boulevard steak house to open downtown location - guess where...

[edcrunk]

just heard tonight that boulevard is opening a downtown location in the santa fe train station. they are said to be pumping 2.5 mill into it.

i did a search to see if this is duplicate... i'm a tad inebreated tho.

[HOT ROD]

wow, this is great news.

OMG - Oklahoma City is taking off. Can you believe it?

Honesly, I knew this all would happen. OKC has had so much pent up demand, Im not surprised at all - Im amazed it took this long; people holding back.

but what's impressive is the announcements coming and that they continue. I love to hear the upscale restaurants returning to downtown. We need MORE!! and we need more retail. Get some shopping downtown, to start - so we can have 'something' for visitors to the city during games. We can always expand later.

But yes, I am excited - Oklahoma City is definitely the Renaissance City.

(Way more deserving than Detroit).

Continue the Renaissance!

[betts]

I'd heard that months ago, but figured it was just an odd rumor. That is great news, and should give that location a shot in the arm. The renovation there doesn't look that great right now, IMO, but having Boulevard there will pull in other tenants, I would think.

[edcrunk]

once you move into your brownstone, you'll be so close that you can ride a bike there or something.

[betts]

I'll walk. I was in Chicago this week, and I logged miles and miles of walking. My daughters live in Ukrainian Village, and we walked to stores, restaurants, etc, when we weren't using mass trans. It was great. I'm really looking forward to walking to Bricktown, Redhawks and TBA games, Sunday brunch at the Art Museum, etc.

[HOT ROD]

awesome betts, I love Chicago - my #1 city in the US. (sorry OKC,).

Chicago is just amazing, anyway you cut it. I can see OKC following some modeling from chicago, a GREAT choice!

[onthestrip]

they are said to be pumping 2.5 mill into it.

Thats a little hard to believe.

[Pete]

Where exactly will it be located?

When I looked at that building in the spring as a possible class reunion site, it was pretty shabby. Hopefully this will help.

[metro]

Yeah. I'm wondering too onthestrip, how accurate this claim might be. Even if the rumor is true, and I hope it is, $2.5 million into that location seems very hard to believe, especially given the layout and size of the retail locations. Even if they put Microsoft Surface computers (future of high-end restaurants by the way, I bet HOT ROD has seen some in Seattle restaurants) into every table, that's still hard to believe.

[HOT ROD]

yes Metro, I've seen them.

We;ve had them at the corporate campus for a while on display before they were released. pretty darn cool, but I have never really played with them. lol.

Im just glad for the developments in OKC - I am totally impressed and can't wait for my next visit; kind-of think I should wait though to let some things pan out.

[metro]

I thought you worked for WaMu, not Microsoft.

[edcrunk]

Yeah. I'm wondering too onthestrip, how accurate this claim might be. Even if the rumor is true, and I hope it is, $2.5 million into that location seems very hard to believe, especially given the layout and size of the retail locations. .

it's not gonna be in the retail area, but in the main part of the station.

[OKCMallen]

Thats a little hard to believe.

Extremely hard to believe.

[tuck]

I have also heard this rumor. First of all, the location is correct, the people involved is correct, but I don't think it is going to be a steakhouse. I have heard that they are going more for a bistro-type concept. To sum all of this up, I still think this deal is in the "rumor" stage. Pete Holloway is an amazing operator, if somehting does work out, it will be great for downtown.

[metro]

Yeah, extremely hard to believe if it's going to be in the main part of the station. Does Brewer own the entire station, or did the city just give him control of the retail portion? If he owns the station, I guess it could be done but stupid to have visitors from Ft. Worth, etc. walking through the main terminal through a fine steakhouse. The city needs to own the actual station please.

[edcrunk]

i've never owned a restaurant... so i have no idea. the guy didn't seem like a bullsh*tter when he told JAMES VU and i about that.

btw, allow me to indulge in a bit of shameless self promotion... james vu and i are in an article of the gazette on page 71 (even tho this is the 10th time for our dj crew to be in the gazette... this is our second article on a colored page, WOOT WOOT).

[edcrunk]

Yeah, extremely hard to believe if it's going to be in the main part of the station. Does Brewer own the entire station, or did the city just give him control of the retail portion? If he owns the station, I guess it could be done but stupid to have visitors from Ft. Worth, etc. walking through the main terminal through a fine steakhouse. The city needs to own the actual station please.

have you even been in the station. there are a couple banquet rooms that are off the beaten path. people don't even walk thru those areas goin from the platform to the parking lot.

[Pete]

Actually, a bistro in the main station makes a lot of sense. Plenty of room in there and they host lots of events.

More importantly, I hope this leads to improvements to that building in general. There are cracks in the granite, rust stains on the stonework, trash blowing around the entry, etc.

It's a gorgeous building that needs more polish and attention. And it would be nice to have an excuse to use it more.

[OKCisOK4me]

awesome betts, I love Chicago - my #1 city in the US. (sorry OKC,).

Chicago is just amazing, anyway you cut it. I can see OKC following some modeling from chicago, a GREAT choice!

I know what you mean. Something my grandparents would do for all of us grandchildren is on our 16th birthday we could choose to go anywhere in the world. My sister went to London. I chose CHICAGO. A fascinating city. And I've been there another time since then. Summer '97 - high school senior trip. That was another fun time too. Would love to go back and see The Spire!

[CuatrodeMayo]

awesome betts, I love Chicago - my #1 city in the US. (sorry OKC,).

Chicago is just amazing, anyway you cut it. I can see OKC following some modeling from chicago, a GREAT choice!

I've spent a bit of time in Chicago. It is a fantastic city.

But serioulsy...Chi-town can't hold a candle to NYC.

[bwana_bob]

And NYC can't hold a candle to Paris - and Paris can't hold a candle to Rome and....

There is always a bigger fish in the sea, a shinier gift under the Christmas tree. Funny that so many people waste their breath in these posts in "pi**ing contests" about Oklahoma City versus (Dallas, Albuquerque, Sacramento, Indianapolis, you fill in the blank) when even the seeming titans of urban living/design fall short in someone's eyes.

Other cities provide great ideas - challenges to remain competitive - but identity is found from within. It is organic and cannot be duplicated from someone else's blueprint. That seems to be the "lesson learned" by our civic leaders from MAPS I to the present.

[OUGrad05]

OKC is going to be in desperate need of housing downtown if we're not careful things could get out of balance with too little housing which could result in some of these businesses struggling.

Hopefully we'll see an announcement of some sort of substantial residential development

[jbrown84]

Exciting news in several places in this thread. I look forward to what the Boulevard Steakhouse group puts in (hopefully not just another steakhouse) as well as the new Good Egg concept!

[warreng88]

Exciting news in several places in this thread. I look forward to what the Boulevard Steakhouse group puts in (hopefully not just another steakhouse) as well as the new Good Egg concept!

From what I understand, Boulevard is not opening up a new restaurant but Pete might be just consulting on it.

[Pete]

We got off topic (other posts transfered to two different threads) and I'm now confused about the original subject.

Sounds like the people that own Boulevard are going to open a Bistro concept inside the Sante Fe station (as opposed to the adjoining shops) and that some significant renovations will take place.

Is that what others are hearing?