Voice's Choices – Current cravings

The Alley // 3324 E. 31st St. // Natasha Ball

I tend to wander at dinnertime on weekend nights, feeling not-especially hungry (breakfast is big at my house) and noncommittal. I’ve learned in such times to head to The Alley. The snacks menu there ranges from nachos to calamari, the perfect menu for those who roam. My favorite, a single scotch egg, $6, falls somewhere in between.

MON-FRI: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; 4-10 p.m. FRI: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; 4-11 p.m. SAT: 4-11 p.m. SUN: 4-8 p.m.

Ming’s Noodle Bar // 3509 S. Peoria Ave., Ste 161 // Matt Cauthron

Ever try a restaurant dish that burrows itself into your brain? Days (even weeks) later, you find yourself thinking about it, craving it, wondering if it could possibly as good as you remember? I stumbled upon this new Asian-fusion restaurant by happy accident one Sunday afternoon, and ever since, the coconut soup — with ginger, garlic, lemon grass, chicken, mushrooms, red peppers and other Asian delights — has enchanted my every meal-time thought.

DAILY: 11 A.M.-10 P.M.

Ike’s Chili // 1503 E. 11th Street // Greg Bollinger

New! it says next to the Chili Mac on the menu at Ike’s Chili, the same that could be said for the Tulsa mainstay’s new digs, now open south and west of the former location at Admiral Place, on 11th Street between Peoria and the Hillcrest campus. The dish, one half macaroni and cheese and the other beef chili made from a recipe more than a century old, is as humble as it is harmonious. Whether stirred together or eaten along the thin line of chili juices between, it’s the yin and the yang of Tulsa
comfort food.

MON-FRI, 10 A.M.-7 P.M. SAT, 10 A.M.-3 P.M. 

Leon’s // 3301 S. Peoria Ave. // John Langdon

With TVs covering every wall and an invitingly raucous atmosphere, Leon’s is a great place to catch a Thunder playoff game. They’ve even decked the place out in orange and blue for OKC’s quest for an NBA Championship. Get a quart of Coop F5 and an order of Jerry’s Jalapeños, stuffed with gouda and cream cheese, topped with a little smokey and wrapped in bacon. Spicy, savory, cheesy—perfect game day food.

SUN-THURS: 11 A.M.-11 P.M. FRI-SAT: 11 A.M.-1 A.M.