Last week, my wife and I celebrated one year of marriage and, really, apart from the haunting specter of this slow brain-bleed that will eventually kill me, it has been a pretty good run for the finish line.
We decided to start an anniversary tradition: every year, as long as it’s still around, we'll return to Casa de Los Milagros Mexican Restaurant, 5111 N Classen Blvd., where we held our wedding reception, and order the same dishes we barely had time to eat.
That’s a good idea, right?
This year, our anniversary was on a Saturday. Usually, I like going to restaurants for a late lunch, but my wife put her foot down and said this must be a time-appropriate dinner, a true date night, and it needed to start no earlier than six o’clock.
Like my father-in-law told me in the early days of our marriage, “happy wife, happy life.”
My happy wife wore a new dress for the occasion that evoked the festive, graceful style of my long-lost maternal grandmother—and, in a room full of Mexican company, it drew compliments from everyone, from the host to the server.
She looked beautiful.
Walking through the heavy wooden doors of Los Milagros, it reminded me of the Catholic churches I grew up in, especially down in Mexico. From the suffering image of the Virgin Mother to the various crosses and crucifixes all around the room, it was a praiseworthy tribute to my apostolic culture.
We were seated near the window as the sun slowly set, casting a golden shimmer across our table that created a romantic, even pastoral ambiance.
There was no need to discuss our dining options tonight—we already knew exactly what we wanted: the Mexican Carnitas Tacos ($15.99) plate and the Cheese Enchilada Dinner ($13.99) platter, always a true favorite of mine.
As we waited, we had some drinks to loosen up. I had Milagros’ highly popular Horchata ($3.99), a rice-milk drink I dream about, and my wife had the House Margarita ($8.99) with a sangria swirl—which quickly made her slightly buzzed.
Good thing I’m driving!
Over our drinks and the gratis basket of chips, queso, and salsa, we reminisced about the wedding, the jitters, the day after, and, more importantly, the future... all with a romantic twist and no one-year itch to scratch.
Our food arrived in a trail of steam, and of course, Los Milagros nailed it. The carnitas taco plate teased two meaty street-style tacos, wrapped in corn tortillas topped with chopped onions and cilantro.
Served with a side of refried beans and rice, these were some of the best tacos on the north side—with the carnitas, juicy and rich and full of vigor, it was more than plentiful. I was excited to take my time with them!
The same goes for the Cheese and Onion Enchiladas. Three of them are lined up on the plate and blanketed with chile con carne and grated cheese on the top, once again with rice and beans.
At Los Milagros, the enchiladas are anything but basic: spicy, gooey and cheesy the way enchiladas should be. Without a doubt, this entrée is one of Oklahoma City’s unsung treasures!
But the one thing that we truly missed at the wedding reception were the Sopapillas ($2.99), the flaky dessert that we totally socialized through. They seemed to have somehow gotten bigger over the past year and were the perfect complement to a traditional Mexican dinner—and the perfect capper to the night.
As we wound down from our meal, I was struck by how in love I am with my wife—and, to be fair, with Casa de Los Milagros. Maybe I see it through rose-colored glasses, but they’re our rose-colored glasses.
On the way out, we lingered by the fountain in the main hall—where we took our wedding photos—and for a moment, all was right with the world. Here’s to the next year, five years, and a hundred more.
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Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78
