James Beard winner Chef Andrew Black to open Perle Mesta June 24

Andrew Black, the 2023 James Beard Winner for Best Chef: Southwest, is set to bring a fourth concept to Oklahoma City with the opening of his newest restaurant on June 24.

Perle Mesta will be in the historic Skirvin Hotel at 1 Park Ave., where Black got his Oklahoma City start, and named for the legendary hostess and daughter of the hotel's original proprietor, William Skirvin. The restaurant, however, will also differ from Black's other concepts.

"When you go to Gilded Acorn, it's the one you wake up, you drink some coffee, eat some pastries and stretch a little and you're at Gilded Acorn. You go to Black Walnut, it's loud, vibrant, you're rubbing shoulders with who knows who. And then you go to Grey Sweater and they slow you down a little and take you on this journey," Black said. "And Perle Mesta is over here saying, 'I created all of you. I created all of you and now I'm going to take it to another level and the level is possibility. What is possible?'"

More: 'Is it daring enough?': James Beard finalist Chef Andrew Black imagines the possibilities

The restaurant will offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner service featuring cuisine Black expects to use to explore "the endless possibilities of ingredients, flavors, techniques, and cultural influences." From a "reimagined fish and chips" that actually features lamb belly and okra, to roasted eggplant and salted caramel ice cream, the menu at Perle Mesta will invite guests to try familiar items in new ways with unique twists.

"The food is food you recognize, just done with an absolutely different take on it," Black said.

Perle Mesta will also take familiar concepts like Sunday brunch and high tea and change the expectations for them, Black said. Sunday's Best brunch will harken back to a time when people dressed up for brunch on Sunday, while a modern take on French style high tea will feature different options than Black's services in the past.

The restaurant will also feature a full bar — serving a full slate of non-alcoholic drinks, an extensive wine collection, collectible liquors and craft cocktails, including the signature "Call Me Madame" named for the play inspired by Perle Mesta and the "Hostess with the Mostess" named for the term coined for Perle Mesta — alongside the main dining room and three private dining rooms.

For Black, who worked at the Skirvin in the mid-2000s when he first landed in Oklahoma City, to now return to the hotel and prepare for the opening of a restaurant he owns within its walls is surreal.

"Everything is on my shoulders now. It's me and every crease and crevice and nook is everything that I wanted to be in here. There's nothing in the space that I don't want to be in here. Everything is truly what I want in the space, the story that I want to tell with the space," he said. "To have my name on the door now, I've dreamed a lot of things, but I didn't dream of that."

Reservations for Perle Mesta are live and can me made via OpenTable. Visit https://perlemesta.com/ for more information.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Everything we know about Andrew Black's latest OKC restaurant