Ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages, welcome to the greatest show in Oklahoma! Your breakfast is about to begin…
A few weeks ago, in our fair Oklahoma City, I had a very simple breakfast of two runny eggs, three strips of bacon, a single slice of toast, and some truly acidic coffee at a somewhat-popular breakfast spot in the somewhat-popular section of town.
When it was all said and done, my bill was $30 with tip, and I didn't even get one circus clown to moon me.
I guess I should have stopped by Angie’s Circus City Diner, 1312 E. Jackson Street in Hugo.
Located near an old circus graveyard that gives Hugo the moniker of the “best resting place on Earth,” the eatery serves a palatable and affordable greasy spoon breakfast, with plenty of wood paneling and red clown-nosed harlequins to eerily entertain us.
My wife and I arrived around 9 a.m. during our trip to Louisiana. Coulrophobic and aroused at the same time, we followed the hostess to our table and checked out the menu.
Thankfully, the non-acidic coffee was top-notch!
After a few minutes, we gave our waitperson our orders. I then started looking at the old news clippings, weathered circus posters, and the various puppets, action figures, and figurines that made up the three-ring décor of this most unusual place.
With some clowns somersaulting off the free-standing walls and some jesters peering out of a glass case waiting to be gazed upon, to some people, the face-painted memorabilia might be too much. But, for the staff, the regular customers, and, I’m learning, myself, it was a true find for novelty’s sake…and, even better, my food’s sake.
My wife wasn’t quite as hungry as I was. Still, she had the Early Bird Breakfast ($7.99), with most of the required breakfast dishes, including three small pancakes, two scrambled eggs, and two patties of sausage.
While I have never been a fan of flapjacks, hers were pretty good, sinfully buttery and amazingly light. Though she only had half of them, the masterfully scrambled eggs and the smoky sausages were eaten without fail.
Representing Angie’s and the clown community in general, I had Angie’s Super Breakfast ($9.29). Truly embracing the “super” moniker, it had three slices of bacon, one sausage patty, three “Fresh, Grade A Eggs,” hashbrown casserole made from Idaho Potatoes, and a flaky biscuit served with a big bowl of white gravy.
This breakfast had everything. Sure, the bacon and sausage were great and greasy, as well as the expertly scrambled eggs. But the made-from-scratch biscuit and gravy were so incredibly delicious in a diner type of way that it made my list of quality breakfast dishes that need to be tried at least once if you're ever in Hugo.
All in all, it was a cost-effective, low-budget, big-time breakfast with the three rings of total clown-based entertainment that made me stand up and applaud. All I needed was a trio of prancing dogs, and I would be in total business.
As a matter of fact, I was so wowed by Angie’s and her clown-house establishment that, from the yellowing wall at the cash registers, I presented my wife with her own Circus City Diner shirt ($18.00), letting everyone know that yes, we are definitely coming back here, with at least thirty of our clown-friends piled in the trunk.
Cómpralo ya!
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Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
