Ah, research, it's a tough job but somebody has to do it. And so I had lunch at Cheever's on 23rd Street in Oklahoma City. It's in a historic building -- built in 1927 for Cheever's Florist, a company that is still in business (12236 North May) and still owned by the same family. When the building was sold, the trademark Cheever's name stayed on the building and it was turned into a great little restaurant owned by the Good Egg Dining Company. Heather and Keith Paul, and Sean Ray, who founded the company, also own Red Prime Steakhouse, Iron Starr Urban Bar-B-Q, and Market-C (more about that later).
Robert Black is the executive chef for the entire restaurant group -- and he is a genius. I fell in love with his cuisine several years ago when he was executive chef for the Museum Cafe at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Ryan Lawson is executive chef at Cheever's. So there was a lot of experience behind my lunch!
My friend Melyn and I started with the bread basket as soon as it hit the table. It contained four dainty dinner rolls -- delicately flavored with rosemary and thyme -- served with a little tub of butter protected by a round of parchment with a scrolled C on top. My entree was Mixed Seafood Tamales -- chunks of lobster, shrimp, halibut and scallops with black beans and corn over a sweet potato masa tamale and topped with an ancho cream. Was it good? It was all I could do to keep from licking the plate!
The whole Weight Watchers thing kept me from ordering dessert but didn't keep me from going next door to Market-C and salivating over the choices. Market-C, which opened late last fall, was originally a Phillips 66 filling station. I'd guess -- but I don't know -- that it's about the same vintage as Cheever's. Good Egg has paid homage to the past with the traditional green and orange Phillips 66 color scheme.
1 comment:
Oh my. That carrot cake looks so decadent! Sounds like a lovely place. I just love the title of your post. Very clever.
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