Stunning City + State ready to open (https://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=745-Stunning-City-State-ready-to-open)

City + State, a stunning 2-level restaurant and bar, will open to the public on Thursday.



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The new venture is located at 16 NE 6th in Automobile Alley, directly east of Parlor food hall.

The space is vast, with a large dining room on the ground level, with an expansive bar and back patio. Upstairs is more dining space, another large bar and a rooftop deck with skyline views.



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This is the abbreviated menu from last night's soft open:

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Mmm... Picjled serrano's.

Some of the furniture seems like the same stuff that's in Parlor

Some of the furniture seems like the same stuff that's in Parlor

The whole thing looks like the Parlor, imo
And that's not necessarily a bad thing

They confirmed on Facebook they will be opening this Thursday.

It's gorgeous in person... Up there with the Jones Assembly for beauty.

Enjoyed dinner there tonight by accident - was doing my Thunder ticket draft with partners at Parlor and was run off by the noise of a boisterous and huge manufactured-for-Instagram birthday party - and wandered in thinking there would be no way we could get a seat. Fortunately we were mistaken and immediately seated. It was fantastic, and Pete’s right about the level of finish. Also was surprisingly reasonable, in my opinion.

^^^
I had my Thunder ticket draft at Parlor today. Haha. Great minds.

Enjoyed dinner there tonight by accident - was doing my Thunder ticket draft with partners at Parlor and was run off by the noise of a boisterous and huge manufactured-for-Instagram birthday party - and wandered in thinking there would be no way we could get a seat. Fortunately we were mistaken and immediately seated. It was fantastic, and Pete’s right about the level of finish. Also was surprisingly reasonable, in my opinion.

What did you all get? We went on Friday, and while the buildout and scale is very impressive the food we got overall wasn't our favorite (philly cheesesteak eggrolls, wedge salad (this was our favorite), state burger/fries and grilled carrots). We'll give it another shot after they get more settled in, but I won't be rushing back for food there. It was pretty reasonable, however, it was less than $100 for the food and 3 drinks.

Looks incredible but hopefully the menu evolves. Kinda weird. If I were to go I would probably give the eggplant dish a try.

Went on Friday and would agree with much of what has been said. The place looks incredible. We sat on the upstairs patio, which as I think was suggested above does have one of the best views of the skyline in town. The upstairs bar wasn't open yet, but I suspect it will be raging before long. The food was good to very good - but fell short of great. Also, it took 1.5 hours to get our food from the time we ordered it and was almost a 3 hour dinner. Will chalk it up to first week issues but will probably wait a couple months to go back. We weren't in any hurry so we didn't mind, and they brought us three extra appetizers to pass the time (we didn't ask for them - had a bit of a soft open vibe where they would say "Hey, we've got _____ here, would you all like to try it?"). They had one waiter for the entire upstairs patio and I guess she also had multiple tables inside the restaurant - so I suspect they're being hit with the same staffing issues facing everyone else right now. Also agree on the prices - very solid. And the wine list seems especially well-priced - pretty much a 100% mark up over retail on all the bottles I knew, rather than the typical 200%+ mark up. Not sure if that's great business, but I'll take it.

^

They delayed their opening specifically due to staffing shortages.

Here's the food menu from Friday:

17129

Here's the food menu from Friday:

17129

This looks a lot better.

If you guys like how it was decorated, it's to my understanding that the person who runs "Thrown Design & Wine" headed that up.

Very nice space but the food was average to poor. Charcuterie board was good. Friendly but very slow service.

Will go back for a drink at the bar but won't eat until they get their feet set.

I've been here twice. The space is fantastic--great design, great atmosphere. The food, however, is extremely underwhelming and I definitely think they will need to make changes. They have some really great specialty cocktails and nice bartenders, so if they could get the food quality to match the drinks and space quality, it would be a homerun.

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Checked this place out at GF's request despite my grumblings about paying $18 for a cheeseburger and it was a fantastic experience.
Mac and cheese was probably the best I have ever had and the space itself is beautiful, took some pictures of the upstairs to give myself redecorating ideas- highly recommend.

My experience was less than fantastic, but I won't drag here until I have more data.

Ah really? That's a bummer, I was wondering why there doesn't seem to be any buzz around it. Most of my friend group hadn't even heard of it.

Ah really? That's a bummer, I was wondering why there doesn't seem to be any buzz around it. Most of my friend group hadn't even heard of it.

Consensus here is that the decore/ambiance(?) was first, and food was an afterthought.

Consensus here is that the decore/ambiance(?) was first, and food was an afterthought.

I went for brunch. The food was fine. I will say that these days, Oklahoma Citians' palettes are definitely taking a step forward after close to a decade of more and more elevated dining. There are going to be a lot of places that open over the next decade that we would have killed for 15 years ago but kind of see as ho-hum these days.

Would you recommend this place for someone from out of state getting dinner downtown this week looking for a cool vibe/rooftop? I know there are a few options.

Can anyone vouch for the food at this place, or is it all about IG moments?

Can anyone vouch for the food at this place, or is it all about IG moments?

We had cocktails and appetizers in the bar area here last Saturday and the food has definitely improved since this place first opened. The charcuterie board, in particular, was very good. Service was good and the crowd was pretty lively.

Went tonight for the first time. The place is gorgeous. Pete has some great pictures, but it is even more stunning in person. My wife and I both enjoyed our entrees and the cheesesteak egg rolls were good. This may be my new favorite dining experience option in OKC.

I reached out to them; their reply was: "We will get back to you with our future plans as soon possible."\

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Not surprising. The food was notoriously mediocre and expensive, and that's being kind. I went twice and never considered going back. It's a really nice space in a great location, so I hope whatever they decide to do next is a success that brings life to the building like it deserves.

Not surprising. The food was notoriously mediocre and expensive, and that's being kind. I went twice and never considered going back. It's a really nice space in a great location, so I hope whatever they decide to do next is a success that brings life to the building like it deserves.

Not surprised at all. I don't understand what was going on in the minds of some restaurant owners in OKC, new places keep popping up, but they don't offer anything different (or better) than what already exist there, it's like trying to put more salt into the ocean. Whenever a restaurant fails, the first thing the next tenant does will be spending $$$$ to overhaul what the previous tenant already spent $$$$ to overhaul what the previous tenant already spent $$$$ to overhaul .... If you don't have a good palate and a good accounting skill, I guess you should stay away from the restaurant business.

Tried to pop in here twice. Each time the host asked if we had reservations, which we did not. We just wanted to stop in for a drink or two. We had the option to sit at the bar, but there was no space available and we ended up going to Parlor, where we are regulars. Would love if you could just pop in and have a drink on the rooftop. But that isn't really offered here.

I think City+State was trying to do high-end dining and it just did not work. They need to do like Packards and just have rooftop open for casual hanging out and drinks. Then you can order food from below to take up top.

Parlor next door has found their stride post-pandemic.

Heard a rumor that it will be a “private event space” moving forward.

Heard a rumor that it will be a “private event space” moving forward.

I am supposed to be at an event there in June, so I hope you are right! Haha!

OKC has not evolved enough to demand premium dining and entertainment options. This place was extremely nice but the overall population of clientele likely to frequent this level of ambiance is still small IMO

Is this a troll account?

OKC has not evolved enough to demand premium dining and entertainment options. This place was extremely nice but the overall population of clientele likely to frequent this level of ambiance is still small IMO

It looks premium but for dining experience it was the worst I had as far I can remember.
I went one time with my wife. We had reservation, bland food came suspiciously fast but never the wine... We were out of the door in less than 45 minutes. Very weird feeling for an upscale dining experience.

This place had a 4.0 on Google which is shockingly bad for an upscale OKC restaurant, I'm almost certain the issue is that their offerings seemed to be more on par with Steak The Experience than the many higher-end dining options which are succeeding in OKC.

I will also say, importantly, that "ambiance" is not nearly as high valued in the OKC dining scene as it probably is in other places because the regular clientele (i.e. the locals) just don't care as much. That's neither a knock on our restaurants or our people, it's just a different value system. To that end, a place like City and State going all out on the design (and I personally thought it was as beautiful as any restaurant we've had) does not get a ton of ROI for that. It really is more about the food and service in OKC.

I will also say, importantly, that "ambiance" is not nearly as high valued in the OKC dining scene as it probably is in other places because the regular clientele (i.e. the locals) just don't care as much. That's neither a knock on our restaurants or our people, it's just a different value system. To that end, a place like City and State going all out on the design (and I personally thought it was as beautiful as any restaurant we've had) does not get a ton of ROI for that. It really is more about the food and service in OKC.

I strongly disagree with this assessment.

I think OKC is like everywhere else in that ambiance is important, but if you can't get the food and service to match your price point, there are just too many other good options.

There are tons of beautiful restaurants in town that also have very good food and thus experience prolonged success. In fact, with the massive increases in competitiveness, I'd say that even good food isn't enough for some places when they can't get the ambiance right.

The OKC restaurant and bar scene has simply evolved to the point that you better be hitting on all cylinders if you want to keep bringing people back.

Just to offer context here: The operation of C+S was a mess from the start. It is a wonder they lasted as long as they did. If you knew the backstory, this all would make much more sense.

I have been to a few places where the ambiance is really good and they use it heavily in their marketing. However, I was underwhelmed by their food. The service was excellent, the atmosphere was great, and the marketing was great. I just can't go to these places because the food is just not that good. I think one of these places I will go for a cocktail, but only because I like the location and the ambiance of their patio.

The bar has been raised significantly in OKC.

Just so many very good places that most people will go to a new, sexy spot once. But it's much more than someone not having a bad experience... After you've seen it, why would you go back with literally hundreds of other good options?

Too few places have an answer to that question. It's not like people think of City + State and think it sucks, it's just they don't have a reason to think about it all.

The bar has been raised significantly in OKC.

Just so many very good places that most people will go to a new, sexy spot once. But it's much more than someone not having a bad experience... After you've seen it, why would you go back with literally hundreds of other good options?

Too few places have an answer to that question. It's not like people think of City + State and think it sucks, it's just they don't have a reason to think about it all.

It is a little odd for me considering how many times I have taken advantage of the Parlor. I have yet to even go to City + State. It just didn't jump out at me and didn't feel different from what we already have.

I strongly disagree with this assessment.

I think OKC is like everywhere else in that ambiance is important, but if you can't get the food and service to match your price point, there are just too many other good options.

There are tons of beautiful restaurants in town that also have very good food and thus experience prolonged success. In fact, with the massive increases in competitiveness, I'd say that even good food isn't enough for some places when they can't get the ambiance right.

The OKC restaurant and bar scene has simply evolved to the point that you better be hitting on all cylinders if you want to keep bringing people back.

This. I love the ambiance/atmosphere of the Jones, but the last few times I have eaten there the food has been mediocre at best.

The bar has been raised significantly in OKC.

. It's not like people think of City + State and think it sucks, it's just they don't have a reason to think about it all.

This! I try all the time to think of places new to try and can remember half of them Just this week...was looking for a new place for our anniversary tonight. City+State never entered my mind. (We are going to LaBrasa)

We were talking this morning about how marketing has changed. I am amazed the number of places that don't have websites. We looked at a place today and it took me to instagram which I don't have. I have had friends say that websites aren't important anymore and just need to be on FB or IG,

As Pete said....with so may good places and the bar being high....have to have an active marketing program on all the platforms that keeps your name out there on a constant basis. Out of sight is out of mind.

This! I try all the time to think of places new to try and can remember half of them Just this week...was looking for a new place for our anniversary tonight. City+State never entered my mind. (We are going to LaBrasa)

We were talking this morning about how marketing has changed. I am amazed the number of places that don't have websites. We looked at a place today and it took me to instagram which I don't have. I have had friends say that websites aren't important anymore and just need to be on FB or IG,

As Pete said....with so may good places and the bar being high....have to have an active marketing program on all the platforms that keeps your name out there on a constant basis. Out of sight is out of mind.

I would say websites are not really needed for most, but they do need some sort of social media and they need to have a strong Google listing and listings on other search engines like Bing.

Did they have an Instagram wall?

Sorry, just a little cross-thread reference.

I can tell you one thing: If I get poor service at a restaurant I will almost never go back.

I'm not talking about a brand new place or a small mom & pop... I'm talking about a full-scale restaurant where you can tell it is just not operated properly.

At least part of this comes from living in L.A. for 25 years where restaurant competition is beyond fierce and decent places have way more good applicants than they can hire.

When I first moved back I was appalled on a regular basis. So much so that I would go to Hal Smith Restaurants just because I knew the service would be professional. Just yesterday I was at a restaurant where employees were openly bickering and complaining right in front of me.

If I'm going to be shelling out my hard-earned money, a business better be able to treat me like they value my patronage. I realize there is a staffing shortage and all that, but there are plenty of places in town that still do a great job and I have zero patience for restaurants like the one I mentioned. It's not just Hal Smith places that tend to be professional but most of the good local restaurant groups like Provision Concepts, Humankind, and Good Egg.

Also, I am not 'cheif', 'boss', 'bud'... I don't need to be called 'sir' but if you are uncomfortable treating someone like a valued customer then you should find other work.

To echo with what some have said. Ambiance is only part of the puzzle. If a restaurant is relying solely on ambiance they’re doomed. Clientele and dining options in this city have progressed dramatically in the last several years. Good food and good service will always win out over ambiance.

When I first moved back I was appalled on a regular basis. So much so that I would go to Hal Smith Restaurants just because I knew the service would be professional. Just yesterday I was at a restaurant where employees were openly bickering and complaining right in front of me.


I thought that was part of the show at Waffle House?

I thought that was part of the show at Waffle House?

Unfortunately, this was a sit-down restaurant on the nicer scale of things.

It was beyond uncomfortable and I simply will never go back. Ever.

I would say websites are not really needed for most, .

completely disagree ... food truck sure ...

but absolutely need a website if they are a trying to be a mid level or above place ..

This. I love the ambiance/atmosphere of the Jones, but the last few times I have eaten there the food has been mediocre at best.

Interesting. I really like the food at Jones.

I don't want to pile on, but I feel the exact same way as others re: C+S. I only went once. The ambience was great, the cocktail was okay, and the food was just... not good, especially at that price point. It was just so bland. And the place was empty. We kept remarking on how nice the space was, but.... yeah. That's only going to take you so far.

Also, I am not 'cheif', 'boss', 'bud'... I don't need to be called 'sir' but if you are uncomfortable treating someone like a valued customer then you should find other work.

Agreed! Although that’s a great opportunity to hit them with, “I’m not your buddy, guy!”

completely disagree ... food truck sure ...

but absolutely need a website if they are a trying to be a mid level or above place ..

My job is digital marketing and I do websites for multiple companies. If you are going to have a website it better work and it better be easy to use. Otherwise, a Google listing and a consistent social media marketing plan is all you really need. I am saying this even though I can make twice as much money selling them my website creations. This knowledge is based on analytics and time spent on websites. They are not what they use to be. Sure there is something to be said about companies that still have a broad customer base of those who are older and like websites, but the next generations will likely never look at a website.

My job is digital marketing and I do websites for multiple companies. If you are going to have a website it better work and it better be easy to use. Otherwise, a Google listing and a consistent social media marketing plan is all you really need. I am saying this even though I can make twice as much money selling them my website creations. This knowledge is based on analytics and time spent on websites. They are not what they use to be. Sure there is something to be said about companies that still have a broad customer base of those who are older and like websites, but the next generations will likely never look at a website.

the target demo for high end restaurants is still not the next generation ...

they better have a website .. (and most do )

the target demo for high end restaurants is still not the next generation ...

they better have a website .. (and most do )

I don't disagree with you on that. If you are a high-end restaurant whose target market is people with a living wage then yes, you need a great website that can explain every detail of your menu and hours to those who would pay those prices.

Did they have an Instagram wall?

Sorry, just a little cross-thread reference.
I lol’d at this.

I will also say, importantly, that "ambiance" is not nearly as high valued in the OKC dining scene as it probably is in other places because the regular clientele (i.e. the locals) just don't care as much. That's neither a knock on our restaurants or our people, it's just a different value system. To that end, a place like City and State going all out on the design (and I personally thought it was as beautiful as any restaurant we've had) does not get a ton of ROI for that. It really is more about the food and service in OKC.

Yeah I don’t think it’s failure has anything to do with people not appreciating the space. That’s about the only reason I went back and was again disappointed by the expensive food that was near as good as it should’ve been at that price point and the fact that brunch took 2.5 hours with us regularly having to flag down servers for various things that woudlve come up if they’d checked in with us a few times. Just poorly run and it’s sad that it ended up that way with such a cool space

I would say websites are not really needed for most, but they do need some sort of social media and they need to have a strong Google listing and listings on other search engines like Bing.

Highly disagree. You absolutely need a website, socials and well managed yelp and google review pages in a competitive market. Besides it’s way too easy and cheap create all of that. You’re just shooting yourself in the door from the start if you don’t.

I thought that was part of the show at Waffle House?

No. Waffle House is where the waitstaff battling the customers is an accepted part of the dining experience LOL