new beginnings

Sunday, Myron and I went to one of our favorite spots that was a tradition we began on our trips here with our friend Tres. Tres found a great little drive-in called Del Rancho that made these ridiculously huge chicken-fried steak sandwiches. We always ate inside, which was just as fun because you ordered with a tableside telephone and then they'd bring your order out to your table. When Myron and I pulled up this year, our faces fell. It was closed. We sat in silence for a little bit, looked in the windows, and tried to figure out what to do. We knew this was the original Del Rancho and weren't sure if others were open or where they were. Determined to still have our Del Rancho experience, we decided to call directory assistance and ended up finding another location. As we drove away, I finally said what we had both been thinking: after losing Tres last month, it seemed almost appropriate. We found our destination and were thrilled to find it completely different in layout and style, but equally as old and original and kitschy. On top of the usual huge sandwiches, we discovered a new menu item we hadn't noticed before: corn nuggets. Our waitress explained they were sweet cream of corn deep fried in nuggets and added "they're goooood" in a way that was clearly genuine and not salesmanship. We had to have em. They didn't disappoint! It was a great way to continue our tradition, yet do so in a new way since it wouldn't be the same without Tres with us. A Google search later brought up nine Del Rancho locations around Oklahoma City. We don't know how many are still open and which are old original ones and which are newer, but we may just have to start finding out next year. If you find yourself in Oklahoma City, be sure not to miss Del Rancho!