Agreed! Good to see you too!

Do not go to R&J with large parties.

I believe capacity is 32, incredibly small...

It's 32 or 34, somewhere in there. And more on the patio. But yeah, bad idea to show up with 10 people. If you have a big group, Bleu Garten is right across the street.

3 of us went Saturday night around 8. Had cocktails and waited about an hour and a half for a table. (Absolutely no problem with that - it was our choice to wait and the cocktails were good.) Heard almost everyone on the patio complaining about service (one reason we waited on indoor seating).

Unfortunately, it went downhill from there. Our waitress had lost her voice and given the volume of the restaurant it was impossible to communicate - and why was someone so obviously not feeling well waiting tables?!?!. Ordered the shrimp and hushpuppies, two lobster rolls, lamb burger, mac and cheese, R&J potato, pound cake, and brownie sundae.

The good: mac and cheese, hushpuppies
The mediocre: shrimp (boring/bland), potato (boring/bland), lobster roll (way too saucy)
The bad: pound cake (too hard and dense, even for pound cake/bland)
The ugly: lamb burger, brownie sundae

Needless to say, it wasn't worth the wait. I had talked up the lamb burger to a companion because when I had it at Ludivine it was one of the best burgers I'd ever had. This one was so salty it was inedible. During dessert, they brought out the banana pudding instead of the brownie sundae and even though they realized and acknowledged their mistake before it reached the table they still placed it in front of us like they expected us to take it (I hate banana). When they finally brought the brownie sundae the brownie was so hard it was virtually impossible to get a bite - if you were lucky and tried really hard you might get a shaving off the edge with the spoon. Too bad because it actually had good flavor. Service speed was fine, and the waitress kept our drinks full, but there was no communication or checking on the food (maybe because of her voice?) and when we tried to flag her down - particularly about the burger - we had no luck. The entire experience was disappointing and not worth the time or the cost.

3 of us went Saturday night around 8. Had cocktails and waited about an hour and a half for a table. (Absolutely no problem with that - it was our choice to wait and the cocktails were good.) Heard almost everyone on the patio complaining about service (one reason we waited on indoor seating).

Unfortunately, it went downhill from there. Our waitress had lost her voice and given the volume of the restaurant it was impossible to communicate - and why was someone so obviously not feeling well waiting tables?!?!. Ordered the shrimp and hushpuppies, two lobster rolls, lamb burger, mac and cheese, R&J potato, pound cake, and brownie sundae.

The good: mac and cheese, hushpuppies
The mediocre: shrimp (boring/bland), potato (boring/bland), lobster roll (way too saucy)
The bad: pound cake (too hard and dense, even for pound cake/bland)
The ugly: lamb burger, brownie sundae

Needless to say, it wasn't worth the wait. I had talked up the lamb burger to a companion because when I had it at Ludivine it was one of the best burgers I'd ever had. This one was so salty it was inedible. During dessert, they brought out the banana pudding instead of the brownie sundae and even though they realized and acknowledged their mistake before it reached the table they still placed it in front of us like they expected us to take it (I hate banana). When they finally brought the brownie sundae the brownie was so hard it was virtually impossible to get a bite - if you were lucky and tried really hard you might get a shaving off the edge with the spoon. Too bad because it actually had good flavor. Service speed was fine, and the waitress kept our drinks full, but there was no communication or checking on the food (maybe because of her voice?) and when we tried to flag her down - particularly about the burger - we had no luck. The entire experience was disappointing and not worth the time or the cost.

This kind of crap just baffles me - the owners/creators have been running Ludivine for a looooong time now and every time we're there, it's pretty much flawless (once we each had one item that wasn't up to snuff, but that's it out of probably 7+ visits). So why can't they figure it out for a different place? Yeah, I know they're different environments/spaces/concepts, but damn, guys, don't open before you're ready... Not going to hit any new place here in OKC for at least 2 months after they're open and reading all the reviews on all the sites, just don't wanna mess with it until the sh*t's together.

This seems like a fun place to get drunk -- if you can find a seat.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: OKC is spread extremely thin when it comes to competent restaurant and bar personnel.

The proprietors may know exactly what they are doing but in the end they rely on many people.

It's not just a matter of not enough good people, it's down to the fact that until very recently, OKC had very few good restaurant operations from which to gain good experience.


It's going to get worse before it gets better. Tons of places in the pipeline and it seems like I hear of something new almost every day.

They have got to work out a waiting list/area. There are 6 tables indoors. We saw many, many people walk in confused and then start stalking tables Eischen's-style. Then, while we were eating, I noticed a couple at a two-top that were being served cocktails by the servers, but they hadn't ordered food. They'd been there an hour+ when the host-guy goes over and asks them to move to the bar so that he can seat someone on the waiting list. So basically, they walked in and sat or were seated at one of the six indoor tables while there were others in line beforehand, and they were seated there an hour that we saw. That's simple disorganization.

Hopefully they'll get it ironed out. Though it does seem to be taking places longer these days to do so.
Another example in a far larger size format seems to be Vast. One would think all reports would be grand by this time, but I hear mixed comments still today.

Same thing with a new eatery in Norman, Jax. The group that operates it operates several places with decent to great reputations. My son and his dear lass went in the other night, and came by afterwards. Their take was it was simply meh, but perhaps has promise.

I've decided to wait until I hear a decent length period of good reports for all three (RJ Vast and Jax), and for a few others as well.

Hopefully they'll get it ironed out. Though it does seem to be taking places longer these days to do so.
Another example in a far larger size format seems to be Vast. One would think all reports would be grand by this time, but I hear mixed comments still today.

Same thing with a new eatery in Norman, Jax. The group that operates it operates several places with decent to great reputations. My son and his dear lass went in the other night, and came by afterwards. Their take was it was simply meh, but perhaps has promise.

I've decided to wait until I hear a decent length period of good reports for all three (RJ Vast and Jax), and for a few others as well.

Great point. Wife and I ate at Vast for my birthday about a month ago. Wife's was excellent, while my $50 steak was abysmal. The flavor (crust/marinade) was good, but it was not cooked to order and vary inconsistently throughout, and the quality of the actual cut of meat was worse than a $6 steak you'd get at Cimmaron Steakhouse. For $50, I expect prime cut. It boggles me that with all the bad reviews in OKC about working the "kinks" out the first couple of months, that despite the "shortage" of good staff, new restaurants, especially from a restaurant group such as this one to know better and to run higher quality training beforehand. Glad I read these reviews first before visiting R&J, unfortunately I'll wait a few months until the "kinks" are ironed out.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: OKC is spread extremely thin when it comes to competent restaurant and bar personnel.

The proprietors may know exactly what they are doing but in the end they rely on many people.

It's not just a matter of not enough good people, it's down to the fact that until very recently, OKC had very few good restaurant operations from which to gain good experience.


It's going to get worse before it gets better. Tons of places in the pipeline and it seems like I hear of something new almost every day.

Then don't open until you have your sh*t together, seems simple enough - delay the opening by a week or two and get it all figured out - which servers suck, which are good, which mgr can handle things and make it work and which can't. Just don't open until you're ready...

I've probably been ten times now, including one lunch, one to-go dinner pick up, and the rest stops on the way home for a drink at the bar, and have experienced ZERO problems. Food's great, service has been great. Not to say others haven't had bad experiences, but I've had none, for whatever that's worth.

I've probably been ten times now, including one lunch, one to-go dinner pick up, and the rest stops on the way home for a drink at the bar, and have experienced ZERO problems. Food's great, service has been great. Not to say others haven't had bad experiences, but I've had none, for whatever that's worth.

I had a friend tell me pretty much the same thing: Multiple trips, everything was great, including service.

Then don't open until you have your sh*t together, seems simple enough - delay the opening by a week or two and get it all figured out - which servers suck, which are good, which mgr can handle things and make it work and which can't. Just don't open until you're ready...

That's easier said than done.

I'm guessing you've never managed people. Sometimes problems don't reveal themselves until you are actually up and running. That's why a lot of places have "soft openings" and the like. Its usually during those times you can make corrections.

That's easier said than done.

I'm guessing you've never managed people. Sometimes problems don't reveal themselves until you are actually up and running. That's why a lot of places have "soft openings" and the like. Its usually during those times you can make corrections.

Nope, never managed people, but like you said, that's why they have soft openings - figure it out then, before you're really open. Not sure we disagree...

To me, it'd be like opening a retail store before you have all your shelves up and merchandise on them, or not having cash registers, or starting a project with a due date, but not knowing the requirements or having the staff to do it (I'm in IT, and I've been a victim of the last situation before, but it becomes clear you're going to miss the date, so you push the date out, you don't just put something half-assed into production). Anyway, we might eventually make it there, sounds like a good place, but not sure if it comes ahead of the other 40 places on our to-eat list that we haven't eaten at yet.

From their FB page:


We are happy to announce that starting November 2, 2014 we will begin offering brunch service! We will be open Sundays during are regular hours of 11am to 2am and will offer our brunch menu and drinks specials from 11am to 4pm every Sunday from now until forever.

A total of 4 of us went there today for lunch right at noon.

Had to circle the block once to figure out where to turn in and park.

Love the signage and front door.... Though we all thought the place looked closed - zero cars in their little lot. So much so that we let one out of the car to check while we waited.

Upon entering we had a collective thought..... "Did we just walk into a microcosm of Juniors from their HeyDay?"

If Nic's was renovated into a 70's/80's throwback supper club it would almost be the same size. Seriously, the place is like an 80's oil baron's basement Man Cave -- And we really liked it.

The front of the house looked to be staffed by a male bartender and a female hostess/waitress.

There was only one other table with guests at it and none seated outside.

We were greeted promptly, offered a table of our choosing and immediately asked about water or drinks.

The waitress seemed to know the menu well - while not extensive, seemed to offer a variety for different tastes.

She recommend the pork & beans ($16.90) and the chicken & dumplings ($13.90). Thankfully she offered greater detail than the menu offered on how each was prepared.

I went with the pork & beans with a starter of French Onion soup. Others choose the beef stroganoff, New England lobster roll, chicken & dumplings and mac & cheese side.

Took long enough to get our meals that we occasionally noted the time during our conversations, but not so long as to cause any issues.

The food was all served at once and we all agreed the entrees were very tasty and served warm (though, the dishes could have been a tad hotter).

We asked for additional plates so we could sample each other's order.

The favorite was probably the pork & beans, with the chicken and dumplings a close second. The lobster roll and stroganoff were very tasty too and all were served in ample portions.

The mac & cheese wasn't 'bad', it just didn't have any pizazz or signature feel.

We also did the peppermint brownie hot fudge sundae for dessert - good enough, but the brownie definitely tasted store bought and the entire thing could have been upstaged by a trip to Braum's.

The prices seem a bit on the steep side. This is most likely because of the few tables they can actually seat and the personalized presentation/take on each dish.

While this certainly wouldn't be on my regular lunch rotation (based solely on price and speed of service), I'd definitely keep it in mind for after work cocktails or a dinner date.

Pros:
Location - love it. Its central and hidden. Feels like your own little secret. Too bad the secret is probably already out.
Atmosphere - Love the intentional throwback feel and intimacy. Doesn't look like it was 'designed', just looks like its been there a long time.
Entrees - Loved their take on each traditional comfort dish with a non-traditional spin.
Service - We didn't experience any of the shortcoming presented by other reviewers, other than a slight delay in getting our food (maybe took 30 minutes).

Cons:
Size - This place is one of the smallest restaurants in the city (think Nic's). Once the secret is fully out, forget getting in.
Patio - While I love restaurants with a patio. This patio does not go with the vibe you get from the interior. Nothing wrong with it, it just creates a totally different mood.
Wait time - While our 30 minutes to get an entree was not a deal breaker by any means, we couldn't help but wonder how exponentially the wait would have increased had they actually had other customers.
Price - This is only a 'con' because they don't really properly market their entrees online or within the restaurant. I see 'Pork & Beans $16.90' and I think to myself 'that's a bit steep.' However, once the entree was explained and presented, I totally got the price. I'd put some pictures on their website (not just Facebook) and possibly explain the entrees in more detail on the menu.

All-in-all, we gave it a thumbs up and everyone said they'd come again and they want to stop in for end of the day cocktails.

great review

While reasonable for dinner considering the food and atmosphere, I hope they soon add lunch specials.

Pretty spendy for a mid-day meal and probably way too much food anyway.

I have been three times. Urbanized and I hung out one night. Even shared the table with Steve and Dave from the Oklahoman for a bit. It very much has a garden birthday party vibe going on. I'd argue that it's size is one of its greatest assets. The intimacy is refreshing compared to other places.

If it's crowded and that not your thing, I say just move on then. There are so restaurants and bars immediately adjacent (including Blue Garten).

Walkimg in there feels like a scene from Mad Men. The food has always been good and the service accomodating. I simply haven't had any of the negative experiences described above.

And they do Hawaiian Tiki drinks! Blue Hawaiian, Zombies, Mai Tai, and so on... All in heads with umbrellas. Anthony Bourdain would approve.

Another thought I forgot to mention..... I'd recommend they serve a quality bread basket to patrons waiting for their entrees. Maybe they do this at dinner, but it wasn't offered at lunch. That touch would seem to go with the atmosphere and price - plus, it would help to ease the wait for the entrees.

Trip #4 with three other OKCTALK members. Great service, great drinks, great service. NO PROBLEMS.

Trip #4 with three other OKCTALK members. Great service, great drinks, great service. NO PROBLEMS.

Well, recent reviews have been good, so maybe they've ironed out the issues I had opening week. I'm heading back tomorrow or Friday.

I've been twice now on the weekend, once for drinks and once for appetizers/salads. I haven't experienced any of the problems mentioned above. BBates pointed out a great point about the food. We weren't sure exactly what we wanted/what the different dishes entailed. The waitress was able to go into detail about each dish we asked about, as well as making her own recommendations. I had the East Side Chicken (awesome... think Bobo's) and the Caesar Salad (made to order dressing was great). The waitress was attentive and while some of our drinks took a little longer, it wasn't her fault. The inside and patio were slammed and looked like there was only 2 bartenders making drinks and taking orders at the bar. The drinks are also ridiculously cheap.

I've been twice now on the weekend, once for drinks and once for appetizers/salads. I haven't experienced any of the problems mentioned above. BBates pointed out a great point about the food. We weren't sure exactly what we wanted/what the different dishes entailed. The waitress was able to go into detail about each dish we asked about, as well as making her own recommendations. I had the East Side Chicken (awesome... think Bobo's) and the Caesar Salad (made to order dressing was great). The waitress was attentive and while some of our drinks took a little longer, it wasn't her fault. The inside and patio were slammed and looked like there was only 2 bartenders making drinks and taking orders at the bar. The drinks are also ridiculously cheap.

The drinks are cheap if you get well-liquor, the price exponentially increases if you request a specific brand of liquor. I think 3 Tanqueray & Tonics and split an east side chicken ran me $28 before tip the other night, whereas 3 well-gin & tonics would have been probably about half that.

Regardless -- it's an awesome place. I look forward to going back. The intimacy and maturity just cannot be matched by anywhere else I've been in OKC. It's not a pumped up atmosphere...it's very mellow.

The drinks are cheap if you get well-liquor, the price exponentially increases if you request a specific brand of liquor. I think 3 Tanqueray & Tonics and split an east side chicken ran me $28 before tip the other night, whereas 3 well-gin & tonics would have been probably about half that.

Regardless -- it's an awesome place. I look forward to going back. The intimacy and maturity just cannot be matched by anywhere else I've been in OKC. It's not a pumped up atmosphere...it's very mellow.

Good point. I have only had well drinks, and $5 for a Manhattan is pretty hard to beat. It is definitely an awesome place and is quickly on my short-list for drinks and am looking forward to eating a full meal there soon.

Good point. I have only had well drinks, and $5 for a Manhattan is pretty hard to beat. It is definitely an awesome place and is quickly on my short-list for drinks and am looking forward to eating a full meal there soon.

Eeeeks, that would really depend on the level of their well liquors. Does anyone know if they use the really cheap squeeze bottle stuff for the well or at least a decent brand? I can't imagine most highballs made with cheap well liquids being any good. Fuffy cocktails with fruit, sweet and sour, etc. then cheap well is okay - otherwise - YUCK!

Eeeeks, that would really depend on the level of their well liquors. Does anyone know if they use the really cheap squeeze bottle stuff for the well or at least a decent brand? I can't imagine most highballs made with cheap well liquids being any good. Fuffy cocktails with fruit, sweet and sour, etc. then cheap well is okay - otherwise - YUCK!

I had an old fashioned made with the cheap stuff, it was good. I want to say it was Jim Beam, but don't hold me to it.

I had an old fashioned made with the cheap stuff, it was good. I want to say it was Jim Beam, but don't hold me to it.

May be on the lower end but many places still consider JB to be a call liquor. So if they are keeping it in their well, at least they are not pouring the truly disgusting stuff many of the Bricktown type clubs do.

May be on the lower end but many places still consider JB to be a call liquor. So if they are keeping it in their well, at least they are not pouring the truly disgusting stuff many of the Bricktown type clubs do.

I don't recall what kind of rye they used for my drink, but I've had it on two occasions now.... and both were very good.

They've covered their patio for the season:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10247452_744848948927041_622793826176468429_n.jpg? oh=0e42d6160db507c4e260f9f449bc51b8&oe=5547683A&__gda__=1426846881_1d18194873f515dfffc1393622db285 a

Affectionately referred to as "the circus tent."

From the Journal Record:

Serving up jobs: Newly opened restaurants say finding staff not a problem

By: Molly M. Fleming The Journal Record December 22, 2014

OKLAHOMA CITY – In the past year, several new restaurants have opened their doors, including the R&J Supper Club and Lounge, The George steakhouse, Fassler Hall and Slaughter’s Hall. The city has also become home to new hotels such as Aloft and The Ambassador.

Despite continuing growth in the leisure and hospitality industry, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that the Oklahoma City metro’s industry unemployment rate was at 8.2 percent in 2013, while the state’s overall unemployment rate was approximately 5 percent. In Tulsa, the 2013 industry unemployment rate for the metro area was 11.4 percent, while it was much lower in the city itself at 4.4 percent. The data did not include a city-only statistic for Oklahoma City.

Ninety percent of the industry’s numbers reflect accommodation and food services unemployment, with the other 10 percent representing arts, entertainment and recreation unemployment.

Oklahoma Restaurant Association President and CEO Jim Hopper said he has not heard of any restaurants unable to find staff.

“Most members say it’s a good time to be in business in Oklahoma because of our overall unemployment rate,” he said. “I know they are constantly looking for employees, but haven’t heard anyone threatening to shut down because they can’t hire anyone to work.”

Chef Jonathon Stranger and Russ Johnson co-own R&J Supper Club and Ludivine. Stranger said since the restaurants offer two different types of cuisine, the hiring situations were different as well. He said it was difficult to find people at Ludivine because they were looking for workers with more experience than cooking a chicken breast or serving cold beer.

“In the kitchen (at Ludivine), having everything made from scratch – not a lot of cooks have worked with the product before or understand the amount of work that goes into it,” he said. “We do a lot of prep.”

But at R&J, the situation was different. The menu features classic 1950s and ’60s dishes with a Stranger-Johnson twist. He said they were overwhelmed with applicants.

“We wanted a veteran staff, and we were able to find them,” Stranger said.

At the other new Midtown restaurant, Fassler Hall, General Manager Dusty Freeman said in the beginning he had difficulty finding employees, but the issue has improved and he now has a big resume stack.

“We hire the personality and train the skill,” he said. “I was looking for personality, personal appearance – as in how a person carries themselves. “We’ve gotten some really great candidates. I’m very impressed with this staff.”

Honestly, judging based on the hiring experiences of probably the two hottest places to open since Labor Day is not the best way to determine how tough it is to hire service staff. OF COURSE those places will get stacks of resumes. And R&J only has about a dozen employees, so not that hard to fill. I'm sure Broadway 10 is having a pretty easy time of it too. In the food service industry there is ALWAYS a "grass is always greener" syndrome.

Heck, R&J even lost a cocktail server to the Fassler management team.

A much better measure would be to ask established places how difficult it is to replace staff when they jump at the new hotspot du jour. I'll bet you'd hear a different tune.

And honestly, what are these new restaurants supposed to say?

"Yes, we had a terrible time finding good people and had to make due with the ragged bunch we hired. And of course, our product and service has suffered because of it."

Finally got to try this place last night, and no doubt it'll be in our rotation. Love the atmosphere and decor, quite stylish in it's own way, fits perfectly!

Food was spot on - contrary to above, I thought the lamb burger was delicious - cooked perfectly, but at the same time with enough kick and spice to it to keep it interesting.

Only real complain is the lack of a true vegetarian option, although we got a few extra sides to compensate which was perfectly adequate. Mushrooms were quite tasty as was the mac & cheese. We told them to see if they could kick up the spice, and they happily obliged! Definitely an A for effort.

Waitress gave excellent service, which was slow at times, but it seemed like she was literally the only waitress covering the inside tables. There seemed to be a private party going on outside on the patio, so I bet other waitstaff were busy out there.

We sat at the bar while we waited for a table - a friend and I both got Singapore Slings - delicious! Not quite Raffles Hotel quality but close enough. I'll be back to have another one the next chance I get. Only thing that was odd was my bartender garnished mine with a lemon, while my friend got hers with a pineapple (the way it should be). Trivial complaint in the scheme of things, and definitely forgiveable. Have to applaud their globally influenced cocktail menu.

Again only real issue is maybe they could run a vegetarian special that rotates, similar to what ludivine does. Other than that, what a great place.

I don't recall what kind of rye they used for my drink, but I've had it on two occasions now.... and both were very good.

I asked the other night and I believe it is Old Overholt. Had to go look that one up. Upcharge for a manhattan or old fashioned with premium liquor on my receipt: $6.10 per drink. Seems steep to me, but I'll admit I paid attention because of what I had read here. Not sure how in or out of line that is with other bars. Old Overholt old fashioned tasted pretty good once I figured that out! It was a Saturday night and the service was acceptable at the bar.

Pro tip: drink from the well. They keep good spirits in the well, for about half the price.

yeah…R&J's drinks are stupid cheap if you use the well.

You'd be surprised sometimes by how good a well liquor can be, especially at a local establishment. For instance: 750ml Sobiesky can be found in a liquor store for <$15. It's literally the exact same recipe as Belvedere which will likely cost you $25+ for a 750ml.

It is shocking that R&J's keeps the prices low on their well drinks in this day an age, because many places love crowding their drink menu with multiple $10+ cocktails. The well bourbon used for their old fashioned tastes just fine to me, and you cant beat the price.

Other than a somewhat limited food menu, I really love everything about this place. The inside, the patio, the brunch with a DJ spinning tunes, cheap drinks, one of the few places with match books still (even though I dont smoke)...two thumbs up from me on all of it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/travel/restaurant-report-rj-lounge-and-supper-club-in-oklahoma-city.html?hpw&rref=travel&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=1

R&J getting some love from the NY Times.

Went and gave it a try for lunch.... Had the Pastrami Ruben and I have to say that the pastrami was incredible.

House-made.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/travel/restaurant-report-rj-lounge-and-supper-club-in-oklahoma-city.html?hpw&rref=travel&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=1

R&J getting some love from the NY Times.

In the print edition today...Nice review!

As a result of following LokoAko's link to the NY Times review, we decided to have Sunday brunch there today. It was fantastic!

The little building it's housed in is a hidden gem. The first thing you notice after you see their vintage-looking sign above the door is a great patio area with neat fake grass and lots of festive chairs, tables and colored lights. It'd be great for not-so-hot days or after dark. When you open the main entry door at the corner of the building, you're immediately greeted with refreshing cool air and darkness. After our eyes adjusted to the light (or lack thereof), we were pleased to see a small but completely retro-inspired bar and dining area. Everything just screams cool.

We were fortunate to have arrived at a non-peak time, so we had ample chance to walk around and look at everything. A man named Craig was our server. He was friendly, answered our questions about the menu and kept my husband's coffee cup filled without us having to ever ask for more. The service was impressive. We felt like old friends.

The food was equally impressive, both in presentation and in taste. It arrived quickly, and it was hot. Portions were more than ample. The food was so good, in fact, that it never occurred to me to photograph it before it was too late (as in, we had both devoured it all). I had the shrimp grits, and my husband had eggs, sausage and biscuits and gravy. The shrimp grits were very slightly spicy--just perfect and full of flavor. My husband said the sausage was not like any he'd had before--in a good way. The biscuits and gravy were also comforting and flavor-filled.

I'm not much of a foodie or food critic, but want to emphasize that this place is delightful. The atmosphere is great. Prices are reasonable. Adding the high quality of food and service to that, I can totally say this will be on our rotation in the future. Oh--and they give away matches in a cool matchbox! You hardly ever see that anymore.

Blast it, my pictures are all turned sideways. Don't know how to fix that. Anyway, in this first one, there's a cool lamp and a full-size deer trophy in the corner mounted on the wall.

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Our booth (neat black and white fireplace mantle in the background).

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The bar.

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Outdoor courtyard.

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Matches.

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Ran into Chip Fudge at R&J last night and he gave me a sneak peek of the new VIP Lounge which is directly north of the main Lounge:



http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/randj103015a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/randj103015b.jpg

Had the Lamb burger here:

Oh. My. God.

This is becoming my budget-cocktail place. Obviously better establishments for overall quality, but you pay for it.

Had the Lamb burger here:

Oh. My. God.

This is becoming my budget-cocktail place. Obviously better establishments for overall quality, but you pay for it.

Thanks for the invite! I'm within walking distance, you know. :p

Thanks for the invite! I'm within walking distance, you know. :p

I didn't want you to be the 3rd wheel :wink: . Would be a great place for an OKC Talk meet up!

Would be a great place for an OKC Talk meet up!

My ears are burning

Have been wanting to try this for some time and made it by yesterday with 3 staff members for late admin asst day. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed as I had high hopes.

We were the only table there. Service was a little slow considering we were the only ones present. The concept is cool and very retro. The drinks and food were very hit or miss. Three of us had the beef stroganoff and all of us had to add salt and hot sauce to get some flavor. Very bland and noodles undercooked. One person had shrimp and grits and we all tried it. It was pretty good. The grits were on the dry side but the shrimp and sauce was excellent. We had the bacon appetizer and the east side chicken appetizer. Everyone thought the chicken appetizer was excellent but the bacon appetizer was very bland.

We order two rounds of different drinks and no one was impressed with any of the drinks. The old fashion was undrinkable and didn't appear to have had anything muddled in it. It is served up also. We asked for ice and then we took the cherry and muddled it with some table sugar and it was somewhat drinkable. The moscow mule was served in a glass even though it appeared they had copper mugs.

Food came put fairly quick but the service lacked. Had to flag down manager to get hot sauce because server disappeared after bringing our food. No check back to see if ok. Very odd dynamic between staff. When server brought food,one person ordered another drink. Never came. Half way through meal, server comes and asks another person if they need another drink and we ask about the first drink. Her response was....the ticket has printed up and just waiting on bartender" We were the only people there! Why don't you go ask the bartender to make it? At that point she goes over and asks bartender to make it and she does. The ticket had just been sitting there while the bartender was doing prep work. Did not think it was a good value for what we received. Consensus of our group was that none of us would return.

That's a shame to hear it slide like that, but unfortunately it mirrors our experience with it the last time we went. They were pretty busy during our visit, though, but that's not an excuse for letting a table sit there for 10 minutes without asking if we want drinks and we actually had to flag the guy down that went past our table about 20 times while he was taking care of checks, and then it kind of descended into that weird limbo you described of "who's doing what, who's got our drinks, where's our food, etc.". Not going back for a while, sadly, 'cos it's a great space and good concept.

Have been wanting to try this for some time and made it by yesterday with 3 staff members for late admin asst day. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed as I had high hopes.

We were the only table there. Service was a little slow considering we were the only ones present. The concept is cool and very retro. The drinks and food were very hit or miss. Three of us had the beef stroganoff and all of us had to add salt and hot sauce to get some flavor. Very bland and noodles undercooked. One person had shrimp and grits and we all tried it. It was pretty good. The grits were on the dry side but the shrimp and sauce was excellent. We had the bacon appetizer and the east side chicken appetizer. Everyone thought the chicken appetizer was excellent but the bacon appetizer was very bland.

We order two rounds of different drinks and no one was impressed with any of the drinks. The old fashion was undrinkable and didn't appear to have had anything muddled in it. It is served up also. We asked for ice and then we took the cherry and muddled it with some table sugar and it was somewhat drinkable. The moscow mule was served in a glass even though it appeared they had copper mugs.

Food came put fairly quick but the service lacked. Had to flag down manager to get hot sauce because server disappeared after bringing our food. No check back to see if ok. Very odd dynamic between staff. When server brought food,one person ordered another drink. Never came. Half way through meal, server comes and asks another person if they need another drink and we ask about the first drink. Her response was....the ticket has printed up and just waiting on bartender" We were the only people there! Why don't you go ask the bartender to make it? At that point she goes over and asks bartender to make it and she does. The ticket had just been sitting there while the bartender was doing prep work. Did not think it was a good value for what we received. Consensus of our group was that none of us would return.

confirmed stroganoff opinion

Have been wanting to try this for some time and made it by yesterday with 3 staff members for late admin asst day. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed as I had high hopes.

We were the only table there. Service was a little slow considering we were the only ones present. The concept is cool and very retro. The drinks and food were very hit or miss. Three of us had the beef stroganoff and all of us had to add salt and hot sauce to get some flavor. Very bland and noodles undercooked. One person had shrimp and grits and we all tried it. It was pretty good. The grits were on the dry side but the shrimp and sauce was excellent. We had the bacon appetizer and the east side chicken appetizer. Everyone thought the chicken appetizer was excellent but the bacon appetizer was very bland.

We order two rounds of different drinks and no one was impressed with any of the drinks. The old fashion was undrinkable and didn't appear to have had anything muddled in it. It is served up also. We asked for ice and then we took the cherry and muddled it with some table sugar and it was somewhat drinkable. The moscow mule was served in a glass even though it appeared they had copper mugs.

Food came put fairly quick but the service lacked. Had to flag down manager to get hot sauce because server disappeared after bringing our food. No check back to see if ok. Very odd dynamic between staff. When server brought food,one person ordered another drink. Never came. Half way through meal, server comes and asks another person if they need another drink and we ask about the first drink. Her response was....the ticket has printed up and just waiting on bartender" We were the only people there! Why don't you go ask the bartender to make it? At that point she goes over and asks bartender to make it and she does. The ticket had just been sitting there while the bartender was doing prep work. Did not think it was a good value for what we received. Consensus of our group was that none of us would return.

Sounds like you got a Manhattan instead of an Old Fashioned

...Three of us had the beef stroganoff and all of us had to add salt and hot sauce to get some flavor. Very bland and noodles undercooked.

Wow... I haven't been over there in a couple of months but the stroganoff was always my go to dish and had great flavor. All I ever added was a little black pepper....
Only drinks I've ever had there were mojitos and they were always good.

I can concur with you that the service can be a little slow. Even when they aren't busy and it's a little pricey but I always thought the food was good enough it was worth what I was paying.

Hope they were just having a bad day.

We went a few weeks ago just for drinks and appetizers, and while the service was kind of slow the food was great. We had the bacon appetizer and the deviled eggs, both of which were really good.

confirmed stroganoff opinion

I forgot to mention that I had the stroganoff on our last visit and wasn't impressed either. The other items we've had on our other visits were pretty good, not sure what the deal with the stroganoff is.

Drinks are consistently good and cheap. Food is consistently great on paper, mediocre in execution and expensive. Had the Eastside Chicken sandwich a few weeks ago. Chicken breast, fry and sauce were all great, but the bun was so dry and crispy it was basically inedible.

Still love the vibe, though.

I forgot to mention that I had the stroganoff on our last visit and wasn't impressed either. The other items we've had on our other visits were pretty good, not sure what the deal with the stroganoff is.

I don't think I've ever had good stroganoff between this place, Hamburger helper way back in the day, and when its served at brazilian steakhouses