Fat Guy's Burger Bar: Everything You've Heard Is True.

I see you, baby.

Shakin' that thing.

I've been hearing whispers about Fat Guy's Burger Bar - the Greenwood District's newest restaurant, right next door to the Greenwood entrance of the new ONEOK Field - for a couple of months now. Word was that it would be awesome. The fries, they would be stellar. The burgers, ground-breaking. The beer, ice cold. The location, positively choice.

Fat Guy's opened its doors just a few days before opening night at the baseball field, and my buddy Holly Wall and I managed to squeeze in for lunch. And let me tell you, folks, the fries, they were indeed stellar. The beer, it was cold AND local (thanks for the tap of Marshall, Fat Guy's - that's the way to be).

The burgers were good enough to stand up alongside the best of the best burger stands in Tulsa - we're talking the upper echelon of burger royalty in Tulsa, comprised of the likes of Claud's, Hank's and Brownie's. Yes, really.

Don't believe me? Ask downtown restaurateur Blake Ewing. He's the guy behind all the deliciousness happening at Joe Momma's pizza, and if you've eaten at Joe Momma's, you know that Blake is a source to be trusted when it comes to great food.

Holly and I found him at Fat Guy's with his brother Tony "on a man date." His words, not mine.

So, Blake, how's the burger? Is it better than, say, Claud's?

"It's pretty damn good."

A raving compliment, I assure you. Just look at the man's face.

I couldn't tell you how relieved I was to find good food at Fat Guy's. When there's a ton of buzz about a new restaurant, things could still go either way. But, when they go south, it's not pretty. Disappointed people love to talk, and it's hard for any restaurant to recover from that, even if the place gets its crap together.

Then there's the fact that Fat Guy's is ONEOK Field's next-door neighbor. This little place has been slammed since opening day on Thursday, and from what I've heard, they've managed to do more than hold everything together - they've gone and impressed the hell out of everyone I know who's been there.

Plus, I love the Greenwood District, and I can't tell you how it makes me feel to see such incredible, new and exciting things developing there. And now, between Abear's (here's my review in Tulsa Business Journal) and Fat Guy's, I can say that not only do I love the Greenwood District, but that I love to eat in the Greenwood District.

Not all parts of town have earned this distinction from me, if you know what I mean. If there's nothing but gaudy chain restaurants in a neighborhood, odds are you'll find me dining elsewhere.

Even if you aren't into baseball, or if bright, shiny, beautiful, new ballparks aren't your thing, head to Fat Guy's for dinner tonight. It's an easy way to be part of the action without joining the ranks of sports spectators, and you'll get an impressive meal out of it besides.

Then, there's this patio.

Listen. It's calling your name. Do as the patio tells you and all of your wildest dreams will come true.

Before I go I want to share with you a few other resources I found on Fat Guy's that made me smile.

There's this new local food blog, Tulsa Food Guy, and he wrote about the unconventional burger fixin's available at Fat Guy's. Check it, along with his photo of the menu board.

Then there's this video from Western Doughty, the photog behind Haftone Photography, in which this dude Ben takes on the house burger challenge at Fat Guy's. Involved were two pounds of beef, 15 slices of bacon, 16 slices of cheese and two butterflied hot dogs and, yes, many an animal was harmed in the making of this video.

When you try Fat Guy's, be sure to report back here with your findings. I'd love to hear from someone who's had the peanut butter burger.

Now go forth and masticate.