Bienvenue, Café Cuvée! French Bistro Opens Doors in OKC

On August 16th, the stylish French bistro and neighborhood eatery called Café Cuvée (pronounced Koo-VAY) will officially began serving the general public from its Midtown location at the Ambassador Hotel Oklahoma City, Autograph Collection.

Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as weekend brunch, Café Cuvée has crafted a set of menus that combine the best in authentic French cuisine while being inviting, approachable, and a place for friends and families to gather and enjoy a unique dining experience in downtown Oklahoma City.

For Paul Coury, CEO and founder of Coury Hospitality, the restaurant and hotel management company that owns and operates both the Ambassador Hotel and Café Cuvée, the vision that the French bistro needed to be fun not fancy, hip not hi-end, was clear from the absolute beginning.

“Sometimes you have to break the mold and redo something to make it even better and more successful than it already is,” explains Coury.

“We loved the success of Viceroy Grille, but we felt it was time to step up our game by bringing something new and exciting with approachable French fare to the Oklahoma City market.”

Oklahoma native and culinary legend Kurt Fleischfresser joined forces with Coury to ensure the successful transformation from the popular Viceroy Grille into a neighborhood French-style bistro.

Fleischfresser, who is also Culinary Director at Coury Hospitality, has dedicated his decades of experience in menu development and restaurant design to create the perfect symphony of flavors and spices at this friendly new neighborhood bistro and wine bar in Midtown.

Café Cuvée’s kitchen will be led by rising star Chef Taylor Desjarlais, whose gastronomy career began with a 2.5-year chef apprenticeship under Kurt Fleischfresser at Oklahoma City’s iconic Coach House restaurant. It was here that he learned to master a diverse array of techniques and cuisines, including authentic French food. His stellar performance and exceptional creations led Chef Desjarlais to be named sous chef at one of Oklahoma’s top fine dining restaurants, Vast, before his appointment as Executive Chef at Café Cuvée.

Together, the two have created the sauces, flavors, and presentations to convert Café Cuvée into one of the top dining destinations in Oklahoma City.

“It’s going to feel like a small café in Paris with truly authentic dishes,” explains Chef Fleischfresser.

For his part, Chef Desjarlais is adamant in ensuring that the guests feel welcome and comfortable not only in the restaurant but with the menu as well.

“Many people think French cuisine is pretentious and inaccessible,” he explains.

For this Oklahoma City native of French heritage, however, it’s simply not true.

“It reminds me a lot of southern food at its roots,” explains Chef Desjarlais.

“Good portions, simple ingredients, and rich sauces. It can be very humble all the way to the most high-end meal.”

Owned and operated by Coury Hospitality, the Ambassador Hotel Oklahoma City, Autograph Collection, is a high-end boutique hotel located in the heart of downtown Oklahoma City. Historic yet modernized, the Ambassador Hotel Oklahoma City, Autograph Collection is uniquely located within the beautifully renovated Osler Building. Still retaining its 1920s boutique charm, our building was previously used as a medical facility before being transformed into our luxurious hotel. The upscale, art deco Ambassador Hotel is 1.5 miles from Chesapeake Energy Arena and 1.8 miles from the Bricktown entertainment district.

The Autograph Collection is a group of boutique hotels from across the world handpicked for their founders’ passion, thoughtful design, and unique details. It showcases some of the world’s most beautifully orchestrated hotel experiences with an emphasis on the unconventional. For more information, visit autograph-hotels.marriott.com.

Known for historic renovations tying updated elegance to old glory in the form of boutique hotels, Coury Hospitality was formed in 1999 as a division of Coury Properties. Coury Hospitality’s portfolio now includes four hotels in the Ambassador Collection (Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Wichita), Colcord Hotel in Oklahoma City, CopperWynd Resort in Scottsdale and Hotel Metro in Milwaukee. Several more hotel projects are underway in Minneapolis, Carmel (Indiana), as well in Grapevine and Amarillo. Additionally, Coury Hospitality manages six restaurants, two bars, one spa and unique spaces for events of all sizes. For more information, visit couryhospitality.com.