Mamasita’s to shut its doors for good come middle of August
The city will say adios to one of its oldest Mexican restaurants next month when Mamasita’s closes its doors.
Owner Howard “Howie” Schiff opened Mamsita’s in March of 1986 at 1121 NW 63 St., taking over a space where Kaiser’s Ice Cream had a franchise.
Mamasita’s opened just as the Tex-Mex cuisine was collecting hearts, minds and palates all over the region before spreading across the country.
I’ll always remember Mamasita’s as the first Mexican restaurant I found that served black beans when I moved here in 1988. The bar is legendary for its chili potlucks for the Super Bowl.
Schiff confirmed that the last day for Mamasita’s will be Aug. 16. Get by and raise a toast to Howie and a plate of sizzling fajitas before they’re gone forever.
Grand location opens for Hideaway
Hideaway Pizza’s longawaited southern migration on North Western Avenue culminates today when the company opens a new two-story location on the northeast corner of N Western Avenue and NW 50 Street.
Sunday marked the final day of service for the store in its previous home at 6616 N Western Ave., where it opened in 1995 and endured a fire in 2012.
That location was among the first that was part of Hideaway 2, a company started with the approval of Hideaway Pizza co-founders Richard and Marti Dermer, of Stillwater, and has expanded the brand statewide and into Arkansas.
Richard Dermer passed away in 2014, but Marti still owns the original.
The new location opens today across the street from the McGuinness High School baseball and softball fields. It seats about 160 in the 7,000-square-foot building, which includes an enclosed patio, upstairs dining area and full-service bar. It’s similar to a location the company opened a few years ago in Owasso.
Thirst for a Cause returns
Tickets are on sale for the 10th Annual Thirst for a Cause, which is Aug. 15.
The event featuring 200 wines from more than 30 wineries takes place at 4040 N Lincoln Blvd. (former home of the Jim Thorpe Museum & Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame) from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
The event was started in 2009 to raise funds for employees of local, independent restaurant and bars with urgent medical needs and related expenses.
The nonprofit Oklahoma Hospitality Foundation helps collect and disburse funds collected via tickets sales, silent auction and private donations to the event.
Through these auction donations and the ticket sales, the event has raised nearly $200,000 for Oklahoma restaurant and club employees since 2009.
The mission of this event is to help employees of Oklahoma City’s independent restaurants who are in need of financial assistance due to an unforeseen medical issue. Over the years, the Oklahoma Hospitality Foundation has helped a hostess facing Stage 4 leukemia, a line cook paying for a kidney transplant, and a server with terminal cancer to pay her electric bill so she and her kids didn’t have to live in a dark house. All of these people are members of the community, and even more than that, they are members of the Oklahoma City hospitality family.
Participating Wineries include 32 Winds, Alexana, Amavi, Argot, Averaen, Blackbird Vineyards, Broadside, Carlisle Winery, Cornell Vineyards, Dalla Terra, Dana Estates, Davis Estate, Darms Lane, Day Zinfandel, Elyse Winery, Essentially Geared, Failla, French Libation, The Hilt, Hudson Vineyard, Jonata, Martin Ray Winery, Mount Eden, Owen Roe, The Paring, Pepper Bridge, Petrichor Vineyards, Raptor Ridge, Revana, Revelry Vintners, Roche-Mère, Rooted Selections, Skurnik Wines, Slo Down Wines, Spottswood Estate, Stirm Wine, Valkyrie Selections, Verity Wine Partners, Viña Cobos by Paul Hobbs, Vine Connections, Vine Street Imports, Well Oiled Wine Co., and Wines of Substance.
Local restaurants are finalizing plans to join the cause. So far, Vast, The Pritchard, Paseo Grill and Cafe 7 have confirmed. We’ll update the list between now and then.
Tickets are $75 in advance, $89 at the door. Get them by calling 942-9463 or going onlinetothirstforacause.com.
Robot uprising begins with yogurt
Local entrepreneur Kristopher Barlow came to terms with Reis & Irvy’s to purchase exclusive rights to its robotstaffed frozen yogurt chain in the Greater Oklahoma City territory.
The $5.4 million deal includes contracts for 18 initial Reis & Irvy’s locations, along with an agreement and letter of intent for an additional 102 installations throughout the metro area.
“I see the human-less economy taking shape and literally transforming how business is transacted. In order to stay competitive, it simply has to happen,” Barlow said in a news release. “I’m excited about the concept, I’m excited for Oklahomans and the future ahead.”
Stay tuned for details on the where and when humans can engage in this humanless economy and what kind of gratuity robots expect.
New dish from an old friend?
Lori and I made it over to Szechuan Bistro, 1010 W Memorial Rd., for a late dinner Friday at one of our favorite places to eat. Sophia and Leo never rest on their laurels, so what has always been an exciting, inventive menu stays fresh. Recently, we tried the sauteed potatoes with green peppers and onions and found it great two ways.
The potatoes are julienned, not unlike spaghetti squash, and served like a noodle dish. They are bright, moist with occasional neon bursts of Szechuan peppercorn.
Then we boxed up the leftovers, took them home and fried them in some peanut oil by cast-iron skillet for a crispy hash brown for two. You haven’t had hash browns until you’ve had them studded with cracked Szechuan peppercorns.
The Collective
The Collective, a new downtown food hall at NW 10 and Harvey, began its audition process over the weekend.
Owner Truong Le (Noodee, Okie Pokie) and operations manager Jenny Nguyen
(Lee’s Sandwiches) hosted 24 potential concepts for seven open slots available on the 12,600-square-feet of property.
The three-day process was hosted at the US Foods show kitchen, giving hopefuls an opportunity to present their concepts.
Among them was chef Vuong Nguyen, who is currently culinary general manager for The Gathering Place in Tulsa.
Once The Gathering Place has its seven concepts selected, they will be installed around a single bar with plenty of seating and amenities.
Look for The Collective to start soft openings in December, with a grand opening targeted for January.