Anchor Down

[Teo9969]

Still think it would be cool if we renamed 2nd on this stretch into "Radio Street" and had signage signifying all of the entertainment establishments with some sort of "W---" radio station theme:

WADP (Anchor Down and Park)
WLUJ (Level's Urban Johnnie)
WXYZ
WSKY
WDDG (Deep Deuce Grill)

Really need a Jazz lounge on this street.

[bchris02]

^^^ I completely agree. A "radio row" is an interesting idea. Also, given Deep Deuce's history, an establishment geared towards its jazz heritage is sorely needed.

[catch22]

Still think it would be cool if we renamed 2nd on this stretch into "Radio Street" and had signage signifying all of the entertainment establishments with some sort of "W---" radio station theme:

WADP (Anchor Down and Park)
WLUJ (Level's Urban Johnnie)
WXYZ
WSKY
WDDG (Deep Deuce Grill)

Really need a Jazz lounge on this street.

While it's a cool idea, it's a fake representation of history. While DD has Jazz roots, I don't think it ever had any radio studios and it would be disingenuous to imply that it did by turning a historic district of jazz and African American culture into a faux pop culture radio studio district that never existed in the past nor present.

[s00nr1]

Went there around 11pm last night with my wife and a couple of friends following a complete failure of an experience at TopGolf.

I have to say, as a result of what we saw last night, A/D might have ascended to the top of my favorite establishments in OKC. From the atmosphere, to the service, to the food, it could not have been any better. As far as what we ate, I went with the wild boar and ghost pepper ranch combo while my wife chose the chicken sausage. Both were excellent and the wild board in particular had a very unique flavor and all of this came with excellent value ($33 for two entrees, a dessert, and two draughts). We will without a doubt be frequent patrons.

[Dustin]

Went there around 11pm last night with my wife and a couple of friends following a complete failure of an experience at TopGolf.

Won't derail the thread, but I've heard numerous complaints from friends and family about TopGolf since they opened. Care to share your experience on the TopGolf page?

[Filthy]

I was somewhat disappointed on Saturday when I specifically made the trek downtown to enjoy some Anchor Down....only to find out that they were not open. Obviously I was upset with myself, for not verifying before hand...but I guess it didn't even register in my mind "the possibility of a restaurant not being open........at 2 Pm...on a Saturday." Maybe next time.

[Chadanth]

I was somewhat disappointed on Saturday when I specifically made the trek downtown to enjoy some Anchor Down....only to find out that they were not open. Obviously I was upset with myself, for not verifying before hand...but I guess it didn't even register in my mind "the possibility of a restaurant not being open........at 2 Pm...on a Saturday." Maybe next time.

They're also closed on Sunday and Monday. I'm a little surprised myself, I think they'll have to change that up eventually.

[Urbanized]

...and they don't do lunch, which I think would KILL in that location. The good news is that The Mule opened with similar minimalist hours and ramped up to meet the market, so hopefully the owners of both will do the same thing here.

[Pete]

They have plans to expand their hours once things get really rolling. Remember, there will be a directly adjacent dog park.

The operators are a cautious group and want to do everything very well.

As we all know, biting off more than you can chew in the restaurant and bar biz can be the kiss of death.

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^
I've discussed this with the owners too, and can tell you that their thinking right now is that corn dogs are too heavy for lunch fare and they really aren't considering lunch at all. But I think eventually they will come around. They're a smart bunch. I just hope others who work downtown give them positive feedback regarding lunch potential, and that those same people follow through as customers should the owners relent.

Remember, though they are brilliant and experienced, they are also new to downtown - at least as owners - so they are still learning the ebbs and flows and downtown's personality. Running a downtown eatery is quite a bit different than a suburban one, and even Plaza District essentially functions as a suburb, as there are few daytime jobs concentrated there.

[Pete]

The can expand hours without diving fully into lunch.

Much more profit in alcohol sales than food and you aren't going to sell much beer at lunch time.

They are wise to be cautious... Everyone seems to want these places to be open 24/7 but there is going to be some shakeout in the restaurant game in the core and it's wise to be conservative. We haven't see much in the way of closures as of yet but it is certainly coming for some.

[Urbanized]

Yeah, but I selfishly want lunch there because I can walk to the place! And so can most of the CBD...

[Chadanth]

The can expand hours without diving fully into lunch.

Much more profit in alcohol sales than food and you aren't going to sell much beer at lunch time.

They are wise to be cautious... Everyone seems to want these places to be open 24/7 but there is going to be some shakeout in the restaurant game in the core and it's wise to be conservative. We haven't see much in the way of closures as of yet but it is certainly coming for some.

True. They also only have 8-10 items on the menu, so it's not going to be a regular lunch spot for many people. I think expanding hours on weekends and adding Sunday is the next smart move.

[whatitis]

I went on Friday around 5pm. I was not impressed.

I was with my wife and child and there's only 2 tables you can sit at if you are under 21(with the child we were stuck there but they were both full) unless we wanted to sit outside but it was 101 outside, no thanks. I think ordering at the bar is kinda weird but not a big deal. All those wouldn't matter if the food was worth it.

We got both kinds of hushpuppies, a roger dog(plain corn dog) and a wild dog.

The roger dog was tough and hard to chew. it had big pieces of gristle in it. I didn't finish it because it was so damn tough. My wife had the wild dog. She's a much more adventurous eater and she didn't seem to care too much for it. The batter is great the "dog" part was lacking. The jalepeno cheese hushpuppies were very good. But the strawberry vanilla were kind of lacking. I guess I expected the batter to be strawberry flavored but instead it was regular hushpuppies with strawberries and powdered sugar on top. They weren't bad but they weren't great.

overall because the "dog" is so crucial to the meal I would give it just a 4/10.

[gopokes88]

True. They also only have 8-10 items on the menu, so it's not going to be a regular lunch spot for many people. I think expanding hours on weekends and adding Sunday is the next smart move.

Yeah they need Sunday brunch once the dog park opens. There's some big money in that.

[soonermike81]

Wife and I stopped by here the other night. My wife is an absolute corndog fanatic. Me, I think they're just OK. Now, we both agreed that their regular corn dog is, by far, the best corn dog we've ever had. Think it was called the Roger Dog. Definitely a cool spot. Just wish they had more inside seating for kids, they wouldn't let us into the bar side with our 1 year old.

[Pete]

Went for the first time tonight around 9PM and the place was deserted. Besides my buddy and I, maybe four other people inside and on the patio.

I just had the basic corn dog and it was good but nothing to get excited about. I look forward to trying some of their more exotic offerings and am sure the adjacent dog -ark -- whenever the finally do it -- will help greatly.

Quite a bit more people at Urban Johnnies and Bleu Garten (where we spent most the evening) on a perfectly gorgeous night to be outside.

[Thomas Vu]

Went for the first time tonight around 9PM and the place was deserted. Besides my buddy and I, maybe four other people inside and on the patio.

I just had the basic corn dog and it was good but nothing to get excited about. I look forward to trying some of their more exotic offerings and am sure the adjacent dog -ark -- whenever the finally do it -- will help greatly.

Quite a bit more people at Urban Johnnies and Bleu Garten (where we spent most the evening) on a perfectly gorgeous night to be outside.

When I paid a visit to Bleu Garten, I mostly found stuff to drink. I wanted something to eat at the time =(

[gopokes88]

Went for the first time tonight around 9PM and the place was deserted. Besides my buddy and I, maybe four other people inside and on the patio.

I just had the basic corn dog and it was good but nothing to get excited about. I look forward to trying some of their more exotic offerings and am sure the adjacent dog -ark -- whenever the finally do it -- will help greatly.

Quite a bit more people at Urban Johnnies and Bleu Garten (where we spent most the evening) on a perfectly gorgeous night to be outside.

I wouldn't call it a bust yet, but AD doesn't have good flow, the patio space is an awkward shape, and the food isn't very good. They are really going to need to revamp that menu, they won't survive as a bar with below average food.

[bchris02]

Haven't been there in a while myself and I rarely even think about it. I ate there a lot when it first opened but since the novelty of having a restaurant in a shipping container has worn off, it doesn't really offer anything to keep me coming back. The food isn't terrible and is in fact actually decent, but it isn't excellent and competition is stiff. There are also much better places to have a beer or a cocktail. Another thing is they have weird hours. There was several times that I went and they were closed, which kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.

[shawnw]

I like the food. Been there on nights where the patio was full (it's not huge I realize) but the inside was still mostly empty. I'm not sure it's entirely clear to passers by that there's a restaurant/bar when they walk or drive by...

They need something else. I'm not sure what. The dog park would certainly help a bit. But they need an equivalent to how Skinny's has soccer.

[Pete]

The dog park will absolutely help but I don't know why it's taking so long to implement.

Also, they really do need some sort of signage. The friend I went with said, "You'd really have to know this place was here, even if walking by."

[AP]

Haven't been there in a while myself and I rarely even think about it. I ate there a lot when it first opened but since the novelty of having a restaurant in a shipping container has worn off, it doesn't really offer anything to keep me coming back. The food isn't terrible and is in fact actually decent, but it isn't excellent and competition is stiff. There are also much better places to have a beer or a cocktail. Another thing is they have weird hours. There was several times that I went and they were closed, which kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.

Yeah, this pretty much covers my feelings on the place.

[Urbanized]

They need to tune the menu a bit and start opening for lunch. I think they could have a very loyal lunch crowd with the right offerings, and people who lunch there are likely to support the place in the evenings, too.

[soonermike81]

I have to disagree with some of you. My wife is a corn dog fanatic, and I'm pretty indifferent about corn dogs. But we both thought their corn dogs were easily the best corn dogs we've ever had. Talking about the basic one, the exotic ones are are ok.