From the sublime to the ridiculous
Classic French Fare Smacks; New Fancy Mex lacks
A couple of weeks ago, we published Jared Gleaton’s review of Fait Maison in Edmond, and I wanted to second Jared’s opinion of the work chef Olivier Bouzerand has been doing in the 405 diningscape since November of 2017. I’ve eaten at Fait Maison five times since it opened, and the last visit might’ve been my favorite.
The previous four times we dined inside, trying both the tasting menu and ala carte options. This was my first time dining on the patio where we enjoyed a dinner for two under the stars from the bistro menu chef Bouzerand offers when the patio is open. (Yes, patio season has passed outside of the tropics.) The Le Bistro menu is less formal, but no less immaculately executed. We opted for three of the four first courses offered plus a cheese course for dessert.
Baked escargot was served in the style of Burgundy meaning it arrived in the shell bearing a delicious payload of garlic and parsley butter. We also enjoyed classic French onion soup with baguette croutons and Comte cheese. My personal favorite was the Oeuf en Meurette, which is ah egg poached in red wine and served with bacon, croutons, mushrooms and more red wine sauce. More red wine sauce? Yes, please. Why? Because of the bread. Plenty of bread – all made in house – some for sopping, some for buttering. Bread tied all the treats together with the help of even more red wine. Rose, actually. This time in a glass rather than a sauce.
The cheese assortment with chutney was no less satisfying an no less ideal to pair with even more red wine. The patio menu does include second courses, we just never made it that far. Doesn’t mean you can’t. Would love to try Olivier’s Croque Madame. The Scallop, sea bass and lobster bisque also sounds divine. Classic Cordon Bleu and Steak Frites are on the menu due to Edmond’s interpretation of French law.
Once the weather breaks for patios — could be next week, could be April — don’t think twice about a trip to Edmond. If the UCO Jazz Lab has a show scheduled, it’s a short walk up the sidewalk.
That meal at Fait Maison represented the divine side of my last two meals in the 405 diningscape. Unfortunately, my maiden voyage to Tequila Chulo’s balanced it with some ridiculous.
A friend joined me for dinner at Tequila Chulos in northwest Oklahoma City a few weeks after it opened. Restaurant vets James Vu (La Brasa) and Stelen Covel (405 Burger Bar) partnered to refurnish and reimagine the space one home to The Shack and Spinozi’s. They did an amazing job on the space. Mea Culpa for the lack of photos of the atmosphere because it was, by far, the best take away from that initial experience.
Vu and Covel are both proven operators, so I’m confident the room for improvement the food showed will be solved by the time I go back. The menu is ambitious, and that ambition appears to have gotten in the way of good execution.
Things started out just fine with a nice house margarita. The bar menu has an extensive selection of tequilas, but I wasn’t there for shooters. Started with the basics to check the foundation, and it was solid when it comes to hooch. Chips and salsa were a little OG, but then so am I. No problem.
We started with ceviche, and that was a mistake. Offering ceviche in a town with good Peruvian restaurants lurking is dangerous. Vu has a Peruvian-adjacent restaurant in La Brasa. His original partner, Niel Zambrano, made incredible ceviche when he had Inca Trail. His sister still does at Zamabrano’s Peruvian Restaurant in Edmond. But the Tuna Ceviche we tried at Tequila Chulos was not fantastic. Typically, fish is “cooked” or marinated in citrus. This version invited soy sauce to the party. That’s usually a good invite, but in this case it made for mealy tuna and a murky after-taste. Pass.
We also tried the Elote appetizer, which didn’t boost our spirits. Two massive cobs of corn arrive slathered in crema and cotija cheese arrived on sticks. Not terribly convenient for a shareable appetizer. Described as a grilled corn on the menu, it clearly was not roasted over fire. This corn was pre-cooked, likely in a pot of boiling water, then marked on a hot grill before they were sauced and served. Meh.
We shared a couple of entrees, the Chile Relleno and Carnitas Estilo Michoacan.
The chile relleno was the clear winner, though it kind gave me lasagna vibes. Chicken was among the ingredients stuffed into a brawny poblano chile before it was battered and fried. Saucy, cheesy, messy, and ultimately more bulk than memorable bites, it had kind of a hubcap-sized-chicken-fried-steak vibe. If you like a chicken-fry, this might be the dish for you. I recommend a trip to Kendall’s in Noble instead.
The Carnitas, purportedly in the style of the Mexican state of Michoacán, was a really over-seasoned head-scratcher. First off, Carnitas – in Michoacán of any other place, is hunks of pork braised in pork fat until it’s fork tender. Then the heat is cranked and those hunks are deep-fried in the same fat for crispy edges.
Tequila Chulos version purportedly comes with braised pork shoulder and pork belly. What arrived was pulled pork dipped in way too much chile then tossed on a sizzling platter. Next to it were thick slices of bacon, pork belly technically, that was definitely fork tender. The consistency reminded me of meats cooked in a pressure cooker. Like the pork shoulder, the bacon was over-seasoned.
Ironically, the beans, rice and even the chile relleno were the opposite of over-seasoned. My dinner guest, a restaurant vet of two decades plus, observed: “I’ve never had a meal with such a stark discrepancy in the seasoning — either over-seasoned or under-seasoned.”
Couldn’t disagree. The menu includes $240 fajitas and a market-price ribeye, but if they can’t get the $26 pork fajitas right, I can’t see going any bigger.
As I mentioned earlier, the bar is beautiful, the drinks were good and the chips and salsa were solid. When I’m in the mood for shooters, this place will be ideal. Of course, I might need a time machine to take me back to the Naughty Aughties to find a convenient time for shooters.
The dining room was packed, which is a good sign, and like I mentioned the space is beautiful. Don’t let my rough experience stop you from trying it. Would love to hear from anyone who’s been and had a great experience. The space and the reputation of the operators make it worth a second shot.
I will be back in the 405 diningscape this month, and in need of some dinner reservations. Akai is definitely on my list, thanks to Jared Gleaton’s review, and the newly reimagined Nonesuch intrigues me. Let me know where else I ought to go.
Gone but not forgotten
Condolences to The Metro Wine and Bistro family. Chef Dave Leibold, longtime contributor to Chris and LaVeryl Lower’s iconic bistro and wine bar in Nichols Hills, passed away on Dec. 2. Leibold was 51.