Cheese Fries - Braum's ($1+)

Braum's   2909 Old Shawnee Rd,  Muskogee, OK

February 22nd I decided to stop into BRAUM'S for an evening snack. It as dark when I arrived but the parking lot was well lit. As I entered, the floor appeared dingy, but not more than with recent heavy foot traffic, though at that time, they did not appear busy.

With only one person ahead of me in line, I had only a brief wait. As I approached the counter an employee quickly and cheerfully offered to take my order. I said that I wanted medium fries with cheese on them and asked if they could do that. She eagerly stated, "Sure! We can do that. No problem." She asked if I wanted a drink or anything else and if my order was for there or to go.

I stepped aside to fill a ketchup cup and wait for my order. The condiment station had a few, semi dry spills, but was well stocked. 

Within three (3) minutes my order was ready and my number was clearly called. I was politely thanked as I picked up my tray.

I turned to step into the dining area to find a table to sit at. There were very few people in the dining area so there were many tables available. Most of the tables; however, were dirty. They had not been recently cleaned, nor were they cleaned during my visit. I had to sit at a table that had obviously not been cleaned since its last tenants.

Immediately as I stepped in to the dining area to go to a table, my feet 'crunched' on the dirt and grit on the floor in the dining area. The floor of the entire dining area was very dirty. You could not take a step without "crunching." The floor did not appear to have been swept the entire day, maybe longer. And it was never swept during my visit.

I was not comfortable sitting there eating my fries with a view of dirty tables and grungy floors. And the floor under the tables was much dirtier. The dirt against the baseboards under the tables appeared to have been collecting for quite some time. Amongst the dust bunnies was old, dried food. The edges of the baseboards have turned black with dirt and the walls under the tables were splashed with old stains and food. One must wonder, if the area visible to the customer is this dirty, what the kitchen and storage areas, not seen by the customers, looks like.

The people traffic through BRAUM'S that night was very slow. There were long spaces in between customers. During this time the kitchen duty managers and employees stood around drinking sodas and visiting amongst themselves. I felt they could have put that time to good use sweeping the floors and wiping down the tables. 

Surprisingly, my fries were very good! They were golden and crispy on the outside, moist and flaky on the inside. The cheese was evenly, smoothly, and generously melted over all of the fries. No one fry was without cheese. My cheese fries were hot, fresh and tasted great. I was squeamish about eating them, though, after seeing the filthy condition of the dining area. The medium fries were $1.50, the added cheese was .20. With tax the total was only $1.86 for a very tasty, quick and filling snack.

During my visit at this BRAUM'S, located next to Lowe's, I received very friendly, quick service. The food was of excellent quality and reasonably priced. But due to the lack of cleanliness at this location, I doubt that I will return any time soon.

Late Night Snack - Sonic Drive In ($1+)

Sonic Drive In    320 N. York St.    Muskogee, OK

For those of you reading this that may not know, SONIC DRIVE IN is one of those old-fashioned, 'carhop style' restaurants. You pull into a stall, roll down your window, make your choice from a menu board on either side of your vehicle, then push the little red button on the speaker just outside of your driver's side window to place your order. Your can either stay in your car and your order is cheerfully brought to you, without you ever having to get out of your car. Or you can sit at a table in the neatly manicured outdoor garden area where your order is also brought to you. Often times upbeat music is playing over the speaker system and your order is brought to you by someone on roller skates, just as they did in the 50's. And yes, they play some 50's music.

One recent late night, a little after 11pm, I decided I wanted a moderate snack. I was close to SONIC so I wheeled in. There were only about a half a dozen cars on the lot, so I hoped I would get quick service.

I rolled down my window and made my selection. The menu board was very clean, well lit and easy to read. I pushed the little red button, then waited for someone to offer to take my order. A full minute went by with no response, so I pushed the little red button again. This time I was instantly greeted with a friendly offer to take my order.

I ordered the Jr. Chicken Strip Sandwich from the Value Menu. It was $1.19, so I expected it to be pretty tiny. Their Value Menu is on the far, right bottom of the driver's side menu board and very difficult to see. It isn't very well highlighted, so you must really search for it.

After I placed my order, she asked if I would like a drink or anything else. I said no, that was it. She cheerfully gave me my total and said that it would be right out. She did not make any other suggestions. She also did not show any disappointment, nor change her friendly tone when I didn't order anything else. She remained friendly and welcoming.

It was a full three (3) minutes before I received my order, which I felt was slightly long, especially during an apparent slow period, but acceptable. The carhop was having great difficulty figuring out which order went to which vehicle. Several times, with order in hand and a very lost look, he skated up to a driver and asked what they had ordered, in hopes that he had the right car, which he usually didn't. My order was delivered to me with a sincere, friendly, "Here you go. You have a nice night." and a warm smile.

When I received my Jr. Chicken Strip Sandwich it was very hot and fresh. I was surprised to see that the bun was the size of most fast food location's full size sandwiches. I was even more pleasantly surprised to see that the bun was full of chicken, with some sticking out on each side even! The chicken strips inside my sandwich were tender, juicy, real, white meat chicken in a golden, crispy coating. They were steaming hot! The sandwich was far better than I had anticipated and very satisfying. With tax, it was a indeed a great value at only $1.30. And if you purchase a Jr. Chicken Strip Sandwich between the hours of 2 and 4pm, you can also get a half-price small drink for 50 cents, bringing your total to $1.84, still only a Dollar and Change for a great tasting sandwich AND a drink!!

Although the service was slightly slow and no one ever checked back to see if  I needed anything, all employees I came in contact with were very friendly and upbeat. Only a few pieces of recent trash were seen in the lot, so overall, it was a clean, nice atmosphere to enjoy a bite to eat. SONIC DRIVE IN is a fast food restaurant I would enjoy another visit to when I have another late night hunger attack.

The carhop that waited on me went off-duty and left just before I did. When he went to leave, he got into an empty vehicle parked in a choice location close to the building.  I strongly felt that he should have parked a little further away in an employee parking area and reserved the choice stalls for the customers.

More Egg Drop Soup - Chow's Express ($1+)

Chow's Express  815 S. York St.   Muskogee, OK

 On another particularly cold day this month I decided to drop in to Chow's Express for a bowl of their Egg Drop Soup. I arrived around 8pm. The parking lot was clean and I easily found a parking space. I did not see any other customers inside, but several went through the drive thru while I was there.

As I entered and approached the counter I was immediately greeted with a friendly smile and a cheerful offer to take my order. I ordered a bowl of egg drop soup, nothing more. She asked if that was it. I said yes. She counted back my change and politely said, with a note of disappointment to her voice, that it would be ready in a moment. My total order was only $1.08!

I sat down at a table to wait for my order. While I waited, my eyes surveyed the room. The front counter was very clean and free of all clutter. A large goldfish aquarium is embedded into the front counter. It is very clean and beautifully kept. As you wait for your order, watching the large goldfish gracefully glide through the water is wonderfully relaxing and mesmerizing. 

The floor was very dingy. It did not appear to have been swept during the day as there was much loose debris on the floor. It also did not appear to have been mopped in quite some time. Under the side tables, against the wall, the base boards were thickly caked with old dirt. The self-serve plastic ware holders contained dry food crumbs in the bottom. One must wonder if the visible areas of a restaurant are this dirty, what the kitchen must look like.

Although the employees clothes appeared clean, they were old and ragged, far from a professional look.

I received my order very quickly. It was brought to me at my table with a warm, sincere smile and a, "Thank you. Have a good evening."  She made the customer feel welcome and appreciated.

When I received my soup, there was much on the outside of the container. It was messy. It was; however, very hot. The flavor was okay, but it had an odd, unpleasant aroma. The soup base was very thin. It was difficult to hold any of it on the small spoon that was available with the soup. There was only a small amount of egg floating on top of the thin broth. The egg was not dispensed throughout the bowl of soup. I didn't feel that there was enough egg in the soup to honestly call it Egg Drop Soup.

The Egg Drop Soup from Chow's Express came with a package of what appeared to be fried won ton wraps. These chips were over-cooked, tough and tasted of old grease. The serving of these chips was also very skimpy. There was maybe a quarter to a third of a cup in the bottom of the baggie.

The meal ended with a fortune cookie. The cookie was surprisingly fresh, light, delicate and easy to eat. But the paper inside disappointingly did not contain a fortune. It simply contained a fact that could have pertained to anyone. Leaving the restaurant can be a bit of a challenge. The drive-thru and the exit are side-by-side and very narrow.

Overall the Egg Drop Soup was okay. For only $1.08 (tax included) it makes a nice snack, but don't count on it for a light meal. I was once again hungry in no time. On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the best) I would give this "Dollar and Change"  choice a rating of a 3.

A Filling Meal for $1.09 - China Express ($1+)

China Express   744 N. York St.   Muskogee, OK

Recently I was out and about, once again, gathering critter supplies before more snow and ice moved in. I was chilled to the bone and decided to stop in at CHINA EXPRESS for a bowl of hot soup before I headed home. As I entered, I was quickly greeted with a big smile and cheerful offer to take my order. I ordered a bowl of their Egg Drop Soup. She asked if I wanted a drink. I said just water was fine. She smiled and asked if it was "for here or to go." I said for here.

Now, at many restaurants, by this point, the order taker would usually express great annoyance because that is all you had ordered. But she held her warm welcoming, friendly tone all throughout my visit. She quickly counted back my change and said my order would be ready in a few minutes.

I sat down to wait for my order in a very comfortable dining area. Floors, tables, windows, everything appeared immaculately clean. A television at each end of the room was set for optimal viewing at an enjoyable sound level. Each television was set to a different show to give you a choice. But they weren't too loud if you chose not to watch while you ate. The atmosphere was very down home comfortable.

It was a few minutes after 8pm when I had arrived so the restaurant was somewhat busy. I had a brief wait for my order, but it wasn't unreasonably long.  Here, you do not have to go to the counter to pick up your order when your number is called. It is brought to your table. Everyone's order, including my bowl of soup, was served to us at our tables, with a smile. Regardless of how much or how little you order, you get the same, great, friendly service. During my meal she also checked back once to see if everything was alright or if I needed anything. I felt like I was being pampered.

I received a generous portion of steaming hot Egg Drop Soup, along with a large bag of fried noodles. The base of the soup was very thick and satiny smooth. It easily stayed on the large soup spoon it was served with. There was a very generous amount of Egg Drops, from the top of the soup all the way down to the bottom of the bowl. The fried noodles were fresh, light, crispy, and just the right touch to top it all off with. By the time I finished this delicious bowl of soup, I was all warmed up, completely full and stayed full for hours.

And for dessert, there was a fortune cookie, with an encouraging fortune that made me smile. And all of this for only $1.09! What a bargain!

As I left I was thanked and asked to come back. I had a wonderful dining experience at CHINA EXPRESS and I look forward to returning soon.

A $Dollar$ & Change ($1+)

Let's face it. The true $1.00 menus are quickly vanishing. Oh, there may still be a few around, but many are being replaced with gimmicks like, "Choose 3 (or 4) of the following for $5", or something similar. And the ones that are still around offer items so small that 'just one' doesn't even make a snack!

Over the next few weeks I will be searching through area menus for food items that are no more than a '$1 and change,' are good tasting, satisfying, and a great value. I will evaluate them, along with the service that comes with them, and bring the results right here to you. I am hoping to find not only the quick snack, but simple satisfying meals as well.

I am sure there will be several that are common knowledge, no surprises to anyone. There will be some that will make you do the, "*head thunk* I always forget about that!" thing. But there will also be menu items revealed that come from the most unexpected places. I already have a few in mind that I can't wait to share with you.

What is your favorite, low cost menu item? Which meal of the day would a "$1 & change" menu item best suit you, breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack? In this price range would you prefer a Dine In or a To Go item? If you have any ideas or suggestions, place feel free to either post them here in the comments, or email them to me at: MuskogeeView@gmail.com
 Now, lets get started!