"Opened January 26 in a renovated 100-year-old Masonic lodge in Atoka, Oklahoma, this three-story, 250-seat restaurant blends cozy, down-to-earth hospitality with country-music memorabilia, cowhide rugs, a stage for live music, an upstairs lounge stocked with the owner’s mother’s books, and an on-site merch shop. A partnership with the Choctaw Nation provides locally raised beef and ongoing operational collaboration; the menu emphasizes Southern comfort—deep-fried pickles, Mama’s pimento cheese sandwich on soft bread with Miracle Whip, the owner’s pinto beans with fried potatoes and cornbread, and a staggering tomahawk steak sized for six—along with cocktails like the Red Head ‘Rita (spiked with Ancho Reyes) and Mama’s Seagram’s gin with 7-Up. Housemade breads and pastries are prepared starting at 4 a.m. for a complimentary bread basket (banana bread, green chile cornbread, apple-ginger muffins), and reviewers praised steak offerings such as a Choctaw Ranch filet medallion “Fancy” dinner with smoky mushroom ragout and grilled shrimp. The buildout involved dramatic structural work (including a stair collapse during renovation), and city leaders hope the venue will spur tourism, jobs, and sales-tax growth for the sleepy town—positioning the restaurant as a welcoming, unpretentious destination that showcases local sourcing and straightforward, well-executed Southern fare." - Amy McCarthy