Ludivine Grows Up
Chef Russ Johnson seems content and relaxed in the bar of his new restaurant. It’s actually still his old restaurant, Ludivine, which has been helping to change the Oklahoma City culinary scene for nearly nine years, but it’s now housed in a new location just a few blocks away from its former longtime home on Hudson Avenue.
It’s mid-afternoon in the lull between lunch and dinner services, just before the downtown happy hour crowd arrives. Although the new location has just recently opened, it already has that comfortable, lived-in vibe. Maybe it’s all the old photographs and paintings hanging on the wall, but there’s a timeless feel that makes it seem as if Ludivine had just been here all along.
This is all even more impressive when you consider that the entire move could have been a terrible mistake. People have their habitual spots, and when you go out and change things up, you can lose some regulars.
“I had more concern than I had vision,” Russ explains, speaking to his initial thoughts on the new building. “I had more concern that it would be too great a challenge to achieve any significant level of continuity between the old space and what it would have to be in the new space. The buildings are so totally different. Totally different styles, totally different time periods, different layouts.”
The new location, located on NW 10th Street, formerly housed an architecture firm, and from the outside, it looks unassuming, almost more like a dentist's office than a restaurant.
“My brother told me it was a terrible mistake, and then he told me the other night, ‘I have zero nostalgia for the old place,’” Russ laughs. One lap through the space, with the expanded patio, low-lit bar, and vibrant dining room, is enough to remove any hesitation over whether they made the right decision.
Architect Brian Fitzsimmons took on the job of creating a place that was evocative of the Ludivine vibe while also refining the sensibilities. As someone who has been a regular to the restaurant since they opened, he was personally invested in protecting the core feeling and intimacy of the restaurant. A private dining room that comfortably seats twenty-four guests was also added because in the old space, the only way to get a large party booked was to rent out the entire restaurant.
“This is an improved Ludivine,” Russ emphasizes. “I was cognizant and sensitive to people’s attachment to the old space. I didn’t want them to feel that was no longer there, but I did want it to be improved. For lack of a better term, it’s more grown-up.”
The move wasn’t just about having some new decor, however. Ludivine had been stunted for years with their kitchen space. Any diner who had the opportunity to eat at the old counter and watch the busy kitchen couldn’t help but notice that not only was it busy, it was tiny.
That little elbow-to-elbow nook was where nearly all the day’s prep went down. Guests would ask Russ when he planned on adding lunch service, and he would have to chuckle and wipe his brow at the thought of his team utilizing a space like that for two services worth of food prep a day. With the current building, Ludivine was able to expand their kitchen facilities and hire new staff to accommodate all the extra work that needs to be done.
“We went from being a five service-a-week restaurant to a fourteen service-a-week restaurant, which was a big change,” explains Andy Bowen, who is Ludivine’s general manager. They used to only be open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner only, aside from a few flirtations with a brunch menu and Monday burger nights, which are now permanent staples alongside daily lunch service.
Guests coming in to eat at noon will enjoy the same quality they’ve come to expect at dinner. “It’s not like we have one set of ingredients for lunch, and one set of talent for lunch, and a different set of talent and ingredients for dinner. It’s the same ingredients and same level of talent cooking your lunch for a third of the price,” Andy accentuates.
Along with adding new members to the team, Ludivine was able to retain all of their existing staff. Chef de cuisine Shannon Goforth is still at the helm, maintaining the focus on fresh, quality ingredients that are prepared well. The same friendly front-of-house staff is there to guide longtime patrons through the expanded wine list and food menu. That continuity is important to re-establish a new home, especially after such a large move.
Aside from expanding hours, the new location allows Ludivine to do more in the kitchen. Not only is there more space for prep, but additional tools for the cooks also. They’ve already added a smoker, steamer, and a crepe machine, and are also setting out to be the first restaurant to be licensed to do their own in-house charcuterie.
“We needed to come out of the gate doing whatever the most that we would ever want to do, we needed to start with that,” Russ maintains. “There’s going to be a lot of focus and attention on people checking us out, seeing what’s different, what’s the same,” he continues. “And if that moment we’re still doing the same thing, people will say, ‘Oh, it’s just a new space but they’re still doing the same thing.’”
The name and the ethos may be the same, but Ludivine has a brand new bag.
320 NW 10th Street, Oklahoma City
