Signs of progress all over the 405 diningscape
Rococo first lit up 20 years ago; Alma and Perle Mesta flip the switch in June 2024
Two decades ago this year, Bruce Rinehart arrived in the 405 diningscape. He’d been hear a minute, but he didn’t arrive until shortly after a perfect, purple sunset and the sign for Rococo lit up for a packed house in for the friends and family service 20 years ago.
The man who built the sign remembers it with his usual mirth.
“Bruce was yelling at me all day,” recalled Larry Dean Pickering cackled. “I was delayed, and he was not happy, screaming: ‘You can’t have a restaurant without a sign!’”
Larry said he was on a lift that day as the sun sank and people crowded into the new restaurant at NW 28th and Penn for a preview service.
“We just had a perfect sunset – it was purple! And I plugged the sign into that extension chord and prayed.”
The result was spectacular.
“That was really something,” Rinehart recalled. “People applauded. What a beautiful moment.”
Last Thursday, that original sign along with menus through the years was on display at aVenue, the catering company operating in the original building under the Rococo umbrella at 28th and Penn. Bruce and his wife/partner Amber hosted a cocktail party there to warm up for festivities due later the same evening on Western.
There, a throng packed Rococo inside, on the patio and spilling into the back parking lot where extra tables and chairs were set up. A band played on the patio, a special menu was served but most importantly a dunk tank was set up out back raising money for a local pet charity.
Sean Cummings was first to go up, I was third and Joe Dorman was the anchor man. But the highlight of the dunk tank portion of the evening was when Rinehart took the ball with chef Kurt Fleischfresser in the tank.
It took Bruce two warm-ups to find the strike zone, but find it he did. Meanwhile, the dining room was stuffed like a Christmas goose, the patio was popping and summer held off its just enough of it’s full fury so folks didn’t sweat through their skivvies.
Congratulations to Bruce and Amber on 20 years. It’s been a helluva ride for sure. This year, while the business has been spectacular, Bruce has faced a bout with cancer. Maybe he was running on pure adrenaline Thursday, but Bruce’s energy was fantastic. He is on a short break from treatment, but they will continue again soon. So far, so good.
Perle Mesta is open!
With nary a preview service under its belt, chef Andrew Black’s dream restaurant opened this morning inside The Skirvin Hilton Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. Opening night for Perle Mesta, named for an iconic Oklahoma City socialite, was booked solid weeks ago in anticipation of this news offering from the 2023 winner of the Best Chef Southwest award from the James Beard Foundation.
This is Black’s first self-funded venture, and he is thrilled, nervous and confident about the restaurant and what he calls it’s Possibility Cuisine. Chef Black talked about it extensively for The Food Dood & Friends podcast and in a recent newsletter post.
Perle Mesta is open daily in the Skirvin. I’ll have my first chance to check it out on Sunday. Look for first impressions shortly after.
Alma is open!
Speaking of opening without nary a preview service, chef Zach Hutton and his wife/partner Kayla launched their new concept Alma on Friday under the same conditions. Zach, who grew up in Apache, named the restaurant for his grandmother. The 2021 Beard semifinalist’s new stomping grounds were long the home of Ludivine before.
Alma takes good advantage of the space’s strengths. Ludivine was a beautiful restaurant with one of my favorite dining rooms. Zach and Kayla have simply deep-cleaned and added polish. The chef counter is still alive and well, and the bar space immediately becomes one of my favorites in town.
We stopped by on Saturday for dinner, and I have reservations for a return on Tuesday. In the meantime, here’s a look at the menu.
And here’s a first glance of the food and drink, some we tried (charred okra, watermelon gazpacho, shortrib dolmas, strawberry gazpacho, cornbread-stuffed quail) some we didn’t (oysters) plus some very nice cocktails. Dessert is definitely on the agenda when I go back Tuesday.
The Bear roars back for season 3
Now is the perfect time to become a premium subscriber. On one hand, it’s a great way to support a local business that makes it it’s business to cover local businesses. On the other, The Bear returns to FX and Hulu on Wednesday, and I will have my first review of the new season of episodes this Sunday for premium subscribers.