Chuy’s is Coming to the Metro
The original Chuy's in Austin. A new location will soon open in Norman.
Tex-Mex purveyors beware, a juggernaut is coming from south of the border that will force you to either adapt or disappear.
And that juggernaut is called Chuy’s Fine Tex-Mex.
Anyone who knows me is aware that it’s difficult for me to enter a chain restaurant without holding my nose, but that’s not an absolute rule. Especially when it comes to the restaurant that saved Tex-Mex.
As a youngster growing up in Austin, Tex-Mex cuisine had, for all intents and purposes, run its course. The way of El Chico had proven a money could be made with recipes dumbed down and depleted by cheaper and cheaper ingredients. Buckets of beans and rice with a cheesy, greasy glob of what passed for enchiladas had become the norm, despite only a distant relationship to the root recipe.
Hubcaps adorn the ceiling at Chuy's restaurants.
But that alone isn’t a bad thing. Evolution is the way of things. However, what was being passed off as Mexican food in the late 1970s had turned the term Tex-Mex into a four-letter word that ended in u-c-k and started with y.
When Chuy’s opened in the early 1980s, the idea was to celebrate chili gravy, cheese enchiladas, crispy tacos and chili-bathed tamales and chiles rellenos. Instead of black wrought-iron grate work, red Naugahyde booths, sombrero-wearing guitarists and oversized votive candles, Chuy’s was adorned with papier-mache fish, hubcaps, and Elvis paraphanalia. The music was modern, the only thing cooler than the vibe was the margaritas. Starting in a tiny spot near Zilker Park on Barton Springs Road in Austin, the competition took notice — especially as the lines out the door at Chuy’s grew and expansion followed. Today, the original Chuy’s is in the same spot, which used to be a forgotten strip of road that connected the city park to the main artery that is S Lamar, and is the centerpiece of a hipster wonderland surrounded by trendy shops, restaurants and the Whole Foods of convenience stores.
A chile relleno from Chuy's.
Chuy’s is now a Tex-Mex dynasty with other concepts like Shady Grove and Hula Hut on their roster. What does it mean to the metro? At first glance, I’m it’ll have a Whole Foods effect on local Mexican restaurants. Just as local grocers had to up their collective game when Whole Foods arrive, so too will local cafes specializing in Mexican or Tex-Mex fare. This is not to say Chuy’s will serve the best Mexican food in town. But it will probably be the best Tex-Mex in town, and there are few enough folks who discern between the two that it will likely have a large ripple effect.
Fajitas at Chuy's.A chile relleno from Chuy's.
For places that already have good food, it’ll simply mean investing more in the decor and the bar. For those with mediocre food, it’ll be time to ramp up the menu, improve ingredients and take a step forward to distinguish themselves or look at a new career path.
Michael Hatcher, vice president of real estate and development for Chuy’s, said the Tulsa store will open on Valentines Day, and that their first site on the Western side of the state is under construction inNorman in the former Santa Fe Cattle Co, 760 Interstate Drive. Hatcher said the Norman location should open late spring or early summer and additional sites in Oklahoma City are being sought, but nothing is firmed up at this time.
Have you been to Chuy’s? What did you think? Are you excited to see it coming to town or do you think it’ll just clutter up the landscape.
Christmas Movie Munching
OK, I just dropped some top-drawer cookie recipes for Santa with more than a little help from my friends. But leading up to the big night, you’re going to want to watch some Christmas movies.
So here, in no particular order, are some movie pairings to go with cookie recipes for Kris Kringle.
1. Elf: Oatmeal Toffee Cookies. “Elf” is the Christmas movie the Cathey family watches on the Friday or Saturday following Thanksgiving. This instant classic from 2004 is easily the funniest Christmas movie ever made, with apologies to “Christmas Vacation,” ”Scrooged,” and “A Christmas Story.” Buddy answering the phone and asking the would-be caller their favorite color never ceases to make me laugh. This was the role made for Will Ferrell’s man-child schtick. Sheri’s cookies are sweet enough to satisfy Buddy’s palate and a plateful will empty on a single pass.
2. Love Actually: Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies with Green Apple Martinis. ”Love Actually” is the film Lori and I watch to mark the start of the holiday season. It’s the most adult of the mainstream Christmas flicks. There are a couple of storylines that would be extremely difficult to explain to the tots. Best advice is to send them off to sugarplum dreams before mixing a couple stiff drinks, baking some appropriately themed holiday cookies.
3. Polar Express: Eggnog Cookies with Hot chocolate. Sure the human characters in Robert Zemeckis’ “Polar Express” cast vaguely creepy eyes, but the action sequences are breath-taking — none of which is more effective than the hot cocoa scene. It’ll leave you hankering for a cup. What better cookie to pair than Nichole’s eggnog cookies. Be sure and read the book to the kiddos afterward. It strengthens the long-held adage that books used as film source material always exceed their celluloid counterparts.
4. Christmas Vacation: Apricot Almond Rum Balls. This Chevy Chase classic is little more than a series of pratfall set pieces, and preposterous plot turns. But that doesn’t mean it’s not required holiday viewing. What better way to do it with some high-octane rum balls, which will help you overlook the thin spots and amplify high points like the fried pussy cat and any scene including Randy Quaid.
5. Miracle on 34th Street: Quadruple Chocolate Knuckle-Sandwich Cookies. The sugary sweet “Miracle on 34th Street” was actually released in the spring of 1947 and went on to win an Oscar for Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle and a nomination for Best Picture. A tiny Natalie Wood signals her significant star power at an early age. Maureen O’Hara flashes her classic Irish ire. The film also depicts divorce, mental illness and commercialism in a time when none were much discussed openly. It’s frank handling of those subjects, a clever script and top performance make it a work of art. To match the richness of the film, it’s my super sweet, super rich Quadruple Chocolate Knuckle-Sandwich Cookies.
6. A Christmas Carol: Chocolate Macarons with Figgy Icing. Whether you take your Dickens in ancient black-and-white versions, in Zemeckisian high-tech motion capture, with music or without or whether your prefer an actor better known as Tom Jones, George Patton, Alistair Sim, Jean-Luc Picard, Ace Ventura, Thurston P. Howell III, The Fonz, Carl the assistant greenskeeper or Miss Fritton taking the lead role of Ebenezer Scrooge (or some facsimile), some version of “A Christmas Carol” is likely to air on your television screen this week. Do yourself a favor, and take it with some classic macarons with delicious figgy icing. If you’re looking for something savory, consider potato soup. But, please, make sure the potato is properly cooked so as to avoid the onset of yuletide-bearing apparitions.
7. It’s a Wonderful Life: Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars: When this cornball classic from Jimmy Stewart and Frank Capra used to show up on every local channel within antenna-shot during the late 1980s and early 1990s, I was known to map it out so it would air on our home television every hour of the day. My mother is still sure Stewart is the one who got away. (And I think in another life me and Donna Reed would’ve had a chance.) Anyway, Alison’s super homey, super delicious shortbread bars are the perfect compliment to this very long but ultimately rewarding Christmas classic. Thanks to Capra’s fearless editing, you’re likely to finish a whole dish of these bad boys by the time Clarence gets his wings and George reclaims Zuzu’s petals.
Wait, what? No mention of “A Christmas Story?” Well, the truth is, when I watch the TNT fixture it’s neither sweets nor turkey I crave. It’s Chinese food. No matter how late on Christmas Eve we’re watching, as the “Chinese turkey” falls victim to the turk, I can’t help but wonder if my good friends at Fortune Chinese restaurant might still be delivering. Stay tuned for some make-at-home Chinese takeout later in the week.
New Bellini’s Menu: C’est magnifique!
Beef Carpacio with arugula salad.
So, the Brothers Buthion have officially branched out by purchasing Bellini’s, which opened more than 25 years ago in the Waterford Office Buildings. The longtime owners of La Baguette Bistro in north Oklahoma City dabbled in downtown with Soleil and a second La Baguette before pulling back before full-scale construction turned the area into a war zone.
Mushroom Risotto at Bellini's.
Chef Alain Buthion, who was voted Top Chef in Oklahoma City by Readers Choice voters, said he originally intended to maintain the restaurants menu through the end of this year, but after a week decided change was needed. Now, you’ll fined two-page tour of Italy, covering cuisines from all the regions. If you’re wondering why or how a Frenchman would be interested in Italian cuisine, it’s because he did his culinary training right on the Italian border.
Seared ahi tuna with celery root slaw.
The wine list, older brother Michel said, is still under construction. He said he intends to offer the most comprehensive collection of Itailian wines in the state before too long.
I stopped by today for a tasting and was completely blown away by the offerings: seared marinated Ahi Tuna with celery root slaw, creamy lump crab meat, roasted beets and goat cheese, tomato-anchovy pizze (not pizza), mushroom risotto and beef carpaccio with arugula. It’s an inspired menu, and I can’t wait to go back for the braised pork cheeks. The seasonal menu also offers an Osso Bucco that looks formidable.
Creamy lump crabmeat with crostini.
I will have more on this restaurant makeover in January. The bottom line is, the market’s Italian cuisine just got a lot stronger. The addition of Stella Modern Italian in 2009 bolstered things. Recently chef Jonathan Krell took over the kitchen their for Brian McGrew, who left for the Governor’s Mansion and eventually Cafe 501 on Classen Curve.
Cathy Cummings’ Vito’s Cafe is still king (or queen) of rustic, family style Italian in the style of St. Louis/Kansas City/New York City, and chef Christine Dowd’s Trattoria il Centro, long under siege by the aforementioned jackhammer brigade, is still among the best restaurants in the city, but the new Bellini’s will doubtlessly find a niche for a refined, upscale dinner on the city’s northside.
Bellini’s, 6305 Waterford Blvd Suite 100, is open for lunch and dinner daily, check their website for details.
Have you been by the new, improved Bellini’s? Let me know what you thought.
Pretty Nice Little Saturday
The Pokes play Friday night and the Sooners on Saturday night, so local football fans will have a chance to plan what the scholar Frank the Tank — as portrayed by Will Ferrell in “Old School” — calls a pretty nice little Saturday.
I will be at American Propane, 7401 Broadway Ext., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the filming of the Bedlam Tailgating Showdown. You can get the early scoop on whether Cowboys or Sooners prevail in this year’s event.
Otherwise, you can check out 11-year-old chef Remmi Smith, who will host a free cooking class at Metro Appliances & More, 220 NE 150 St., in Edmond from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Chef Remmi was recently honored by The Century Council in Washington, DC. as one of the ‘top 20 People to Watch” in the country. The award was presented to her by fellow recipient and Olympian, Apollo Ohno.
Her career began two years ago as a result of her interest in childhood obesity. In addition to hosting her own local television show on Cox Cable’s access chanel, her signature Italian dressing in now in stores in Oklahoma City and Norman.
Her television show,” The Culinary Kid,” airs on Cox Cable channel 3 on Saturday mornings at 11:30. Remmi encouraged kids to take her C.H.E.F Challenge, which is to Cook Healthy and Exercise Frequently.
As you can see, it’s a big opportunity so don’t waste your energy streaking to the quad tonight.
Tucker’s, Muppets agree: It ain’t easy being green.
Kermit T. Frog was the first to admit it wasn’t easy being green, but A Good Egg Dining Group’s corporate chef, Robert Black, agrees.
That’s because the newest AGE concept, Tucker’s Onion Burgers was recently designated a 2-star Certified Green restaurant by the Green Restaurant association.
Tucker’s scored 128 points, exceeding the GRA’s 100-point minimum to gain the designation. Points are earned via rigorous guidelines, including a minimum of 10 points in each of the following: Energy, Water, Waste, Chemicals, Food, Disposables, and Building.
How did Tucker’s go green?
- Salvaged the ceiling panels from the previous tenant
- Using Green Pest Control Company
- Paperless payroll for employees
- Energy star Lighting for 59% of the bulbs
- Using ionized water to clean instead of toxic chemicals
See here for details of all the steps and points Tucker’s Onion Burgers has completed, and see the full Certification standards here.
Chef Black said the real difficulty comes next year when the restaurant must exceed this year’s score by at least 10 points to maintain it’s, umm, green card. (Don’t tell Randy Terrill!)
Black did say Tucker’s simple menu definitely helped as the percentage of locally sourced products is one of the standards. So, the lack of a crab, shrimp or lobster sandwich definitely helped.
Meanwhile, Tucker’s is doing great business in its first few months of business. So good, in fact, chef Black said a second Tucker’s location should be in the offing for 2012. A little birdy tells me it will be “north” of the current location on NW 23 and Hudson, “but not too far north.”
Wondering how close it will be to the new Smashburger due to open soon on the corner of N. Penn and Memorial, where Harrigan’s once lived.
Meantime, point your carbon footprints toward Tucker’s if you’re hankering for an onion burger as environmentally guilt-free as it is Oklahomacentric.
Have you been to Tucker’s yet? Let me know what you thought.
Red River BBQ Shootout Tonight
Leo's turned in the winning plate of ribs for Oklahoma at the Red River BBQ Shootout
DALLAS — If you’re headed for Dallas today and can’t wait until Saturday morning to get your Red River Rivalry on, you might happen to downtown Dallas for the first-ever Red River BBQ Shootout.
The Red River Shootout Party starts at 5 p.m. in the Main Street Garden, 1920 Main Street. Oklahoma City icon Leo’s BBQ will be on the pit today representing Oklahoma versus Cousin’s BBQ of Fort Worth, cooking for Texas.
Pitmaster Charles Smith earned the right to fight for Oklahoma in a preliminary competition on Thursday night, besting Elmer’s of Tulsa and Van’s Pig Stand of Shawnee. Smokin’ Joe’s Rib Ranch and RV Park was scheduled to compete but had to drop out at the last due to an emergency.
Cousin's kept its presentation simple, but the ribs were perfectly cooked.
Cousin’s narrowly defeated famous Black’s Barbecue from Lockhart, Baker’s Ribs and Big Daddy’s from Wylie, Texas.
I was fortunate enough to be a part of the preliminary judging, which was done blind. Samples were brought to the tables unmarked by wait staff and scored without consultation with the pitmasters. Leo’s scored highest for Oklahoma, Cousin’s scored highest for Texas.
So Smith will vie for bragging rights and $1,000 this evening. The winner will be decided by People’s Choice. Cousin’s has a pretty good advantage, so if you’re a Leo’s fan who will be in Dallas for the big game, you might happen over to this preparty to show your support for the iconic barbecue joint, which has seen it’s share of hard times in the last year.
Leo’s has reopened its doors to it original 36th and Kelley location, but the downtown spot is closed. I’ll be sharing more information about Leo’s next week in Mood, but for now come on down and get some of that good hot barbecue sauce.
Winner will be announced at 8:30 p.m. by Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings. Live music will be provided by three bands, including Oklahoma veterans The Damn Quails at 5:30 p.m.
See you there.
Foodie Film Feastival: Gluttony
It’s only fitting that after I ate my way through the fair yesterday, that we come to gluttony. No episode of “Man v. Food” has ever illustrated it better than the late, great John Belushi in the classic raunch-fest, “Animal House” — the comedy that changed its genre forever. By the way, this scene is a real helper for Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon fans.
“Se7en” hit on the subject, though with not a shred of joy. And the Foodie Film Feastival is all about the celebration of food and film. Hope to see you there tonight.
Foodie Film Feastival: Some Like it Hot
Food and film work together on screen and off. Dinner and a movie is an entity unto itself. And what’s the point of dinner and a movie? In the basest terms, an interlude to intimacy.
Today, I’ve pulled a few scenes where food, film and sex combine for a tasty and titillating result. Above you’ll see Tom Jones, as played by young Albert Finney, seduced over poultry much the way Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway played chess in “The Thomas Crown Affair.”
Below, Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger use food as foreplay in “9 1/2 Weeks.”
More subtle is the passion between star-crossed lovers Tita and Pedro in “Like Water for Chocolate” but with no different result. (Please excuse the lame dubbing)
Hope to see you at the Foodie Film FEASTival, which starts Thursday and runs through Saturday.
Foodie Film FEASTival: Flavor on the Screen
“Big Night” is my favorite food film. There might be better ones, but this one is my absolute favorite. I remember watching it on DVD with great friends Anne and Guido Ferlo, who lived through the time period depicted and hailed from New York. Louis Prima was no stranger to them, neither was the food.
As for this succession of scenes, you had better be prepared to eat. Call Vito’s, Trattoria il Centro, Rococo, Sophabella’s, Benvenuti’s, Stella Modern Italian, Bellini’s, Flip’s or Papa Dio’s. Whatever your favorite Italian restaurant, make reservations now because you are going to want some in 7:53.
Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott combined to make this independent film in 1996, a truly great food film. Ian Holm steals the show but in this montage you’ll see Isabella Rossellini, Minnie Driver, Tony Shalhoub, and Marc Antony.
Hope to see you out at the Foodie Film Feastival on Thursday.
Foodie Film FEASTival: Scenes from a Kitchen
And so the first-ever and hopefully of many Foodie Film FEASTival begins Thursday at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Film curator Brian Hearn has a great line-up of films planned for us this year, starting with “El Bulli: Cooking in Progress,” then “Soul Kitchen,” and “The Trip.”
Check in with me Wednesday for more info about those films. Meanwhile, to mark the occasion, I will be dropping some of my favorite film scenes that center around food here on the blog.
I’ll start with a true classic. Ang Lee’s “Eat Drink Man Woman” is about a chef/restaurateur who cooks lunch for his daughters every Sunday. The film begins with those preparations. The scene is a balance of precision, poetry and terror as we watch this craftsman create art. Filmmaker Ang Lee uses this opening to lay the foundation of the film, which is a father’s love. We see the ferocity and devotion of this father’s love in one simple meal.
A remake called “Tortilla Soup,” starring Hector Elizondo, changes the family from Chinese to Hispanic and the opening intercuts the preparation with introductions to the daughters. That method stops the device cold. There is a music of the kitchen, and we need the whole song to best understand the founding character. On the other hand, I’d rather eat the food from “Tortilla Soup!”
Check back tomorrow for another scene, and I hope to see you at the FEASTival.
