A culinary collaboration with cultural overtones has opened in historic Fort Towson, Oklahoma.  The Depot Steakhouse features a white table cloth setting with cook to order steaks, creative appetizers, fine wines, and homemade desserts.  Customers have the opportunity to experience high-end cuisine without having to drive to Dallas or Oklahoma City.

           

The steakhouse is operated by Cathie Carothers, who relocated to the shores of Lake Raymond Gary in 2013.  Both of her maternal grandparents are original enrollees on the Dawes’ Rolls and she is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.  After obtaining her Master's in Education at Northeastern State College in Tahlequah, Cathie spent her professional years working in Washington, DC for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and then as the Director of Indian Education for the US Department of Education, serving under seven different Presidents before retiring from Federal service in 2010.  She then served as an Assistant State Superintendent in the District of Columbia and a Deputy State Superintendent for Indian Policy and Education in New Mexico before relocating to Oklahoma.  She traveled extensively in her job and had the chance to sample outstanding dining locations all across the United States.  Her post-retirement plan was to have a restaurant of her own.

 

Her first restaurant project in Fort Towson was the R.G. Trading Post Cafe, located on the grounds of the abandoned Texaco station in the middle of town.  However, she soon noticed that the Fort Towson Depot building was empty and in need of repairs that the town did not have the ability to finance.  She imagined using that space to create a destination steakhouse to serve both the local market and the increasing number of travelers headed to and from the ever-expanding Hochatown area.  After extensive renovations, including a complete reimagining of what had been designed as the lobby and passenger waiting areas of the Depot, the space now sports crystal chandeliers, classically patterned wall paper, and custom drapery.

 

“I wanted a fine dining spot to eat,” Cathie explains.  “The Raymond Gary Lake attracts people from all over who enjoy its quiet, scenic beauty.  Ending an idyllic day with a relaxing meal makes the experience even more special.”  Cathie’s vision for the restaurant is apparent from the color choices for the fabric chair covers to the custom drink names to the laser inscribed boxes for delivering the check at the end of the meal.  The dining room and the menu would be equally at home in any urban center, but it provides a culinary treat for the local food customers.

 

The steakhouse is open on Friday night and Saturday night for menu service, plus Sunday for an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet, complete with the ability to order the always-necessary mimosa.  During the week, special events and business meetings can be hosted in the Depot, as well as custom catering.  Ever mindful of their connection to the community, they provide Sunday meals to some of the elderly residents in Fort Towson, donate to the local school activities, and participate in local charity events.