Last week, I turned 47 years old. For my special day of minor celebration, my wife and I went to dinner with my steadfast mother in Norman.
While I am sure it was a typical celebratory meal for most people, it was something more for me. You see, it was another year of me keeping my stroke demons at absolute bay. Of course, that survival rate is more than splendid…but, I know one day, the big one is going to happen.
So, I have learned, one more day with friends and family is an absolute luxury…happy birthday to me!
For my birthday celebration, I wanted to try a new Guatemalan restaurant that has been recommended by a TLO reader. But, as soon as we drove into the strip mall parking lot, there was a handwritten sign saying they were not open.
¡Mierda!
Crestfallen, I was thinking about what I was going to do for dinner. Considering our choices, I looked over to the building next to us and noticed it was a newish Mexican restaurant, Volcanos, 2110 West Lindsey St.
The bright colors drew us in and made it an easy choice…Volcano’s it is!
A truly blind dining experience, we duly ventured in and were greeted to a subdued fiesta, complete with dancing skeletons, ribald streamers, and a real Mexican atmosphere that got me super pumped for this blessed cumpleaños.
First order of business, it being my birthday, I ordered a large, frosted mug of Horchata ($3.50).
Thirsty as hell, I slugged that angelic drink as the appropriate offering of chips and white queso came to the table, as well as some fresh Guacamole ($5.00) for my special day.
As I got another horchata, I had a nice conversation with my mother. Mostly, she talked about how I could have been dead and her maternal excitement that I didn’t die. As I took in the faint praise about my total mortality, our meals came in the nick of time or I was about to cry.
We started with my mother’s order, the California Burrito ($10.99). Her favorite type of burrito to order, it was a flour tortilla stuffed with lime chicken, rice, beans, cheese, pico de gallo, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, and, as this was the selling point, a mountain of French fries.
I almost ordered this myself, just for the greasy French fries. But, really, the whole meal was substantial, as the gargantuan burrito was filled with other mouthwatering tastes, including the slow-cooked chicken, the operative beans, and, best of all, Volcano’s tasty salsa.
My wife was also kind of conservative with her meal today, but in a good way. She had the all-around impressive Combo #1 ($10.99). On the platter, all of her favorites were represented, including a cheese enchilada, a chicken taco and, most surprising, a perfect little pork tamale that stole the show.
With a healthy side of refried beans and rice, she was in heaven. The cheese enchilada was absolute fire and the chicken taco was truly impressive, but the real winner was the tamale. The slow-roasted pork and handmade masa rolls were expertly made and presented, and we gobbled it all up.
She vowed to get a full meal of them next time!
But, you know, since it was my birthday, I have a small tradition where, each year, I try a new dish. It has to be something I have never had before because, in case I die tomorrow, I want to try everything I could have in the possible time frame.
This year, it was the diabolical taste from the dark deep sea, Mojarra a la Diabla ($14.50), or the devil fish. It had a whole fresh tilapia and whole shrimp, covered in guajillo, morita, and árbol chiles, as well as their ass-blasting Volcano sauce, served with rice, beans, and fresh tortillas.
Taking the smallest of nibbles, usually I am not one who likes too many spicy things, but with each bite ramping up to a spicy singularity, both the tilapia and the shrimp were on full alert as my mouth went numb with every morsel eaten. And, what’s more, you better believe I enjoyed every minute of it!
Though my mouth was still burning up, there was no way I couldn’t get dessert, especially if it were an old favorite, Fried Ice Cream ($4.50). Scoops of vanilla ice cream are covered in cornflakes and deep-fried, served lovingly in a sopapilla-esque edible bowl with a cherry on top, making it the perfect end to the best meal that I never expected.
After my wife and I said our customary goodbyes to my dear mother, I was pulling out of the parking lot and zooming down Lindsay when I spotted the new location of the original Guatemalan restaurant I had intended to review—it was bursting at the seams in a lunch rush.
“Double-¡mierda!” I said. “I guess we will come back next month and try again…birthday meal, part two???”
Cómpralo ya!
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Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
