Thursday afternoon, Sheila e-mailed me and said, "I need to go to the airport and I want you to take me." Not knowing whether she was running away to Rio or meeting an incoming VIP, I shot back, "Sure." Turns out she just needed to get a ticket for her boss and American Airlines, ever being American Airlines, would not let him redeem his frequent flyer vouchers on an e-ticket purchase and demanded instead that somebody come out in person and buy the ticket from the ticket counter. So, I dropped her off at departures and waited in the cell phone lot while she satisfied American's demands for bureaucracy and a trip to the airport so their paper could be seen by one of their denizens.
As we left the airport, I suggested we eat out, thinking we might stop at the Freeway Diner or maybe grab some carryout Chinese. Sheila responded quickly, "I want to eat at the White River Fish Market." The White River Fish Market is a Tulsa legend. It is located on North Sheridan Road near the airport and is famous for serving nothing but the freshest seafood possible, literally either fresh caught locally or fresh off the airplane from the coasts. Nothing is ever frozen. But, it is expensive.
Sheila ordered frog legs and I had the catfish, two of the lower priced entrees. Our check was still in the mid thirties. I can't speak for the frog legs since I don't/won't eat them. But, my catfish was very good. Very fresh, lightly battered and cooked in a very clean oil that left no taste to detract from the delicate flavor of the catfish. The sides were just OK but the hush puppies are the best in town. So, was the meal good? Yes, very good. Was it worth thirty five bucks? Probably not. There are a dozen places in town that do very good catfish for less money.
One gentleman about my age was entertaining a party of about ten, obviously family members As he walked by our table, he looked at his credit card, then looked at me and said, "I might as well throw this one away. That maxed it out." Given that he was wearing a windbreaker from a very nice country club and designer jeans, I doubt that the cost of the evening was going to cause him to lose any meals. But, given that his folks looked like they would probably order from the upper end of the menu, I can understand his frustration.
Friday afternoon, our friends Pam Edwards and Wayne Elliot called and asked if we wanted to go out to dinner later. Since it was (1) our turn to pick up the check, (2) Pam likes sushi and (3) I had no intention of paying twenty bucks a saucer for raw fish rolled up in rice, I suggested that we drive up to Claremore to Asiana which has a very good sushi bar as part of its dinner buffet. Asiana is a very busy place and in some ways it is, as Wayne observed, the upscale Asian equivalent of a Golden Corral. But, I also noticed that everyone at our table seemed to be enjoying the food given the quantities that were consumed.
We had a good visit on the way up and back. Wayne usually drives Cadillacs and Lincolns and had never ridden in a Hyundai. He seemed genuinely surprised that it was fast, quiet and comfortable. On the way back we made tentative plans to do a murder mystery weekend together over in Guthrie in a few weeks.
Saturday, though we only needed a few groceries, Sheila wanted to go to a Wal Mart SuperCenter since the really big ones stock her favorite brand of undies at a very good price. We headed out for the one at the eastern edge of Broken Arrow near the Creek Expressway. On the way, we stopped for lunch at JK's Thai Buffet near Lynn Lane. JK's is a small place with a tiny buffet line. But, every dish is freshly prepared and the food is very, very good. They concentrate on the basics, rice, pad thai, satay chicken and pork with peanut butter sauce, steamed vegetables, cooked and uncooked spring rolls, creamy chicken and potato curry and that wonderful Thai beef. It was a very good lunch and I didn't want much dinner.
As we were driving home Friday night, Wayne observed, "Bill, you certainly know where all of the good places to eat are in this town." Well, I may not know them all, but I know a bunch and Sheila and I tend to frequent them I guess.
