On the first day drive to Springfield, MO, I had planned to stop in Eufaula, OK and eat lunch at JM’s Restaurant , a great place I found last year. However, a couple of days before we left, a friend told me about the town of Krebs, just outside of McAlester.

I hadn’t known this, but a large number of Italian immigrants settled in the area in the early 1900’s. So, the town of Krebs is known for great Italian food. My friend recommended Pete’s Place , which wasn’t open for lunch, so we went back out to the highway (69 Bypass) and ate at Gia Como’s. I can’t count the number of times I’ve driven by this place and never gave it a second thought (never dreaming that I would find good Italian food in central Oklahoma).

It opened in the mid-1950’s, and some of the decor still looks original. They offered many dishes, but I ordered the menu item named "Italian Dinner". (I figured you couldn’t get more basic than that! [:)] ) It was spaghetti, meatballs, ravioli, salad, bread, with cheese and peppers as appetizers. Everything was freshly made and served family-style. I really liked the homemade sauce, and the ravioli was more like meat-filled dumplings.

I really enjoyed it. The only drawback was that after eating a big carb-filled meal like that, I still had a 5-hour drive ahead of me. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I still want to try Pete’s Place. Sounds like a good excuse for a fishing trip to Lake Eufaula…