Ode to the onion burger
Sun Cattle Co.
800 W Sheridan Ave ste 400, Oklahoma City, OK 73106
What better way to kick off our reviews than to start with the quintessential food of Oklahoma, the humble onion burger. The history of the onion burger is synonymous with necessity, it was created as a way to stretch the meal. For those of you who don’t know, El Reno, OK is the commonly accepted birthplace of the onion burger and has several establishments which are often considered the gold standard. However, something very special lies in Oklahoma City. Enter Sun Cattle Co., a newer player in the game, but what they have packs a punch. The difference? They source their own beef from a local Oklahoma ranch. The exterior of the building is low-key but interior is an eclectic styling of nostalgic western and ranch items. The restaurant is clean and well put together. Stepping inside you know exactly what you’re in for.
As for the food, the classic fried onion burger was ordered along with the coney with chili and slaw, and chili cheese tator crowns. The coney is the appropriate accompaniment the the onion burger and can be found in most burger joints around the state. Sun Cattle Co.’s coney is everything you want it to be. A snappy, red frank smothered in a flavorful, slightly complex chili, topped with the classic Oklahoma style slaw, all nestled in a soft steamed bun. It’s perfectly classic and familiar. The subtle complexity of the chili meshes with the sweet and tangy slaw in a way that has to be experienced first hand.
The tator crowns arrived in a paper boat smothered in cheese and absolutely swimming in that same chili, and that’s where it really shines. The crisp tator crown only exists as a method of delivery for the creamy cheese and flavorful chili to enter your mouth. Most hot dog chili’s are nothing to write home about but the one at Sun Cattle Co. lingers in your mind. It is truly one of the best hot dog chili’s around.
Now for the creme de la creme. The fried onion burger with cheese. It arrives on a paper plate, beef and charred onion spilling from the bun with a small pile a pickles on the side. It is an incredible example of what a true American burger is. The burger comes plain, you have to add your own sauces, the house sun sauce is recommended, but it doesn’t need anything in all truthfulness. This burger is nearly a religious experience for the uninitiated, and a drug fix for the familiar. Perfectly seasoned beef shines with sweet charred onions, along with the melted cheese and soft bun, pickles cutting through at the right moment. It is exactly what you want. It elicits memories of every burger you’ve had and puts it to shame. There truly is a level of quality that you can taste.
If you had to only eat one onion burger in Oklahoma, make it Sun Cattle Co. It truly is leagues above the rest. While their menu is not limited to burgers and coneys, its what stands as their finest offerings.
Sun Cattle Co.
Rating : 4.5/5
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