What's in a Dame

Stalking TV's top redhead

Food Network’s The Pioneer Woman is filmed at the Drummond family’s Oklahoma guest house, The Lodge, which is open for public tours.
Food Network’s The Pioneer Woman is filmed at the Drummond family’s Oklahoma guest house, The Lodge, which is open for public tours.

Ree-cently, we had a Ree-aly nice weekend in pastoral Pawhuska, Okla.

Which is to say we thoroughly enjoyed the Osage County hometown of Food Network personality, food blogger, ranch wife Ree Drummond, better known as The Pioneer Woman.

I've previously expressed an admiration for her kitchen and business savvy. Make that a total obsession. I know all her likes (cowboy boots, black eyeliner and the kiss scene in For the Love of the Game) and her dislikes (bananas) and dog's names (Henry, Walter, Lucy, Duke and -- RIP -- Charlie). I devoted an entire column to her answering my question about her pumpkin sheet cake on Facebook where she has millions of followers.

Not only does the dimpled redhead have the show and blog, she has cookbooks and children's books and a magazine and a Walmart housewares line and a prepared foods line. She even has, new for this Christmas, her own Barbie doll -- Barbie Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond Kitchen Playset with Cooking Chef Doll ($44.88) -- that comes with flowery appliances and accessories including a pop-up toaster and spinning mixer.

Along with her cowboy husband, Ladd, who she affectionately calls Marlboro Man, the mother of four kids -- including our favorite, Paige, because she attends the University of Arkansas (#WPS, Paige!) -- also owns The Mercantile, a large store/restaurant/bakery. They also own the neighboring eight-room "cowboy luxury" hotel, The Pioneer Woman Boarding House. In the same tiny town square, they own a new restaurant, P-Town Pizza, home of the not-to-be-missed garlic Not Knots and wood-fired thin-crust pies like The Steakhouse Pizza with sliced medium-rare beef.

And then the Drummonds -- in the top 25 of largest landowners in the country -- own a massive cattle operation, upon which sit their home and their guest home, The Lodge, where her show is set. On days when they aren't filming, The Lodge is open for guests to tour for free (schedule at themercantile.com/pages/lodge-tours).

We made the nearly five-hour trek to Pawhuska, which really is, as Ree calls it, "in the middle of nowhere," to eat, to shop, to tour, to eat, to relax, to sight-see, and to eat.

Because the Boarding House is completely booked through 2019, we stayed at the stately Grandview Inn B&B, owned now by the Poe family, but previously owned by the Drummonds. It was Ladd and Ree's first marital home; what is now called The Drummond Master Suite was their bedroom. Of course, I knew all that before we stayed there.

And I also knew that our host, Tiffany Poe, a chef who once worked for Ree, had appeared in several Pioneer Woman episodes. I squealed when I met her: "You're famous! You were in the prairie picnic episode ... and you had the food truck in Alex's graduation episode ... and then Ree gave you treats when you got the new job. Oh, I watch the show!"

Tiffany, with astonishment and perhaps a bit of fear said, "You watch intently!" She and her husband made us a killer eggs Benedict for Breakfast No. 1.

And then we headed to "the Merc," as it's called, for some shopping. But after smelling such appetizing aromas coming from the Merc's restaurant side, we found ourselves being seated for Breakfast No. 2.

I was finishing up a cinnamon roll, as seen on her show, and a Spicy Cowgirl iced coffee drink with cinnamon and coffee, as seen on the show; I ordered it even though I hate coffee. And that's when -- gasp! -- her unmistakably cowboy-hatted husband, Ladd, made his way into the Merc. He stopped by several tables, chatting with guests and posing for pictures -- including one with me -- before eating his biscuits with gravy.

And thrilled to experience a Drummond sighting, I decided anything else would just be gravy.

Next up was a tour of The Lodge. Upon request, the Merc staff provides a sheet of directions involving winding gravel roads and cattle guards to the family's remote guest house that serves as a TV set and lodging for the film crew. On this day it also served as a sunning spot for Yo-yo -- the dog of ranch hand Cowboy Josh, who appears on the show and lives just down the hill.

The Lodge is much larger than it appears on the homespun show. In addition to the main kitchen, there is a second full commercial kitchen and storage rooms filled with shelves and shelves of props. For nosy guests who peek through the freezer, there's a drawer full of butter, and another drawer containing -- eek! -- a rubber snake, like the one Ree surprised Ladd with when he surprised her with dinner guests in the patty melt episode. Yes, I do watch intently.

After returning to town, we spent an afternoon shopping in the restored 100-year-old Merc, where Ree's own cookware, books and Barbie mingle with clothing, like the floral tunics she favors, her own brand of coffee and novelty finds like Marie Antoinette salt and pepper shakers. Next was more coffee on the Merc's spacious second floor.

Then it was time for dinner. At -- where else? -- the Merc! We had already visited the pizza joint the evening before, there's really nothing else in town, and we were eager to try the olive cheese bread and the amazing chicken-fried steak, as seen on her show.

At least we hoped it would be amazing for $27 (!).

Served with a salad and mashed potatoes and gravy, the chicken-fried steak was amazingly large. As were the bone-in pork chops we ordered to share. There were also biscuits served with jam.

How did everything taste? I have no idea.

Before I could get my first forkful of dinner, Ladd walked into the dining room again, this time with Ree! Oh, my gosh, it was really her! The couple sat at a table just feet from us -- at the same table where we had at breakfast -- for a date in their very own restaurant.

I was no longer hungry for anything except a picture.

I did manage to wait until they were finished eating to request one. She graciously agreed and asked us where we were from. We told her Little Rock. I think we might have talked about the no-show snow that was predicted, but it was such an out-of-body experience that I don't remember.

Others were waiting, so we said goodbye but not before a "Woo Pig Sooie!" -- a shout-out to daughter Paige's school escaped my lips.

"Woo Pig!" the cattle dynasty member answered enthusiastically.

And then we pigged out on Merc cupcakes.

The Pioneer Woman Mercantile, 532 Kihekah Ave., Pawhuska, Okla., is open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday-Saturday. It is closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Call (888) 506-0078 or visit themercantile.com.

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What's in a Dame is a weekly report from the woman 'hood.

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The store section of the Pioneer Woman Mercantile sells everything from cookware to clothes.

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Chicken-fried steak is a signature dish at The Pioneer Woman Mercantile.

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Shelves of props fill storage rooms at The Lodge, the set of Food Network’s The Pioneer Woman.

Style on 12/18/2018

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