The quintessential neighborhood bar is a kind of pastoral ideal that fosters a sense of community and comfort within a bustling city. OKC has its fair share of such cornerstones, but at the newly minted OAK OKC development, one newcomer casts a wider net in its community-minded appeal.
Cloud Puncher, perched on the second floor of the splashy Lively Hotel, is a veritable blank canvas for chef Nathan Frejo and bar manager Abby Guzmán. Built from the ground up, OAK OKC is starting to function like a brand-new neighborhood in the heart of the city, conveniently linked to a variety of residential areas. At the heart of it all, Cloud Puncher is what Frejo describes as the “living room” of the development, in that customers — locals and travelers alike, from near or far — can find comfort in its something-for-everyone menus, indicative of Oklahoma’s own melting pot culture.
“The idea is to be Oklahoma-centric, but not necessarily what you expect,” said Frejo from within the lofty, light-filled restaurant overlooking a patio lined with fire pits. “We have the mix of the South, the Southwest, a little Cajun that creeps over, the lower Midwest and our Native roots here, too. The rest of the country thinks we’re chicken fried steak and barbecue, and that’s all great, but we’re doing things a little different, while staying true to the roots of what we are.”
Those roots lend themselves to an ultimate crowd-pleaser of a menu, designed to appeal as much to lifelong Oklahomans as guests at the hotel and incoming residents at OAK OKC. Steaks and burgers are readily available, but so are shareable items, like scratch-made sloppy Joe sliders with Angus beef, fluffy potato buns and avocado slaw.
At the heart of Cloud Puncher is the bar — and with it, a bar program that aspires to be the ultimate neighborhood cornerstone.
Guzmán curates an impressive bourbon and tequila selection, an esoteric wine list (in step with OKC’s ongoing wine boom) and a fun, seasonal cocktail program that found gingerbread men as Christmastime garnishes. Describing her menu as “twists on old cocktails that people may have forgotten” while incorporating elements of her culture, she’s keen on mixing things up with things like Mexican vanilla, serrano cream soda and spices aplenty; think espelette in a chile-kissed twist on an espresso martini.
“The biggest thing for me and chef is that Oklahoma isn’t just chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes,” she echoed, describing pulling inspiration from across the country and beyond. “We curate a little bit of L.A., a little bit of New York, into OKC.” She cited a classic cocktail: “I can make an Old Fashioned, and select whatever bourbon or rye you want, but adding that cultural spice to it, I’ve done one with ancho simple syrup, and make it a riff on an Oaxacan Old Fashioned. It’s still an Old Fashioned, but it’s an Old Fashioned that’s part of who I am.”
Other examples include the Oil Slick, a brown butter fat-washed bourbon tipple with citrus oleo and walnut bitters, as well as the Cosmic Pop Martini with mandarin vodka, yuzu, thyme and green apple Pop Rocks; and the Smoked Roy Rogers with smoked Coke, cherry, bourbon and bitters. “Exploring beyond your Cosmo and your French 75, it took a while for Oklahomans to nibble at that, but people are starting to appreciating the craft in cocktails,” Guzmán said.
With thoughtful, melting pot-style riffs on familiar favorites both potable and edible, the team at Cloud Puncher has dreamed up a space that transcends a hotel bar, and becomes a living room for the whole city, and all Oklahomans.
Interested about discovering new dining in the 405? Check out Say Hello to Later Bye- Midtown’s Latest Bar!