Jalapeño Grill
SoCal street food implanted in middle America
Southern California is a street food lover’s nirvana. An eclectic mix of Mexican, Thai, Filipino, Japanese and even Southern classics make the landscape of the SoCal street food scene inviting for hungry diners across the globe. But what does this mean for us? Those of us in northern Oklahoma, not on the sunny, palm tree lined coast of the Pacific Ocean? Inspired by a mix of southern California and Tijuana street food, it means that Jalapeño Grill is closing the gap between the Cali coastal, laid back vibe and the Sooner state…at least as far as food is concerned.
Summer Messenger opened Jalapeño Grill in November of 2019, right before the world, and restaurant business, took a dramatic shift. Moving from her home base from southern California to Ponca City to take advantage of a slower pace of life for her family, opening a small restaurant felt befitting, as Summer had a successful homemade chips and salsa business back home.
The tacos are street style, served on a soft corn tortilla, a choice of protein and topped with cilantro, homemade salsa, and onion. The Quesataco is a combo taco, featuring a cheese quesadilla that serves as the taco shell. All the bits of cheese that have tried to escape while cooking turn into perfectly crunchy, salty bites that complement the taco. The taco salad is a standout. Hearty and fresh, this salad is loaded with beef, homemade salsa, corn, guacamole, shredded cheese, pico de gallo and sour cream. All is housed in a crispy tortilla shell that begs to be eaten with Jalapeño Grill’s queso.
A new seasonal, hybrid dish available October 1 is the Birria Ramen. A dark tomato beef-based broth encompasses tender chunks of slow cooked beef, wavy noodles, citrusy cilantro, white onion and limes. On the side, a taco is filled with the stewed meat, then the tortillas are dipped in the liquid that flavors the meat when cooking and the entire taco is thrown on the griddle for an addictively crispy texture.
In addition to Summer and her two sons, Cody and Chase, cooking everyday in the restaurant, Jalapeño Grill has a thriving take out business and is ready to cater any event from weddings to holiday parties, big or small. Order the three-foot custom burrito and the queso fountain and watch as guests at the event post pictures and take food selfies through the night.
Every region in the country has food that is specific to that area. It’s well known, it’s comforting, and the people who live there loved it before it was the “cool thing”. There is something really special about people like Summer planting roots in our community and bringing a piece of their home to share with everyone. There are a lot of Mexican restaurants in our community, but every interpretation is different. Each brings a portion of the region that influenced them. Show some appreciation by eating your weight in tacos this month with zero guilt. October 4 is National Taco Day, after all.