We're in Pawhuska, OK at the Pioneer Woman Mercantile and Restaurant!

My (Cathy) parents were in town for the weekend, so we decided to head over to Pawhuska, OK to check out the new Pioneer Woman Mercantile and restaurant! Mom and I are big Pioneer Woman fans, and we both have husbands who humor our crazy whims to drive to the middle 'o nowhere to visit one place.

We set out with the idea of having lunch there, then coming back before it got too dark.  We boarded Bessie the Happy Hound in case our trip took longer than expected, and we ended up being glad that we'd done that!

Pawhuska is in the middle of nowhere.  Think two lane highways, tiny (tinytinytiny) towns, and the occasional small casino.  That's where you are going.  Fill up on gas before you really need it!  (The Mercantile has some directions if you want to plan your own visit.)

We pulled into the tiny town and found some two hour parking on the street.  We figured two hours would be plenty...until we saw the line.

Oh HAI, giant line and blistering sun!

Mom and I had to use the ladies room, so we popped into a nearby hot dog buffet to buy a drink in exchange for the use of their bathroom. (All the nearby businesses had NO PUBLIC RESTROOMS signs on their doors.  I don't really blame them.)  If you decide not to wait in line for Pioneer Woman's food, try the Prairie Dog Hot Dog joint across the street.  Their toppings bar looked awesome, but we stuck with lemonade.

Huckleberry lemonade is pretty good.

While Mom and I were on our lemonade adventure, Kirk texted me the ETA.  There were two lines. The line to the store was about half an hour long.  If we wanted to eat at the restaurant, we were looking at a 3 hour wait.  Three. HOURS.  Hours. Wait. THREE.  Did we want to do the rock star ticket line circa 1995 wait for some down home good eatin', or should we just go to the store and call it a day?

My parents had come from Colorado, and we drove two hours to get there, so dang it, we were eating at that restaurant.  They had workers come talk to us throughout the wait, bring us bottled water, play trivia, and sometimes bring out sample snacks. Mom and I went to the store line and scooped out the store while Dad and Kirk held our places in the food line. (Totally allowed, btw, until you get to the special velvet rope area.  By then, your party needs to be together according to a worker wearing a wooden sheriff badge.)

Mom and I both really liked the sign.

Upstairs there was a bakery (with a long line) and a lot of comfy couches and big windows.  It was a really pretty area.  When (if) the crowds calm down, this would be a nice place for locals.  This would be just the kind of place I'd take my laptop to so I could get some grading done while getting out of the house.

We headed upstairs first because one of the workers had told us that Ree might be upstairs.  We did not see her, but her husband Ladd was in the store and bumped into my mother.  ("Excuse me, ma'am," said Ladd to my mother, his new best friend.  He looks like he does on her blog and TV- truth in advertising!  Very polite dude.)

This was taken from the stair landing.

The store had something for everyone for sure, in all kinds of price ranges.  If you like the plates that they use in the restaurant, you can buy them at the Merc. If you want to dress just like Ree, you can pick up some of her favorite pieces at the Merc. Did your husband humor you by driving you to the middle of nowhere Oklahoma without complaint?  Buy him a 'lil present at the Merc. Want to be reminded of the splendor and bloodshed of the French Revolution?  The Merc's  got you covered.

It was hot, it was windy, and it was sunny.  We were all so glad that we did this in February (albeit it a hot February- the high was 86 degrees, and we felt it.).  I cannot imagine what they are going to do in July!  The Food Network was there filming that day.  My family is a bit camera shy, so you may see us carefully studying the brickwork with our backs to the camera in a future episode of Pioneer Woman! They did trivia questions and handed out prizes to the first people to answer. We did not win any of the cute prizes- whisks, adorable ramekins, and cute kitchen towels.

We FINALLY got to the front, and the host dramatically opened the door to reveal the INSIDE line that we were going to stand in for the next half hour! At least this line was air conditioned.

Was it worth a three hour wait?  Before I say, I have to make a confession.  I don't really like the majority of Pioneer Woman's recipes.  

It's true.  She's a fun personality and has a great blog, but I find most of her food "eh" at best. (Except this lasagna.  This lasagna rocks my world!)  Take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Here's what we ate between the four of us:

• Appetizer 1: French Onion Soup (forgot to take a picture!) 
• Verdict: Pretty yummy, if a bit salty.  Would order again.  Kirk and I told them that we were splitting it, and they brought it in two separate bowls. That was pretty great. :)

Not very wedge-y, but still delicious.

• Appetizer 2:  Wedge Salad.  
• Verdict: Both my parents had this, and both reported that it was good. The bleu cheese dressing was great, and the waitress told us that they made all their dressing fresh in house. 

This picture does not really accurately convey how huge this meal was.

• Main Event (Cathy, Mom, and Dad): Chicken Fried Steak w/ Mashed Potatoes 
• Verdict: We were mixed here.  Dad liked it, but said it did not compare to the Holy Grail of Chicken Fried Steaks at a place that he used to eat at in college. He has been searching for the CFS Grail since the place closed 40 years ago.  Mom liked it a lot.  I thought the steak was "eh."  It was not bad, but it was nothing to write home about.  It was also HUGE (and at $17, I expected nothing less) so you might consider sharing unless you are realllllllyyyyy hungry.  We all agreed the mashed potatoes were delicious.  They were real mashed potatoes- none of that powered potato just add water nonsense in Ree's restaurant! The parents would order this again, but I would try something else next time.

This sandwich was also HUGE.

• Main Event: Marlboro Man Sandwich with Potato Chips
• Verdict: Kirk really loved this.  It was also HUGE.  It was too big for him to eat with his hands, so he ate all the filling with a fork and knife, and then ate the bread.  We all tried it- if you like Worcestershire sauce, you will like this sandwich. We all really liked the homemade potato chips.

Cake so good that we only have an empty plate to show you.

Dessert: Tres Leches Cake
Verdict: Delicious!  We shared one slice, and after the huge meal we'd just eaten, one slice was enough.  We would order this again.  I think it was my favorite part of the meal. It came with two churro pieces and a pool of caramel.

The coffee is also delicious, so be sure to order a cup with dessert!


So was it worth the three hour wait?  Yes, but mostly for the experience.  It was a fun day.  We had a good time, but we all agreed that it was a one and done experience.  While we had a lot of fun and enjoyed it, we don't anticipate doing it again.

Since we did not think we'd be in Pawhuska again, we took a quick walk to check out some of the local businesses.  The Buckin' Flamingo was just down the street and around the corner, so we checked it out.

You can't miss the place.

This sculpture is over six feet tall.

Buffalo burgers, anyone? 

If you're in the market for some yard sculpture or a BBQ shaped like a buffalo, look no further!

Line at 5pm

The line was still there when we left. When we were at this point in the line, we had about an hour left of waiting.

One and done- but what a day!

Tips:

• Plan for the weather.  We were thankful that we had sunblock. In the summer, you might want bug spray as well.  They were kindly handing out water, but you might want to bring your own as well, especially on a really hot day. There is no shade or protection from the wind or rain, so be prepared. (Cathy wished she'd brought her sun hat.)
• Be prepared to WAIT.  We waited over 3 hours to eat in the restaurant.  The store wait was about 1/2 an hour.  Mom and I went to the store while the guys held our place in the restaurant line.  If you eat at the restaurant, you can go into the store right after without having to wait in the store line.
• They do have a port-o-potty trailer, so don't worry about the long wait if you have a small bladder or kiddos with you. They've got you covered.
• The street parking was 2 hours, but the line helper told us that they do not enforce it. 
• We were told that there are long lines EVERY day, but Friday and Saturday have the longest lines.  A middle of the week trip might yield you the best results.