BREAKING: Add Ludivine to the list leaving the 405 diningscape
Catering and events will continue, but the dining room is going dark
On the same day the space where Ludivine was born reopened with fresh, new energy, the restaurant that brought important synergy to Midtown in 2010 announced it was closing.
Ludivine chef and co-founder Russ Johnson told me about a month ago he was unsure about the future of the restaurant, but that he was happy with the health of neighboring R&J Lounge & Supper Club and Sun Cattle Company in Film Row.
On Friday, Johnson’s warnings turned into the cold, hard fact that one of Oklahoma City’s pioneering concepts joins a list of restaurants that have gone dark or re-concepted in the last week. The announcement made by social media indicated Ludivine would continue to operate catering and special events, but the restaurant will close after New Year’s Eve services.
Ludivine was founded in 2010 by Johnson and then-partner Jonathon Stranger with downtown developer Chip Fudge. Born as a strict farm-to-table restaurant, Ludivine didn’t invent using local products but did make it cool.
Early visits from chefs like Emeril Lagasse and Rick Bayless drew more attention to the ambitious concept, which also included a new standard in barkeeping started by Kyle Fleischfresser and elevated by Colby Poulin and Chris Barrett.
Ludivine’s success was such that it outgrew the awkward L-shaped space it occupied, the bar entrance facing or 7th Street with the front door at 805 N Hudson. It moved to its current and final location on NW 10th in 2019, adding a spectacular front patio and new, more congruous bar space with R&J Lounge and Supper Club on the back of the property.
The space Ludivine left behind at 805 N Hudson became GHST about a year ago after a brief stint as Pacific Moon, but it’s path has been rocky. Chef Zach Hutton and his wife and business partner Kayla Shenold, who recently closed Scratch Paseo, re-opened the GHST space on Friday.
On Thursday, Hutton and Shenold hosted a private service to get the space ready to operate. The dining room has gone from Crate and Barrel to Beetlejuice chic – which is a better fit for GHST. The bar entrance remains on 7th, but it leads down a corridor behind the bar now.
The menu includes whimsical variations from youth like a dead-ringer for a McDonald’s cheeseburger you actually will crave, a corndog with smoked elote batter fried around brisket, and Bagel Bites with vodka sauce. On the other hand, there’s Steak Frites with Poutine Gravy. Shenold’s opening bar menu includes a gin drink just in time for Christmas. Barkeep Garrett Ennis concocted The Ghost of Tsushima, which blends yuzu gin, yuzu curacao, Bauchant, plum bitters and tart cherry tea syrup. Ho Ho Ho!
Can’t wait to see what Kayla and Zach do for Halloween. I’ll be back many times before then with a full report on the new menu from this 2021 James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist.
Make your reservations to visit Ludivine one more time. Maybe the last-ever Charles Dickens dinner on Dec. 17? And pour one out for Ludivine this weekend – perhaps at R&J Supper Club.
Holiday Sandoitchi pop-up is nigh!
Sandoitchi is returning to town. The Dallas-based touring sando concept will do a takeover at Mucker’s Pub & Eatery in Bungalow 23. You can make your orders for Week 1 here starting tomorrow. The stay ends Dec. 22. Sandoitchi hails from Dallas, but co-founder Keith Tran is an Oklahoma City native. His parents founded Pho Cao Duo, selling it years ago.
I hope GHST moving just a couple of blocks away from boutique branding powerhouse Ghost at 9th & Broadway won’t lead to too much brand confusion with locals.