I have said it time and again, the best diners – and in all honesty, restaurants - are located on our city's fine southern side.
Sure, those homegrown greasy spoons might be a little dodgy, a bit squalid, and, of course, you have to watch your back in the parking lot, but the Southside keeps low-cost food and high-quality tastes on a conveyor belt of solid bites that will always win out on my palate.
If you need proof, hit up Bella’s Kitchen Home Country Cooking, 2401 SW 59th St.
I had been lusting after this diner during my food truck travels along SW 59th, giving it an erotic side-eye while hopping from taco truck to taco truck. A throwback photo on Instagram of Russell Westbrook at Bella's smiling over the world's craziest breakfast platter only fueled my desire.
When I stopped by last week for a late 1pm meal, the lunch crowd had just emptied. As my wife and I walked in, we were greeted by a young, extremely likable woman. Filled with first-day training energy, she seated us and immediately filled our coffee cups to the brim.
Looking over the menu, Bella’s boasts “real” homemade food, and that was proven in the refrigerator next to the counter. Upon inspection, it turned out they had many made-from-scratch homemade pies and cobblers, still in their Pyrex baking dish beds waiting to be scooped out.
Truthfully, that was all I wanted, forget dinner! Bring on the pie!
But my patient wife countered that lunch should be the first order of business, so I relented, and we chose our appetizer, the Fried Pickles ($7.99). Good thing, because I fell truly in love with it!
Over the past few years, fried pickle spears have seemed to overtake chips in terms of popularity, but these sweet pickle chips hit the spot. Slathered in a thin encasement of fried cornmeal batter and hot to the touch, with homemade ranch on the side, every steaming pickle chip was a triumph in snacking.
My appetite now thoroughly inflamed and roughly gorged, I chose the stupendous Tuna Melt ($11.99) for my lunch. This legendary sandwich was a classic melt with fresh tuna and Swiss cheese on toasted rye, served with a helping of freshly-fried onion rings.
I chose wisely. Tasting like it came straight from the can on the dock, the expertly toasted rye bread was much more than a sandwich covering! The tuna—free from all the stereotypical salad trappings—and the melty Swiss make this a meal you can't help but completely devour.
That being said, my wife’s Oklahoma-vaunted platter of Chicken Fried Chicken ($14.99), the special of the day, topped with white cream gravy, definitely won “Best in Show.” Her sides were also inspired, with mashed potatoes and more gravy, buttered toast points, and her absolute favorite, green beans.
Of course, the well-seasoned and juicy chicken fried chicken breasts, along with the creamy mashed potatoes, were top of their game, but, amazingly, it was the long-stalked green beans that stole her heart. Pan-fried with garlic and a little bit of seasoning, it truly made the meal, with both of us fighting for the last bean.
With our meals suitably finished, it was finally time for dessert, and even though I thought about the peach cobbler, my wife’s vote tipped the scales in favor of the homemade Blueberry Cobbler ($4.99). Warmed up with a healthy scoop of vanilla ice cream ($1.99), man…it was absolutely perfect.
As I savored the last bites of the cobbler, once again, I thought about the hard-working food for a hard-working people—usually found at diners like Bella’s Kitchen Home Country Cooking. These homespun eateries are doing the work other restaurants don’t want to do and, best of all, they do it deliciously.
So give Bella’s a try…even if it’s just for the pie!
Cómpralo ya!
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Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
