Coming Midtown upgrade made from Scratch

GHST Restaurant and Bar scares up a dynamic duo from the Paseo

Chef Zach Hutton and his wife Kayla Shenold are no longer in the Paseo serving locally source comfort food and craft cocktails, but they will soon haunt Midtown. Zach is bringing the skills that made him a semifinalist for a James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist to Midtown while Kayla aims to make the original home of The Bar at Ludivine a standard-bearer once again.

Zach and Kayla go to work in Midtown on Dec. 1 when they take over GHST Restaurant and Bar, but first he will bring his skills to The Bradford House for a one-night collaboration with chef Caleb Stangroom. Last month, Stangroom was joined by Veronica Zelada of Café Kacao as part of his guest chef series. This month’s collab with Hutton is Tuesday. If you want to join some of the city’s top chefs for dinner get your tickets here. When I sit down for dinner on Tuesday, it will mark the fourth time I’ve eaten at Bradford House in the last couple of months. My enthusiasm for the meals I’ve had there has moved it ahead of some other restaurants up for review. I’m a brunch away from completing my survey of the menu.

Stangroom’s eye for detail and passion for broadening his culinary point of view whilst simultaneously honing his skills has him producing some of the most exciting food in the city.  He came to the 405 diningscape to work with the talented chefs here who’d caught his attention.

A new lounge for Butcher BBQ

Earlier this month, I went tailgating with chefs Danny Bowien, Jeff Chanchaleune and Kevin Lee before the Bedlam Game in Stillwater. Many of you likely saw the pictures on social media. It was a gorgeous day in Stillwater, though Sooner fans likely remember it as gray and miserable. On a crisp, sunny morning we constructed a pair of Gozney ovens in sea of orange then pumped out a variety of tailgate-friendly items.

Danny flew in from New York with chef Patty Lee and a young videographer named Diego to shoot footage for Gozney of the Bedlam tailgate. But first, Danny took Patty and Diego on a tour of the 405 diningscape. I caught up with them on the Friday before Bedlam in Wellston at The Butcher BBQ Stand where Levi Bouska had killed the proverbial fatted calf.

I came for the barbecue, but stayed for a tour of Levi’s brand-new lounge, which opens next month.