Anyone else

When I'm not near a computer, and not "writing" I have so many ideas running through my mind. Blank screen -- nothing. Nada. Zip. The concepts and ideas about the next chapter in my book. The things I wanted to vent about on the blog. The great insights I've discovered during the course of my day. Gone.

Does that stop me from writing? Well, no. Sorry to torture ya'll.

Traveled to the big city of Lawton today for work. Inadvertently found an interesting cafe right off the Interstate. The sign said "Patio and Concrete Creations". Good prospect, we thought. So we went in. We found a cafe amid the old gasoline pumps,vending machines and neon signs of the past, made shiny and displayed as art objects. The haphazard layout of tables, some no more than white folding tables, like the one I use when I have a big art project, were scattered about. We approached the counter.

"We have steak sandwiches today." the waiter/cook says. He was a young 30-something. Not the owner he said, "brother-in-law."

It was noon, we were hungry and so we ordered. We had a choice of drinks, at least.

We found a perch at a "Coca-Cola" table and watched the range of people walking in. Construction workers, office workers. They all knew the drill.

"What's cooking today?"

The woman who was helping cook came out from behind the "Coca-Cola" counter, holding two styrofoam bowls and walked toward us. She planted the steaming bowls of beans, topped with grated cheese, in front of us and took our styrofoam cups for refills.

Beans. We were hungry, and by this time very curious. "Doesn't look like steak to me" my co-worker said.

We each took a bite, and I swear we didn't talk anymore until both our bowls were empty. I'll be dreaming about those beans. I can't even tell you what kind of beans they were. They looked like pork and beans - sort of. But they tasted better than anything I've ever tasted. Really. That good.

The steak sandwich took -- literally - almost 45 minutes to get to our table. But it too was superb.

We came in looking for a sponsor for the community project for one of our clients, and found instead a hidden gem.

Blake's. We'll be eating there every time we have to venture to Lawton this summer during the Clean Air campaign. Every time. This is now my favorite place for lunch. Ok, my real favorite spot to eat is in Rocheport, Missouri. A tiny restaurant that anywhere else would rate four-stars. In the little artsy town by the Missouri River, it's just known as the "Word of Mouth Cafe." Oh, and then there's the country store off the highway between Columbia and St. Louis...

So share. What out of the way place have you found to eat, that surprised you and made you want to share it with others?