Although our focus is on an exciting new restaurant doing well in Rhode Island, it is still 2021. Therefore, the specter of the pandemic still hovers over our lives. To put it another way and to enter into the spirit of OZ Tacos & Tequila in Lincoln, one can literally read the handwriting on the wall in the OZ dining room: “Toto, we’re not in Mexico anymore!”
OZ Tacos & Tequila is another unique concept from John Elkhay, owner of the Providence restaurant group Chow Fun Inc. As he continues to do well living in Florida, his creativity continues unabashed in Rhode Island. Elkhay envisioned “an ideal or fantastical place” with “an amicable blend of foolishness, innocence and freshness.” He took it a step further and decided what this place needed was “Tacos Without Borders.”
So what are Tacos without Borders?
R.I.’s uniqueness and creativity just may save the day.
They are a product of our times. In “menu speak,” the concept of OZ is “flavors from around the world.” In 2021, that takes on a new meaning. In the first couple of decades of the restaurant boom, we got to know the chefs as something more than the person in the white coat who could sometimes be heard yelling from the kitchen. Chefs became nothing short of rock stars, and it added to the image of dining out as entertainment. Then in 2020 it all came to a grinding halt. The show stopped. It was replaced by a mindset of survival. In a matter of days, it became jarringly apparent that restaurants were a vital food supply. During this time, it was laid bare that our dining experience had been created not by an individual but by a wide-ranging collection of hardworking people, many of whom toiled largely in obscurity in what the restaurant industry euphemistically called “the back of the house.” There are many who now spend their days handwringing about what went on back there, and it is the hope that a more equitable atmosphere may come out of our shared ordeal one day soon.
Once again Rhode Island’s uniqueness and creativity just may save the day. Visionary entrepreneurs such as Elkhay realized an untapped source of creativity exists in the shared experience of those who are getting the job done each day. Everyone has a good idea. Why not ask?
Andy Pyle is the executive chef of OZ. He is also the executive chef of Xaco Taco, Elkhay’s other Mexican concept located in the Jewelry District in Providence. “We [the OZ staff] were talking about all the places we have been and the experiences we have had and that includes the people that work here,” Pyle said. “Jen, one of our prep cooks, is from Puerto Rico. She wanted to bring a comfort food that meant a lot to her and her culture, so she developed an appetizer of tostones” – made from green plantains that are twice fried in a lightly spiced batter and served with aji salsa with lime, garlic and other ingredients blended in an aioli-type creamy sauce. As Pyle put it, “We’re in OZ, we can do anything we want!”
OZ Tacos & Tequila is a quirky, upbeat restaurant with a unique variety of tacos and small plates paired with whimsical cocktails and an extensive tequila selection.
The idea of a chef cooking for us is a pleasurable one, but these days it can be much more. In reflecting on what it takes for a new restaurant to succeed, it is interesting to compare what might have been a secret of success before the pandemic compared with what it takes today. Up until the spring of 2020, it was “open the doors and start cooking,” especially if the restaurant address was in Providence or Newport. Now the path to success is not as clearly marked nor can it be walked alone. Collaboration is needed.
Bruce Newbury’s radio show and podcast, “Dining Out with Bruce Newbury,” is broadcast on WADK 1540 AM and several radio stations throughout New England. Email him at Bruce@BruceNewbury.com.
