Nostalgia Gets a Glow Up - 405 Magazine

Nostalgia Gets a Glow Up

Italian innovation at the new Mary Eddy’s.

mary eddys food

Photo by The House Creates

“Nonna’s Meatballs” may be on the menu, but a quick glance around the gilded dining room, and a sip of the signature fat-washed gin martini, confirm that Mary Eddy’s is not your average red-sauce restaurant. Since its initial opening in 2016, the signature restaurant of the then-21c Museum Hotel (now Fordson Hotel) has evolved through new eras, to meet customer cravings as much as align with its reimagined confines. And for its latest act, which debuted in January, the downtown staple is putting its own spin on an Italian chophouse, with all the panache that has come to define the enduring brand.

mary eddys food
Photo by The House Creates

“We are shifting from Mary Eddy’s dining room, which celebrated the Golden Age of American dining, to Mary Eddy’s Italian Grill,” said Melanie Briley, general manager of the Fordson Hotel. “This shift came from the ongoing re-imagining of the Fordson, as we’ve continued to take steps to evolve the property.”

Much of the recent Mary Eddy’s motif, which underwent a complete renovation a few years ago, remains in place — and perfectly aligned with the new emphasis on upscale Italian.

“We really focused on the menu, and the level of service,” Briley elaborated. “You notice we didn’t change the name, just the byline. Because Mary Eddy’s was more than a name, it’s a namesake.” As Briley explained, the Italian grill concept, named after vaunted philanthropist and arts enthusiast Mary Eddy Jones, is one that honors her spirit, hospitality and sense of adventure. All of which is evident on the new menus, built around a shared experience.

Courtesy of chef de cuisine Damien McCullough, starters include spins on Italian favorites like poached shrimp, an iceberg Caesar, prime beef tartare and, yes, Nonna’s Meatballs. They’re followed by an impressive array of housemade pastas and sauces, such as rigatoni with veal bolognese, spicy blue crab fusilli and a lasagna that Briley said is sure to be a standout favorite. Entrees, meanwhile, run the gamut from grilled halibut to a traffic-stopping tomahawk rib-eye, with desserts like a tiramisu parfait and dark chocolate olive oil cake — the latter of which employs a recipe from McCullough’s grandmother.

mary eddys drink
Photo by The House Creates

“We changed everything but the martini,” Briley added, referring to the fat-washed gin martini that’s become a Mary Eddy’s calling card. “If you drive by and you see our window, it says, ‘Pasta, Steak, Martini.’ We want to be very direct about what to expect.” Said martini anchors an otherwise overhauled drink list, which includes an expanded martini menu, Italian cocktails (e.g., Negronis, Bellinis) and Italian wines.

Briley described Mary Eddy’s new Italian era as an opportunity to showcase bolder flavors, while blending an immersive and nostalgic dining experience.

“When you think about how we celebrate history, and how we want people to write their own stories, what style of food lends itself to that experience like Italian?” she mused. “It just fits.”

Interested in learning more about classic dining in Oklahoma City? Check out OKC After Dark: Your Guide to Local Night Life.