R&J Lounge and Supper Club

[onthestrip]

It is shocking that R&J's keeps the prices low on their well drinks in this day an age, because many places love crowding their drink menu with multiple $10+ cocktails. The well bourbon used for their old fashioned tastes just fine to me, and you cant beat the price.

Other than a somewhat limited food menu, I really love everything about this place. The inside, the patio, the brunch with a DJ spinning tunes, cheap drinks, one of the few places with match books still (even though I dont smoke)...two thumbs up from me on all of it.

[LocoAko]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/tr...ttom-well&_r=1

R&J getting some love from the NY Times.

[Roger S]

Went and gave it a try for lunch.... Had the Pastrami Ruben and I have to say that the pastrami was incredible.

[Urbanized]

House-made.

[okatty]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/tr...ttom-well&_r=1

R&J getting some love from the NY Times.

In the print edition today...Nice review!

[turnpup]

As a result of following LokoAko's link to the NY Times review, we decided to have Sunday brunch there today. It was fantastic!

The little building it's housed in is a hidden gem. The first thing you notice after you see their vintage-looking sign above the door is a great patio area with neat fake grass and lots of festive chairs, tables and colored lights. It'd be great for not-so-hot days or after dark. When you open the main entry door at the corner of the building, you're immediately greeted with refreshing cool air and darkness. After our eyes adjusted to the light (or lack thereof), we were pleased to see a small but completely retro-inspired bar and dining area. Everything just screams cool.

We were fortunate to have arrived at a non-peak time, so we had ample chance to walk around and look at everything. A man named Craig was our server. He was friendly, answered our questions about the menu and kept my husband's coffee cup filled without us having to ever ask for more. The service was impressive. We felt like old friends.

The food was equally impressive, both in presentation and in taste. It arrived quickly, and it was hot. Portions were more than ample. The food was so good, in fact, that it never occurred to me to photograph it before it was too late (as in, we had both devoured it all). I had the shrimp grits, and my husband had eggs, sausage and biscuits and gravy. The shrimp grits were very slightly spicy--just perfect and full of flavor. My husband said the sausage was not like any he'd had before--in a good way. The biscuits and gravy were also comforting and flavor-filled.

I'm not much of a foodie or food critic, but want to emphasize that this place is delightful. The atmosphere is great. Prices are reasonable. Adding the high quality of food and service to that, I can totally say this will be on our rotation in the future. Oh--and they give away matches in a cool matchbox! You hardly ever see that anymore.

Blast it, my pictures are all turned sideways. Don't know how to fix that. Anyway, in this first one, there's a cool lamp and a full-size deer trophy in the corner mounted on the wall.



Our booth (neat black and white fireplace mantle in the background).



The bar.



Outdoor courtyard.



Matches.

[Pete]

Ran into Chip Fudge at R&J last night and he gave me a sneak peek of the new VIP Lounge which is directly north of the main Lounge:

[Teo9969]

Had the Lamb burger here:

Oh. My. God.

This is becoming my budget-cocktail place. Obviously better establishments for overall quality, but you pay for it.

[Pete]

Had the Lamb burger here:

Oh. My. God.

This is becoming my budget-cocktail place. Obviously better establishments for overall quality, but you pay for it.

Thanks for the invite! I'm within walking distance, you know.

[Teo9969]

Thanks for the invite! I'm within walking distance, you know.

I didn't want you to be the 3rd wheel . Would be a great place for an OKC Talk meet up!

[Thomas Vu]

Would be a great place for an OKC Talk meet up!

My ears are burning

[Jeepnokc]

Have been wanting to try this for some time and made it by yesterday with 3 staff members for late admin asst day. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed as I had high hopes.

We were the only table there. Service was a little slow considering we were the only ones present. The concept is cool and very retro. The drinks and food were very hit or miss. Three of us had the beef stroganoff and all of us had to add salt and hot sauce to get some flavor. Very bland and noodles undercooked. One person had shrimp and grits and we all tried it. It was pretty good. The grits were on the dry side but the shrimp and sauce was excellent. We had the bacon appetizer and the east side chicken appetizer. Everyone thought the chicken appetizer was excellent but the bacon appetizer was very bland.

We order two rounds of different drinks and no one was impressed with any of the drinks. The old fashion was undrinkable and didn't appear to have had anything muddled in it. It is served up also. We asked for ice and then we took the cherry and muddled it with some table sugar and it was somewhat drinkable. The moscow mule was served in a glass even though it appeared they had copper mugs.

Food came put fairly quick but the service lacked. Had to flag down manager to get hot sauce because server disappeared after bringing our food. No check back to see if ok. Very odd dynamic between staff. When server brought food,one person ordered another drink. Never came. Half way through meal, server comes and asks another person if they need another drink and we ask about the first drink. Her response was....the ticket has printed up and just waiting on bartender" We were the only people there! Why don't you go ask the bartender to make it? At that point she goes over and asks bartender to make it and she does. The ticket had just been sitting there while the bartender was doing prep work. Did not think it was a good value for what we received. Consensus of our group was that none of us would return.

[TheTravellers]

That's a shame to hear it slide like that, but unfortunately it mirrors our experience with it the last time we went. They were pretty busy during our visit, though, but that's not an excuse for letting a table sit there for 10 minutes without asking if we want drinks and we actually had to flag the guy down that went past our table about 20 times while he was taking care of checks, and then it kind of descended into that weird limbo you described of "who's doing what, who's got our drinks, where's our food, etc.". Not going back for a while, sadly, 'cos it's a great space and good concept.

[Thomas Vu]

Have been wanting to try this for some time and made it by yesterday with 3 staff members for late admin asst day. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed as I had high hopes.

We were the only table there. Service was a little slow considering we were the only ones present. The concept is cool and very retro. The drinks and food were very hit or miss. Three of us had the beef stroganoff and all of us had to add salt and hot sauce to get some flavor. Very bland and noodles undercooked. One person had shrimp and grits and we all tried it. It was pretty good. The grits were on the dry side but the shrimp and sauce was excellent. We had the bacon appetizer and the east side chicken appetizer. Everyone thought the chicken appetizer was excellent but the bacon appetizer was very bland.

We order two rounds of different drinks and no one was impressed with any of the drinks. The old fashion was undrinkable and didn't appear to have had anything muddled in it. It is served up also. We asked for ice and then we took the cherry and muddled it with some table sugar and it was somewhat drinkable. The moscow mule was served in a glass even though it appeared they had copper mugs.

Food came put fairly quick but the service lacked. Had to flag down manager to get hot sauce because server disappeared after bringing our food. No check back to see if ok. Very odd dynamic between staff. When server brought food,one person ordered another drink. Never came. Half way through meal, server comes and asks another person if they need another drink and we ask about the first drink. Her response was....the ticket has printed up and just waiting on bartender" We were the only people there! Why don't you go ask the bartender to make it? At that point she goes over and asks bartender to make it and she does. The ticket had just been sitting there while the bartender was doing prep work. Did not think it was a good value for what we received. Consensus of our group was that none of us would return.

confirmed stroganoff opinion

[Teo9969]

Have been wanting to try this for some time and made it by yesterday with 3 staff members for late admin asst day. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed as I had high hopes.

We were the only table there. Service was a little slow considering we were the only ones present. The concept is cool and very retro. The drinks and food were very hit or miss. Three of us had the beef stroganoff and all of us had to add salt and hot sauce to get some flavor. Very bland and noodles undercooked. One person had shrimp and grits and we all tried it. It was pretty good. The grits were on the dry side but the shrimp and sauce was excellent. We had the bacon appetizer and the east side chicken appetizer. Everyone thought the chicken appetizer was excellent but the bacon appetizer was very bland.

We order two rounds of different drinks and no one was impressed with any of the drinks. The old fashion was undrinkable and didn't appear to have had anything muddled in it. It is served up also. We asked for ice and then we took the cherry and muddled it with some table sugar and it was somewhat drinkable. The moscow mule was served in a glass even though it appeared they had copper mugs.

Food came put fairly quick but the service lacked. Had to flag down manager to get hot sauce because server disappeared after bringing our food. No check back to see if ok. Very odd dynamic between staff. When server brought food,one person ordered another drink. Never came. Half way through meal, server comes and asks another person if they need another drink and we ask about the first drink. Her response was....the ticket has printed up and just waiting on bartender" We were the only people there! Why don't you go ask the bartender to make it? At that point she goes over and asks bartender to make it and she does. The ticket had just been sitting there while the bartender was doing prep work. Did not think it was a good value for what we received. Consensus of our group was that none of us would return.

Sounds like you got a Manhattan instead of an Old Fashioned

[Roger S]

...Three of us had the beef stroganoff and all of us had to add salt and hot sauce to get some flavor. Very bland and noodles undercooked.

Wow... I haven't been over there in a couple of months but the stroganoff was always my go to dish and had great flavor. All I ever added was a little black pepper....
Only drinks I've ever had there were mojitos and they were always good.

I can concur with you that the service can be a little slow. Even when they aren't busy and it's a little pricey but I always thought the food was good enough it was worth what I was paying.

Hope they were just having a bad day.

[sooner88]

We went a few weeks ago just for drinks and appetizers, and while the service was kind of slow the food was great. We had the bacon appetizer and the deviled eggs, both of which were really good.

[TheTravellers]

confirmed stroganoff opinion

I forgot to mention that I had the stroganoff on our last visit and wasn't impressed either. The other items we've had on our other visits were pretty good, not sure what the deal with the stroganoff is.

[2Lanez]

Drinks are consistently good and cheap. Food is consistently great on paper, mediocre in execution and expensive. Had the Eastside Chicken sandwich a few weeks ago. Chicken breast, fry and sauce were all great, but the bun was so dry and crispy it was basically inedible.

Still love the vibe, though.

[Thomas Vu]

I forgot to mention that I had the stroganoff on our last visit and wasn't impressed either. The other items we've had on our other visits were pretty good, not sure what the deal with the stroganoff is.

I don't think I've ever had good stroganoff between this place, Hamburger helper way back in the day, and when its served at brazilian steakhouses

[jrod]

Just a heads up regarding a proper Old Fashioned (which R&J and Ludivine both do very well), the only thing that should be muddled is the sugar and bitters, the orange and cherry are garnishes. If you've have an Old Fashioned with muddle orange/cherry... They did it wrong. Now, if that's how you prefer it, then let them know, I'm sure they would be more than happy to accommodate. Also, a true Old Fashion is basically two (plus) fingers of straight bourbon/rye (depending on what you order). This means a minimum of 3oz of 80+ (some bourbons get up into the 120's in proof), it's a VERY boozy drink. But, it's supposed to be.

[Jeepnokc]

Just a heads up regarding a proper Old Fashioned (which R&J and Ludivine both do very well), the only thing that should be muddled is the sugar and bitters, the orange and cherry are garnishes. If you've have an Old Fashioned with muddle orange/cherry... They did it wrong. Now, if that's how you prefer it, then let them know, I'm sure they would be more than happy to accommodate. Also, a true Old Fashion is basically two (plus) fingers of straight bourbon/rye (depending on what you order). This means a minimum of 3oz of 80+ (some bourbons get up into the 120's in proof), it's a VERY boozy drink. But, it's supposed to be.

My comparison is the old fashion at WSKY and it tasted nothing like it. I am wondering if she made us a Manhattan instead because what we was served was not good.

[Teo9969]

I think I've had an old-fashioned at R&J, and I don't remember (nor think they would serve) it in a Martini glass. That would be pretty contrary to the whole point of the place anyway which is to go back in time.

And to be sure, as a server I have more than once made the mistake of bringing a Manhattan to someone who ordered an old fashioned and vice-versa. They're both 3 syllable whiskey drinks with emphasis on the same 2nd syllable vowel...you put the drink order in 2 or 3 minutes after you take the order because something else occuppied your time and things happen.

I sometimes completely forget what someone orders and cycle through my head "liquor, beer, or wine?", "vodka, gin, tequila, rum etc?", then think "okay, gin: which gin? Gin with mixer, Gimlet, Tom Collins, etc" (just kidding, nobody likes Gin :P)...I think most of the time I end up reasking, but if I don't have time, I take a shot and move on.

[TheTravellers]

I think I've had an old-fashioned at R&J, and I don't remember (nor think they would serve) it in a Martini glass. That would be pretty contrary to the whole point of the place anyway which is to go back in time.

And to be sure, as a server I have more than once made the mistake of bringing a Manhattan to someone who ordered an old fashioned and vice-versa. They're both 3 syllable whiskey drinks with emphasis on the same 2nd syllable vowel...you put the drink order in 2 or 3 minutes after you take the order because something else occuppied your time and things happen.

I sometimes completely forget what someone orders and cycle through my head "liquor, beer, or wine?", "vodka, gin, tequila, rum etc?", then think "okay, gin: which gin? Gin with mixer, Gimlet, Tom Collins, etc" (just kidding, nobody likes Gin :P)...I think most of the time I end up reasking, but if I don't have time, I take a shot and move on.

Really, you just guess when you forget? Why don't you write it down? Or do you work in one of those places where it's so cool to not write an order down? And if so, that's why I like my servers to write my order down, no guessing, no re-asking, and what should come out is what I ordered (unless the kitchen screws it up).

[Teo9969]

Really, you just guess when you forget? Why don't you write it down? Or do you work in one of those places where it's so cool to not write an order down? And if so, that's why I like my servers to write my order down, no guessing, no re-asking, and what should come out is what I ordered (unless the kitchen screws it up).

I'll write your food order down 98.5% of the time (although sometimes to my and the guest's chagrin, since guests occasionally think they ordered things they never did). I'll even write your drink order down if you're in a group of 8 or more.

For more reasons than "looking cool", I'm not writing down 1 Coke, 1 Corona Salt and Lime, and 2 Grey Goose and Sodas for a 4 top. I'm just not and I know of no good server that does. Ocassionally that results in a wrong drink on the table, however it always gets remedied immediately if the guest brings it to my attention, and often results in a free drink.