Meer Store and Restaurant, Meer, Oklahoma

It's not uncommon for a long distance motorcyclist to ride for good food. Actually, I think it is listed as a requirement in the Sport Touring Bible. Thou must eat and report the good stuff and the not so good stuff. Happily, if you want some good chow at the end of a one-day ride, Meer Store and Restaurant in central Oklahoma is happy to comply. Our friends Mack and Brenda rode 2 up on another BMW. They were our good luck charms when we had a close encounter of the wildlife kind. As a result, I now know what deer pee smells like.

The town of Meer actually started as a mining camp named after Colonel Andrew Jackson Meer, one of the first miners in the area. Miners couldn't resist the stories of gold nuggets found in the Washita Mountains in 1890. One such story was about a cook who found a gold nugget in the claw of a chicken she was roasting for dinner. Unfortunately, the gold rush in Meer came as a result of a Kansas Mining Company salting the local mines. They had an over abundance of equipment that needed to be used even if it meant creating a rush.

In 1901 a couple of things happened. Another land rush was held distributing Kiowa, Comanche and Kiowa-Apache land. And President McKinley established the Wichita Forest Reserve forcing all residents to relocate. Approximately 500 people moved to the new location. The new Meer Store owners provided the small town with a pharmacist, a chemist, an assayer, a newspaper and local moonshine for medicinal purposes. Talk about your all service convenience. The town prospered as grocery stores, drug stores, doctors, a smelting company, The Mt. Sheridan Miner Newspaper, a café, and a confectionary met the needs of miners and new citizens from the land run.

In 1905, a geological company determined that the gold found in the area was not of sufficient quality to justify the expense of mining it. After that, the town population diminished and the Meer store changed hands several times. But folks would travel for good home cooking and the new owners provided darn good food. Today all that's left of the town is one corner.

In 1983, Joe Maranto took his BBQ experience and Meer to a new level. He wanted to capitalize on his location by adding Buffalo meat to his line of hamburgers. However, he needed enough meat to serve 275 burgers a day. He considered the option of growing his own herd. It was a good idea in theory. The old adage, "If you think you have influence try ordering around someone else's dog" proved too true. Buffalo were too hard to handle and dangerous. Refusing to give in, Joe decided to grow Longhorn cattle instead and The Meer Burger was born. According to Joe's website, Longhorn beef is lower in saturated fats than chicken and naturally lean.

Each burger fills a 9-inch pie plate. Don't know if the health nuts will still hang tough when they realize that the longhorn is topped with cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion and jalapenos. And mustard. According to their website, Meer burgers were cooked for cowboys. And cowboys liked the taste of all the above ingredients. However, folks who want mayonnaise instead of mustard will be served a SISSY BURGER. If you prefer ketchup, they will fix you a YANKEE BURGER. All cowboys know ketchup goes on fries not beef. And if you are one of those people who want all three, you're simply confused. But don't worry, they'll serve you anyway. I love the Meer humor.

The menu also includes BBQ, steaks, prime rib, hot dogs and loads of sides. And Meer beer is said to be from the original Choctaw beer recipe. RD and I pigged out on the fried okra with our burger, but we had no room left for the homemade ice cream, pies and cobblers. You may also need a nap, hopefully, not while on your motorcycle.

The back roads to this fantastic corner of old west cuisine were sensational. Good roads. Rolling hills. Wildflowers galore. The area is full of wildlife such as deer, elk and buffalo. About 18 miles before we hit the restaurant, we saw 3 deer running full speed to the road. Two stayed together and cut in front of us. RD saw them coming and hit the breaks as he moved to the left lane. Luckily, there was no oncoming traffic. I dug in my heels and braced myself against the foot peg, so I wouldn't shove RD into the windshield. RD's instinct was to put off the inevitable as long as he could, in spite of his wife screaming in his ear. I looked the 2 deer in the eyes and watched their hind muscles bunch in slow motion. It's good to start every ride with a prayer. Mine paid off. Mack and Brenda said they saw hooves go over our heads.

The deer made it to the other side of the road. We accelerated and got back in our own lane. I was apologizing for screaming about the time the first odor hit my nose. We stopped a few miles later to check out the damage and learned that a third deer ran between our bike and Mack and Brenda. Luckily, Mack had windshield cleaner to clean off the deer waste. We were more than ready for a calm, cool restaurant to shake off the adrenalin. We got to the Meer Store and Restaurant just in time.

We walked in about 11:30 and went right to a table with a few other friends we met while cleaning up from our deer adventure. Within a few minutes there was a line of customers waiting to get in. I had plenty of time to browse around and look at the pictures. History lesson in itself. That's when I found the seismograph. Not only do you get great food and history, but you will also know when we're having an earthquake. As of 1985 Meer housed the most sensitive device in the country. And it still works today. That Joe. He knows how to attract a crowd.
See photos here.

Resources:

www.meersstore.com