Zahidah and Bill Hyman pose in their new Keo restaurant at 91st Street and Yale Avenue. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World
Zahidah and Bill Hyman’s two-year project to open a second location for their Keo restaurant finally is drawing to a close.
They plan to open the restaurant at 8921 S. Yale Ave. at 11 a.m. Monday in the new Tuscana on Yale shopping center.
“We signed the lease two years ago this April, but we were working on it before that,” Bill Hyman said. “Construction of the new shopping center hit a slowdown because of the economy, but we finally are going to get open.”
The Hymans opened the original Keo in Brookside in 2007, with Zahidah working the kitchen and Bill handling the front of the house.
The menu features a variety of carefully crafted Southeast Asian dishes with touches of East Indian and French.
The menu recently received a makeover with new dishes such as Vietnamese spring rolls, Thai beef salad, pan-fried ramen, Khmer noodles, Korean short ribs, red curry udon and hamachi salad.
“We’ve already rolled out that menu in Brookside,” said Zahidah, who was born in Cambodia.
She said Keo has had many customers from south Tulsa who do not like to make the drive to midtown and encouraged her to find a spot in their area.
“We looked farther south, but this is about as far out as we want to go,” Zahidah said. “This area is great. Plus, it probably will be the middle of town some day, if it isn’t already.”
She pointed out the intersection soon will have other new eateries and food stores, including Yokozuna, Whole Foods Market and Russo’s Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen (national-chain newcomer). Ri Le’s Vietnamese restaurant has been established there for many years.
“That is only going to help us,” Bill Hyman said.
Zahidah said she plans to rotate from store to store, and a team has been established for the new restaurant.
Cory Chang, whose mother owns Golden Gate restaurant, has become a partner of the Hymans and will manage the new restaurant. Sam Pacheco, a veteran of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and Wolfgang Puck Bistro, will be chef.
“Sam has been working with us for six months, and we’ve been training a lot of other Asian chefs to staff both restaurants,” Zahidah said.
Other than having the bar area sectioned off from the dining room, the new Keo will look a lot like the original – same art on the walls, same style of furniture and light fixtures.
It also will have two semiprivate banquette tables and patio dining.
Hours will be the same as the Brookside restaurant, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
