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Oklahoma City: Cattlemen's Steakhouse

My first stop after landing at OKC was Cattlemen's. Despite my many visits to Oklahoma, I had never been there. It is located in Stockyard City, one of the older parts of town. The interior is 50's style old fashioned and very well maintained, giving an air of comforting hominess. The white linen napkins are another sign of old style service.

I started with a salad. I usually don't get creamy sauces, but I really enjoyed this garlic sauce. The garlic was noticeable but well balanced by the mayonnaise base.

For my main course, I ordered the blue ribbon steak. It's a nightly special of USDA prime meat. Tonight, it was a ribeye, my favorite cut. The steak was simply wonderful: tender, rich, juicy, perfectly cooked. The first thing I noticed about it was that it had been carefully trimmed of fat. The fat you care about, of course, is the marbling. The fat around the edges just gets in the way. I always like mushrooms with my steaks, but these were perhaps the best mushrooms paired with steak I've ever had. Their own meatiness was combined with the meatiness of the steak; to top things off, they were buttery soft. The mixed vegetables were great, with just enough butter. I used the bread to soak up the juices of both the mushrooms and the steak.

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