There are area eateries that truly deserve every single accolade they get—and will get—and you’re powerless against all the local love that envelops them; all you can do is jump on the growing bandwagon and hope that communal feeling rubs off on you, especially when you’re hitched up to Off the Hook, 125 W. Britton Rd., a Cajun joint that might be the best seafood in Oklahoma City.
The rich smell as I entered through the glass doors is everything I’ve wanted in a downhome restaurant for a long while, as the scent of spices and seasonings filled my senses and the menu on the wall, my eyes. As my gal-pal Jodie and I ordered our coveted eats and found a lonely table on the patio, behind the large plate glass a full kitchen worked hard to prep the orders—my order!—of the already full restaurant.
And, you know, I can really see why: as I received the eats, I marveled at the freshly made food that was truly some of the most delicious works of edible art I had ever seen, each plate a canvas for the chefs to create hungry beauty…for a tender moment I felt guilty about diving straight into them.
Since the closing of the Hungry Frog, I have always wondered where to get inexpensive frog legs in town these days; if you’re like me and have been looking too, seek out Off the Hook’s Cajun Butter Frog Legs ($10.00). Three pairs of fat bottom-halves laid out perfectly and covered in an immaculate golden coat of beautifully fried praise. As I lightly dipped a pair of those legs in the Louisiana Hot Sauce, I could have had a shark attack right there and died happy, the meatless bones in my bloody hand.
As I was off in that marshy bog of froggy flavor, Jodie became one with her Melted Lobster ($12.00) sandwich. Featuring a pile of Cajun boiled lobster meat as a warm meaty bed for Monterey Jack, roasted poblano peppers, and grilled red onions, it’s then gently placed on garlic buttered Texas toast, crafting the most transcendent lobster meal I’ve had since an off-the-map visit to Shreveport many years ago.
But a few bites of my friend’s sandwich was all I could take in, because I had my own sea beasts to conquer in the Jumbo Shrimp and Grits ($12.00), a mighty meal worthy of Melville’s own bilgy gut. Cheesy grits—a true Southern classic—smothered in a spinach lobster cream sauce and partnered off with five jumbo Cajun shrimp, each spoonful truly a sea-worthy darling that my land-locked love for could never be properly captured by words, only grumbles and gurgles.
I practically swallowed the whole thing right then and there, with no shame for this shipwrecked stomach or anyone that might have been looking.
As Jodie and I sat on the patio, in a waterlogged state, I noticed a cool salty breeze began to blow in from the South. As I lifted a helping of the magnificent Hummingbird Cake ($4.00) to my pouting lips, I could have sworn my newfound lust for this joint managed to bring a bit of a refreshing sea-breeze to town that afternoon. Cómpralo ya!
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Follow Louis on Twitter at @LouisFowler and Instagram at @louisfowler78.
