Jane and Michael Stern, of Roadfood fame, have contributed an article in the February issue of Gourmet magazine. The Sterns write about one of Oklahoma’s favorite dishes — chicken-fried steak — and two acclaimed Route 66 restaurants that serve it — Clanton’s Cafe of Vinita and the Rock Cafe of Stroud.
Gourmet doesn’t have the article online, but I’m going to excerpt a few passages. First, about Clanton’s, which opened in 1927, before much of Route 66 was paved:
… The Patricks relish the fact that their place is a town cafe with standards set by local tastes. Dennis Patrick says: “If our gravy is a little off, if the biscuits aren’t as fluffy as usual, if there’s too much salt in the dressing, they let us know.”
At the Rock Cafe, owner Dawn Welch says her pork jagerschnitzel outsells chicken-fried steak 10-to-1 (for good reason, I might add). Also, the Rock Cafe uses the same “seasoned for eternity” grill as when the restaurant opened in 1939.
Welch tells us she has nightmares about losing the grill. When we stop for breakfast, she has just the night before dreamed that it had cracked beyond repair. Running a spatula across the dark, timeworn surface to clear away crumbs, she wonders aloud if a couple more decades of scraping might eventually wear it out. She tells of the day a few years ago when a woman from New York City came to visit and asked if she could watch Welch make chicken-fried steaks. The woman observed, then offered to buy the grill so she could bring it back east with her. The offer was generous, big enough to buy a modern replacement, but Welch refused what she considered a Faustian bargain. The soul of the Rock Cafe was not for sale.
Go to your local bookstore or newstand to buy the magazine. It also contains excellent photographs from both restaurants and plenty of historical lore.
Hat tip to Laurel Kane for letting us know about the article.
We were attracted to Clanton’s by that great EAT sign outside and had a great meal. We didn’t however try the Calf Fries, if you know what I mean.
Who could drive by the Rock and not stop in. I really love that style of building material.