there was a second tenant listed on the sign i saw a couple weeks ago... can't remember who, though. -M

It is a City Bites......

It is absolutely a City Bites. The faux cracked finish is very typical of City Bites style. Besides, the permit sign that was posted in front of the building when it was first under construction said "City Bites" on it....


-soonerdave

...but that sign also said something else, i think. anybody remember who the other tenant is? -M

I talk to the builder on a daily basis( he comes in for coffee). It is a City Bites!!!!!!

i coulda swore it was going to be a city bites and something else... guess i'm wrong. -M

Has anyone heard anything about City Bites possibly going in here??

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Dr. Spaceman: Now Jenna, medically speaking for your height your weight puts you what we call the "disgusting" range. Fortunately there are solutions. For example, crystal meth has been shown to be very effective. How important is tooth retention to you?

The other tenant is a medical office/clinic.

-SoonerDave

The clinic is going to be in the old Bing-Go hall along with Jimmy's Egg and Casablanca, the City Bites is going in the stand alone building......

That building looks so huge for a City Bites! But I guess I hae only eaten there once and it was at the one there on 74th & Western in that shopping center. Do you all think it will get enough business to validate having such a large building?

Please forgive me I stand corrected........City Bites is on the East side of the building and there are two lease spots open on the west side of the building no word on whats going in yet.... City Bites only has half of the Building. Sorry for any confusion on the subject....

OH, ok.

Haha

just wanted to say that there's now a 'coming soon' sign hanging up for primo's over the door of the old shorty smalls building. -M

There's also a new permanent sign atop the pole over that shopping center; the one that used to to host the "Shorty Smalls" sign...now says "Primo's d'Italia"

-soonerdave (still looking for info about 89th and Western...)

ha! i see the small sign and miss the big one. typical, typical. -M

Little info on Primo's for those that haven't eaten there..Alright you guys begging for local eateries...Time to step up...Good stuff

I highlighted the three most important words in the article


By Sara Ganus

Business Writer

Primo's d'Italia, the homemade Italian restaurant that started in Yukon, will open a third location Monday in south Oklahoma City.

Although the restaurant, 518 W I-240 Service Road, is about the same size as the locations in Yukon and Midwest City — about 5,000 square feet — owner Jeff Havern said this location will have its own flair and ambiance.

"We really don't want these to be cookie cutter,” he said. "This one is very different. It is really cozy, has a warm feel to it, and it has a lot more art.”

Each Primo's restaurant features art by Italian sculptor Maurao Posabon.

Spokesman Michael Carnuccio said the new restaurant, which will seat 155, also will have a larger bar area compared to some of the other locations.

"People who have to work on the southside can go in and catch the game or have drinks, whereas the others were more focused on the dining facility itself,” he said.

But that's not to say this location has lost that focus.

"We're known for the food,” Havern said. "Everything we do, we make in-house, from the tiramisu to all the bread we bake every day; our dressings and all of our sauces we make in-house in kettles, hand-rolled meatballs — we're still doing it all.”

Havern opened his first Primo's restaurant in 2001 in a strip mall center and a stand-alone restaurant in Midwest City three years later.

After opening locations east and west of Oklahoma City, Havern said he was ready to open a third location after he noticed many customers weren't necessarily coming from those communities.

"We had a lot of people driving over to our Yukon location and our Midwest City location really begging us to come south,” he said.

"Our No. 1 Zip Code in Yukon on the weekends is not within a five-mile radius. It's been pretty interesting because it's all south, and it's Edmond.”

Havern said he hopes to open a smaller restaurant later this year or in early 2008 with either north Oklahoma City or Edmond as the next logical place.

"We're not in a huge hurry to grow,” he said. "We want to really do it the right way and really absorb ourselves in whatever community that we're in.

"It's important to us that we don't focus on the growth so much that we lose that family perspective or community perspective.”

Southside Primo's hours are 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Sunday.

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Dr. Spaceman: Now Jenna, medically speaking for your height your weight puts you what we call the "disgusting" range. Fortunately there are solutions. For example, crystal meth has been shown to be very effective. How important is tooth retention to you?

Just had lunch there and to avoid boring everyone I will just say it was just as I remembered...Excellent

Wife had the chicken marsala and I had Chicken Diablo (Spicy)...Both were very good and we both had a lot leftover...If you are a tomato fan I would highly recommend the Tomato and Mozzarella salad (Can't remember the name)

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Dr. Spaceman: Now Jenna, medically speaking for your height your weight puts you what we call the "disgusting" range. Fortunately there are solutions. For example, crystal meth has been shown to be very effective. How important is tooth retention to you?

I like the way you think sir.

Haven't been to Primo's but these are usually called "ensalata caprese"

That's probably it metro...Have had that salad at several places, but rarely pay attention to the actual name...It was good, but the best I've had was at Deep Fork

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Dr. Spaceman: Now Jenna, medically speaking for your height your weight puts you what we call the "disgusting" range. Fortunately there are solutions. For example, crystal meth has been shown to be very effective. How important is tooth retention to you?

tried out primo's today. the interior has been changed drastically from the former shorty smalls... interior walls have been added so that the place is no longer one big dining room. the service was good... the staff was attentive and friendly.

the food, however, was not impressive at all. the caesar salad had little flavor... i suspect that the lettuce wasn't sufficiently dried off after rinsing so that the dressing was entirely too watery and without flavor.

i ordered chicken marsala for my main course... it was just entirely off, in my opinion. it wasn't horrible, but it just wasn't chicken marsala. the chicken was overcooked and hadn't been allowed to braise in the marsala sauce as it is supposed to. whatever wine was used in the sauce didn't taste like marsala to me. it tasted as if the wine had been added at the last minute and not allowed to cook into the sauce; the effect being that it was entirely too overpowering. the pasta was covered with a different sauce... almost a gravy.

for dessert, i had tiramisu. the plating was nice, but the presentation of the dessert itself was underwhelming. it was just a two-layer tiramisu, so it had little height to it at all, looking kinda pathetic on the huge plate it was served on. nitpicking aside, it didn't taste bad. i think they used rum extract instead of real rum. the custard was rich enough. altogether not the best or worst tiramisu i've had.

i'll give the place another try... but i don't think i'll be ordering their take on chicken marsala. -M

btw... when leaving, i noticed that the sign for jimmy's egg is up on the building just south of primo's. at one point their was a temporary coming soon sign for a place called ricky's grill and bar, though i failed to see it today.

My family went to Primo's on Sunday, and we were generally very pleased. I think in general our experience was better than mmm's.

We had only one important issue; our service time was entirely too long (35 minutes). After prodding, we found out that they had overcooked my wife's chicken and had prepared it again, stalling the rest of our meals.

I had a Caesar salad, and found the greens fresh, crisp, and the dressing very flavorful. My "Lasanga Roll" was very good, leaving me wishing they'd put that delightful sausage and cheese filling in a calzone. I do wish they'd have a more traditional casserole-style Lasagna on their menu, however.

As a way of making amends for the service times, we were given a free dessert - tira misu, which by the consensus at our table was very good, albeit a bit small.

Other dishes at our family table I got to sample:

- Spaghetti and meatballs - Meatballs were rich and flavorful, not spicy
- Grilled chicken with mushrooms - I hate mushrooms, but the chicken was good.

I don't normally get coffee with a meal, but I did this time, and it was fresh, rich, and smooth.

All in all, although we had a service bump, they were very apologetic and eager to correct it, and the rest of the meal was very good. I'd recommend Primo's to anyone. Our family will be going back.

-soonerdave

My wife and I had lunch at Primo's last Friday. She enjoyed the Italian Feast and
I had the Italian sausage panino sandwich. The sandwich was so hot, I burned
my mouth on the first bite. After my ability to taste returned, I found the sausage had a good favor. The pasta was a little rubbery. Wait staff were friendly and attentive. I will give it another visit.

What are the plans for the old Taco Cabana next door? It seems there is no alternative other than to demolish it.