And finally there are some signs that this might actually happen. Someone was on the roof two weeks ago working up a bid for re-roofing, and around the 4th of July, there were people inside ripping up carpeting, etc
.
I believe this activity in the old Great Wall location is actually preparation for the move by O Casual Dining.
Wow, Brad, you're quick. I posted that response in the House of Lee thread and before I could find the O Casual Dining thread you had already re-posted my response. Anyway, this is what I've been told, that they will be moving to the former Great Wall location on Farnam, between 10th and 11th. This info was directly from Lance a couple of weeks ago.
Always a business-oriented city hungry for growth and focused on development with laser intensity, Omaha aimed high, reached for momentum and found critical mass.
OmahaChef wrote:What is/was O Casual Dining? I never ate there.
I'd call it upscale eclectic American, with influences from all over the place (Asian, french, etc.). A neat date spot. Plus, it'll add another upscale drinking option, as after the dinner crowd slows down, their bar picks up and gets sorta busy with a 30s - 40s divorcee crowd. Often they'll have live jazz or other entertainment in the bar area on the weekends. All in all, this will be a great catch for downtown, and will help wake up and draw people to a rather "sleepy" block downtown.
This news about the relocation to the old Great Wall location is perfect! O is such a cool restaurant, and their new location, with two levels of dining, should be stunning. I suspect Children's hospital will be footing most of the bill for the remodeling. lol.
article confirming this in today's OWH ... Lance is going to make the entire top floor his lounge area, with views of the Gene Leahy Mall, and the overall seating in the restaurant will double what they currently have.
i love this restaurant, and i totally dig this new location.
It's not the actual wall in China, though the effort may feel almost as herculean.
He's gutting the former Great Wall restaurant at 1015 Farnam St. and turning it into a new two-story home for his O Casual Dining & Lounge.
"It's an over-100-year-old building, so there's some work in there," he said. "It's been vacant seven years, and the roof's been leaking, so it's a total gut and restore."
Wang said he aims to launch the new restaurant, and a new menu including more Asian fusion items, on Nov. 1.
I am very excited about this. One more great place to go downtown for lunch at work, and then again after work. To anyone who has never been before, I'd recommend checking out the current location as well before it's history.
Things are moving along with this remodeling, however, obviously they didn't make their projected November 1 opening. I just stopped by to see how things were going and Lance is hoping to be open before Thanksgiving.
RFO wrote:Things are moving along with this remodeling, however, obviously they didn't make their projected November 1 opening. I just stopped by to see how things were going and Lance is hoping to be open before Thanksgiving.
They have moved out of their building on 82 and Dodge.
maybe i'm just dead |expletive| tired, but what is the cuisine being served there? It's the building that is next to the pay-to-park lot across from where the old safari bar is? I'm having the king of brain farts, i dont remember it's name (even though i have seen the name and read the thread that talks about it!)
thenewguy wrote:maybe i'm just dead |expletive| tired, but what is the cuisine being served there? It's the building that is next to the pay-to-park lot across from where the old safari bar is? I'm having the king of brain farts, i dont remember it's name (even though i have seen the name and read the thread that talks about it!)
Asian fusion, done very very well. It will go in the old Great Wall location. A nice 2-story restaurant, reminiscent of what you are apt to come across in a larger city.
I noticed sunday when I was heading from the old market over to the hot shops that there was a sign on the back of the building, but I forgot to look at the front.
Brad wrote:I noticed sunday when I was heading from the old market over to the hot shops that there was a sign on the back of the building, but I forgot to look at the front.
They're getting closer.... Tables and chairs are there, and they appear to be in the process of starting to decorate. The bar is fully in, but they still need to put up some shelving and stock the place.
There must be some sort of rapidly approaching deadline for opening, as I walked by at 9 PM last night, and there were still people inside working. Glad to see they're serious about getting things done.
Still no permanent sign out front. There's a vinyl "coming soon" hanging from the awning, but nothing to cover the lightbox that had the former "Great Wall" sign.
Big E wrote:Man, these guys must have been talking about Nov 15th, 2008.
-Big E
Maybe they'd let us all go help build. I can't wait for it to open any longer!
Your wait is over. Soft opening last night. All the cool kids were there.
Fan-freaking-tastic. Go there right now.
-Big E
Tomorrow I am going with the folks to the Lancers Game and then meeting you and Mrs E at Urban Wine. I you want to go to "O" on Sunday, send me a pm....
If you haven't been to O yet you're really missing out. I've been twice so far and I have to say it's my new favorite place to eat. The food is awesome. I've never had food that tasted so good that it made me think. I have only been during lunch but would like to check the place out for the lounge in the evenings.
DTO Luv wrote:If you haven't been to O yet you're really missing out. I've been twice so far and I have to say it's my new favorite place to eat. The food is awesome. I've never had food that tasted so good that it made me think. I have only been during lunch but would like to check the place out for the lounge in the evenings.
Went for lunch on Saturday and while the food is quite good, we were very disappointed in the service. There were slow to come to the table, forgot to ask for our drink order and then virtually never came back for refills. The food was slow to be delivered and the waitress was just generally rude. Had the place been busy it would have been different but we were the only table she was waiting on .
We will of course give it another try sometime and I'm sure it will be better.
After dining at the new restaurant a few weeks back I would offer up this observation: I really miss the old location, with its waterfall and ambiance. There is nothing "wrong" with the new location....except I think the older one had more panache. Also, the menu seemed a bit less fusion and more Chinese at the new location. Our meal was very good, both food and service, so I would encourage forum readers to check it out.
About this time last year, Lance Wang had a rude awakening.
He'd spent a quarter of a million dollars turning a strip mall bagel shop near Children's Hospital into a cool Asian fusion restaurant.
His O Casual Dining & Lounge had survived the ups and downs of its first year, gotten a favorable World-Herald review and developed a steady following.
And a few months after reupping his lease, his big O dreams burst: The hospital was purchasing the strip mall to make way for expansion. His lease was about to be terminated. His investment was the target of a wrecking ball.
Ultimately, lawyers worked out a settlement. The old O Casual closed in September. The new O Dining & Lounge opened in the former Great Wall restaurant off 10th and Farnam Streets in January.
Yes, it's now just O Dining. When the restaurant moved, it dropped "Casual" from its name. Chef-owner Lance Wang said "O Casual" was a mistake on the signage at the former West Dodge Road location. He just left it until the old sign came down.
And speaking of that immediate area, expect a new restaurant/nightclub to go in where Irie was on 11th by summertime. Lunch and happy hour, followed by Techno music later on at night.