Ahoy there, shoppers: Set sail for downtown!
Sailor & The Dock collective is delicious and down to dance this Black Friday
Black Friday beckons to each of us in its own way. As for me and my house, we will shop local. Earlier this month, I met chef Chris Becker downtown for lunch after which he toured me through a brand-new local shopping collective called Sailor & The Dock.
Lunch was at Big Biang Theory for hand-pulled noodles. We happened in on BBT’s opening day behind bricks and mortar. The longtime food truck joins Sun Cattle Co., Joey’s Pizzeria on the south side of Film Row. BBT is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and noon to 8 p.m. Sundays. The truck is also still in operation.
Becker, the state’s premiere pasta purveyor, was complimentary of BBT’s hand-pulled noodles. Look forward to eating through the full menu. Becker was in the neighborhood because he is among the vendors occupying Sailor and Dock.
Becker owns Della Terra Pasta Company and he’s got a shop at the new collective, sharing space with Maggie Kite’s The Oil Tree – a long overdue collaboration. Their space offers any and everything one could want for the pasta enthusiast, right down to a hand-cranking pasta machine with brass dies.
Of course the shop contains all the Della Terra Pasta you want, and The Oil Tree offers a variety of olive oils and vinegars to partner with them. I can also tell you Maggie has some anniversary celebrating planned for her main store at 7646 N May Ave. The Oil Tree turns 11 on Dec. 1 and Maggie has two days of in-store savings beginning then.
Down at Sailor & The Dock, after you pick out some pasta and oil to take home, drop by ReSupply, Hunny & Honey for more bites then drop into the various retailers to tick off some gifts for everyone on your list whether they’re readers, fashionistas or love interesting plants.
In the center of Sailor & The Dock is the Sailboat Bar. Built out of a reclaimed sailboat, owner Hamid Pezeshkian, and his girlfriend and partner Willa Darian operate it along with the 14,000-square-foot collective. Pezeshkian bought the property in 2022 after years as a homebuilder. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, where his mother is also a professor, Pezeshkian said Sailor & Dock aligns with four core values: Community, sustainability, creativity and wellness. The bar in particular exudes those values, serving a surprising array of mocktails along with beer and wine.
Curating a pasta shop, art gallery, crystal shop, used clothing store, coffee shop, and bakery fulfill those values by offering opportunity to fledgline entrepreneurs and bringing life into a more than 100 year old space.
Sailor & The Dock also has an event space that also operates as a farm-to-table restaurant space. Tonight, the space will host a Bailando Bash, featuring three levels of Latin Dance classes and a dancy party til midnight. Next week? An artisanal chocolate and wine tasting at the Sailboat Bar.
Sailor & The Dock is open daily at 617 W Sheridan Avenue. It opens at 7 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. Sundays. It closes at 7 p.m. Mondays, 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 5 p.m. Sundays. Free parking is available across the street with validation.
More Black Friday Thoughts
If you do get out to Sailor & The Dock or any other local retailers today, you’ll need a break from it at some point. Kindred Spirits is hosting Culture Kitchen today from 3 to 6 p.m. Drop by to taste through the African diaspora for a sampling of Motherland flavors. The party includes $5 tastings, beats, and a selection of black-owned spirits, beer, and wine.
Ancestral cuisine includes Ethiopian cuisine from Queen of Sheba, Gambian from Saikou Sanneh, Kenyan food from the Plus 254 – Taste of Africa food truck and Bea Williamson, Liberian food from Sasha Hughes, and Nigerian food from Tahnee Francis of Naija Wife.
If you do happen to have readers who managed to stay off the naughty side of the gift list, I’ve got a couple of recommendations. Well, one really but a reminder about a couple of vintage titles. My dear friend Loretta Barrett Oden has a new book out just in time for the holidays. Corn Dance: Inspired First American Cuisine. Loretta draws from her vast kitchen experience to bring readers an expert view of indigenous recipes and practices. Those other two books are by yours truly and have to do with Classic Restaurants of Oklahoma City and The Culinary History of Pittsburg County. (Pro-tip: Click those last two links and find the titles for half-price through the end of the holidays!)
Happy shopping out there, stay hungry!
Help sustain The Food Dood Feed by becoming a free or paid subscriber today.