It looks like we have a name and some menu items.
Durant expands reach into restaurant business | Business | Oklahoma County News (http://oklahomacounty.kfor.com/news/business/99976-durant-expands-reach-restaurant-business)

It looks like we have a name and some menu items.
Durant expands reach into restaurant business | Business | Oklahoma County News (http://oklahomacounty.kfor.com/news/business/99976-durant-expands-reach-restaurant-business)

A hookah room!? That's pretty sweet...

A hookah room!? That's pretty sweet...

A hookah? You mean a streetwalkah?
;)

The food at Toby's is actually a near-carbon-copy of the menu at Red Rock Canyon Grill, with a few minor additions/subtractions. The main menu difference between the two is that the portions are larger (and prices slightly smaller) at Toby's. If you like RRCG, you would like Toby's.

If what you said here is accurate, then apparently there is little to no control over the "Toby Keith" brand.

I attended a little "Family B-Day Get-Together up Nord" at what is apparently the only "Toby Keith" franchise in "The Cities" (Min/StP) and what hit the plate at that location was more like a poorly-managed Fridays/Chiles than Red Rock Canyon Grill on its worst day. Including cooking stuff over charcoal burners, by the lake, in the parking lot right after the fire.

Red Rock Canyon Grille cannot be justifiably dissed.
I trust the same will be true of Durant's.
Unlike the "Harden's" that will inevitably "break ground" across the street. =)

Construction begins on KD's restaurant | NewsOK.com (http://newsok.com/construction-begins-on-kds-restaurant/article/3723943)

If what you said here is accurate, then apparently there is little to no control over the "Toby Keith" brand.

I attended a little "Family B-Day Get-Together up Nord" at what is apparently the only "Toby Keith" franchise in "The Cities" (Min/StP) and what hit the plate at that location was more like a poorly-managed Fridays/Chiles than Red Rock Canyon Grill on its worst day. Including cooking stuff over charcoal burners, by the lake, in the parking lot right after the fire.

Red Rock Canyon Grille cannot be justifiably dissed.
I trust the same will be true of Durant's.
Unlike the "Harden's" that will inevitably "break ground" across the street. =)

different ownership and different menus and various toby Kieth's

kd is a 25% equity partner

The menu for KD's restaurant sounds interesting, and is different from anything else in the area. I think. I have been to Toby Keith's just once and can't remember the menu. Whatever was on it, I wasn't really inclined to go again. I've always thought Red Rock's food was very good so I'd be surprised if the menu at Toby Keith's was the same. However, it might have been the atmosphere that turned me off - can't remember.

Well, believe it or don't believe it, but I know both places well and for many years have also known the GMs of both places. Essentially, they took recipes from RRCG (the steaks, meatloaf, rotisserie chicken and Caesar salad, for instance are basically identical), added some Toby-inspired flourishes (calf fries, fried bologna, etc.) and introduced them to a new customer. The menu has obviously had additions and subtractions through the years, and I do know that they had to dial up portions and dial down prices to make the typical TK customer happy, but the two places still have substantial menu and flavor similarities.

I understand it might go against the grain of some here who can't abide the thought that their relatively upscale lakefront open-kitchen place might (gasp!) share similarities with the cretin-frequented feed trough they appear to think TKs must be, but it's the truth. Just because food was cooked in a display kitchen doesn't make it taste better.

Just because the food was cooked in a display kitchen doesn't make it taste better.

I seem to think this is the problem when a lot of people post talking about restaurants... People think before they go in that they are going to get a great meal, and so regardless of whether it is or not, they come out saying it was. I'm very particular about who i ask for recommendations of restaurants when i travel, just for this reason.

Hey, I'm not representing that either place (TK or RR) are covering new culinary ground. They mostly only aspire to be fresh and tasty comfort food in an environment that appeals to their respective clientele. In the case of RRCG that means a really picturesque lakefront location, great sunsets, stylish interior that actually aged pretty well for a place built in the '90s (I understand from a friend who serves as AGM there that the fire has afforded them the opportunity to do some modernizing/updating). In the case of TK, the folks going there are more appreciative of the roadhouse feel with lots of TK memorabilia and the impression that a great live country song might break out on stage at any minute. Neither experience is more valid than the other; environmental taste is completely subjective. There's room for everybody at the table.

What TK's is NOT is the overpriced, crappy food you find in most entertainment/entertainer-themed establishments. It's actually worth eating, if you're in the mood.

If Anthony Bourdain comes to visit me and wants me to show him around the food scene in Oklahoma City, I won't likely take him to either place, but I also wouldn't hesitate for a second to take out-of-town friends or family there and proclaim them Oklahoma favorites. What both places do well is provide (in my experience) fresh-tasting comfort dishes that are a major step above national chain places they probably most directly compete with, like Chili's, Texas Roadhouse, Outback, etc. They also enjoy a high degree of consistency.

Yesterday Hal Smith suggested KD's will probably fall somewhere between those places and (perhaps) Mickey Mantle's Steakhouse, and if that is how it turns out I think it will be a great and appropriate addition to Bricktown as a brand and as a dining choice.

What urbanized said about the food is what I thought when I first ate at TK, that it was very similar to RR, just maybe a little less fancy. However it's been a couple years since I've been to TK so not sure if much has changed

http://static.npaper-wehaa.com/pub-files/12293670174946a6e9878be/pub/OKCBiz-January-2013/lib/135602048950d33b09c844e.jpg

December 27th, 2012 - Kelley Chambers okc.biz

Durant's Dish (http://okc.biz/oklahoma/article-6618-durants-dish.html)

Co-owned by the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant and the Hal Smith Restaurant Group, KD’s is slated to open by fall

The Hal Smith Restaurant Group and Thunder star Kevin Durant plan to invest $5 million in construction of KD’s, a Lower Bricktown restaurant branded with Durant’s initials. Smith says that, barring unpredictable Oklahoma weather, he expects the restaurant should be completed and open by fall.

Durant plans to be on-site often at the 10,000-square-foot restaurant, which sits along the Bricktown Canal between Toby Keith’s I Love this Bar & Grill and Earl’s Rib Palace. It will be worth Durant’s while to be there because he is not just lending his famous name to the eatery; he will own 25% of the business.
“He doesn’t get a royalty. He’s an owner. He’s an equity player,” Smith says. “If we make money, he makes money.”

What might help with that endeavor will be the presence not only of Durant, but also of his famous friends. Don’t be surprised to see LeBron James or Kobe Bryant dining on some honey-dipped fried chicken, stuffed catfish with crab, slow smoked southern ribs, or chicken and shrimp jambalaya.

“I’ve told all my friends in the NBA whenever they come in town next year or so to come by KD’s,” he says. “They’re all looking forward to it as well.”

Durant can’t run the show since he does have a day job. And Smith has about 60 restaurants in seven states. So they brought in Joe Jungmann, from Paseo Grill and Sauced, to operate the new eatery.

^^^ That's cool in so many ways. And given how KD is, I'm sure he means it as well.

Of course, it's good business first and foremost. Since he's a co-owner (and not just lending his name, as many have assumed) he has a stake in the success of the restaurant. And the possibility of having a KD encounter will do wonders for the place. I mean, you know so many folks will head down there in the hopes of seeing/meeting the Thunder star up close -- tourists and locals alike. What a draw.

It also shows how serious Kevin is about committing to the OKC area, promoting and boosting its downtown. Of course, he's already been promoting OKC for a long time, but this is on another and more personal level.

Great to hear Kevin say this.

Oh, and speaking of Kevin Durant promoting OKC...

Big League City Commercial | OKC Central (http://blog.newsok.com/okccentral/2013/01/03/big-league-city-commercial)

Yay to Joe Jungmann! Good guy and good operator.

Agree completely. Joe will be a great asset for Bricktown.

Shouldn't the status on this be changed to under-construction?

Shouldn't the status on this be changed to under-construction?

Besides the ground breaking (which is extremely ceremonial and not really when ground is actually broken), dirt has not moved on this site.

Besides the ground breaking (which is extremely ceremonial and not really when ground is actually broken), dirt has not moved on this site.

That's kind of bizarre. Look, I know that ground breakings are media events, but they are supposed to correspond, more or less, to the beginning of construction. If you have a ground-breaking a month or more before absolutely anything starts... well, it just turns the whole notion of a ground-breaking into meaningless baloney.

That's kind of bizarre. Look, I know that ground breakings are media events, but they are supposed to correspond, more or less, to the beginning of construction. If you have a ground-breaking a month or more before absolutely anything starts... well, it just turns the whole notion of a ground-breaking into meaningless baloney.
It's more of a milestone for the people who worked behind the scenes planning and designing and investing in the project. Signaling its finally not a paper project anymore and will be tangible.

Oh, and speaking of Kevin Durant promoting OKC...

Big League City Commercial | OKC Central (http://blog.newsok.com/okccentral/2013/01/03/big-league-city-commercial)

Oh, is that what was going on along Robinson and Park? Might we see an actual Durant sighting?

There's a rendering that was recently posted to the LowerBricktown facebook page:

http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/841302_10151093004853039_886128874_o.jpg?dl=1 (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151093004853039&set=a.10150983723423039.377486.248578348038)


I don't think we've seen this exact one before, although it's obviously just a different angle from the same design shown earlier, as in this rendering released several months ago:

http://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/r960-54cf6055d00aedbb387a8203f0343fec.jpg

The Kevin Durant restaurant is extremely disappointing for such prime real estate.

Quote taken from the Candlewood Suites thread, lol....

Anyway, I think the design of this restaurant is a whole lot better than a much more former famous restaurant at this address:

500 N. LaSalle
Chicago, IL

Quote taken from the Candlewood Suites thread, lol....

Anyway, I think the design of this restaurant is a whole lot better than a much more former famous restaurant at this address:

500 N. LaSalle
Chicago, IL

Forgive me, but what are you talking about here?

Forgive me, but what are you talking about here?

I only phrased it that way so that whomever read my post would research the address in a surprise discovery ;)

I only phrased it that way so that whomever read my post would research the address in a surprise discovery ;)

Which I did, only to find a sandwich chain...

Which I did, only to find a sandwich chain...

MJ

500 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, IL, 60610 - Free Standing Bldg Property - Off-Market on LoopNet.com (http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/3905778/500-N-LaSalle-St-Chicago-IL/)

Which I did, only to find a sandwich chain...

Jimmy Johns - and to be honest, it is still a way better building than KDs.

You're suggesting that a renovated 125 year old three story building in the middle of Chicago is worse than a single level pad develpment in Lower Bricktown?

I do think that this development looks much better than what was originally proposed... but putting a pile of poo on a plate and putting parsley next to it might make it look better than it first did, but it still poo

You're suggesting that a renovated 125 year old three story building in the middle of Chicago is worse than a single level pad develpment in Lower Bricktown?

The audacity!

The audacity!

I just wanted to clarify your position. I don't hate the KD design for what it is, and if all suburban pad developments looked like this, Edmond would be a much prettier place, but it will not be there to be renovated in 125 years. I think develpments downtown should be built to last.

I just wanted to clarify your position. I don't hate the KD design for what it is, and if all suburban pad developments looked like this, Edmond would be a much prettier place, but it will not be there to be renovated in 125 years. I think develpments downtown should be built to last.

this is exactly how i feel aswell

You're suggesting that a renovated 125 year old three story building in the middle of Chicago is worse than a single level pad develpment in Lower Bricktown?

The newer renderings are better than what was originally proposed and compared to the MJ restaurant, the only thing that made that location stellar was the accolades associated with the superstar himself by the time it took off. To me, it looks awfully gaudy in the link provided. I went to Chicago for my high school senior trip at the beginning of Summer '97 and I don't remember it looking like that. I'd much rather enjoy the KD spot if it truly comes away the way it has been envisioned.


I do think that this development looks much better than what was originally proposed... but putting a pile of poo on a plate and putting parsley next to it might make it look better than it first did, but it still poo

What would you prefer then? Deer droppings?

I would prefer a multi story building that is mixed use (perhaps have a couple of floors of apartments, and a non ground floor level of retail) and have it sit closer to the water, and to fully utilize the prime space that it is going to be sitting on, rather than looking like a building that could be sitting anywhere else in OKC. If this were going in Midtown, or Classen Curve, or up on Memorial, i would love it... but it is going to be on the canal, in Bricktown, our attempt to revitalize, what OKC used to be, and making a spectacular entertainment district. I want something that stands out as an example, something we can point to and say that represents OKC, and where we want to go...

think of it in this theme... Kevin Durant is a wonderful spokesman for OKC, so is the Thunder... it has shown the rest of the country that we are much more than they thought we were. since the restaurant is named for him, why can't that development do the same thing?

and maybe what i would prefer of a multistory mixed used building isnt the right idea to get that accomplished... but neither is the development that they have come up with

I would prefer a multi story building that is mixed use (perhaps have a couple of floors of apartments, and a non ground floor level of retail) and have it sit closer to the water, and to fully utilize the prime space that it is going to be sitting on, rather than looking like a building that could be sitting anywhere else in OKC. If this were going in Midtown, or Classen Curve, or up on Memorial, i would love it... but it is going to be on the canal, in Bricktown, our attempt to revitalize, what OKC used to be, and making a spectacular entertainment district. I want something that stands out as an example, something we can point to and say that represents OKC, and where we want to go...

think of it in this theme... Kevin Durant is a wonderful spokesman for OKC, so is the Thunder... it has shown the rest of the country that we are much more than they thought we were. since the restaurant is named for him, why can't that development do the same thing?

and maybe what i would prefer of a multistory mixed used building isnt the right idea to get that accomplished... but neither is the development that they have come up with

I could not agree more!!! OKC has the most mundane/ unimaginative looking architecture (aside from Devon Tower) of any major city (?) I have ever visited

Is it built yet? &

I would prefer a multi story building that is mixed use (perhaps have a couple of floors of apartments, and a non ground floor level of retail) and have it sit closer to the water, and to fully utilize the prime space that it is going to be sitting on, rather than looking like a building that could be sitting anywhere else in OKC. If this were going in Midtown, or Classen Curve, or up on Memorial, i would love it... but it is going to be on the canal, in Bricktown, our attempt to revitalize, what OKC used to be, and making a spectacular entertainment district. I want something that stands out as an example, something we can point to and say that represents OKC, and where we want to go...

think of it in this theme... Kevin Durant is a wonderful spokesman for OKC, so is the Thunder... it has shown the rest of the country that we are much more than they thought we were. since the restaurant is named for him, why can't that development do the same thing?

and maybe what i would prefer of a multistory mixed used building isnt the right idea to get that accomplished... but neither is the development that they have come up with

THAT!! Couldn't have said it better.

Not a bad design for OKC, but it is horrible for Downtown OKC!!.

Is it built yet? &No, but it has been approved after 2-3 redesigns and awaiting construction. Also take into the fact that hell was raised with the original design it "improved" somewhat.

I could not agree more!!! OKC has the most mundane/ unimaginative looking architecture (aside from Devon Tower) of any major city (?) I have ever visited

So you're actually going to call OKC a major city? Maybe you aren't as negative as you always seem. LOL

No, but it has been approved after 2-3 redesigns and awaiting construction. Also take into the fact that hell was raised with the original design it "improved" somewhat.

As others have pointed out, the first design lowered the expectations so low that people were happy with a slightly-less-terrible design. Good strategy by Hogan, but it's still a crappy development for that spot.

So you're actually going to call OKC a major city? Maybe you aren't as negative as you always seem. LOL

Duh, the question mark means I question the major city moniker being applied to OKC

Went to Fuzzy's Tacos today for lunch (which was really good), noticed dirt work as begun on this project, with construction fence up, and earth mover on site.

Went to Fuzzy's Tacos today for lunch (which was really good), noticed dirt work as begun on this project, with construction fence up, and earth mover on site.

That's good to hear.

I was down there Sunday and noticed the same thing. The fence has taken a few of the prime parking spots in the lot to the south of the space. I can imagine there will be a few complaints about that.

Construction Starts on Kevin Durant Restaurant | OKC Central (http://blog.newsok.com/okccentral/2013/02/20/construction-starts-on-kevin-durant-restaurant/)

From Sid:

http://www.facebook.com/ajax/messaging/attachment.php?attach_id=77551a982a73c42be6d5d626b 2b469b3&mid=mid.1361478464922%3A0e408943ca3b37d577&hash=AQBfek9cJmFfM4Iv

http://www.facebook.com/ajax/messaging/attachment.php?attach_id=d65f1b11026a64d70f040a302 7d9c863&mid=mid.1361478430907%3Aac4e58781adcc3ab46&hash=AQAXWGYHfD4fSeqe

Mention of this project on Savoy Network:

Kevin Durant announces plans to bring upscale Southern dining to Oklahoma City | Savoy Network (http://savoynetwork.com/kevin-durant-announces-plans-to-bring-upscale-southern-dining-to-oklahoma-city/)

http://savoynetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Image-2-25-13-at-10.37-AM.png

Is anything happening on this? Any dirt flying?

pretty sure they started a week or two ago

Yes, dirt is flying. Walked by last week. Didn't get a pick...

Yes, dirt is flying. Walked by last week. Didn't get a pick...

How about a shovel?

How about a shovel?

I would have asked for a backhoe...

3573
Today, by me

Thats just my breakfast^^^ My bad, here it is lol
3574

Thats just my breakfast^^^ My bad, here it is lol
3574

hopefully you got further along with your breakfast this morning than they are with this project!

your breakfast was far more impressive than their dirt waffle.

From today, 4/7
3612

THAT!! Couldn't have said it better.

Not a bad design for OKC, but it is horrible for Downtown OKC!!.

It fits with the standard that has been set in Lower Bricktown however. Lower Bricktown is suburban and has been since Bass Pro was allowed to plop in a standard big box right on the canal with surface parking up to the canal's edge. More of this stuff is going to be built until ordinances are enacted to require denser, more inspiring architecture in Bricktown. It's the same thing we are fighting with the Staybridge Suites.

The new KD restaurant isn't that bad looking though and is far from the worst looking construction on the Canal.

...More of this stuff is going to be built until ordinances are enacted to require denser, more inspiring architecture in Bricktown. It's the same thing we are fighting with the Staybridge Suites...
This statement is not accurate. People seem to have the most difficult time understanding that Lower Bricktown (everything south of Reno) and Bricktown itself are separate entities with separate guidelines and oversight. Bricktown proper has very stringent guidelines regarding setback, use of materials and other issues. Those guidelines are what forced the Holiday Inn Express, for instance, to be built at zero setback and almost entirely of brick. Same for the two hotels going up along Sheridan. If the Staybridge Suites prevails with its suburban design, it will be in spite of the guidelines and likely thanks to a Board of Adjustment ruling.

LOWER Bricktown, OTOH, has no specific design oversight, other than the OCURA board, who awarded the land to the developer. It is effectively a shopping mall, and operates under its own rules in many ways.