Stray Dog Cafe

6722 N.W. 39th Expressway
Bethany, OK
(405) 470-3747

Stray Dog Cafe

I have only eaten at Stray Dog Cafe once, but my reaction was positive. It started out as a hot dog restaurant, but they turned it into a cafe with a fairly extensive menu at breakfast and a variety of items at lunch. For dinner it is only open on Friday and Saturday nights, but they make the menu pretty interesting with choices such as the pollo loco that I ordered.

One thing it is famous for is having a popcorn machine and serving the popcorn to each table as an appetizer. I do not know if they do this at breakfast, which seems to be the most popular meal here, but it is available at other times.

This is a restaurant that tries to catch the spirit of Route 66, on which it is located. The food is a step up from the greasy spoon type of restaurants which dot the highway, but it is still down-to-earth everyday type of food.

Other sources say their specialties include the corn dog, a chili cheese dog, and their namesake “Stray Dog” which is a coney island style hot dog. Desserts are made by a third party and when I was there they seemed to have a very impressive pie display.

There is an overflow parking lot behind the building in case spaces are not available on the street.

El Pollo Loco

El pollo loco

El Pollo Loco was one of the weekend specials (served Friday and Saturday nights) that expand the menu beyond the normal dishes. I am not sure what I can say about the regular menu except that my food had a good flavor and was of good quality. I enjoyed the food more than I thought I would from a non-Mexican restaurant, and I thought they really did their research to make it the right way.

This was a grilled chicken sandwich with two types of toppings (the ones on the left of the photo were American toppings and the ones on the right were Mexican). I used all of the Mexican style toppings except one, and one of the keys to this is that you can omit whatever you do not want. In my case I found it to be too spicy with the jalapeños, so these were discarded after I took the first bite. The sandwich came with a ghost pepper mayo, and this was plenty spicy enough. I thought the flavor was excellent, and I was especially impressed with the bun compared to the standard ones I find in restaurants. I was certainly a convert to this restaurant, even though what I tried is not served all the time.

Desserts

Coconut pie

Desserts are a specialty of Stray Dog Cafe, and they have a pie display as well as other desserts which are available (such as a cinnamon roll for breakfast). The Coconut Pie was in the high range of what I would consider to be a good pie.

Recommendations
I definitely had a good experience with my dinner special at Stray Dog Cafe, but comments from reviewers on the Internet are also very strong that the breakfasts and lunches here are worthwhile. The Restaurant was featured on Discover Oklahoma, where the owner and some of the customers are interviewed. To me the most interesting food seems to be the dinner specials on Friday and Saturday night, but many people say the regular menu items are very good as well.

RATING: N/R

Cuisine: American
Cost: $$
Hours: Breakfast & lunch Tue-Sat; dinner Fri & Sat
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No smoking
Alcohol: No

Most Recent Visit: Jul. 22, 2017
Number of Visits: 1
Best Items: El Pollo Loco, Pie

Special Ratings

	El Pollo Loco
	Coconut Pie

Mae’s in Yukon, OK

One of the reasons people like to live in small towns is so that they can experience the type of food served at Mae’s Home Cooking, food that is done in only slight alterations from the way it would be made in their own kitchens. With only about 20 tables and waitresses who seem to be here for the joy of interacting with customers more than the money that is earned, the economics of large cities seem to make this kind of eatery impossible in settings other than rural America.

Yukon is actually a bedroom community of Oklahoma City and is blessed with a number of urban amenities. It has tried hard, though, to maintain the sense of community and “small town” that has existed since its founding. This includes going to the local diner to eat, reading the newspaper, and sitting over a cup of coffee to chat with friends or family members. Yukon has several “diners,” local establishments that are not dictated by the edicts of corporate offices from out of town (although Sid’s Diner is a branch of the one in El Reno, the county seat located about fifteen miles away). Mae’s seems considerably more upscale than Sid’s in the menu and the setting, although since I visited Mae’s first I cannot yet compare the food.

Mae’s serves hamburgers, but I did not get the feeling that this was its specialty (I think most people go to Sid’s for their onion fried burgers). The menu at Mae’s is varied, with American style dinners, sandwiches, and breakfasts. Just about everything I expected to be offered at this type of restaurant was listed on the menu.

Salad
Mae’s is not big on soups and salads. I asked about the soup but was told they were out (I think one kind had been made earlier in the day).

I ordered a Dinner Salad that came with iceberg lettuce topped with grated cheddar cheese. The pale color of the lettuce made it look more unappetizing than it turned out to be, with the lettuce being fresh to the point that I really thought it was enjoyable. The cheese and ranch dressing were both good, with red ripe tomatoes adding flavor.

B. L. T.

BLT at Mae’s

B. L. T. (bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, of course, but it was unnecessary to write it out on the menu) was one of the sandwiches offered. I will have to say that one of the things, and perhaps the only major thing, I look for in this sandwich is the correct texture. The bread on this one was toasted just right and the bacon was neither too hard nor too greasy. The lettuce could have been more green but was fresh. Tomatoes were good but in small bits that were barely noticeable. I was glad to see it served dry with no mayonnaise (without asking for it to be this way). What I remember most was the flavorful bacon cooked the right way. The only thing I would wish for is more tomato.

Pies
Three Pies were available, and I tried chocolate (actually I took it home and ate it later). Everything was good but nothing really stood out in terms of having great crust, filling, or topping. It takes a lot to impress me with pie so I will say the one here was “enjoyable.” It certainly was better than quite a few I have had in Oklahoma City.

Apple Streudl

Apple streudl

Apple Streudl was more memorable than the pie, perhaps having its roots in Yukon’s Czech heritage. I think it was because it had a lot of flavor to go along with the sweetness.

Directions
Mae’s is located on Route 66 (Main St.) five blocks east of Cornwell Dr. This is about two miles north of Interstate 40 (take either the Cornwell/Czech Hall or Mustang Rd. exit).

Updates
Yelp in 2016 reports that Mae’s is open 6:00 am to 2:00 pm Monday through Saturday (and closed Sun.).

The “Sid’s” mentioned in the article is now “Fat Elvus” (although the original Sid’s is still open in El Reno).

RATING: 20

Cuisine: American
Cost: $
Hours: Breakfast & Lunch Only (Closed Sun.)
Smoking: No smoking

Most Recent Visit: Aug. 29, 2009
Number of Visits: 2
Best Items: BLT, Apple Streudl

 

Special Ratings

	Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato
	Salad
	Chocolate Pie
	Apple Streudl
	Carrot Cake