While I was originally attracted to the Pink Elephant because of its surprisingly ostentatious pink exterior and Obama campaign signs, my excitement to try this new lunchtime café on Main Street only increased upon visiting their myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/pinkelephant2008) and learning that produce is purchased each morning (no freezer on these premises!) to make their deliciously fresh meals. I might add that as a Beatles fanatic, I appreciated the allusion painted on the café window and as a dedicated recycler, the fact that most food here is organic and they use only biodegradable cleaning products.

As for the name, their menu really says a bit more than you need to know: “You see, people have been known to see ‘pink elephants’ when they have imbibed perhaps a bit too much. ..And we won’t even get into what went on in the 70’s except to say that ‘the hippies were right.'” These sentiments are quite evident in the décor, although I really think anyone with even a mild sense of whimsy would feel comfortable here, and today the restaurant accommodated everyone from ladies in their 60’s to college students of the hipster set.

At Pink Elephant Café, the dessert of the day comes included with just about every meal. Today, that means a slightly cloying blueberry cake which was redeemed by the clearly not frozen berries. The portions are reasonable, which can be taken as a plus or a minus, and the prices are pretty low considering the high quality (my “delight plate” with a cup of soup, half a sandwich, and dessert was $6.95). I tried the Waikiki (“fruited chicken salad”) sandwich, which was good, and the broccoli cheddar soup, which was exceptionally creamy with broccoli reminiscent of a summer’s day in the garden. My friend Kirstin who accompanied me had the salad of the day, which was topped by a broad range of ingredients from smoked salmon to pine nuts to blueberries and pineapple, and was probably my personal favorite dish.

I will certainly be going back to the Pink Elephant Café, and I highly recommend it for others who appreciate light meals of fresh ingredients in flavorful combinations and are perhaps nascent hippies at heart. For me, P.E.C. is a prototype for why Norman is my favorite town in Oklahoma: Norman offers residents a stunning diversity of character, offering more traditional Oklahoman fare such as BBQ and hamburger joints next to hip hangouts like this to satisfy the desires of all types of people, or, better yet, fulfilling those like myself who like it all.

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Food, lunch, meal, Norman, Pink Elephant