View Full Version : deep outre lounge



metro
12-10-2008, 11:02 AM
Saw an ad in today's Gazette, deep outre lounge coming in Feb. 2009. The ad looked pretty cheesy. That's all it really said too, no contact info.

warreng88
12-10-2008, 12:17 PM
No location?

jbrown84
12-10-2008, 01:50 PM
Deep what?

warreng88
12-10-2008, 02:38 PM
Deep what?

Must be French...

metro
12-10-2008, 02:51 PM
No location?

The ad didn't have one. I imagine it is will either go to where Lit was or next to it, I believe it was Halo? I could be wrong since I'm not a club type.

onthestrip
12-10-2008, 02:57 PM
Speaking of the old Lit, that place is too good of a location and has too great of a rooftop to go unused.

nik4411
12-11-2008, 08:41 AM
Did Lit shut down? Wow, that sucks if it did. Only been there a few times but it was a great little bar. And like onthestrip said, their rooftop was great during the summer.

jbrown84
12-11-2008, 07:32 PM
Yes, LiT quietly closed a few months ago.

bretthexum
12-12-2008, 08:28 AM
That Halo location has been a revolving door. Hope they can stay there for awhile.

edcrunk
12-17-2008, 12:06 AM
LIT was cool, but the owners were med students that had no business running a club.

Urbanized
12-17-2008, 12:42 AM
Really? My impression was that LIT was at its best when they were involved in the day-to-day management. It was when they developed real lives and had to outsource management that the club started to suffer.

And frankly, although they originally intended it to have the long-lasting lifespan of a "neighborhood bar," I think LIT was ahead of the resident curve in downtown and just became a victim of the fickleness of the nightclub now-you're-hot-now-you're-not crowd. By that measure, they lasted a very long time.

OKCMallen
12-17-2008, 08:12 AM
LIT was cool, but the owners were med students that had no business running a club.

They were doing great. I think new owners came and they tried to turn it into a music venue and ripped out all the cool booths. There was and still is a place for LIT in Bricktown...just not as a dirty music venue.

Urbanized
12-17-2008, 11:34 AM
It wasn't new owners. It was the same owners, albeit with a new management team. The live music venue was really just a lunge at recapturing the early magic of LIT; a way to change things up since the old model wasn't working any more.

Like I said in the post before, I think they were mostly a victim of the fickle club crowd, which doesn't want to stay in the same place too long. It's exceedingly rare for places perceived as "clubs," even successful ones, to survive anywhere for a long time without a re-branding (think the intitially very successful Bricktown 54). I think "bars" tend to have a better shot at longevity than do "clubs," and LIT attracted a "club" crowd from the beginning, despite the intentions of the owners.

The other thing that often happens to clubs as they become entrenched is that their employees are notorious for getting comfortable and figuring out ways to redirect money from the company till to their own pockets. I'm not saying that happened at LIT, and have no indication that it did, but it wouldn't be surprising. This is especially so when you consider the owners had to rely more and more on hired management and less on their own direct supervision, as their adult lives started to get in the way of being club owners.

edcrunk
12-17-2008, 02:14 PM
i was a tad harsh... they had a decent run, it's just that they didn't have any knowledge how to ride out the storms or be open to suggestions from credible and qualified sources interested in their success.

edcrunk
12-17-2008, 02:22 PM
btw, bricktown's club scene is dying... people are leaving in droves for western and memorial.

Urbanized
12-17-2008, 02:43 PM
If that's true, it's not necessarily a bad thing. As Bricktown matures as a district, its future probably lies much more with developments other than strictly nightclubs. Certainly unchecked, willy-nilly club development can actually be a hinderance to thoughtful development in Bricktown. There always will and always should be clubs in Bricktown (it's an entertainment district, after all), but I think you will see a more careful approach to them in the future, especially after the forthcoming Bricktown land use study is finalized and made public.

Urbanized
12-17-2008, 02:52 PM
By the way, certain districts getting "hot" for nightclub development, perhaps at the expense of others, is just a larger example of the aforementioned fickle club crowd's changing tastes. The club crowd just wants to be at the new hot place, always chasing something better or more exciting. There's no mystery there. It's probably a metaphor for why they are at the club to begin with.

Due to its proximity to the ballpark, the Ford Center, the Cox Center and downtown proper, Bricktown will always remain strongly in the mix for nightlife, though. Assuming everyone in Bricktown keeps their eye on the ball.

Steve
12-17-2008, 02:53 PM
I think a good related question is what does it mean for Memorial Road that buildings that were previously restaurants (one that was pretty upscale) are turning into nightclubs? Does this indicate a downgrade in use along Memorial, or an exhaustion of restaurant development?

Urbanized
12-17-2008, 02:57 PM
So you are suggesting that what we are seeing might end up being an upgrade for Bricktown and simultaneously a downgrade for the suburbs? Interesting...

Steve
12-17-2008, 03:00 PM
Question: which was a better use of the first floor of the Kingman Building (let's put aside the ultimate failure of both): Banana Joe's nightclub or Daddy Hinkles? Which business contributed more to Bricktown as an entertainment district?

Steve
12-17-2008, 03:00 PM
Likewise, which business contributes more to Memorial Road's image: Rok Bar or North Fork?

onthestrip
12-17-2008, 05:19 PM
btw, bricktown's club scene is dying... people are leaving in droves for western and memorial.

Im not sure that is the case. Bricktown is about to open Coyote Ugly, a dueling piano bar, this Deep Outre thats been advertised recently, and then something else in the Centennial. So with 4 new clubs opening, I wouldnt say that they are leaving in droves. Western hasnt had anything new open recently other than Speakeasy, which Im not a fan of. So there arent a whole lot of new options there. And as far as Rok Bar on Memorial, I just have a feeling that it wont last all that long, maybe Im way off though.

onthestrip
12-17-2008, 05:23 PM
And to answer Steves question. I would think NorthFork would be better for Memorial's image, Rok Bar just looks cheap. But it doesnt matter since NorthFork couldnt make it. I would have to say that whatever can provide some stability would be the best bet.

jbrown84
12-17-2008, 06:39 PM
I don't see a long life for RokBar North or Buddha Tao for that matter. I could be wrong, though, as I haven't seen their crowds.

I think Bricktown has lost some of the club scene, but certainly not all.

metro
12-18-2008, 09:13 AM
Im not sure that is the case. Bricktown is about to open Coyote Ugly, a dueling piano bar, this Deep Outre thats been advertised recently, and then something else in the Centennial. So with 4 new clubs opening, I wouldnt say that they are leaving in droves. Western hasnt had anything new open recently other than Speakeasy, which Im not a fan of. So there arent a whole lot of new options there. And as far as Rok Bar on Memorial, I just have a feeling that it wont last all that long, maybe Im way off though.

I'm not a bar hopper/clubber, but I'd listen to Ed, if anyone has a good feel for the scene, it's him. He's a popular DJ here in OKC and other major metros so he has a good feel for the scene. Just because Coyote Ugly is coming to town, doesn't mean much about Bricktown's club scene. They are primarily coming because of the national press of the Thunder and the Ford Center's proximity to Bricktown/ Coyote Ugly, this deep outre lounge seems cheezy from what I've seen thus far. Even as a non clubber, I know clubs come and go all the time. I guess time will tell. I know when I've driven by Memorial Rd. at night, I've seen Bakers Street and Rok Bar packed out.

BDP
12-18-2008, 10:15 AM
Western hasnt had anything new open recently other than Speakeasy

Doesn't matter if it's new, Western is certainly has a lot more traffic than it did about two years ago. The Speakeasy has been doing pretty well, but the real sign of the district's health is that places like The Sip and Cock O' The Walk are packed after 12.

Bricktown's bar scene has been pretty cheesy since the beginning and it does seem like a lot of that has moved to Memorial. I have never gone out on Memorial Road, but I have heard that much of the bricktown "clubber" goes there now.

Bricktown bars will probably always have to reinvent themselves. As pointed out, that's just the nature of the business. The key to sucess, imo, is actually changing before it goes stale. Hopefully, areas around bricktown that are trying to develop residential neighborhoods will get some bars with more of a neighborhood feel that will become long lasting icons like the Sip, Cock o The Walk, Red Rooster, Hi-Lo, Edna's, etc.

I think Lit is a big loss because, while trendy in its original design, it was one of the few places you could go in bricktown that wasn't a restaurant and wasn't a "club". I'd like to see something like it or like Isis in the Paseo work its way back into the mix of options in Bricktown. The good thing is that once Lit has been closed for awhile, the concept of a fashionable, but low key bar will be new again.

HOT ROD
12-18-2008, 02:42 PM
Every big city needs dance clubs and bars, and OKC needs more than just Bricktown. It's nice that there are other areas. But, Bricktown certainly needs nightclubs - anybody saying the opposite is not facing reality (that it's Oklahoma's premier entertainment district - therefore NEEDS CLUBS!!!).

Urbanized
12-18-2008, 04:00 PM
Man, if you think I was saying Bricktown shouldn't have clubs I sure didn't mean that. The problem is that Bricktown has been overwhelmed by them in recent years, and it has likely stunted growth in other areas.

I think Bricktown is evolving, which is good for Bricktown, AND good for the city. The days of unchecked club growth need to be behind Bricktown, as it works to become more of a mixed-use neighborhood, and when new clubs are added, they need to be clubs that are beneficial to the overall mix. The district needs to take a thoughtful approach to adding them, and if that means the get-really-drunk-on-five-bucks-and-dance-on-a-table crowd ends up going elsewhere, I can't say that is a bad thing.

Also, understand, "bars," like Maker's, Mickey Mantle's bar, the Purple Bar, Tapwerks, the Brewery, the new bar at Bolero, or LIT when it was in business, are often a different animal than "clubs."

lasomeday
12-18-2008, 05:28 PM
I really like Makers. That place is a hidden jewel.

Urbanized
12-18-2008, 06:11 PM
Got that right.

jbrown84
12-19-2008, 10:01 AM
No one ever talks about Drinkz. I haven't been, but the pictures make it look like an nice place.

CCOKC
12-21-2008, 11:56 AM
I have only been there once (on Halloween night) and I liked it. It is bigger on the inside than it appears from outside and is very nicely done. I was expecting a dive but Drinks is definitely a step or two above dive.

onthestrip
12-21-2008, 12:56 PM
Drinkz is a strange thing. It is the nicest bar in all of BT (just bar, no food) and located in a central spot in regards to foot traffic. I enjoy going in there before or after baseball or basketball games, or just for a nightcap. The weird thing is that there are never that many people in there and thus the atmosphere kinda seems dead. Granted, I dont want to fight a crowd to order a drink, but I like to see a few people in there. But I do recommend it to someone wanting to drink at a nice bar.

okclee
12-21-2008, 01:09 PM
I will second Drinkz as being the nicest bar in Bricktown.

I don't understand it not being crowded other than the entrance being in an alley. I would like for them to have more of a crowd, but at the same time I don't want it to become to popular, for my own selfish reasons of course.

BDP
12-22-2008, 03:55 PM
Drinkz seems to have an identity crises. It's very basic, but big. Not quite lounge, not quite sports bar, not quite club, and definitely not an average pub. It's like a new suburban home: large and nice, but without much character or originality. The only time I have been there I remember a friend saying "you know, this place should be cool, but it just isn't."

Honestly, I think the name does it more harm than anything else.

OUstew
12-23-2008, 10:18 AM
I think "Drinkz" needs a new name and it would be fine.

Also, I don't think OKC needs more clubs... they need more bars (like someone said above). Clubs aren't in demand (at least for anyone I know) at all and different bars will help the nightlife grow.

Maker's is my favorite place as well.

badfish77
12-23-2008, 03:33 PM
Drinkz is a really nice place, I enjoy going in there with my girlfriend. I want to second the idea of a place like Isis in bricktown that place is really awesome, if you havent been you really need to go.

danielf1935
12-29-2008, 04:08 AM
What this City needs is a House of Blues, put it anywhere in OKC!!!!