Unforgettably Epic

In north central Oklahoma, the land unfolds like a blossoming flower, raising undulating hills and seas of prairie grass toward the sun and sky. Pump jacks, cattle and small towns slip by the car window, and the frontier as it once was – a place of infinite possibility and lots of heart – and the place it is today, burrows deep into your heart.

It’s a journey that always feels epic.

Driving along State Highway 64, between Morrison and Cleveland, you’ll pass through cross-timbers country, an alluring mosaic of forest, woodland and prairie, and an area steeped in the history of the West. A particularly colorful slice lies just west of Pawnee, where atop Blue Hawk Peak, the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum makes for a mighty fine stopover and cordially captivating history lesson.

The legendary Wild West Show entertainer, Gordon Lillie, a.k.a. Pawnee Bill, and his wife, May Lillie were fascinating larger-than-life characters and the museum and ranch, their former home, is a picturesque place with a wagonload of family fun.

The centerpiece of the property is the Lillie’s 1910, 14-room dream home, brimming with family memorabilia, decorative arts and furnishings, photographs and original art work.

When my family and I took a tour, a friendly well-informed guide revealed all sorts of fascinating tidbits that made the history of this 100-plus-year-old treasure come alive. I don’t want to spill all the beans, but if no one mentions it when you take a tour, be sure to ask about spooky happenings.

The ranch, a 500-acre property, also houses a museum with exhibits related to Pawnee Bill, the Wild West Shows, and members of the Pawnee Nation, and includes the original ranch blacksmith shop, a recently restored 1903 log cabin, a large barn built in 1926, and an Indian Flower Shrine.

Western inspired living area of the Lillie’s mansion.

Kid’s area in the Pawnee Bill Museum – plenty of yippee-ki-yay fun to be had.

The old blacksmith’s shop.

The barn houses plenty of goodies, including this stagecoach, used in the annual Pawnee Bill's Original Wild West Show.

Tour the drive-through pasture and you get an extra authentic, up-close look at herds of bison, longhorn cattle and draft horses.

The Pawnee Bill historic site is a microcosm of the West’s and Oklahoma’s epic history, bringing to mind the Oscar-winning 1962 film, “How the West Was Won,” filled with triumph for some, tragedy for others, and riveting stories. There’s fragility, whimsy and earthy courage here, along with a bit of everything in between.

If after touring the mansion and ranch, you crave an extra helping of Old West adventure, be sure to return for Pawnee Bill's Original Wild West Show, a renowned extravaganza recreated by the ranch the last three Saturdays in June each year.

When road tripping, dining is often almost as important as the sites you see. If your family is anything like mine, after an adventure like this everyone’s famished. Fortunately, if you mosey on in to Pawnee for the chow at Click’s Steakhouse, you’re treated to memorable homemade food and downhome friendly service.

At Click’s the steaks are big, tender and juicy, and the signature Tollhouse pies – oh my. Think flaky crust and luxurious silky filling. Satisfied moans and sighs tell the story. And don’t miss the yeasty, homemade rolls. They melt in your mouth like butter.

Last but not least, try the fried pickles – finely sliced, deep-fried, tart and crunchy – they’re bite-sized morsels of savory contrasting flavors and textures that leave the taste buds longing for more. Or as our daughter Callie put it, “Totally epic.”

Homemade, Local and Did We Mention Downright Sinful?

When was the last time you ate at a restaurant that made their own butter? Or tasso? Or andouille sausage? My guess is most of us would answer, “Never.”

Well now you have the opportunity to change all that. Step into Lunabread, a sweetly cozy six-table eatery specializing in Cajun and Metro cuisine on 15th Street in Tulsa’s Cherry Street District. Everything on their menu is made-from-scratch with as many local ingredients as possible.

Lunabread’s eclectic atmosphere offers plenty of spots for relaxing with a good book and some of their doubleshot French Press Coffee, cream sodas or organic free-trade tea.

Never underestimate the value of a comfortable chair beside a window in a room filled with light, art and a delicious fusion of aromas emanating from the kitchen. If the chair is colorful – even better.

Mandatory for all great eateries – a nook with plenty of room for interesting things. Lunabread passes the category with flying colors.

This is April, our very friendly and helpful waitress. She made sure we had everything we needed and patiently educated us about tasso, a spicy, peppery Cajun ham made right there at Lunabread. We didn’t taste it this go round but have added it as a must for our next Lunabread visit. Can’t wait!

And now for the main attraction … food!

My friend Ron Ferrell, sculptor and prolific gardener from Jones, Okla., ordered the cornbeef and hash with crawfish. The beef was house cured and slowly stewed with organic potatoes, crawfish and topped with eggs over easy. Mouth watering yet?

I ordered the crab cakes Benedict – poached eggs on top of ‘Nola style (a.k.a. New Orleans) crab cakes and sauce cherone. After chowing down on this, other eggs Benedict seem like pale blobs of pabulum.

Ron digs in. Like me, he excels at eating and is a connoisseur of local Okie goodness. Ron is also an expert biscuit maker and had great appreciation for Lunabread’s homemade biscuits which were light and baked just right – slightly crunchy on the outside, flaky on the inside.

Paired with Lunabread’s homemade butter – well holy cow doesn’t even begin to describe it. Let’s just say any time you are within 200 miles of Tulsa, make nabbing homemade biscuits and butter at Lunabread a priority.

Meet Chris Foster, Lunabread’s owner, baker and dessert maker. We loved Chris’ hat and serious passion for local food. He was born in New Orleans and together with his business partner, Paul Wilson, who lived and trained in New Orleans, they head up creating the good eats at Lunabread. That commitment to New Orleans jazzes the taste and style of much of the menu and kicked the dishes we feasted on into Cajun heaven. Delectably sinful!

Part of Lunabread’s secret is those local ingredients. There’s just no replicating the taste of fresh – and once your palette acquires that knowledge, you never want to go back. Just a few of Lunabread’s sources: The yogurt in Lunabread’s dishes is produced by Wagon Creek Creamery near Helena; wheat comes from John’s Farm & Cattle Tracks near Fairview; beef from Natural Farms in Tulsa. Chris buys his pigs whole from Pork & Greens near Broken Arrow and uses every part of the pig – that’s where the homemade tasso and andouille sausage come from.

Ron and Chris discuss the finer points of biscuit making. My mouth was too full to add much to the conversation and I’m a biscuit-making novice anyway.

The board shown here highlights some of what’s on the menu, which is small and changes often according to what is available from season to season. The day we visited some of the other luscious goodies we had a hankering to try but didn’t (we didn’t want to be gluttons) were housemade andouille sausage, white gravy and pork fat biscuits, and Southern eggs benedict – organic stone grits topped with a poached egg, sausage and gravy. If your mouth is not watering now, you likely no longer have a pulse. We were also sorely tempted by the desserts – white chocolate bread pudding with hard sauce, organic raspberry tart with peppercorn gelato, Belgian chocolate torte royale. See what I mean – more sin!

I glimpsed the biscuits and gravy from across the room on another customer’s plate and now I can’t get that vision out of my mind. With such a serious obsession, another Lunabread experience is at the top of my must-do list. This kind of “sinning” can’t happen too soon.