Drove by the former Norman Iron Starr yesterday, and noticed new signs up for Blackbird (or Blackburn) Gastropub. That sounds exciting to me as I like Republic, but the drive from Norman and back is terrible.

Anyone know anything about this project?

What is the differece between a "pub", and a "gastropub"? Curious.

What is the differece between a "pub", and a "gastropub"? Curious.

gastropub = bar with good food

What is the differece between a "pub", and a "gastropub"? Curious.

pub = booze with/without food offerings available
gastropub = atypical food offerings; booze also available

pub = booze with/without food offerings available
gastropub = atypical food offerings; booze also available

I thought booze w/o food was known as a "bar" and if it had food, ala O"Connells it was simply a pub, particularly in the USA.

Pub is part of British/Euro culture and is the equivalent of a bar. Establishments with the name pub in the U.S. are usually signified with a British/Irish name or theme. Other than that we just have good ole' American bars or bar & grilles and cantinas for our friends south of the border.

I did some research on the Internet, and found out that this new restaurant is operated by the same people who run Blu Food & Wine (that is where they are doing interviews for waitstaff positions), which also means the people who run "The Library" are also behind the new gastropub.

The Library and Blu are related somehow?

The Library and Blu are related somehow?

These two excellent Norman locations, along with Coach's Brewhouse, are part of The Good Life Hospitality Group
http://www.thegoodlifeok.com/

And that means that "The Good Life" also will own/operate the new gastropub.

Well, that's pretty good news. The food at Blu has always been good, but I hope they don't hang their hats on Coach's brews. Never been a big fan of any of them. Hoping they match the selection, or try to, at Republic.

They'll have Coach's brew, as well as the Library's selections. The Library ain't Republic, but it has a nice offering for our little part of the world. The beer selection will be at LEAST as good as those three places combined, which will please 95% of patrons. Beerphiles might not find what they want, but you never know.

Pretty meh about Library's beer selections, but I love the vibe of the place. Nice to see someone other than Good Egg taking the spot.

any opening date yet?

I walked by yesterday to see if they had an opening date on the window (I turn 21 on march 31st, and would really like somewhere good on campus corner to eat at for my birthday dinner). Instead, i found a notice that looked like it was from teh city that said something to the effect of "All renovations and construction must be stopped at this location immediately". So, something is wrong :-(

Talked to the people at Blu about it today. They are set for an early to mid-April open date. It will be Southern Comfort food with English Pub food also on the menu. It will have both a front and back patio. They will serve food until 1 am and will be open until 2 am. Should be a perfect addition to Campus Corner!

Any updates on an opening date?

This is very good news because that Iron Starr on CC was a disgrace to the Good Egg restaurants, and I very much love me some Gastropub.

Tentative opening is Monday, April 18.

Tentative opening is Monday, April 18.

Sad day. How do they not get open for the Red-White game?!? Was hoping to stop in with a big group...

I got an email from the Blu mailing list that had the new menu. Food looked good, but was disappointed to see that they are indeed showcasing the Brewhouse beers. Hopefully they will have other taps as well, but not holding my breath.

Blackbird Gastropub will mostly focus on whiskey, bourbon and scotch, as well as old fashioned cocktails that feature those liquors. "Pub" does not have to mean beer! That being said, there are at least 12 beers on tap and 50 or so bottled beers to choose from... and about a 40 bottle wine selection. As a side note: Coach's and The Brewhouse are no longer affiliated. The Brewhouse is now strictly a brewery, pool hall and live music venue. Coach's is under different ownership and is its own thing now. Of course all the "Good Life Hospitality" places will showcase The Brewhouse beer! It's the same owners.

That's great, but not my cup of tea. I was hoping for another place in Norman with a great beer selection to open so as to have an option other than Abner's.

The only other Gastropub I've been to is Rupublic, so I was hoping for a place with similar selections.

That's great, but not my cup of tea. I was hoping for another place in Norman with a great beer selection to open so as to have an option other than Abner's.

The only other Gastropub I've been to is Rupublic, so I was hoping for a place with similar selections.

i was hoping for the same. at least some coop on tap would be nice.

Anyone been yet?

I went last week. Decent food and a fantastic liquor selection. I'll go back.

I've been 3 times. Once was their "soft opening" so they were just trying to get their sea legs. I really like it...the pot roast is fantastic. Really enjoyed it. The burger was ok, a little overcooked but still good. As previous poster said the luquior selection is very good. They did some minor adjustments on the inside, took out some tables and chairs and added couches and chairs for a lounge type atmosphere.

The service was very good too. I'm excited to have it in that spot.

Went on Sunday. Good service and decent food.

I went recently. Not only is the liquor selection good, but their specials are great--$2 single/$3 double well drinks, and the Coach's beers are $2.50 all the time. They've added a few TVs too.

The only problem is that when I walk in the door, I wish I was ordering a BBQ club with a side of fancy mac and cheese...With that being said, the food there now is good. Similar to the quality at Blu, and kind of what you would expect from the Library if they had a larger kitchen. Good, but the food can't replace Iron Starr.

I've been there. The menu has many pub fare staples like Fish & Chips, burgers, nachos, Sheperd's pie, and chicken pot pie. The difference is that the food is not swimming in grease and is not a secondary consideration to the bar. That is, the bartenders do not begrudingly throw something in a fryer because a drinker wants something to eat with his drink. The people running it really took the time to develop menu items which would be expected in a pub, but taken to a higher level.
The decor is not much changed from Iron Starr. The stars have been removed from the walls, but not much else has changed. Menu prices for entrees go from $7 or so up to $15 or so. It's not terribly expensive, and everything I've had there is tasty. Portions are at least average sized, and probably larger. Two thumbs up!

... Good, but the food can't replace Iron Starr.

Seems like it's doing a right fair imitation of doing exactly that. While I regret Iron Starr not enjoying a rousing success in Norman. it's nice to see this new group come in and come in strong.

I'm still hoping for eventually more development along this corridor in the future. It is ripe for residential and commercial development as the north gateway into campus from Main.

Awesome food! I had the Shepherd's Pie. It had a really nice flavor of with hints of Rosemary and maybe Sage. It was not greasy. And the jalepeno cornbread that accompanied it was quite delicious. My friend and I also sampled the blue corn chicken nachos. They were tasty, but I found the chicken to be a little dry. However, the salsa was out of this world. It was chunky, spicy, and did not contain a lot of runny liquid. Great place. I will be going back, soon, I hope.

They need more beers on tap. I figured a gastropub would have more than 8-10 beers on tap, and the ones they do have on tap are almost exclusively local brews or domestics. Whiskey list is incredibly impressive though.

I was wanting a Hoegaarden the night I went and I was surprised to see they don't offer it all.

like the food, like the $2.50 library beers, like the beer selection overall but could use a few more taps. overall a nice addition.

I definitely like the alcohol selection more than the food. Like other posters I miss Iron Starr too much to be unbiased right now :)

fish and chips (which I judge every restaurant on) were pretty good, liked the ipa mustard instead of tartar sauce. Impressive whiskey like others have said, good prices, johnny blue only 18.5 compared to 40-50 like other places, only 1.5 pour size but still decent prices. chorizo pizza and chicken gorgonzolla pizza pretty good as well. and for you missing the iron star they did have gourmet mac n cheese and deviled eggs with black eyed peas.

fish and chips (which I judge every restaurant on) were pretty good, liked the ipa mustard instead of tartar sauce. Impressive whiskey like others have said, good prices, johnny blue only 18.5 compared to 40-50 like other places, only 1.5 pour size but still decent prices. chorizo pizza and chicken gorgonzolla pizza pretty good as well. and for you missing the iron star they did have gourmet mac n cheese and deviled eggs with black eyed peas.

Can you interpret that for those who don't speak "bar"?

Can you interpret that for those who don't speak "bar"?
chips=french fries
ipa mustard: mustard infused w/ an india pale ale
Johnnie Walker Blue label: premium high priced whiskey. $18.50 for a 1.5 oz shot, compared to $40-$50 other places.

chips=french fries
ipa mustard: mustard infused w/ an india pale ale
Johnnie Walker Blue label: premium high priced whiskey. $18.50 for a 1.5 oz shot, compared to $40-$50 other places.

Thank you. The chips and Johnny Walker I understood. The rest was a little obtuse.

Thank you. The chips and Johnny Walker I understood. The rest was a little obtuse.

No prob, the rest was just foofy speak for modern bar food.

No prob, the rest was just foofy speak for modern bar food.

I guess I'll have to brush up on my foofy then. LOL

Went there on Friday, happy to report that it was busy and our food was pretty darn good. I had the meatloaf, which was great. My wife had the pizza which was OK, she would probably try something else next time. Mac and cheese was really good. I had a whiskey flight, just right for sipping throughout the meal. Will definitely go back.

I went there on Saturday to watch the game and it was very busy. Hour long wait to get a table. Had the fish and chips which was pretty good ( a little on the greasy side). The thing I liked the most was that every beer they had on the menu was actually in stock. Too many times I have gone to other places serving a large variety of beer and they seem to be out of the more rare on the menu. As a bonus after the game was over Thabo Sefolosha and Nazr Mohammed walked in. Then a few minutes later Scott Brooks and the entire Thunder coaching staff came in. It was a fun night for sure.