Besos de Mezcal

[Pete]

Mezcal and taqueria concept coming to Deep Deuce

Deep Deuce is set to get Oklahoma's first mezcal bar, Besos de Mezcal.

Slaughter's Hall is set to close its doors this Sunday after a near 4-year run at 221 N. Central.

In its place and within 2 weeks, the space will reopen under the new concept.

Proprietors Jarrod Holley and Martin Barrett will be running the show and have teamed with the current owners of Slaughter's Hall, the Littlepage Group. The plans are to keep the great bones of Slaughter's but give it a much different look with large and vivid art displays, new seating and other changes.

Besos de Mezcal is Spanish for 'mezcal kisses', which is a Mexican expression meaning the strong, smokey spirit is meant to be sipped slowly. Known as 'tequila's father' the name mezcal is a rough translation of “oven-cooked agave” which refers to a distilling process that involves clay pots.

Made generally produced in the Mexican province of Oaxaca, it is made from the agave plant but for several varieties, not just the blue agave that is used for tequila.

Besos will offer 40+ mezcal offerings, all served with traditional sal de gusano salt and an orange slice and meant to be sipped at room temperature to best reveal it's smokey flavor. They will also offer flights and talks to educate people on a drink rapidly gaining popularity in the U.S.

In addition, over 100 tequilas will be offered along with standard well drinks and Mexican cervesa beers. Margaritas will be on tap along with a few other varieties along with sangria.

Holley said the food will be similar to a traditional taqueria with simple, flavorful street tacos with a variety of traditional proteins offered at reasonable prices as well as chips, salsas, cerviche and chicharrones.

[Martin]

didn't tamazul style themselves as a mezcal bar?

[wsucougz]

Jeff Besos?

[stile99]

Jeff Besos?

Probably looking for a stiff drink after this morning's AWS failure. Kinda ironic...do this whole big deal about Alexa losing her voice, then a few weeks later, Alexa loses her voice.

[Urbanized]

Sounds great, although I'll probably stay away. I had a couple of really bad tequila experiences in my youth and now even a whiff of the stuff makes me a little bit queasy. Also, drinking it makes me fighty. My go-to joke is that if I drink tequila, SOMEBODY is gonna get their ass kicked. It might be ME, but it is definitely going to happen to somebody.

[shawnw]

I truly hope this works, but personally I would have preferred Slaughter's if for no other reason that its neighborly feel, which I'm not sure is feasible with this concept. If it ain't broke... though maybe it was...

[Pete]

I truly hope this works, but personally I would have preferred Slaughter's if for no other reason that its neighborly feel, which I'm not sure is feasible with this concept. If it ain't broke... though maybe it was...

It was totally broke because their business dwindled to almost nothing.

I go in there probably more than anyone and it was almost always very empty.

[shawnw]

Roger. I had only been about a half dozen times and all those times were decently crowded.

[Pete]

I did all I could! I held 2 OKCTalk get-togethers there, had a sandwich named after me, met friends there all the time (including some out-of-towners) and spent a bunch of money.

It had a 4-year run which is pretty good in many ways. I am really going to miss that place and hope to get by there this weekend.

[Pete]

Besos de Mezcal is open.

Hours are 11-2AM every day; kitchen stays open until midnight.

[Pete]

Stopped by last night. They still have lots of artwork and finishing touches to come (lighting, signage, etc), but it's a cool place and even though they are on a limited menu for another week or so, the street tacos I had were pretty darn good.

[OkiePoke]

Do they have anything for chips & salsa/guac?

I envision this place to drink good tequila/mezcal and snack on some good food.

[Pete]

Yes, they have salsa and chips, queso and chips and a dip trio (not exactly sure what that is). Also have nachos and ceviche plus the street tacos.

This is just the temporary menu which they'll be fleshing out.

[borchard]

My wife and I went there Sunday and Monday. Love the concept. Great tacos

[AP]

I'm glad I stopped by this thread. My wife and I went last night and had a pretty subpar experience. I wasn't aware they had a temporary menu. The tacos we had were all very dry and plain. I had the Carnitas, El Pastor, and Barbacoa and without exception, they were all bad. The service was the same type of service I was accustomed to at Slaughter's Hall. Very slow and lackadaisical. My wife and I decided last night it wouldn't be worth our time to go back again, but that was before I knew they were still making changes. Hopefully, they get it together.

[Pete]

New menu debuted today:

[Pete]

[Pete]

From their Facebook page:

When we set out to open Besos early this year, our goal was to create a space that people would feel comfortable in and build friendships, relationships, and memories that would live on forever. These last 7 months have been nothing short of amazing and I can’t even tell you the memories we’ve made.

Taco Tuesday became an industry staple instantly and tonight’s going to be no different.

Sadly, due to some unforeseen circumstances, we will be closing our doors for the last time this evening.

Please stop by and show love to the staff and help us make our last Taco Tuesday one to remember!

[dcsooner]

My two cents on these recent restaurant closings. The fact is DT OKC does not have year round critical mass of either residents or tourists to sustain the number of eating establishments open or opening. OKC is not a tourist destination like similarly sized Cities like Memphis and New Orleans. Yes, during Thunder games DT population increases however, that bump is of course season dependant.
Simply put, City is not growing fast enough to support the number of establishments proposed. I see more closings. I really hope I am wrong in my observation.

[DoctorTaco]

My two cents on these recent restaurant closings. The fact is DT OKC does not have year round critical mass of either residents or tourists to sustain the number of eating establishments open or opening. OKC is not a tourist destination like similarly sized Cities like Memphis and New Orleans. Yes, during Thunder games ST population increases however, that bump is of course season dependant.
Simply put, City is not growing fast enough to support the number of establishments proposed. I see more closings.

I disagree with the central premise of your post.

The restaurant industry in any city is cut throat and brutal. A restaurant that goes under is more common than one that lasts for a generation. Even in cities with "critical masses" of residents and tourists like Chicago and New York if you opened a phone book from 20 or even 10 or 5 years ago you'd see a bunch of restaurants that no longer exist.

Churn is the rule in foodservice.

[Pete]

And it's also true the spirit of collaboration is largely gone in OKC, especially in restaurants in bars.

It wasn't that long ago that everyone was welcoming to a new place, as there was the need for critical mass that would help everyone.

Now, that seems to no longer be the case. If someone proposes something new, for the most part people already in the market perceive getting a smaller piece of the pie.


I would also say the general spirit of collaboration seems to have eroded in most other businesses in OKC for the same reason. But at the same time, it's survival of the fittest and a sign the city is maturing.

[bchris02]

My two cents on these recent restaurant closings. The fact is DT OKC does not have year round critical mass of either residents or tourists to sustain the number of eating establishments open or opening. OKC is not a tourist destination like similarly sized Cities like Memphis and New Orleans. Yes, during Thunder games DT population increases however, that bump is of course season dependant.
Simply put, City is not growing fast enough to support the number of establishments proposed. I see more closings. I really hope I am wrong in my observation.

I know you live in North Carolina but when was the last time you were in downtown OKC? While I think this city still has a ways to go when it comes to getting a critical mass of residents in the urban core (especially south of 10th st), it has come a long, long way compared to just a few years ago. The restaurant/bar closings are natural and are to be expected as the city matures. 10 years ago downtown OKC was so underserved when it came to quality bars and restaurants compared to other NBA cities it was mind-numbing. Now, there is a flood of entrepreneurs opening concepts and not everyone is going to be successful It's survival of the fittest and is a good thing. Notice that it's rare that the popular places close and if they do, it's typically for some reason other than because of lack of business. Poorly-managed concepts simply won't make it here these days and it's something everyone should be thankful for. It encourages more competition among the survivors and as a result, everyone ups their game.

[dcsooner]

I know you live in North Carolina but when was the last time you were in downtown OKC? While I think this city still has a ways to go when it comes to getting a critical mass of residents in the urban core (especially south of 10th st), it has come a long, long way compared to just a few years ago. The restaurant/bar closings are natural and are to be expected as the city matures. 10 years ago downtown OKC was so underserved when it came to quality bars and restaurants compared to other NBA cities it was mind-numbing. Now, there is a flood of entrepreneurs opening concepts and not everyone is going to be successful It's survival of the fittest and is a good thing. Notice that it's rare that the popular places close and if they do, it's typically for some reason other than because of lack of business. Poorly-managed concepts simply won't make it here these days and it's something everyone should be thankful for. It encourages more competition among the survivors and as a result, everyone ups their game.

I was last in OKC 5 months ago and intend to return over the holidays before or just after the first of the year (I desire to see how well the streetcar is embraced). Although I am from Lawton, I always spend two full days in OKC to get a feel for the change that is unquestionably occurring. The City has made great strides over the past 10 or so years in so may areas. Restaurants do come and go in every city and I concur today the options for dining at all levels is exponentially better. The destruction of our DT via Urban Renewal and sprawl to over 600 sqare miles really hurt DT density and vibrancy and therefore businesses like restaurants or clubs.

[Urbanized]

Besides the operator issues that have taken down some places, I think that Deep Deuce (specifically 2nd Street) is challenged by not being a major thoroughfare with high visibility. I have stated this before many times here and elsewhere, but if you consider most of the places that have had success beyond the initial honeymoon period, almost all of them (nearly without exception) are on high traffic count streets. Think about it. Reno. Sheridan. Classen. 10th. Robinson. 23rd. 16th. Walker. Paseo. Tons of visibility in those places.

It's one of the reasons I think the new La Baguette and its two sister restaurants on Walnut will have an easier time than do the rest of the places in Deep Deuce. They will have amazing traffic count. The two places that have had some success in DD - the DD Grill and Anchor Down - have distinguished themselves in some way. A great patio. Trivia nights. Connecting to the neighborhood. In Anchor Down's case a small footprint and low overhead. Something of that nature. Places outside of Deep Deuce that have risen above their relatively low-visibility location (that I can think of): Ludivine. Maybe The Press. What else..?

[SEMIweather]

Places outside of Deep Deuce that have risen above their relatively low-visibility location (that I can think of): Ludivine. Maybe The Press. What else..?

Tamashii has done really well for being tucked away on NW 8th. 51st Street Speakeasy as far as bars go, though I know it's not as popular as it once was.