Every year, GFB and I enjoy a fabulous dinner out for our anniversary, and for the past three years we have dined with our good friends who happen to share the same anniversary date. Being the self-proclaimed foodie of the group, I usually suggest the restaurants, somewhere we haven’t been and somewhat upscale. I had heard some amazing things about Signature Grill recently, and after checking out their menu, I knew this was our destination.

I made reservations through their website, which I found to be very convenient. I received a quick follow up reply a day later confirming the time and thanking us for choosing their restaurant.  The wheels were in motion…

We arrived to what can only be described as a rather odd location for an upscale dining experience – a strip shopping mall. You see, Signature Grill is located in Kickingbird Square in far North Edmond. But if the food was half as good as I had heard, location could be overlooked.

We were promptly seated at what I consider the best seat in the house- a four-top right in front of the large window overlooking the kitchen. Ahh… heaven. To sit and watch the chefs cook all night is my idea of the perfect table. We gazed over the menu, which I felt was very well thought out and concise. There were eight to ten items for each course, and a very nice selection of side dishes. After some discussion,  we decided on appetizers and began our culinary experience. The appetizers included crab cakes (which was my selection), seared fois gras on grilled baguette with melted cambozola cheese, prosciutto di Parma, cranberry-clove port wine jam, fried sage, and steamed Little Neck clams with saffron, yellow curry- roasted tomato white wine butter sauce, just to name a few. Appetizers range from $9-$12 and feed 1-2 people per appetizer.

In addition to the appetizers, there is a nice selection of soups and salads to choose from, such as tomato crab bisque, truffled mushroom cream soup with fried spinach, arugula salad tossed with pomegranate-raspberry vinaigrette, port wine poached pear, goat cheese and dried blueberries and of course your traditional house salad with your choice of dressings.

Although I really wanted to try the tomato bisque, I was afraid of stuffing myself before the entrees arrived, so I passed. Speaking of entrees, we ordered two 8oz. beef tenderloins with smoked blue cheese, one pan seared Chilean sea bass with a roasted tomato butter sauce, and one grilled pork tenderloin topped with house made portabella veal sausage. There was not one entree I would not have tried; they all sounded amazing.

Our entrees arrived and I was speechless. The presentations of each entree were phenomenal and so was the taste. Folks, I have tried a LOT of restaurants, here in Oklahoma and across the country, and I can honestly tell you I would put this food up against anything I have had. It was THAT good. The steak was perfectly cooked. My sea bass had an amazing crust and was flaky and tender. Did I mention the side dishes? Holy Cow, how could I forget the side dishes!! Signature grill has paired their entrees with some amazing side dishes like stuffed tomato with goat cheese & spinach, bacon & crimini mushroom risotto (OMG people, you MUST try this), Minnesota wild rice with sun-dried tomato, green beans with chorizo and tomatoes, and much more. Each entree is accompanied by your choice of two side items (which for us was hard to decide which ones to pick!) and range in price from $24-$32 each, not including chefs specials.

And for those of you that know me, dessert is my favorite part of any meal. Now, I have two dishes I can’t pass up when we are talking desserts. Anything chocolate and creme brulee. And as luck would have it, they serve both, along with Mascarpone cheesecake (which happens to be GFBs favorite dessert). So, I made the executive decision to order one of each dessert. Like I said, dessert is my favorite part of any meal. And just like the main dishes, the desserts were spectacular. The creme brulee was the perfect consistency and you could see the flecks of vanilla bean in the custard. The chocolate cake was rich, moist and had an almost creamy texture. But don’t forget the cheesecake. It rocked too.

Not only was the food outstanding, but the service was spectacular as well. And as such, I am picking this as my first “OKC MUST” restaurant. If you have a special occasion coming up and want a place to celebrate a fabulous dinner, THIS would be my suggestion. And with the highest rating on urbanspoon.com’s OKC fine dining section, looks like I am not the only one recommending it.

Signature Grill is located 1317 E Danforth Road in Edmond. For reservations, visit their website at www.signaturegrilledmond.com or call them at (405) 330-4548.

Since my immersion in the OKC food scene about 9 months ago, I have enjoyed some great food at restaurants I might not have normally visited. One of my favorites of recent has to be Rococos. Owner Bruce Rhinehart has brought his East coast flair to Oklahoma City and is serving up some of the best seafood and Italian dishes this side of the Mississippi.

My first experience at Rococos was a visit to their location near 23rd and Penn (which also happen to be my first “tweetup” lunch too). It was a very large group (40+) but the service was nothing short of superb. I had the steak chili and our group was treated to an appetizer of “cookies”. Now, when I heard we were getting cookies before the meal, I wondered if they just did things differently at Rococos by serving dessert before the meal. Then the cookies came to the table and I realized that cookies were actually small bite sized appetizers served on toasted baguette slices. There were a variety of flavors, but my favorite was The Gangster (Italian sausage, sweet onions, pomodoro and Parmesan cheese).  An order of this appetizer is perfect for 3 or 4 guests, and will run you anywhere from $5.95 – $8.50 depending on the toppings.

The pasta and seafood dishes offered at Rococos are impressive, and most of the “starters” are enough for an entire meal. The choices include Steamed Little Neck Clams ($12.25), Deep Fried Calamari ($7.25) and Surf & Turf on a Stick (which I had along with a salad for dinner one evening and was the perfect amount of food). But the BEST appetizer on the menu is by far the Jumbo Lump Crabcake. This little bite of heaven has a superb outer crust and large chunks of crab that are tender and flaky. I could eat three of these for dinner and call it a day they are that good. I’ve had crabcakes from some of the best restaurants in the Northeast, including The Cove Fresh Fish Market in Mystic, CT and I’m not kidding when I say these crabcakes blow away the competition. This is an OKC must try.

Jumbo Lump Crabcake - Rococos

The large dinner menu includes my personal favorite, Penne Bolognese ($17.50 for a huge bowl), as well as fabulous seafood choices like Bamboo Steamed Cod (market price), Lobster & Shrimp Risotto ($27.50) and Rhode Island Fishermans stew with plum shrimp, scallops, sole, sausage, clams & mussels that are sauteed, then braised in a saffron tomato broth (WOW).

The list of sides and add-ons is equally impressive. The saute grape tomatoes with toasted garlic is a must try, as is the wild mushroom risotto. Don’t forget about the soups and salads. Ranging from $4.25-$6.25, try a cup of the Old School Favorite New England Clam Chowder or for a vegetarian option order the Mushroom Soup, which combines leeks, shiitake mushrooms, and scallions into a velvety soup.

I have enjoyed several meals at Rococos, including the fabulous Sunday brunch (which my 7-year old would gladly choose to have every Sunday and honestly requires an entire blog post of its own), but if you really want a unique dining experience make a reservation for the Chef’s Table at Rococos Northpark. Chef’s Table is an “L” shaped booth in the corner of the main kitchen area, which allows you to see what really goes on behind the scenes in a upscale restaurant. The night we arrived to enjoy Chef’s Table just happened to be 10 days before Christmas, and a Friday night, so the restaurant was insanely packed. We were celebrating a friends birthday, so there was plenty of wine to enjoy along with amazing food that was specifically selected for us by Chef Bruce. The food was so amazing, I can barely remember anything I ate (or maybe that was because of the wine). Nonetheless, I highly recommend trying the Chef’s Table for a special night on the town.

Chefs Table Surf & Turf

Rococos has two locations, 23rd and Penn and 122nd and May in the Northpark Mall. Hours vary by location, so check out their website at http://rococo-restaurant.com/ for information or to make a reservation. Next time you find yourself craving pasta or seafood, stop by Rococos.