Hefner Grill on the Lake in OKC

Now that Tom and I both work from home full time, things can get a little… routine. To make sure we don’t get into a rut, we’ve been making sure to get out for date nights every now and then. Lake Hefner is one of my favorite spots for a romantic night out, and Hefner Grill is one of my favorites for great food and killer views at sunset. They also recently updated their dinner menu, so it was perfect timing for us to try it out.

Every good date night starts with a good cocktail. Coming off a recent trip to Mexico (more details coming soon!), I couldn’t pass up a margarita while Tom enjoyed his usual Old Fashioned.

Drinks in hand and view ahead, we dug into the new menu. Our server was very attentive and knowledgeable about each dish. Hefner Grill offers a solid mix of seafood dishes, pastas and steaks to satisfy any craving. We were in the mood for seafood, so we started with the crab cakes and oysters St. Charles.

I’m not a huge fan of crab, so I left the crab cakes to Tom. From the empty plate I noticed just a short while later, I’d venture to guess he liked them a lot. I did sample the lima bean and corn succotash they were served with and really enjoyed it. The oysters, on the other hand, were a huge hit with both of us. We were especially delighted to hear they were from the Chesapeake Bay. It was like having a little taste of home. The oysters are fried in a light, crispy batter and served with spinach, artichoke, jalapeño aioli and topped with a tangy hot sauce. They were fresh, salty and addictive.

We decided to keep the seafood theme going with our entrees. Our server’s description of the ritz crusted cod really caught my attention. The delicate white fish was cooked perfectly within the slightly sweet breading, served over whipped potatoes with jumbo lump crab and a peppercorn shallot cream sauce.

We also ordered the shrimp and grits, prepared beautifully with spicy andouille sausage, creole shrimp gravy, broccolini and cheddar grits. The shrimp were big, tender and sweet and the sausage gravy was killer. We couldn’t decide which of the two entrees we liked better.

In my mind, no seafood dinner is complete without key lime pie for dessert. Hefner Grill’s tasted sort of like a hybrid between cheesecake and key lime pie. I kind of wished for more of the tart lime flavor, but the pecan graham cracker crust was delicious and the whipped cream with lime zest added that little bit of zip that I needed.