beer and flour. I used Dos Equis this time, but I've also used Belgian wheat beers as well. Any kind will do. Start with a cup of flour and start whisking in your beer. You'll need about a cup. Drink the rest (duh).



Season the batter with salt and pepper, then start coating your cod. When your oil is up to temp, drop in your cod a few pieces at a time. Fry for 4-5 minutes, turning once or twice. Remove them when they're golden brown, and drain on paper towels.


Warm up some tortillas, then make yourself a little taco bar. My personal favorite toppings for these are slaw, feta cheese, avocado, and chipotle mayo.  Finish it with a squeeze of lime, and these are tough to beat.



Recipe: Crispy Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw

For the slaw:

Half a red cabbage, thinly sliced
A handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Juice of 2 limes

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Refrigerate until needed.

For the tacos:

1 pound cod, cut into few inch nuggets
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 cup flour
1 cup beer
Salt and pepper to season

Coat a large, heavy bottomed skillet with half an inch of vegetable oil. Heat over medium high heat, keeping an eye on the oil. You'll want it to be about 360-370 degrees.

Put flour in a large bowl, and whisk in beer. The batter should be thick enough to drizzle off a spoon, about the consistency of thin pancake batter. Drop in your fish, coating evenly, then place them a few at a time into the hot oil. Turn once or twice, until all sides are golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Heat tortillas for the tacos. Top fish with slaw and desired toppings, such as pico, guacamole, feta cheese, and chipotle mayonnaise (I just blend mayo, chipotles in adobo, and minced garlic together). Enjoy!

There's a new project in the Deep Deuce District of Oklahoma city. If you've been in the area in the past few months, you've probably seen these weird shipping containers and thought, what the heck is that?



These bright metal rectangles are the new OK Sea project, a multi-use development created from 17 shipping containers that will hold 4 different businesses - a retail area, two offices, and the first tenant to open, Anchor Down, a gourmet corn dog shop and bar from the chef behind The Mule.

We stopped in today for their first dinner shift to check it out. It's a great place for a quick, casual bite, with a small indoor seating area and bar.


But the patio is where the action happens. It's a small but buzzy little area, that's completely shaded in the evening. Of course, it's Oklahoma in the summer so you'll still sweat, but the ambiance is worth it. You'll notice as soon as you take a seat what you're supposed to do next.

They have a great selection of beer cocktails - my favorite. I went with the Scrimshaw Radler, a scrimshaw Pilsner topped with grapefruit soda and orange.

I told you in my last post about my love affair with ice cream. Now let me tell you about my other major food love: pizza. Just like with ice cream, I don't discriminate. I'll eat the fanciest, truffle topped pie one day, then demolish half a large Papa John's pizza the next. But while I believe that even bad pizza is better than no pizza, there are some times when you just want the best. And if you're looking for the best pizza in Oklahoma City, look no further.


That's right, it's from a truck. I've been a long time fan of Saucee Sicilian, ever since visiting their truck at H & 8th last summer. It was rush hour and I waited almost 45 minutes for my pizza. I remember complaining the whole time I had to wait, I mean 45 minutes for a pizza?! But then, something changed. They called my name, I took my first bite into that pie, burning my mouth and fingers in the process, and I've been a convert ever since.

So what makes Saucee so special? For me, it's the crust. As your pizza cooks for 90 seconds in a 1,000 degree oven, the crust turns into a perfect combination of chewy and crispy, with the perfect amount of char on top that makes it rustic and utterly Instagram-able. On my last visit to Saucee Sicilian at the OKC Farmers Market, I also tried the focaccia for the first time. It has all the amazing qualities of a great Saucee crust, topped with olive oil and rosemary. There's really no better appetizer for your carbs than more carbs, right?


Now onto the main attraction: that pizza. On my last visit I tried the Tusa, which will make you cry chili-oil tears of joy. It's Nonna's red sauce and mozzarella, topped with Italian sausage, capicola, mushrooms, and chili oil. It's got a kick. I'm not sure if it was the chili oil or the 90 degree weather, but I was sweating after just a few bites.


Let's take a closer look at those toppings.


I also tried the Genovese: Nonna's red sauce, mozzarella, mushroom, artichokes, caramelized onion, olive, and garlic. This pizza will take you right back to Italy. If you've never been, this is what it tastes like. 



One of the things I love most about Saucee Sicilian is its simplicity. There are places out there that top pizzas with pears, prosciutto, and some rare mushroom you've never heard of, but this is not that place. They keep it simple and delicious. When I talked with Gannon Mendez, one of the owners of Saucee Sicilian, he put it simply, "It's great pizza the way my grandmother made it." Trust me, she knew what she was doing. And I'm so glad they kept it that way.

You can keep tabs on Saucee Sicilian through their Facebook and Twitter pages, and you'll usually catch them in Midtown at Bleugarten a few times a month!

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There's no dessert I love more than ice cream. Any kind will do, really...vanilla, strawberry, chocolate chip, gelato, sherbet. I don't discriminate. I love it all. So once I heard that Roxy's Ice Cream Social, the food truck that's home to my favorite salted caramel ice cream ever, opened up a brick and mortar store in the Plaza District, I had to check it out.


From the outside, you can already tell that they went for the kitschy, classic ice cream parlor decor.


Blue sky ceilings, ice cream decor, and plenty of pink to go around.


And my favorite piece of decor, a painting of Roxy's namesake. So cute. I think I need a Sam Douglas original of my dog, Chuy, in my living room.

Now on to the important part of this place: the ice cream! One glance at the menu and I knew what my boyfriend would be getting: an orange Dreamsicle float. It's a huge scoop of their handmade vanilla bean ice cream, topped with orange cream soda. Delicious.

It's called Verdigris, and it's owned by two sisters with better taste than I can ever hope to have. You're just going to want all of the things in this store. I found myself fantasizing about how I'd decorate my brownstone townhouse in Brooklyn with this stuff, only to remember I live in Oklahoma. This place will have that affect on you.

One of my favorite things in the store is all of the giant decorative letters.



You can stop by Verdigris on 7th St. in Midtown, Oklahoma City, just down the street from Ludivine. Pop in one afternoon and dream about decorating your entire house with all of the beautiful object in this store. You'll probably find a few things you can't live without!

If you stop in, Tweet your pictures to me! I'd love to see what you found.