Bites of My Life

A concert, a few new restaurant visits, an all day frosé party, some downtime and lots of work. A great mix to make the week go by fast. Hoping this week speeds by too! The whole Tucker clan will be in town this weekend to celebrate the youngest of the group's 1st birthday! 

-Fangirls in our fan wear. Oh Wonder live lived up to the hype!
-The Kitchen at Commonplace Books is open and I can't rave about it enough. The food is spot on but the aesthetic also levels up!
-Nature's candy for dinner! First time buying a papaya at the store. I cleaned the seeds out of the middle and filled it up with frozen grapes and frozen blueberries. Granola, almond butter, chia seeds and banana.
-Fancy eggs for Friday!
-Welcome to OKC Hopdoddy! Ahi Tuna burger and buffalo shareable fries for this first-timer.
-TJA turns 1!!
-When you've been frosé-ing (working not drinking) all day and get hangry, And Sonic is across the street. Popcorn chicken and tots por favor.
-Looking back at Saturday through rose colored glasses. What a day celebrating one year for The Jones Assembly!
-Back for seconds and to try the brunch features at The Kitchen at Commonplace.

Annie

Bites of My Life

June? Already? How did we get here so fast. How are we halfway through the year? Mind boggling I tell you mind boggling. Days, weeks, months are flying by at super speed. I'm trying so hard to hold on to each moment, but they are flashing by, especially lately.

Work is moving at rapid fire these days (more on that later), but I can honestly say I'm loving every minute of it, so I can't complain. Although, sweet Take a Bite has taken a bit of a back burner because of it. I apologize for the lack of anything but a wimpy "bites" post each week. But come July I'm hoping I'll have some extra time on my hands for more TAB love. I couldn't even tell you the last time I cooked a real meal. Now that is depressing and a clear sign of how busy I am. 

-I haven't had a chance to blog much on TAB, but I did guest post last week on The Well. Read my post here. 
-On a weird turkey burger kick. Cutting corners and using TJ's frozen patties, but loving this deconstructed burger version I've been serving myself. 
-Finalizing our dessert menu for The Jones Assembly means ice cream for lunch! Blueberry, watermelon, cucumber and grapefruit sorbet. Yes cucumber sorbet. It was amazing.
-Training has begun for The Jones Assembly. Which just means things are getting closer and closer to opening!
-Pro tip: ask for plantain chips with your guac at Barrios, and definitely order the salmon ceviche!
-My work here is done. Successfully turned the texan into an OKC lover. *pats myself on the back*
-Work on a Saturday ain't so bad when it involves your bestie and matcha lattes.
-Could shower this cutie bridey for days! Cannot believe you are about to get married! 
-The brussels caesar is low key my favorite thing at The Drake. 

Annie

Bites of My Life

Late night bites, but bites none the less. Happily jumping back into bed tonight after my lack of sleep from the weekend. All worth it though after being reunited with all of my best friends to celebrate our Madeline before she gets hitched this summer. The first to go in our nitch, so we had to celebrate accordingly. 

-Scrambled with a side of matcha. 
-More Jones Assembly menu tastings last week and I single handily took down this whole jar of candied bacon. 
-Our chefs have been cranking out the most delicious eats, like this blood orange and burrata dish with lavender infused olive oil. On the menu this summer at The Jones. 
-When your friend texts you to simply come over to teach her how to make a moscow mule, but then your night turns into a quest around town to find the best moscow mule in the city. Stay tuned for more reviews, but Sidecar is already impressing us. 
-Because I can't drink alcohol and not munch on something. And because Sidecar get's all of their food from their sister restaurant Broadway 10, you know anything on their menu will be delish. 
-The week continued with brunch tastings for The Jones. Wood fired frittata, yes please!
-Wheels down in Scottsdale and first stop was for brunch and multiple mimosas. 
-First day in the sun in about 8 months and in traditional Annie fashioned, got fried to a crisp...
-#madsbach had all the views in beautiful Scottsdale, AZ
-I fell in love with the frozen mojito at Sumo Maya a year ago and have been counting down the days until I knew I would be reunited with it again. 
-All reunited for our gal!
-Serious restaurant crush at The Henry before heading out of town. 

Annie

Restaurant Review: Iguana Mexican Grill

Iguana Mexican Grill is a name familiar to most who live in or around Oklahoma City. Iguana has been around for about a decade, but has a new vibe to surprise you with. Tucked into 9th Street off Automobile Alley, Iguana is packing a new punch. 

Throughout January, Iguana closed for a brief stint to revamp their space and menu. OKC's taco and tex-mex competition has been upping it's game recently. I applaud Iguana for taking this as an opportunity to stay in the game instead of sinking to the bottom. After seeing Sara Kate share this spoiler a few weeks ago on Instagram, I was even more anxious to see what they had done with the space. 

I've enjoyed Iguana as an easy spot for dinner, the occasional brunch, even a few events. Last week I stopped in for lunch to see what they had to offer post-revamp. Right behind the hostess stand you are greeted with a bright pink neon sign reading "Make Tacos Not War." I now want this for my bedroom. They removed the wall blocking off the bar area, creating a more open space with a community table and bar stools, perfect for happy hour.

We were seated in the original and main dining room, taking a seat at the banquette they created all along the east wall. Little aztec print pillows were scattered along the booth seat. The revamped Iguana is full of pink, turquoise, bright blue, lime green and other bright and playful colors. The food dishes now equally represent those colors too.  

I took my trusty eating partner, Kathleen, knowing that she would be more than happy to share and take bites off each other's plates. Not that guacamole isn't always great, but I'm on a guacamole kick right now. Salsa, sure, queso, I'll pass, I just want the guac. Iguana's GM, Ross, brought out a sampler of guacamoles with all different toppings. Kathleen loved the pineapple, I loved the smoky pepitas. 

For our entrees, I splurged a bit and got the chimichurri chicken with lime rice and veggies. I purposely got a bigger entree knowing my fridge was empty and that my leftovers would be perfect for dinner #noshame.  Kat got the fish taco "a la tuma" style with refried black beans and jalapeño cheese corn bread. What's a la tuma you ask? Named after an Iguana employee, they take the taco tortilla, but first sprinkle cheese directly on the flat top, put the tortilla over it, let the cheese get barely crispy then flip it over and fill the taco. The lunch menu averages around $10 a dish and serves perfect portions for lunch and Mexican food, for that matter.  

The updated menu is a foodgrammer's dream. So much color and so photogenic. The old Iguana fell into the brown, tan and yellow spectrum. The new Iguana is bright, vibrant and flavorful. Colorful food typically leads to better taste too. At least in my opinion!

The food, decor and service were all what I hoped for. Big ups to our server Alex who was as great as our meal! But make sure to take a bathroom break to check out this adorable wallpaper!

And since sister is pregnant, churros for dessert. I have to be honest I refrained to keep from going into a sugar coma and falling asleep during the remainder of my work day. But by her facial expressions and sound effects, I could tell they were delicious! 

Has it been a while since your last Iguana visit? With lunch, brunch, dinner, happy hour specials 2-7PM, $1.50 tacos on Tuesday's, catering and events, they have so much to lure you in. Take a peek back to see all the positive changes they've made! 

Annie

Let's work together! I'd love to review your restaurant. Email me annie@takeabiteblog.com so we can chat!
*Disclaimer: This is not a paid promoted post but I was partially paid in kind for compensation.

Bites of My Life

Spring has sprung in Oklahoma. Besides today being the first day of spring, the temperatures are equally cooperating. We had a few chilly days last week followed by amazing warm temperatures. Trees are turning green and flowers are blooming.

In a sense of winter ending, a few other things ended for me last week. Well in terms of TV shows...I finished the 4th season of Scandal on Netflix and The Bachelor also came to a close. With a new season comes new things too! I've started Big Little Lies, anyone else? Spring cleaning has also been in order. I cleared out my winter sweaters, and brought in all my spring tops and dresses. My closet has a lot more color now. Nothing feels better than the arrival of spring after a long dead winter.

-Last week I read about all the benefits of rose for your body. Went to All About Cha and my eyes went straight to their rose tea. 
-So I ate spaghetti squash for a solid three weeks straight. It's so satisfying, I just couldn't stop. Been adding nutritional yeast to give it that cheesy taste. So basically I'm faking spaghetti and cheese with squash and yeast...
-Perfect Bars, have your tried them? They are in the refrigerated section at your grocery store. The Blueberry Cashew is my favorite! And the new Turmeric Tantric GTS Kombucha is incredible. And the red buds blooming in OKC are equally incredible.  
-Tip: Load all of your smoothie ingredients (minus the liquids) into your blender the night before, then the next morning you shaved a solid 2 minutes off your smoothie routine.
-Hooked on my Matcha Mint Smoothie last week. 
-The hot bar at Provision Kitchen in Nichols Hills should be your healthy lunch go-to. P.S. Whitney, the owner, told me they are about to expand the hot bar to be bigger and better coming in the next month.
-Coffee Glazed Cashews (new) at Trader Joe's. Run don't walk to buy them. 
-When it's the end of the week and your fridge is almost empty, turn your mis-matched food into an omelette!
-Felt like a frenchie with this quiche and arugula lunch. Pro tip, this is the spinach, mushroom frozen quiche from Trader Joe's. And it's delicious. 
-St. Patrick's day got all it's deserved celebrations this weekend!
-So I started Whole 30 again...and my Crock-Pot Carnitas are about to rock dinner this week. Served in a lettuce wrap with pickled red onions and avocado!
-When your hanger color coordinates with your sweater. My inner OCDness loved this. 

Annie