After my recent dalliance with the great Southern Louisiana food that I fell in love with, I had to get back to the town I love like and the daily grind of life as a small-time food critic with a moderate appetite and more moderate readership.
Looking through my restaurant recommendations, I recently heard about the non-traditional traditional Okie dining at the new Midtown restaurant Lorena, 1207 N. Walker Ave.
This new concept from restaurateur Lori Burson sits next door to her original, local favorite Stella Modern Italian Cuisine.
Lorena's “Southern Twist” moniker promised a new take on the familiar favorites of pickled okra, fried chicken, and pork belly. But out of all those, what drew me in was their cost-appropriate lunch plate, the fried bologna sandwich—a true red dirt original and the white trash specialty.
Yes, please!
Getting there around noon on a Friday, to be fair, it was nicer than I realized—good thing I put on a new shirt, right? Our waitperson took us to our tables, and he was totally bringing it, starting me off with a delicious cup of fresh coffee.
With no time to dawdle, we gave the waiter our appetizer—here called “Shared Plates”—order and, after only a few minutes of conversation at our table, soon we were enjoying the Fried Green Tomatoes ($12.00).
It was a sliced heirloom tomato fried to a crisp, covered with bacon salad and house-made garden ranch. As you can imagine, it was completely delicious as all get out.
Usually, anytime I have ordered fried green tomatoes from other restaurants around town, the tomatoes were soft and mushy, but at Lorena it was taut, tight, and out of sight. I really could have devoured a whole tomato plant’s worth!
After taking the time to fully enjoy the fried green tomatoes, my wife was served her main dish, the Fried Catfish ($17.00).
It was gently comprised of three flaky, crispy, golden catfish fillets, sided with Lorena’s creamy mac and cheese, tart cole slaw, and, best of all, their pickled green tomato tartar sauce.
Right off the bat, the mac and cheese and cole slaw were absolutely brilliant, going far beyond the realm of simple side dishes. But really, it was the fried catfish that was more than incredible, with a sheath of golden coating that made it simply irresistible, especially with the tartar sauce.
As she was chowing on that wonderful meal, now it was my turn to try the most classically trashy—not an insult, mind you—food that puts all the gas stations, food carts, and school cafeteria fixings to shame, the Fried Bologna ($12.00) sandwich.
With a devious pimento cheese spread and freshly made BBQ potato chips on Pullman white bread, it was a true revelation of down-home dining, as the smoking fried bologna, to me, seemed like a four-star sirloin steak meal.
The thick bologna was packed with an enthralling taste and more outright flavor than I have ever encountered before, at least from the usual bottom-of-the-barrel bologna suppliers.
This was an outright fact, making this sandwich a true legend that bologna bloggers, cold-cut critics, and well-to-do writers definitely need to get on and get on soon.
Even though I was truly justified by finishing my order and pushing my empty plate to the side, my wife then ordered the Banana Cream Pie ($10.00) and, well, the diet starts Monday.
Sure, I didn’t have much room left for the dessert, but the mason jar combination of bruleed banana, thick whipped cream, and the crushed graham cracker crust with traces of toasted nuts gave us enough willpower to fully enjoy this magical confection.
Whether your taste scale comes from steadfast old money or the nouveau riche, Lorena is giving the tried and true Oklahoma classics a new Southern kick, and should satisfy all crowds—no matter where you come from.
Cómpralo ya!
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Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
