Best Steakhouse in the Southwest Cattlemen's Cafe
The best steak in the Southwest is arguably, Cattlemen's Cafe. Although called Cattlemen's Steakhouse, I have always know it by its rustic sign out front, titled Cattlemen's Cafe. Cattlemen's Cafe is one, if not the oldest restaurants in the State of Oklahoma. Presidents, movie stars and country singers have eaten there. From George Bush to John Wayne to Garth Brooks, who is a native of Oklahoma. The best steak I ever had was a choice beef tenderloin from Cattlemen's Cafe. While eating it I was surrounded by paintings of bull Herefords that are the size of the walls. When I was a kid it was a treat to drive into the city to eat at Cattlemen's Cafe. My favorite meal was what we call "lamb fries". I won't go into much detail about what lamb fries are but will leave that to the readers imagination or a quick Google search.
Besides the best steaks they also make the best bread rolls. The History Cattlemen's Cafe started in 1910 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It began near what the locals call "the stockyards". The stockyards are where ranchers would bring cattle to be sold and processed. So out of convenience of location, I assume, they started the restaurant there. One of the best known stories about Cattlemen's Cafe is that one of its owners in the 1940's or 1950's lost the restaurant in a crap game. Craps is a dice game and the new owner rolled a pair of 3's for whats called a "hard six" and won the cafe! The Cafe Cattlemen's Cafe is located just a few blocks south of Interstate 40 on the west side of Oklahoma City off on Agnew Street. It has a rustic diner feel to it. Out front is a 1950's style sign. When you walk in there, the lunch counters and tables are on the right and the full dining booths for families having dinner are on the left. The dining booths are red leather and you easily slide into them. The walls are covered in massive paintings, perhaps seven or eight feet in length and four foot tall. The paintings depict ranch or pasture scenes.
They will bring you tea and drinks when you sit and ask what kind of salad you would like. They have their own house dressing that's very tasty. Then you order your steak and it will be done exactly how you like it. Remember in the Southwest, that rare means rare. You better bring an appetite because they can bring out a pretty large steak!
