Coming to the west side of downtown.


Cracking eggs and smiles: New diner coming to downtown OKC’s west side
By Molly M. Fleming
The Journal Record

OKLAHOMA CITY – The city’s west side will have a new diner by early 2016.

Shannon Roper and Aly Branstetter of S&B’s Burger Joint are creating a restaurant that they think is needed in the market, Branstetter said.

“We wanted a place where we can go get home-cooked food like you would have on a Sunday morning, and not be so weighed down that we can’t do anything the rest of the day, and a place that’s not so high-end I had to fix my hair,” she said. “There wasn’t a place where we could go, so we decided to make one.”

Sunnyside Diner will be in the former Mid-Town Service Center at NW Sixth Street and Classen Boulevard. The building sits on the corner, but the diner will be in the all-glass side that faces Sixth Street. Construction has started and an opening is anticipated for February 2016.

The diner will offer breakfast and lunch from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. The menu has recipes from Roper’s mom, with Hillbilly’s chef Norm Thomas adding some tweaks. Urban Agrarian will supply local eggs, and Henderson Coffee will provide the daily roast. The diner will have a liquor license and offer mimosas, bloody mary’s, and other concoctions to get one’s day started.

Robot House Creative design company created the logo and tagline for the company. Brian Winkeler with Robot House said he asked Branstetter and Roper what would be a theme song for the restaurant, and one answer was Lionel Richie’s Easy Like Sunday Morning.

Now, the restaurant wants people to feel like “It’s always Sunday morning,” as seen in the tagline.
Winkeler’s design sets the diner’s aesthetic, with a vintage, clean feel and a bright, cheery sunny egg. His team also created the re-branding for Hillbilly’s, formerly Hillbilly’s Po Boys and Oysters.

Inside Sunnyside, customers can sit at the bar, a booth or a table. The wall will have black-and-white photos of the city’s west side during its earlier years.

While the west side might have been bustling years ago, it’s nearly vacant compared to downtown’s east side. Branstetter said she and Roper think the area will be the next big place, with housing under construction, the 21c Museum Hotel in development and more apartments planned.

“When you think about that (tagline) and see that logo, we want people to know that the warmest, happiest people are going to be serving you these amazing dishes that your mom cooked or Grandma cooked every Sunday,” she said. “It’s going to be a bright, uplifting place that will give you great stuff.”

This looks great! Sounds like they'll be offering "real food" for lunch. Thanks for posting!

+++1 Yes!

That's the diner going into this development:

916 NW 6th - OKCTalk (http://www.okctalk.com/showwiki.php?title=916%20NW%206th&highlight=6th)



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Looks like around 80 seats. Will probably be a line-out-the-door place like Waffle Champion most days.

Stoked that they're finally getting down to business on this project; I've known/been hearing about it for what seems like almost a couple of years now. It's a great, central location, and even more so considering that I'm just a few blocks away and I don't have to drive all the way to Beverly's or the like if I want some decent diner grub.

Aly is a good egg!.. I look forward to this getting open!

^

I'm two blocks away myself... I'm sure I'll be seeing you there!

I can't wait for this to open! Being able to walk a few blocks to a diner will change my life. I may give up my car.

This will likely become a great SoSA neighborhood hang-out.

This would make a great 24hr diner someday.

This would make a great 24hr diner someday.

I agree. I am kind of disappointed this will be closing at 3PM. It's baffling why nobody in downtown OKC wants to take the plunge and open late nights. My guess is a lot of it has to do with the liquor laws in Oklahoma and the fact restaurants with ABC-2 licenses have to be completely cleared out by 2AM. They aren't allowed to simply stop serving alcohol yet keep serving food after-hours. To open a 24-hour diner in Oklahoma they would either need to serve no alcohol or 3.2 beer only.

This is another aspect of OK's liquor laws that need revised and I think that could easily be pushed as a public safety issue. It's more dangerous to dump people who have been drinking out to the streets at 1:45 then it is to have last call for alcohol at 2am but allowing establishments to stay open later if they choose like they can in most other states.

Knuck's is open until 3AM and Pump Bar and Guyutes also serve food late.

Those are three additions in just the last year. We're getting there.

No one at this point is going to go 24 hours and I don't blame them.

I agree. I am kind of disappointed this will be closing at 3PM. It's baffling why nobody in downtown OKC wants to take the plunge and open late nights. My guess is a lot of it has to do with the liquor laws in Oklahoma and the fact restaurants with ABC-2 licenses have to be completely cleared out by 2AM. They aren't allowed to simply stop serving alcohol yet keep serving food after-hours. To open a 24-hour diner in Oklahoma they would either need to serve no alcohol or 3.2 beer only.

This is another aspect of OK's liquor laws that need revised and I think that could easily be pushed as a public safety issue. It's more dangerous to dump people who have been drinking out to the streets at 1:45 then it is to have last call for alcohol at 2am but allowing establishments to stay open later if they choose like they can in most other states.That is extremely stupid. I will be writing a very strongly worded letter to someone about that.

Knuck's is open until 3AM and Pump Bar and Guyutes also serve food late.

Those are three additions in just the last year. We're getting there.

No one at this point is going to go 24 hours and I don't blame them.

I had a conversation with one of the workers at Empire Slice House about this, probably a year back when they kicked everyone out at 1:45. They said Oklahoma law requires ABC-2 licensed restaurants to have everyone out by 2AM. Has something changed recently or was the guy mistaking?

I agree that downtown isn't ready for a true 24-hour diner yet, especially one that's open all week. There needs to be more population density before that becomes viable. In the meantime, staying open until 3 or 4 on Friday and Saturday makes a lot of sense.

Knuck's is open until 3AM and Pump Bar and Guyutes also serve food late.

Those are three additions in just the last year. We're getting there.

No one at this point is going to go 24 hours and I don't blame them.

R&J's also.

Given the choice, I'd rather have access to decent eggs sausages ham grits and good gravy between midnight and midnight next than add in the availability of a mixed drink to the rest of the lineup when one must cut the hours dramatically to include the drinks.

Nothing against a decent drink, but there is little better than fresh hot breakfast food to close off a night, or a very early jump start for the day.

That is extremely stupid. I will be writing a very strongly worded letter to someone about that.

It is also not true.

And remember, it's not just a breakfast place. It's going to be good old fashioned diner food. The article specifically mentioned a daily roast. This will be great.

All a place has to do. Is be able to physically lock up all booze and the booze store room to be able to stay open and serve food only after 2 am

All a place has to do. Is be able to physically lock up all booze and the booze store room to be able to stay open and serve food only after 2 am

Thanks for clarifying. Places that throw everyone out at 1:45 are probably places that don't want to or can't lock up their alcohol.

^^^^^^^
Exactly.

This would make a great 24hr diner someday.

There used to be a little (kind of dumpy) place called the Rustic Inn cafe on 6th and Western that was 24 hrs a day. I used to go by there late night/early mornings back in the 70s and they made one of the best double cheeseburgers around. Back then you were pretty limited on dining options after about 10:00 pm. Nice to see this area come back alive.

BTW all the late night drunks would swarm the place around 2:00 am.

I agree. I am kind of disappointed this will be closing at 3PM. It's baffling why nobody in downtown OKC wants to take the plunge and open late nights. My guess is a lot of it has to do with the liquor laws in Oklahoma and the fact restaurants with ABC-2 licenses have to be completely cleared out by 2AM. They aren't allowed to simply stop serving alcohol yet keep serving food after-hours. To open a 24-hour diner in Oklahoma they would either need to serve no alcohol or 3.2 beer only.

This is another aspect of OK's liquor laws that need revised and I think that could easily be pushed as a public safety issue. It's more dangerous to dump people who have been drinking out to the streets at 1:45 then it is to have last call for alcohol at 2am but allowing establishments to stay open later if they choose like they can in most other states.

Im pretty sure that is incorrect unless it's an OKC specific law. Several restaurants in Norman operate as ABC-2 bars serving a full or near full bar worth of alcohol and stay open well after 2:00. Off the top of my head, New York Pizza & Pasta, Fuzzies, Pickleman's, and diamond dawgs.

There's a great diner in Dallas that just caps the bottles at 2am. The Texas laws let you keep your drink as long as it's served before 2. The OK laws don't allow anyone to touch a drink past 2 or in the case of abc-3 even stand inside the property after 2. Hence the mad rush to make sure every last body not on the time clock be out the door. Some places stop serving at 1:30 and let people meander out. Others do it at 1:45 then pressure the stragglers.

I think the smart thing to do here is design a cage around the bar. Like a shopping mall shutter.

Many Dallas bars that are open late have a locking cabinet . wouldn't be hard to do if law allowed.

This project is moving along...

They hope to be open by the end of January.

Took this picture on Friday:

12203

Here are few from this morning:



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LOVE the sign

LOVE the sign

Yeah, I love the simplicity of it. I also love the name Sunnyside Diner. Very retro.

Yeah, I love the simplicity of it. I also love the name Sunnyside Diner. Very retro.

I like the simplicity of it too but.... Every time I see the name I think about the Sunny Side Up diner on 19th Street in Moore....... Unfortunately the name I thought would have possibly been better suited for it based on the history of the buiding, The Service Station, is already in use by an established eatery in Norman.

Love the look and the sign. Very Ruscha.

This is turning out to be a very nice retrofit of this building.

Huge improvement for that area.

I want a good breakfast at 2:00 in the morning. Can I go to this diner and get that? When will it be open?

I want a good breakfast at 2:00 in the morning. Can I go to this diner and get that? When will it be open?

Doubtful, midnight probably

For some reason I thought it was 24 hrs a day.

Only open for breakfast and lunch; closes at 3PM.

Very similar to Hatch.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sunnyside032016.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sunnyside050716.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sunnyside051516.jpg

They are now hiring so must be getting pretty close.

Most of the interior work is complete.

Really looking forward to this little place.

I think this place might be open now?

I think this place might be open now?

12673

http://kfor.com/2016/06/08/new-diner-offering-to-feed-those-in-need-ahead-of-grand-opening/

I love Aly! great way to do a soft opening for sure.

Recolucion has started next door as well.



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I hope this is successful here. How is the lift coming along?

They opened this morning (Monday).

You can find their menu here:

http://eatatsunnyside.com/

They opened this morning (Monday).

You can find their menu here:

http://eatatsunnyside.com/

Ooops! .... When I woke up this morning and starting making my breakfast. I was thinking to myself I wasn't supposed to be eating breakfast at home this morning..... Now I remember where I was supposed to be! ..... It was a long weekend. ;+)

Had breakfast there this morning about 6:45. Space is great. Service was friendly and attentive, and about what I expected for a first official day of operations. I went with a very basic breakfast of ham and eggs, so not a lot to be screwed up, but also not a great place from which to assess their culinary prowess. The high point was the ham steak, and really liked the sourdough toast. They also have the type of hashbrowns I like; grated potatoes slammed on the grill. They actually could have been a little more greasy for my tastes, though I'm sure many people would be happy to find them not as greasy as most places.

If I have any bone to pick it is that we couldn't get on the same page on over easy vs over medium. I run into this at a lot of breakfast places, so I always say up front that it doesn't matter to me whether they call it over easy or over medium, I want my yolk fully runny and my whites fully cooked. I mentioned this pretty explicitly this AM and the whites still came out runny. Not enough to complain about, and like I say it is a pretty common problem for me at many breakfast places. Everything else I saw going out looked pretty excellent. Glad to have the place downtown.

Did you feel like you received a good value?

Urbanized,
Glad you mentioned that about the over easy/over medium. When/if I get to the Sunnyside Diner I will make it very clear. I won't eat runny whites and would send them back if they were served to me. Fortunately, I haven't had that problem. For years I ordered eggs with yolk runny and white done and one day a server told me it was over medium. Since then, I always order over medium and it seems to work.
C. T.

Urbanized,
Glad you mentioned that about the over easy/over medium. When/if I get to the Sunnyside Diner I will make it very clear. I won't eat runny whites and would send them back if they were served to me. Fortunately, I haven't had that problem. For years I ordered eggs with yolk runny and white done and one day a server told me it was over medium. Since then, I always order over medium and it seems to work.
C. T.

This is good stuff, C.T. I never knew the difference. I'll have to order them this way next time I get breakfast out.

This is good stuff, C.T. I never knew the difference. I'll have to order them this way next time I get breakfast out.

It's always amazed me how something as simple as an egg can be so complicated to order and how few people know the terms.... here are the 4 ways to order a fried egg... I won't go into poached and scrambled.

Sunny Side Up - The egg is not flipped and the yolk is runny, and depending on how long you fry it, the albumen is completely or partially set.

Over Easy - The egg is flipped and cooked just long enough to make a film on the top of the yolk. When served, the yolk – and some of the whites – are still runny.

Over Medium - The egg is flipped, and fried a little longer, enough to cook the whites through. You’ll develop a thicker film on your yolk, but the inside is still runny.

Over Hard - The egg is fried, flipped, and fried again – usually with the yolk broken – until both the white and the yolk are completely cooked.

If anyone ever went to Jonnie's (NW 4th and Western) before they closed. The breakfasts were just cheap, working mans, diner breakfasts, but Jonnie cooked the absolutely most perfect fried eggs I've ever been served anywhere..... Perfectly round and never rubbery/chewy around the edges from being cooked to hot.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
I agree with all of that, but often when you order over medium they come out with yokes cooked partially through, which makes me almost as unhappy as runny whites. I've also had servers argue against those definitions. So these days I de-emphasize the term(s), and specifically say "whites fully cooked, yokes runny." But of course, some places even get THAT wrong. Funny, I get it right whenever I make eggs, and I am far from a good cook.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
I agree with all of that, but often when you order over medium they come out with yokes cooked partially through, which makes me almost as unhappy as runny whites. I've also had servers argue against those definitions. So these days I de-emphasize the term(s), and specifically say "whites fully cooked, yokes runny." But of course, some places even get THAT wrong. Funny, I get it right whenever I make eggs, and I am far from a good cook.

Much like the terms for ordering an egg escapes the diner... The cooking of an egg seems to escape a lot of cooks.

My personal pet peeve is that crispy/chewy/rubbery brown edge that comes from cooking it on too hot of a surface.....Well that and as you mention ordering an over medium egg that comes out almost over hard..... Because there is little on this planet that makes me happier than a perfectly, runny, rich, egg yolk that I can sop up with a piece of sourdough toast.

I agree and disagree with all that. Over easy is ordered so the rest of the "boogery" white can cook and should never have runny white, unless it's the cheapest of the cheapest eggs.

When dealing with farm eggs (unpasteurized) I rarely worry about ordering sunny side because something about leaving that process out lets the albumen completely set. You can easily spot the difference because farm eggs have vibrant orange yolks compared to pale yellow ones. I'm sure this runny issue has to do with the fact that pasteurization partially cooks the eggs...also farm eggs don't need to be refrigerated.

It's a matter of seconds between runny(gross)-perfect-and hard.

So when I go to the diner or the Mexican restaurant and order over easy I'm usually disappointed that they come out somewhere between medium and hard yolks.

My guess though is give it time. It took me hundreds of failures to get the perfect over easy. Or if I'm lucky, get to urban agrarian and buy real eggs. I don't kUnderstand why this country insists on pasteurized eggs. Gross.

And then there are some of us (ME! ) that like our eggs very well done. My issue is getting a diner to cook them until they are dry.. yes, brown them. Yeah, they look bad but I'll be happy.

Because there is little on this planet that makes me happier than a perfectly, runny, rich, egg yolk that I can sop up with a piece of sourdough toast.

Sorry, it has to be rye! Actually, I like sourdough as well but I don't know many places that offer it. I'm sure there are many, just none that I frequent.