Oklahoma restaurant recognized by New York Times for having best dish in US

(NEXSTAR) – There are an endless number of restaurants in the U.S. and even more delicious dishes, and yet, an Oklahoma dish was named one of the best of 2023.

The New York Times put together a list of “23 of the Best American Dishes of 2023.” Every year, they send reporters and editors across the country to search for the best restaurants, and during their travels, they find one-of-a-kind dishes.

“Each year as we travel the country to scout out candidates for our many best-restaurant lists — whether the big national listing in the early fall or the new ‘best of’ city lists we’ve begun rolling out — our reporters and editors eat hundreds of meals in dozens of states. Inevitably we come across that one dish that we almost wish we’d ordered two of, and wish we could find closer to home,” said the New York Times.

For New York Times food reporter Priya Krishna, that dish was chicken-fried steak. And not just any Oklahoman chicken-fried steak. Krishna nominated the Reba's Place version as one of America's best dishes this year.

She called the chicken-fried steak "brilliant in its unfanciness" and noted you can actually taste the flavor of the steak when you bite into it.

Reba's Place just opened in Atoka earlier this year just a dozen miles away from country singer Reba McEntire's hometown of Chockie. McEntire told KFOR the menu is inspired by the food she ate growing up in southeastern Oklahoma, plus favorite dishes she's tasted in other U.S. cities.

“I get another excuse to get to come home to our state,” McEntire said at the grand opening. “It’s going to help our town, it’s going to help the community, it’s going to bring jobs in.” 

The chicken-fried steak is served with brown butter mashed potatoes, pepper cream gravy and a side of green beans. The cost of one of the best dishes in the country is $27.