Freddie Paul's Steakhouse hosts America's Best Restaurants

Sep. 8—Freddie Paul's Steakhouse was featured on media and marketing company America's Best Restaurants (ABR), which brings attention to local, independently-owned restaurants. Freddie Paul's hosted the ABR Roadshow Thursday to film content of the restaurant to post on the ABR media platforms.

All of the footage filmed and photos taken at Freddie Paul's will be posted to ABR's Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Youtube within four to six weeks. The footage features owner Brian Saliba, Freddie Paul's famous dishes and family and locals enjoying time at the restaurant.

The very first Freddie's Steakhouse — a traditional Lebanese steakhouse — was opened by Saliba's grandfather in 1940 in Drumright, Oklahoma. When his grandfather opened a second location in 1969 in Mannford, Saliba's father took over the location in Drumright.

Freddie Paul's Steakhouse in Stillwater is the third generation location. Saliba's restaurant is a bit different, though. He combined the names of his grandfather, Freddie, and his father, Paul, and named his restaurant Freddie Paul's Steakhouse to honor both men.

"I wanted to be a bit different, so we put Freddie and Paul together ... and that's how we got the name Freddie Paul's, from my grandpa and my dad," Saliba said. "We have other family members that also had restaurants, but it's my dad and my grandpa that is how we got Freddie Paul's."

To date, Freddie Paul's is the only remaining Saliba family restaurant. Every other location — Drumright, Mannford and Sapulpa — are shut down.

The name is not the only thing about Freddie Paul's that is different from its companion restaurants. Saliba explained for the first and second generation restaurants, customers were served traditional Lebanese food — tabouli, cabbage rolls and hummus — with the meal. Now, Freddie Paul's offers these dishes at the salad bar at an additional cost.

Saliba explained that his restaurant is a small notch up from the previous Freddie's, in which he is trying to create a place focused on good food and the importance of family.

"I went to culinary school and did a lot more fancier (and) gourmet food," Saliba said. "That menu (of the original Freddie's) had steak, seafood, barbecue, pretty much what we have now steak, seafood, but it's just kind of kicked up a notch — a little bit better quality, a little bit more advanced."

Saliba said that ABR reached out to him via phone call and asked if he was interested in having the restaurant featured on the show.

"It's an honor and it's special to us, like I said I'm trying to make it more of a family legacy towards the restaurant, where we came from," Saliba said. "It's not like any other chain, we're definitely local... It's an honor and it's kind of (nerve wracking) too, making sure everything is perfect the day of. It's a good recognition (and) good publicity."

For footage the day of, Saliba said Freddie Paul's will serve cabbage rolls, tabouli and hummus as the traditional Lebanese dishes. The restaurant will also feature the lobster mac and cheese as the side dish. Saliba said they would, of course, grill steaks for the event and maybe even feature the surf and turf — the filet and lobster tail — an original at any Freddie's Steakhouse.

Saliba said it feels good to be featured on ABR as owner of a successful, independently-owned business — especially since it is so near and dear to his heart after three generations.

Saliba and his wife built Freddie Paul's from the ground up — buying the building they have now and doing a complete renovation on the inside. Saliba said he has been fortunate that the restaurant has made money since day one.

"It's been a lot of hard work obviously, managing and working on it myself with my family, my wife," Saliba said. "We finally got some recognition that we feel like we deserve, maybe ... We're small fish in the sea fighting to stay above water and we have for the last 22 years. Many, many locals have come and gone because they don't make it. But, we have worked hard, I have worked hard ... it just kind of feels good."