Elephant Bar Restaurant

Willow and I decided that we would try some of the local restaurants and use our blog for a type of "review." We've driven past the Elephant Bar Restaurant several times and it has always intrigued us. While this restaurant isn't exactly local (there are other locations, mostly in California), we haven't come across one before. The restaurant felt like a jungle themed Cheesecake Factory. We both were impressed with the cleanliness, the general atmosphere and decor. The kitchen was open to the dining area, which was nice. Our waitress was one of the best we've had in OKC yet. Now . . . to the important part. The food. The menu didn't seem to go by a real theme. There was American, Asian, and even some Southern food. We gave in and purchased an appetizer. It was okay. It was pan fried soy-ginger calamari. It was $7.00. We each liked it. It was different than any other calamari we've ever had. The calamari was cut into strips, battered and lightly fried, then mixed with julliened carrots and zuchinni. The fried strips looked like french fries. I don't think we would get it again.

Andrew:

I had "The Smokehouse BBQ Chicken Burger." The meal came with a choice of side. I chose sweet potato french fries (the other options were a side salad, french fries, or a potato). It was a huge sandwich, I had to use a knife and fork. The sandwich came with BBQ sauce, tomato, lettuce, bacon, cheese, ham, and onion straws. The bun was too small for the burger. It was as if I had no bottom bun. There was way too much BBQ sauce (but I tend to like that), and I discovered the tomato too late as I ate most of it. The ham was a bit much I felt like the chicken and bacon were plenty of man protein. Also, I'm not a huge fan of onions, so I had to take off some of the onion straws. Overall, it was an average chicken burger. The one thing I really liked about it was the smokey flavor from the grill. I did not leave any on my plate. The sweet potatoes were AMAZING. By far the best sweet potato fries I have had outside my home. I would recommend these to anyone who goes to this restaurant. They also offer a large order (the meal came with a small order) of sweet potato fries, if you don't get a meal that comes with them. The fries came with a special ketchup that was a bit more spicy than normal. Overall, although I probably wouldn't get this again (mostly because the menu had so many options) if I wanted to get a meal that I knew would taste great and would fill me up I would get this again. The restaurant, meal and atmosphere were great. The burger meal was $9.o0. Overall, I would give 3.7 stars (out of 5).

Willow:

I got the Jamaican Mojo Grilled Shrimp Salad. The meal didn't come with any sides. I did get an order of garlic bread ($0.95). The presentation was the best part of the salad. Two skewers of grilled shrimp were crossed on top of a bed of spring greens. There were four fried wanton sheets, one in each corner, bordering the salad. The salad was sprinkled with cranberries, candied walnuts and a drizzle of the dressing. I didn't finish the salad. The dressing was odd. It had a strong vinegar and sugar flavor. The shrimp was cold. This was probably because we received our appetizer at the same time as our meal. The service was definilty quick. We waited most likely 5-10 minutes before our food was ready. Back to my salad . . . I would not get it again. Overall I give the restaurant 3 stars (out of 5). If we ever go back I would like to try something else to see if my rating would increase.