THE REVIEW - Earl's Rib Palace, Oklahoma City

We pulled into Oklahoma City around 7pm CT and only had time for one BBQ joint. We picked the highly recommended Earl’s Rib Palace - www.earlsribpalace.com. Earl’s has five locations around Oklahoma and we tested the one in Lower Bricktown, which is a cool little entertainment district southeast of downtown. Earl’s was lively and filled with people, but our focus was on the delicious ribs!

Pulled pork plate with green beans and cole slaw

Sauce – 3 – They had a mild and a hot sauce and both packed a punch. The mild had a spicy kick and the hot made my nose run, which I see as a good thing. Good overall, but a bit on the spicy side.

Sides – 3.5 – Great beans! They were sweet and rich and saturated in a thick tasty sauce. The potato salad was creamy, chunky and delicious. Green beans were simple, but tasty. Coleslaw was average and nothing special.

Combo plate at Earl's - ribs, sausage and bologna as well as bbq beans and potato salad

Slabs – 4 – Best so far. What made these stand out from the previous ribs was it had a delicious dry rub. The tasty rub combined with a crispy skin and nice pink tender meat and I was in rib heaven.

Enjoying Earl's Rib Palace's delicious ribs!!

Steaks – Didn’t order steak

Sandwiches – 2 – We got the pulled pork and it was bland and lacked flavor. Smothered in sauce it was decent, but alone it was something I wouldn’t order again.

THE REVIEW - Big Texan Steak Ranch, Amarillo

On the drive from Santa Fe to Oklahoma City we stopped at the nationally known Big Texan Steak Ranch - www.bigtexan.com - in Amarillo, TX. Although it’s best known for the 72oz steak eating challenge, they also serve normal size steaks, ribs, a plethora of sides and other traditional BBQ eats. Despite the massive commercial appeal and amusement park atmosphere, the steaks were great. Unfortunately, the rest of the menu is mediocre. I guess “do one thing and do it well.”

Sauce – 3.5 – Their one sauce was sweet and smoky (not spicy at all) and it complimented the meat nicely. We put it among the best we’ve tried because it was not spicy . If you prefer a spicy sauce than this wouldn’t be up your alley.

Sides – 1.5 – We didn’t take more than two bites of any of the sides. The Mac&Cheese tasted like Kraft’s Mac&Cheese, standard at best. The boiled carrots and green beans were mushy. And the bbq beans tasted like chili.

Slabs – 2 – Although they were meaty, they were tough and chewy. No crispy skin and a bit fatty. Taste was significantly lacking.

Steaks – 4 – Best steak of the trip thus far. We got a huge 20oz Top Sirloin grilled to a perfect medium. It was seasoned with a simple salt and pepper and had a light buttery taste. It was juicy and full of flavor and had little fat. The steak alone was worth trying out The Big Texan Steak Ranch.

Sandwiches - Didn't order sandwiches

DAY 3 - All Day in Santa Fe

In traditional Mama D. fashion the day started with room service. Since I can remember, my Mom’s favorite thing in the world is room service (and extra pillows, but we already had those). After finishing breakfast, mom, Zena, Zuma and I took a nice stroll around Santa Fe. It was in the mid-twenties, but not a cloud in the sky; it was a beautiful brisk day. We strolled the downtown plaza, which at 9am only had a handful of Santa Feans walking about.

The snow-capped Santa Fe mountain range

After an hour or so we took the dogs back to the hotel and started our site seeing and shopping. By the time we got back outside the town was packed. Shops were open, cafes had lines, sidewalks were filled and Starbucks was in full swing; it was like at 10am a bell rung and everyone exploded into Santa Fe.

Santa Fe Plaza before the rush

Santa Fe Plaza at night all lit up.

Mom and I explored a few city landmarks – San Miguel Mission (considered the nation’s oldest church) and Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi. Both were magnificent with loads of history.

San Miguel Mission, considered the nation's oldest church

Inside Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi

After checking off the historic stuff of the list, we grabbed a Starbucks and did some shopping.


We worked up an appetite walking around town and were ready to take on our second BBQ stop in Santa Fe, Josh’s BBQ - www.joshsbbq.com. It’s about 10 minutes outside of town, but it was worth the drive (see THE REVIEW and pics below).

After a brief rest and some football viewing we changed up and got ready for dinner. It seems like every corner of Santa Fe has great restaurant and Amavi - www.amavirestaurant.com – came highly recommended. The executive chef at Santa Cafe (last night's restaurant) started Amavi with his wife. I had an Australian Barramundi fish (part of the sea bass family) with a lobster risotto. I also had a side of house-made linguini with capers and bacon. Delicious all around and a must try when you make it to Santa Fe.

As a whole, Santa Fe was spectacular! I really enjoyed this town even with the brisk weather. As expected, it was very artsy with a heavy Native American influence. There were a ton of stores, but most carried the same Native American pots, vases and jewelery. Even more impressive than the amount of stores, were the amount of amazing restaurants. They sounded and looked great, but time was of the essence so we could only try a couple. I hope to come back for a longer visit soon.

Tomorrow (Sunday, Dec. 28) we are back on the road headed to Oklahoma City. It’s supposed to be an eight hour drive. We’re stopping in Amarillo at the famous Big Texan Steak Ranch.