Frida

[5alive]

Absolutely awesome addition to Paseo!

[SEMIweather]

Really nice and the parking lot is exactly where the parking lot should be.

[Pete]

Gorgeous FRIDA nears completion

FRIDA Southwest, the new American/southwest restaurant and bar by Humankind Hospitality, is in the midst of training and will open later in July in the Paseo District.

An early look reveals beautiful space with lots of rustic southwestern flair.

Shaun Fiaccone heads Humankind which also operates Picasso Cafe, The Other Room and OSO, all in the Paseo.

As you enter, an open dining area is to your left and offers large windows that look out onto the Paseo Neighborhood.

An expansive oval bar is on the right and features an overhead door opening to the trellised patio with plenty of seating and an outdoor fireplace.

Bar Manager Gabbi Lee said, "The goal for the bar at FRIDA is to create cocktails that are simultaneously approachable and interesting. They are to be evocative of Frida herself; vibrant in color and flavor, sparking curiosity but also culminating memories of everyone's favorite classics."

Connected but separate, Lee describes The Daley: "A cozy mid-century art and design bar with incredibly creative libations that are daring and adventurous while providing neighborhood bar hospitality. Hemingway himself would have loved to drink here."

The Daley also has its own attached patio.

Chef Ryan Parrot on the menu: "FRIDA encompasses the food and flavors of the southwest. Imagine the circumference of a plate stretching from OKC to Santa Fe to Mexico City and that's where we are."

Pepita crusted chili relleno with quinoa, heirloom beans and chipotle tomato sauce


FRIDA Salad. Coconut pepita curch and mango vinagrette.


Seabass with lobster butter and truffle corn risotto.

FRIDA and The Daley were designed by Fitzsimmons Architects on the site of a long-vacant lot.

There is also a rooftop deck that can host up to 70 for private events.

It will join several recent additions to the red-hot district, including the new Red Rooster, OSO, a remodeled Other Room, Buttermilk Sliders, Holey Rollers and Scratch. Gun Izakaya will also open later this week; more very soon on Gun.

[Pete]

This place just knocked my socks off.

Not since I first saw Jones Assembly have I been so impressed with a restaurant space. Not nearly on that scale, but just beautiful and so well executed.

[jbkrems]

The seabass with lobster butter and risotto looks amazing!

[soonerguru]

Interior looks fabulous and Chef Parrot’s description of the menu is right up my alley. If he pulls it off this will fill a real void in our restaurant scene.

[5alive]

Wow...I need to get out the dictionary and find some news words to describe this place!

[benjico]

Lots of great spaces popping up in the Paseo!

[Mr. Blue Sky]

This looks very impressive. General question about the Paseo District: What is the crowd demographically these days? College? Young? Old? I remember when Paseo was the "aging hippies" hangout. I'm really curious about the demographics now.

[Ross MacLochness]

^^go down there, have a nice dinner on a patio, and find out

[Pete]

Paseo has a great mix. And even with the new, shiny places there are still plenty of the old stand-by's that have the old Paseo feel, like Picasso and Sauced and The Other Room.

I suspect the newer places will start to pull more people. Get ready for the parking complaints.

[Rover]

Paseo has a great mix. And even with the new, shiny places there are still plenty of the old stand-by's that have the old Paseo feel, like Picasso and Sauced and The Other Room.

I suspect the newer places will start to pull more people. Get ready for the parking complaints.

But I’m already hearing from long time Paseo goers that they think they are being displaced. They don’t necessarily say gentrification but that’s what they mean. The newer places aren’t like the cool funky places that have resided there for years. I fear soon the cool little independent art shops will be displaced as rents escalate.

Wonder where the next organic real art area will be.

[Laramie]

Impressive structure, should add to improve the Paseo District; this district has always been so unique. Especially charming during the late 60s & 70s era.

[snark0leptic]

So we were fortunate enough to get in to the soft opening last night and spent some time in both Frida and The Daley. Pete had mentioned it before but this place is beautiful and should definitely be on a list of places to go. I hope you don't mind amateur pictures, because there are going to be a few.

Frida

The interior is spacious and relaxing and we were arrived at a time where you could see the transition into evening. Because of how the building is oriented, there were no errant shafts of light catching any of the restaurant patrons in the eyes. We sat at the bar as we didn't have an official seated reservation time. The music wasn't overly loud as to drown out conversation and the bartenders were attentive and helpful with drink recommendations. I ordered the Purple Rain cocktail and it was quite possibly one of the best cocktails I've had. I don't envision Frida as a place I'll frequent regularly since the prices can be a little high for being in a regular rotation, but I'll strongly consider this drink every time I do go.

Our small group each chose a different appetizer and meal to try out multiple dishes at once. The Seafood Empanadas were a highlight and have earned the prominent spot on their menu. For our main courses, we split the Sea Bass, Tenderloin, and the Pork Belly & Scallops. All of the dishes were fantastic however the seafood overall was a bit too salty by itself, but mellowed out when paired with the sides such as the risotto. They do offer to-go boxes in case your eyes are bigger than your stomach but they com in one large size only right now and we found that the portion sizes would be solid if you're not trying multiple meals between people at once.

The Daley
After our meal we decided to check out the speakeasy attachment, The Daley, through a connecting hallway that also houses the bathrooms. Side note, the bathrooms are monochromatic with traditional gender designations, which seemed odd since there are so many other beautiful color palettes throughout the restaurant to work with.



The space is very relaxing and I could see us frequenting this side more than Frida, especially with the experimental cocktails being made over here and future possible events that could be held here. It was around this time that remembered that pictures of full menus tend to help out more than a review of a few dishes.

I settled on the Scotchy Scotch Scotch, but was a little underwhelmed by it. The table agreed that it was a little too sweet and tasted like drinking a cherry found in a Manhattan. I'm sure they will tweak their ratios and add new drinks whenever they come up with an interesting new combination.

Overall this place is great, but not an every day or maybe not even a once a week type of restaurant for me. I'm looking forward to the next anniversary/birthday or out of town relative to take them to Frida for seriously good food in a great atmosphere and show a little bit of what OKC's food culture can be.

[Pete]

^

Wow, thanks for the review.

They plan to open to the public on Friday.


It's just a gorgeous and unique setting.

[snark0leptic]

No problem, I've lurked around OKCTalk enough that it's probably time to actually contribute.

Also I'd like to amend the appetizer to the Seafood Tamales, I didn't catch this in time to edit the post, plus other odd typos.

[okatty]

Went last night and I will second the excellent review provided by snark0leptic above. We thought Frida was fantastic. My wife's Salmon was the "best she has ever had." The Tamale appetizer might have been my favorite. Really top notch experience and a fantastic place for OKC. Really a great night.

[Pete]

Went last night and I will second the excellent review provided by snark0leptic above. We thought Frida was fantastic. My wife's Salmon was the "best she has ever had." The Tamale appetizer might have been my favorite. Really top notch experience and a fantastic place for OKC. Really a great night.

How was the crowd?

[Ross MacLochness]

I walked by last night around 8 and it seemed very full and lively. It looked beautiful from the outside in!

[okatty]

I walked by last night around 8 and it seemed very full and lively. It looked beautiful from the outside in!

You should have waved Ross! It's very nicely done. We had reservations but there were a few spots at the bar on and off all evening. May not be that way on weekends but last night wasn't too bad.

[TheirTheir]

Everything I have eaten at Frida has been absolutely terrific, including cocktails. I would venture to say it is the best restaurant in the city right now.

[Timtoomany]

I think the Daley might be my new favorite drinking place in town. Brian Fitzsimmons did a great job with the whole building but the fitout of the bar is great; it's refined but cosy. Their wine list is left-field but that's no bad thing.

[Pete]

^

The Daley is a great little spot and Frida continues to get rave revenues.

[MadMonk]

My wife and I met some friends here on Friday night. We started out at The Daley for pre-dinner cocktails. It's a very small, intimate setting so finding a seat when it's busy might be a challenge. But it makes it a great place for conversation at a reasonable decibel level. I didn't go for one of the fancy cocktails as that's not my thing, but a couple friends took advantage of the $8 martinis for happy hour.

In the restaurant, we were seated promptly at our reserved time. Our waiter was very knowledgeable of the menu and seemed genuinely excited to tell us about each dish we asked about as well as a couple off-the-menu specials. He even proudly explained how the unique plates are sourced locally.

Pre-dinner bread and cornbread fingers were brought out while we decided what to eat, which was a tough decision as everything sounded great. Our group decided to try the short rib empanadas and the tuna tartar for appetizers. The empanadas were delicious and I could have made a meal of those alone. The tuna was served on a spicy whipped avacado base. It was tasty, but I couldn't taste much of the tuna.

Against my better judgement, my wife convinced me to try the Southwest Caesar Salad. It wasn't bad for what it was, it's just that I am a traditionalist when it comes to a Caesar salad. I realize that "southwest" is their thing, but some things don't need to be messed with. I tried it and just don't prefer it. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

Moving on to the main course, I went with the sea bass entree, my wife decided on the smoked chicken pasta. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the sea bass. It was perfectly cooked, delicate, and the lobster buerre blanc complemented it well. The accompanying risotto was rich & creamy. Although I thought it was a safe but boring choice, my wife's dinner turned out to be surprisingly great. It is easily the best chicken pasta dish I've ever had. I was shocked at how good it was (and no, that wasn't from the pre-dinner cocktails). The only problem was that she refused to accommodate my subsequent requests for another bite. It was seriously good.

Overall, I'd give this place a solid 9/10. The atmosphere is upscale casual; the service is friendly, knowledgeable and attentive; the menu is nicely varied without being overwhelming, and the food is both uniquely prepared and artfully presented. It was a great experience and we will be back.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Also went for the first time this weekend. Had the Queso Fundido and Pork empanadas for an app. Absolutely wonderful. We had older people in our party who are very meat and potatoes types but really enjoyed their entrees and were impressed. I had the bone-in pork chop and it was a lot of food. Drinks were good but they were out of several local beer choices.

Mayor David Holt was there having a drink at the bar with his wife. Neat little place and I will be back.