Ross Crain is a Binger, Oklahoma native — yes, the hometown of Johnny Bench, and Bench has been a guest in Crain’s eponymous restaurant on OKC’s northwest side. The Crain opened in late 2024, and was instantly popular, driven by Ross Crain’s 30-plus years of hospitality experience, including 21 years at the helm of Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill in Bricktown, and the talents of Chef Garrett Myers, a Yukon kid who made good via the National Restaurant Association’s and Oklahoma Restaurant Association’s ProStart Program. Crain tried college, but was drawn more strongly to the hospitality world, joining Hal Smith before the formation of Hal Smith Restaurant Group, back when Smith had the Oklahoma Outback Steakhouses. Crain never looked back.

As he relates in the episode, it was his wife Emily who encouraged him to consider owning his own spot instead of consulting for others. He found a place he liked off NW 122nd. and MacArthur, and created a restaurant that is as much neighborhood bar as dining spot. The food is excellent, the service outstanding — warm, friendly, efficient — the bar program solid, and the space comfortable, almost like a guy who’s spent 80% of his life in the restaurant business decided to open a neighborhood joint. When I first ate there in early 2025, the first thing I notice was that Crain was brining back prime rib, and not just the entree; he also uses the trimmings to create one of OKC’s best shareable plates, and the restaurant’s best-seller (for good reason), prime rib sliders. He and Myers run a small team with zero corporate red tape, and they function collaboratively on the menu. The result is a tight, focused menu of about 20 items, but with enough variety to appeal to just about everyone. He calls me out in the episode for not being able to order anything but Chicken Two Ways, but I maintain it’s not my fault Myers is so damn good with chicken.

One of the more likable traits about Crain is how ready he is to praise his team, his wife, other restaurateurs, his mentors, and those who have shaped him along the way. He readily recommends restaurants around the city that could easily be viewed as competition. It’s the sign of a man who’s good at what he does and knows it with a level of comfort that doesn’t require bravado. It’s damned refreshing.