BEMIDJI 鈥� A new elevated dining and drinking experience is about to unfold when the Blue Oyster opens later this month in the historic Elks Building, now known as the Fourth Street Lodge.
The restaurant and bar, owned by Keng Dechawuth, is located on the second floor at the corner of Fourth Street and Beltrami Avenue, with large windows overlooking downtown streets.
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The windows were installed as part of a large renovation project by building owners Dechawuth, developer Mitch Rautio and local banker Carl Johnson. They鈥檙e designed to mimic the windows that were part of the original design when the Elks Lodge was constructed in 1916.
鈥淚 am happy to have a restaurant in my own building,鈥� Dechawuth said. 鈥淭he community has been quick to accept new things. We have had good support from the community.鈥�
The Blue Oyster is the latest in a string of restaurants that have been opened in recent years by Dechawuth. A native of Thailand, he and his wife, Farah, moved to Fargo in 2004 to enroll in Ph.D. programs at North Dakota State University, where Farah鈥檚 brother was a professor.
Farah completed her doctoral studies in industrial engineering. Keng did not; instead, he embarked on his first business venture. He and his father-in-law, the late David Scheer, opened the Thai Orchid restaurant in Moorhead in 2005. He later opened Drunken Noodle and Wasabi in Fargo.
Keng came to Bemidji in 2016 and opened Tara, a Thai restaurant, at the urging of Carl Johnson, who was his banker in Fargo-Moorhead. Keng later opened Wasabi and Slurp Ramen in Bemidji, along with KIN Asian Market, and eventually sold them to his managers. He lives north of town in Puposky, where he operates the Puposky Pearl mushroom farm.
Keng also owns a Blue Oyster and Chick N Rice in Brainerd, and a Drunken Noodle in Crosby, Minnesota.
The Blue Oyster鈥檚 menu will feature a combination of Thai and American dishes, including burgers, pasta and small plates. Mushrooms from Puposky Pearl will be prominent in some of the recipes.
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鈥淲e will offer both American and Thai food, but we don鈥檛 do 鈥楢mericanised鈥� Thai food,鈥� Keng said. 鈥淲e will offer something different from what we offer at Tara. It鈥檚 going to be something new, but the flavors are going to be authentic.鈥�
The Blue Oyster will also cater events at the third-floor Loft Event Center.
Keng said the Blue Oyster鈥檚 bar will offer Asian-inspired cocktails. A large, curved bar resembles one that was in the same spot when the Elks Lodge occupied the space. An old photo that is hanging on the wall near the kitchen shows that Elks bar.
Rautio said he expects the restaurant to be an ideal spot from which to view the Night We Light and Fourth of July parades.
鈥淕uests will have that elevated dining experience that is very unique,鈥� he said.
After the Blue Oyster opens, Keng said he will move forward with plans for a Chick N Rice restaurant on the street level of the building. Once plans are approved, Rautio鈥檚 Back Country Construction and Development will remodel the space at 110 Fourth St. NW that was most recently occupied by Your Mom鈥檚 Tattoo Atelier.
For updates and menu details follow
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The Trust Project
