So, recently I celebrated my twenty first birthday, and I decided to treat myself to a nice lunch. I had been hearing a lot about The Jones Assembly, and from what I could gather, it seemed like the perfect place to celebrate a birthday. It’s sort of an upscale restaurant located at the end of film row, and it also doubles as a concert venue. A lot of my wealthier friends at OU like to spend their weekends here sipping cocktails and watching concerts. I figured if it was good enough for them, then it was good enough for me, so I decided to check it out.
One thing which kind of came across as a minus in my book right away was the lack of nearby parking. There were a few free parking spots right in front of The Jones Assembly and in front of a nearby building, and luckily I was able to snatch one. However, I was there around noon on a weekday, and I had to circle the building multiple times until I found that one spot. The restaurant wasn’t too terribly busy and neither were any of the neighboring businesses, so I have no idea why there were so many cars. If this is what it looks like when business is light, then I definitely don’t want to try and find parking here during dinner time on a weekend. I believe they offered valet parking, and maybe I’ll come back here when I’ve won the lottery or married a billionaire, but until then I’ll have to pass on paying for valet parking.
When I entered the restaurant, I noticed it had kind of a bougie vibe which I sort of expected. There’s a huge fancy bar near the front, then a seating area in the middle of the restaurant and then on the far side there is a stage. One little detail which I thought was cool was that they were playing eighties movies on the stage, which could provide a fun little distraction if your meal ever gets boring.
For my first ever legal drink I ordered a PYT from their cocktail menu. The drink wasn’t very large, and it was on the expensive side, but it was cute. It was pink, and it came in a dainty little glass with a sprig of what I think was rosemary just floating on the top. Despite its small size, it was actually relatively strong. I thought it was good, but if we’re being honest, I’m still pretty new to the world of alcohol, so I probably can’t differentiate well between a good drink and a bad drink.
According to The Jones Assembly’s website, the food is best described as “refined regional cuisine.” Basically this means they serve a lot of different things. The lunch menu seemed to be less varied than the dinner menu, which is totally to be expected. The lunch menu focused primarily on pizzas, sandwiches, salads and like two other entree choices. It was split pretty evenly between vegetarian options and non- vegetarian options, which I greatly appreciated, and there was even a buddha bowl for the vegans. I ended up ordering the cacio e pepe which is basically spaghetti that is lathered in cheese and pepper.
The cacio e pepe ended up being pretty much carb and cheese central which is heaven for me. The cheese totally overpowered the dish, which I was really into because I’m obsessed with cheese. However, I can see how others may think it’s too much. But for me, oily, cheesy pasta is like the ultimate comfort food, and I walked away absolutely stuffed.
After I finished my entree, they offered me a huge complimentary scoop of ice cream. I know most restaurants do something similar, but in my experience most restaurants offer maybe two or three ice cream flavors, tops. But the server at The Jones Assembly listed off about ten different flavors for me to choose from, and I went with toasted marshmallow. I’ll be damned, it actually tasted like toasted marshmallow. They even stuck a candle in it, and they didn’t sing a stupid song or make me stand up or anything which is awesome for my introverted self who just wants some good food without a side of unnecessary attention. So, if you’re looking for somewhere to celebrate a birthday, keep that in mind because it was a wonderful addition to the meal.
Overall, I would recommend The Jones Assembly for anybody that’s celebrating something like an anniversary, a birthday, or even just a treat yourself day. The food and drinks were good, the atmosphere was hip and bougie and overall my experience there was pretty positive. Personally, I thought it was a little too on the expensive side for this to become a regular lunch stop for me. However, I would totally bring friends here on the weekend to grab a cocktail or two. Now I’m insanely curious to see how the space transforms during concerts, so I’ve been casually looking through their upcoming concerts, and I’m thinking about taking my friends to one.
Also, this is kind of off topic, but as I was leaving The Jones Assembly I ran into the entire Miami Heat basketball team. Then, a few days after my birthday, I was hanging out at the business across the street, and I ran into NBA all-star Jayson Tatum. So, if you’re looking to meet professional athletes, I would also recommend the Jones Assembly for you.
So there you have it, if you’re a young, hip person that’s loves eighties movies, cute cocktails or running into NBA players, then head on down to The Jones Assembly for a great time!
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