kaiser's diner

i like the diner look, very cool feel. i don't like that they don't have anything on tap as far as beer goes, but they did have a really awesome beer called hades. i think it was 10 point and it was delicious. we just went to have a beer and to check the place out, but i did look at the menu. i have no idea what their food is like but it looks pricey for diner food. i might try it some day, but there's a mcnellie's across the road with lots of different beer on tap and cheaper burgers... hmmm.

very, very good.. my partner and i ate here this evening, only because we'd intended to eat at iguana cafe for taco tuesday, but after having gone to four different stores to try and find a frozen pie crust without artificial coloring, iguana was on a 45 minute wait.(yes, frozen pie crusts are so white--with their bleached flour and hydrogenated lard--that the manufacturers use artificial color to make them look like a pie crust.) i say "only" because we were in no hurry to try kab. we gave the very bland grateful bean many chances, and we were overwhelmingly underwhelmed by the fare at picasso's during the paseo arts fest. so let's see, i don't fancy you, and i don't fancy you, but together...mmm, dynamite...not really, so we hadn't tried it.

we were very, very pleasantly surprised.

to the first reviewer, who complains of the prices at kaiser's: have you eaten out lately? and have you eaten local, sustainable food?

i had a local, natural cut of rib eye, with mashed potatoes and cajun carrots, for $18. the best steak i've had out in oklahoma, and the best value in town, as far as i'm concerned. my partner had a $9 philly with same-said rib eye strips, on toasted sour-dough hoagie. it was outstanding.

our service was exceptional, the vanilla ice cream for dessert was every bit as good as the grateful bean's.

my only two constructive criticisms: the lighting is too bright, and no local beer. oklahoma's got some great local brews, this is a venue that should help put them out there.

great place!. i was so sad to see the grateful bean closing and was very happy when i saw that another restaurant was taking over the same spot. i was even happier once i tasted the food. honestly, i think it is better than the grateful bean food was.

the inside decor is mostly the same as it is a historical building with the old soda fountain bar and everything. the outside is a little spruced up and they have more seating outside now. they still serve all the typical soups, sandwiches and burgers but also have a lot of new items i want to try. i ordered a smoked turkey club and the pasta salad for $8. both were delicious. someplaces have boring pasta salad, but this was lovely. the service was also very friendly and fast. they are also open late which is awesome.

beyond wonderful experience. in a nutshell: our lunch experience was beyond wonderful. the staff was friendly, attentive and food promptly served, the food excellent (appropriately, the hot food was served hot, the cold food cold), and the atmosphere, great!

the details: five of us had lunch today at kaiser's american bistro. one of us called ahead and the owner, shaun fiaccone, without being asked, reserved a table for us.

jack ordered the bison burger $9 with fries without salt and a cherry-vanilla coke which--jack happily pointed out--was served with 3 cherries. he said the burger was "excellent." (his fries came with salt but that was corrected by the friendly staff in moments.) he said he would be back.

lorenzo had the smoked turkey club $8 and grateful bean soup which he said was "excellent". he also asked for--from my plate--the sweet potato french fries and rated them a 10-out-of-10. he said the bathroom was spotless. he said he would definitely come back. when we were about to leave the owner came to ask about our lunch experience and to say good-bye. lorenzo mentioned to shaun that he would have liked to have tried the chicken salad. without a moment's hesitation, shaun asked lorenzo to please wait for a moment: shaun returned 30 seconds later with a chicken salad to go--on the house.

marnie ordered the kaisers historic house salad $7 and grateful bean soup. she loved the "fresh" taste of both and was excited (honestly!) about finding a bay leaf in the soup. she also loved the iced tea (which we learned later was passion fruit iced tea.) she asked me, pete, for a taste of my sweet potato french fries about 20 minutes after they arrived at the table--when they arrived, they were good and hot; by the time marnie asked for a "taste" what was left was cold; nevertheless, she loved the crisp, fresh taste. she loved the feel of kab and liked the way kab had preserved the kaiser building for the people of oklahoma city.

miranda had the monterey chicken tortilla soup $4 and the roasted veggie sandwich $8. she said the soup was "amazing & tasty." she said she loved the "whole outfit" including the ambience, food, staff, presentation, and the newly-restored kaiser building. she also liked the staff uniforms. she said she wanted to come back quickly and try everything on the menu!

i, pete, had the smoked turkey sandwich on a croissant $8 with sweet potato french fries and a dr. pepper (very well made by the soda fountain staff.) chef josh richardson's food presentation was excellent. the sandwich was very good, the fries excellent (and i don't generally don't eat fries; these were not greasy; they actually seemed healthy!) i liked the clean bathroom and the outdoor seating. the background music was low-volume and pleasant. i was particularly impressed the training of the staff: very helpful, attentive and professional; these characteristics are not an accident: owner shaun has obviously set a high standard. just as we were finishing our lunch, chef josh richardson prepared a complimentary sundae for us: homemade ice creams (pistachio, chocolate and pumpkin pie) created by chef richardson with raspberry sauce, hot fudge and hot caramel, fresh strawberries, marachino cherries and homemade brownies ("this is to die for!" said marnie.) will i be back? you bet! in a new york minute! thanks shaun fiaccone for your beyond wonderful kab and for continuing the kaiser tradition!

good food and drinks but..... a good overall experience, however, after leaving and spending over $20 for 1 sandwich, chips, 1 bowl of soup, and 1 really good spiked shake i felt like it was just a bit to pricey for what we got.

here's the breakdown:
pastrami sandwich: $9 (really tasty, but not large enough for the price tag)
jalapeño roasted corn chowder: $6 bowl (very spicy and delicious with cornbread croutons)
oreo mint shake: $7 (great tasting, but served in a martini glass not a mug or glass like a shake should be for $7)

when i heard about this place opening i was hoping that my wife and i could be frequent patrons here because we love the area, but after going once and by no means splurging on food and drinks i just don't think we can afford it.

so all in all i don't really know what to make of this place, i mean i hope it does well. the service was really good and friendly. maybe they will get some happy hour options for those of us trying to be a little frugal.