Birdie's Fried Chicken is flying the coop
Birdie's by Chef Kevin Lee will replace it in January
As 2023 rushes towards its final stanza, signs of change continue to post around the 405 diningscape.
Last week, The 16th Street Plaza District said goodbye to one of its anchors when Oak & Ore announced it’s closing. Owner Micah Andrews is a pioneer in the local craft beer industry, installing and consulting on keg systems for taprooms and bars around the city. We will miss those long pours and fried chicken Tuesdays.
Then on Sunday, chef Kevin Lee confirmed news about what paid subscribers got a hint about last week: Birdie’s Fried Chicken is closing so that it might rise again as Birdie’s by Chef Kevin Lee. As Lee said on his social media announcement, the last day to get your Birdie’s double-fried chicken will be Dec. 23.
Kevin spoke to me Sunday evening at the taproom of Lively Beerworks Brewery in more detail. He said a trip to California last summer presented him with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cook shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the country’s most celebrated chefs.
“It was really inspiring,” he said. “The whole experience reminded me of who I am. Who I want to be, and that’s a chef.”
Not just a chef, a chef with creative freedom over what goes on the plate. He told me the fried chicken experience taught him about business.
“I like the business side of things,” he said. “But being a chef is who I am; it’s what I love.”
Lee expects to start serving that love in the center of plates by middle of January. While Kevin isn’t putting any labels on the cuisine, you can be sure the Korean food he was raised on will be filtered through French and/or Japanese technique along the way.
405 diningscape devotees might remember Kevin wrote the original menu for Chae Modern Korean before handing it off to Taylor Desjarlais to develop. I expect some of the flourishes that made Chae the culinary epicenter of Oklahoma City for 18 months to emerge.
Either way, Oklahoma is in for a dining experience founded on Korean cuisine and culture filtered through classic culinary technique and inspired by Oklahoma living and dining.
New Menus!
With winter’s arrival comes the cold air and a smattering of menu flips around the 405 diningscape. But I sat in on a couple of menu updates that consisted of a little more than switching from greens to tubers.
In the October dining report, I listed the PBLT sandwich as one of the best things I ate last month. That porktastic pile is a part of a brand-new menu chef Jason Jones has installed for The Lobby Bar. Since the pandemic, the space had been serving a limited menu from Sushi Neko next door. Now folks in the old Will Rogers Theatre lobby can continue to enjoy a Yellowtail Special from Neko but also choose from original items Jones and chef Kurt Fleischfresser have installed.
Jones has added to the starter options his own beef jerky, a luscious salmon dip, sticky wings and a play on patatas bravas. The current pumpkin pozole representing the seasonal soup is an inspiration. The PBLT, a pork belly roulade, is the headliner on an entrée roster that includes a Brisket Hot Dog, Shrimp & Crad Sandwich and Smash Burger.
And you should know, even a side of fries can be upgraded to Neko fries. That menu rebirth was impressive, but over at Social Deck and Dining chef Jerrod Driskill presented an entirely new menu. Don’t panic, not everything is gone. The Club Social is still on the cocktail menu. Whew.
Driskill’s new menu for owners Jamie and Jordan Winteroth is guided by shared plate dining with help from local vendors like Twisted Tree Baking Company and Urban Agrarian.
Among new starters you’ll find a hyper-local Pickle Plate and a Tasting of Country Ham that features 12- and 24-month aged selections. A cast-iron skillet full of fresh rolls is now available as is bacon-fried rice, Hawaiian Kampachi crudo, and Meatloaf Sando.
New entrees include Jägerschnitzel and the Duck Duck Dumpling with dark roux and matzo ball. Also new to the party is Honey-Soy Lacquered Chicken, Rainbow Trout with a pecan crust, and Steak Au Poivre Pommes Frites with a distinctive Szechuan peppercorn-tinged au poivre sauce, mustard seed, and nori.
Driskill’s kitchen has Roasted Carrots, Crispy Potato Salad, Green Bean Casserole, Warm Brussels Slaw, and Creamed Spinach for sides. Dessert is down to Mom’s German Chocolate Cheesecake and Sweet Potato Pie with sweet potato vinegar and almost burnt cream.
Food Dood Feed subscriber Nicole Thomas joined me for the sampling last week, and we left satiated well into the following day. We tried rolls, pickles, oysters on the half shell, bacon-fried rice, the country ham and steak frites. I look forward to diving in on any of those again, but I’m dying to try the meatloaf sando next time and some dessert.
If you make it by Social or The Lobby Bar, let me know what you think of the new menu.