OAK (formerly Penn Central)

[BDP]

Original Shake Shacks were tiny.

Maybe that's why they called it a shack.

That has shakes.

[Pete]

1. Looks like they are preparing to lay the refrigeration coils for the ice rink.
2. Inside the trailer you can see the rows of ice skates.
3. Really putting up a ton of Christmas lights.
4 & 5. They are expanding the steel structure for the pavilion; they also took down the framing for the area behind the main structure, so they are likely expanding that as well, which will serve as cold storage, mechanical and restrooms for the restaurant.

[Oski]

Do we have the current occupancy of the apartments? It's cool to see all the lights go up at night.

[Pete]

Do we have the current occupancy of the apartments? It's cool to see all the lights go up at night.

Not many if any have moved in yet.

I believe they have to complete the west entrance to the parking garage, and they are still working on that.

[warreng88]

I went to OAK for the first time yesterday. Parked in the lot to the west of PB. Walked over to Arhaus that opened at 11, not 10 like I thought they did. The furniture is very nice but also very pricey for my taste. I am glad we have one, but I probably won't be shopping there any time soon. They were working on the skate rink at the time.

We made our way over to Tommy Bahama for lunch. There were three of us. The set up is very different than most restaurants that I have been to. We first ordered appetizers and drinks at the counter as we were waiting on another person and they said we can sit down and a waiter will come to take the rest of the order when the other person shows up. I usually see counter service or table service and this was a combination of the two which I have never seen before. They kept my card on file so we didn't have to charge the apps and then dinner separately, which was nice.

We ordered the Street Corn Dip and the coconut shrimp. Both were very good tasting but the shrimp was only four for $14 which I thought was a little high, maybe not. For lunch we got the burger sliders, the hot chicken sliders and the Baja Cod Tacos. All were great but I thought the tacos were the best. But again, it was two tacos for $19.

Ended with Key Lime Pie which was great. I like restaurants where you can get a bunch of shareable items and this fits the bill really well.

We will definitely be going back.

[Pete]

Tempur-pedic is now open.

[Pete]

As of tonight, the skating rink is officially open through January 20th.

Hours are M-Th 4-9 PM; F 4-10 PM; Sa 12-10 PM; Sun 12 - 9 PM.

Incredibly nice setting; they have really spared no expense on this entire project.

[RangersYear]

My wife and I went on Saturday as they were prepping for the rink. We enjoyed our time at Pottery Barn, Arhaus, and Williams Sonoma. We finished with an early lunch at The Marlin Bar. We thought the entry was clunky and we weren't the only ones. The idea is that you approach the front counter and order appetizers and drinks. Then grab a table flag number and find a place to sit. If you'd like to order more from the table, you can. The problem is that most don't understand this and the menus are 4 feet from the ordering station. By the time I got to see a menu, I felt that I had to make my full order (which wasn't the case.) The order-taker had to spend time explaining this to us and also took 2 minutes trying to get us to sign up for some rewards program.

We seated ourselves and our drinks (wine and bloody mary) arrived after about 10 minutes. We had ordered the chips with queso, salsa, and guac and also two burger sliders. The drinks were great. The salsa was smokey like I prefer and the guacamole was so fresh it reminded me of souther california guacamole. Our two sliders were excellent.

We next went with the tater tots (regular, not Hurricaine) and flatbread pizza. The tots were no different than what I get at Sonic. The flatbread margherita pizza was flavorful, but barely warm.

I thought it was strange that the spot at the bar where the bartenders were frantically mixing drinks was 6 inches from where food was coming out. I'm not a restaurateur, but that seemed silly and servers were constantly bumping shoulders - and it was 11am on a Saturday.

At one point after we were already mid-lunch, they had to tell patrons waiting in line that they were halting service to allow the kitchen to catch up. We weren't the only ones who were inconvenienced at the entry point. And there was never a time when there were more than 7 individuals in line to order. It's not like they were remotely slammed. I know they are working the kinks out, but the inefficiency at the entry point was a significant bummer. If I were the manager, I would have a hostess with a stack of menus advising patrons that they will want to order drinks and apps at the entry point and then be able to order subsequent drinks and food from their table.

The staff and servers were doing their best and I tipped well for their efforts. We will go back, but with lessons learned.

[Jeepnokc]

I was going to ask pricing but then realized I could get off my lazy rear and GTS it (Google that sh**) From the website:

The rink will be open daily from November 14, 2024, through January 20, 2025, including Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve. Hours of operation:

Monday – Thursday: 4-9 pm

Friday: 4-10 pm

Saturday: 12-10 pm

Sunday: 12-9 pm

Thanksgiving Break (11/24-11/29): 12-10 pm daily

Christmas Break (12/21-01/06): 12-10 pm daily

Christmas Eve: 12-5 pm

Christmas Day: 12-10 pm

Admission:

General admission w/ skate rental: $15
General admission w/o skate rental: $10

Tickets are available for sale on-site at OAK.

Email icerink@oakokc.com for group bookings.

Skate sizes range from toddler size 6 to adult size 14. Sizes are subject to availability.

*Please note the ice rink will close during inclement weather.


great pics Pete

[Jeepnokc]

Got a $50 off coupon for Tommy Bahama along with an invite to "sip and shop" this afternoon. Basically free drink and snack. So we made it an afternoon hubby/wife date. The store is great and the staff is outstanding. They would take clothes I wanted to try on and have them in the dressing room already unbuttoned and laid out. Very attentive. When we arrived and asked about the sip and shop....they weren't quite sure but the manager looked at the email and said...order any drink off the menu you would like and we will take care of it. Brought us some little key lime tarts also. Once again...right on top of it and taking care of customer. Several people came in after us that had gotten the same email and they were prepared for them.

After we shopped, we hit the Marlin bar for a late lunch. Like previous poster has said....service is weird. They don't have a smooth system. We sat at the bar and basically had to wave somebody down even though there were several standing around. We were able to order at the bar and once we had someone's attention.....we were taking care of pretty well. The bartenders seem to also be the food order takers for everyone standing in line. They need to separate that out as no one seemed to be taking care of the people sitting at bar. Management was present on the floor and bar and were being attentive to making sure things were getting smoothed out and working kinks out.

The food and drinks were excellent. We had the cucumber smash which is a gin based drink and the wife had the tropical mule and then the guava based margarita. Drinks were well balanced with crisp clean flavors. For food, we had the blackened mahi tacos and the street corn dip. The street corn dip is amazing. Great flavor. It is somewhat of a small portion for the amount of chips. The chips appeared to be freshly fried in house and were crispy, light and slightly salty in a good way. I will be experimenting at home to copy this recipe. The blackened mahi tacos were excellent also. They needed a sauce with them We asked for sirracha and that did the trick. The mahi didn't seem to have much blackening season but the flavors interacted well and had a nice contrast with the slaw. I would not hesitate to order either of them again.. The two drinks we paid for along with the appetizer and entree we split came to $63. Felt it was a great value for what we received.

Nice addition to OKC and will be a great place to have lunch or drinks on a shopping break. Would recommend giving it a try. (Also....I have mentioned this before. Get on Tommy Bahama's mailing list. I get $50 off $100 purchase coupons on a regular basis and so does my wife.)

[soonerguru]

Got a $50 off coupon for Tommy Bahama along with an invite to "sip and shop" this afternoon. Basically free drink and snack. So we made it an afternoon hubby/wife date. The store is great and the staff is outstanding. They would take clothes I wanted to try on and have them in the dressing room already unbuttoned and laid out. Very attentive. When we arrived and asked about the sip and shop....they weren't quite sure but the manager looked at the email and said...order any drink off the menu you would like and we will take care of it. Brought us some little key lime tarts also. Once again...right on top of it and taking care of customer. Several people came in after us that had gotten the same email and they were prepared for them.

After we shopped, we hit the Marlin bar for a late lunch. Like previous poster has said....service is weird. They don't have a smooth system. We sat at the bar and basically had to wave somebody down even though there were several standing around. We were able to order at the bar and once we had someone's attention.....we were taking care of pretty well. The bartenders seem to also be the food order takers for everyone standing in line. They need to separate that out as no one seemed to be taking care of the people sitting at bar. Management was present on the floor and bar and were being attentive to making sure things were getting smoothed out and working kinks out.

The food and drinks were excellent. We had the cucumber smash which is a gin based drink and the wife had the tropical mule and then the guava based margarita. Drinks were well balanced with crisp clean flavors. For food, we had the blackened mahi tacos and the street corn dip. The street corn dip is amazing. Great flavor. It is somewhat of a small portion for the amount of chips. The chips appeared to be freshly fried in house and were crispy, light and slightly salty in a good way. I will be experimenting at home to copy this recipe. The blackened mahi tacos were excellent also. They needed a sauce with them We asked for sirracha and that did the trick. The mahi didn't seem to have much blackening season but the flavors interacted well and had a nice contrast with the slaw. I would not hesitate to order either of them again.. The two drinks we paid for along with the appetizer and entree we split came to $63. Felt it was a great value for what we received.

Nice addition to OKC and will be a great place to have lunch or drinks on a shopping break. Would recommend giving it a try. (Also....I have mentioned this before. Get on Tommy Bahama's mailing list. I get $50 off $100 purchase coupons on a regular basis and so does my wife.)

The service is / was weird, but when I went it was the first week, so I will give them a break.

They were out of multiple items, but, again…

The fish tacos I got were exceptional (I didn’t get the blackened version). Their salsa and guacamole were also excellent. I wasn’t in much of a drinking vibe so can’t comment on that. It was a bit pricey and there was an absolutely awful musician performing terrible cover songs with limited appeal so the ambiance didn’t impress, but again, it was the first week.

If I lived in those apartments I would grab those fish tacos every single week, and the salsa is addictive.

Despite the service hiccups and other issues, the food I had was top notch.

Also, the Williams Sonoma store is a fabulous addition to OKC retail options. It is way bigger and more interesting than what existed at Penn Square. It’s a totally different experience.

[Pete]

[BoulderSooner]

great pics pete thank you

[warreng88]

My wife and I went on Saturday as they were prepping for the rink. We enjoyed our time at Pottery Barn, Arhaus, and Williams Sonoma. We finished with an early lunch at The Marlin Bar. We thought the entry was clunky and we weren't the only ones. The idea is that you approach the front counter and order appetizers and drinks. Then grab a table flag number and find a place to sit. If you'd like to order more from the table, you can. The problem is that most don't understand this and the menus are 4 feet from the ordering station. By the time I got to see a menu, I felt that I had to make my full order (which wasn't the case.) The order-taker had to spend time explaining this to us and also took 2 minutes trying to get us to sign up for some rewards program.

We seated ourselves and our drinks (wine and bloody mary) arrived after about 10 minutes. We had ordered the chips with queso, salsa, and guac and also two burger sliders. The drinks were great. The salsa was smokey like I prefer and the guacamole was so fresh it reminded me of souther california guacamole. Our two sliders were excellent.

We next went with the tater tots (regular, not Hurricaine) and flatbread pizza. The tots were no different than what I get at Sonic. The flatbread margherita pizza was flavorful, but barely warm.

I thought it was strange that the spot at the bar where the bartenders were frantically mixing drinks was 6 inches from where food was coming out. I'm not a restaurateur, but that seemed silly and servers were constantly bumping shoulders - and it was 11am on a Saturday.

At one point after we were already mid-lunch, they had to tell patrons waiting in line that they were halting service to allow the kitchen to catch up. We weren't the only ones who were inconvenienced at the entry point. And there was never a time when there were more than 7 individuals in line to order. It's not like they were remotely slammed. I know they are working the kinks out, but the inefficiency at the entry point was a significant bummer. If I were the manager, I would have a hostess with a stack of menus advising patrons that they will want to order drinks and apps at the entry point and then be able to order subsequent drinks and food from their table.

The staff and servers were doing their best and I tipped well for their efforts. We will go back, but with lessons learned.

Sounds like your experience and mine were similar.

[progressiveboy]

I went to check out Williams Sonoma and was super impressed. Much more upscale and nice compared when it was located at Penn Square. This development is really nice! Looking forward to what is in store with additional shops and restaurants! I know Mesero is locating here and it is super good! I hope Crate and Barrel changes their minds and locate a store in Oak. By the way, the lights look fantastic at night and really brings the place to life!

[Anonymous.]

Seems like they continue to have issues with the ice rink. See on social media they posted that it is temporarily closed with no date.

[Pete]

OAK makes you feel very sad about Classen Curve.

That development has fantastic retailers and restaurants but they are strewn over a large area with no placemaking whatsoever. Even NH Plaza is just a big center with parking (and a street) in the middle.

There is way more in that area than OAK will ever have, yet OAK already feels infinitely better.

[brianinok]

Do we know the timeline for Blue Mercury? The space looks ready for their buildout, but they aren't even listed on the Oak website. Even RH opening next summer is listed (not that they could hide it). I guess Alo isn't listed either, and they've had signs up for that. But still, I wonder what the timeline is, and what the holdup is on moving forward.

Edit: I think I just realized why. They are part of Macy's. I bet Macy's has a blackout period where they don't take possession of any space during the Christmas season. I bet the earliest they take possession from Oak is January or February. And who knows if they're even working on permits yet. Could be a while.

[Pete]

^

The shell for Blue Mercury is complete along with the storefront, but the space is being used for OAK's holiday celebrations.

They filed for a finish building permit a couple of weeks ago and I would expect work will start after the first of the year.

Oil Tree has not started work at all, but has also filed for a building permit.

[Pete]

Oil Tree is now well under construction. No movement yet on Alo or Blue Mercury.

Had lunch at Tommy Bahama today and it was very busy, which was nice to see.

Property manager told me they have had the first apartment tenants move in.

The pavilion building has been greatly expanded.

[HOT ROD]

Shake Shack has to have some seating. hehe (wink).

[barrettd]

We went to the skating rink yesterday for an end of semester skating party. It is such a nice spot. Plus, I got to shop at the new Williams-Sonoma, which is incredible. They would do well to put in a kiosk for warm drinks near the rink. If they had one open, I missed it.

[Pete]

^

Yeah, at this early point, there is no place for coffee or pastries or ice cream...

I suspect those gaps will all be filled in the next year.

[sooner88]

^

Yeah, at this early point, there is no place for coffee or pastries or ice cream...

I suspect those gaps will all be filled in the next year.

Maple and Honey Coffee Co. had a pop-up coffee and hot chocolate shop by the rink a few weekends ago. Would be nice to see that stay for the holidays... at least on the weekends.

[Pete]

I haven't heard anything in particular but I'm sure they'd love to have a coffee place.

And Shake Shack sells frozen custard, shakes, and seasonal hot chocolate, which should be open by the next holiday season (still no official announcement).