Mention the name Jim Blanchard to anyone who worked for and with him, and the response is always a variation of “the best man in the Hal Smith family of restaurants.” Blanchard, an area partner for Charleston’s and the…
Burrito Baby wasn’t the first ghost kitchen in OKC, but it was the first to arrive with notable fanfare. That’s to be expected when 84 Hospitality’s founder Rachel Cope basically says on social media, “Hey, we’re doing burritos. Delivery…
Jakian Parks has already booked his first art installation, and he’s only 19. The south Oklahoma City-born and Yukon-raised photographer came to the attention of Ashley Forrest, co-owner of Forma Optics & Art, via a musician friend. “She…
Bruce Fisher was standing in the Oklahoma History Center amid a collection of artifacts he had assembled to highlight the African-American experience in Oklahoma when serendipity offered him the perfect metaphor to explain the importance of his job as…
Yes, Ponyboy is back! The Uptown 23rd bar has reopened, and while the dancing hasn’t returned yet, the creative, delicious cocktails have. Alex Larrea is still helping steer the program, but the team also has an embarrassing wealth of…
Vanessa House Beer Company is launching its new line of “slushy” beers this week under the Slush Fund name. The first two – Cherry Cobbler and Raspberry Truffle – will be available at the brewery on tap and in…
The Midtown Neighborhood Jam opened Feb. 1, bringing the popular breakfast-brunch concept from Hal Smith Restaurant Group to the urban core. This is the fourth location for Neighborhood Jam, with three in the metro and one in Tulsa. The…
One of the questions that dominated social media for a month or so in 2020 – unbelievably – was which fast-food chain that uses factory-farm-raised chickens, flavorless buns and questionable condiments had the “best” chicken sandwich. In a year…
Anyone in the wine business who is paying attention knows there is a disconnect between what people in the industry drink and what the people they sell to drink. While 2020 was the year of Grenache, PetNats, Carignan, and…
A person who loves dogs is not a doggie; a person who loves books is not a bookie; and a person who loves food is not a foodie. Now that that’s out of the way, we can look…
Chef David Gilbert published “Kitchen Vagabond,” a book version of his life story from cooking at home as a kid to working in some of the best hotels and kitchens in the world. The title is appropriate, given that…
The original Classen Inn at 820 N Classen Blvd. opened in 1962. Whatever glory days it might have had are lost to history, as evidenced by the only web search result: news of a prostitution and drug sting in…
Sitting in Reata, downtown Fort Worth’s popular destination for Southwest cuisine, I thought a cultural singularity was imminent when I heard George Strait’s voice on the playlist. Had it been “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind,” the singularity…
“Still Here: The Cosmology of Black Resistance,” a major art installation at Myriad Botanical Gardens, will be available to the viewing public both in person and virtually beginning this month. The work is an interdisciplinary installation and performances…
The Oklahoma craft brewing industry had a major win in 2020, given that all things were relative in 2020. “Everyone is still open at the beginning of 2021,” Patrick Lively said. Lively is the president of the Craft…
Thomas Upshaw’s job is to pair cocktails with the extraordinary food at Grey Sweater. For a bartender, this is either the greatest or scariest (or both) job ever. Chef Andrew Black’s tasting menu concept in Deep Deuce continues to…
A new year hopefully means new, good things happening in the hospitality industry. Since no one is in a tempting fate mood, we’ll leave it at that; however, we’re starting the year with good news for downtown with the…
Pete Holloway has been in the restaurant business for 44 years. In 2020, the original Cafe 501 in Edmond turned 25. The Classen Curve location turned 10. “I’ve been up for parole twice, and they said, ‘No,’” Holloway says with…
It’s January, a time to re-examine those promises we make every year to try to eat better. Rather than attempting to figure out what the newest “superfood” is – a marketing, not nutrition, term – we decided to ask…
Jamel Taggart assumed his duties as the food and beverage director for Oklahoma City’s Omni Hotel in November 2020. This position includes oversight of the property’s seven restaurant and bar concepts, as well as the hotel’s room service and…
The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is typically a period of family, fun, and anticipation; however, this year, COVID is exacting a terrible price all over the country. Each loss affects a family, and in some cases, an entire community…
An era came to an end in Oklahoma City on Nov. 24, a cliché used too often to describe the departure of so much talent from the Oklahoma City Thunder. We’ve witnessed the big three leaving – Harden, Durant,…
In the pantheon of Christmas candies, the candy cane stands above the rest for the honor of symbolizing the season – that elongated breath mint that does double duty as an ornament or window decoration. At the risk of…
While you're getting ready to celebrate the holidays, bars and restaurants are getting their winter menus together. The winter cocktails -- not really holiday cocktails -- usually feature darker liquors, baking spices, winter seasonal ingredients, and even the occasional…
