The public, 5,282-sq. ft. restaurant opened the week of October 19, featuring high ceilings, a bar with five flatscreen TVs, and a menu with classic American dishes. The restaurant was previously part of the Hilton El Conquistador Country Club. The town’s controversial acquisition of the property last year has prompted a recall election for those who voted in favor of the purchase.
The town of Oro Valley, Ariz., put its hat into the restaurant business last week when it opened The Overlook at the Oro Valley Community and Recreation Center, the Tucson-based Arizona Daily Star reported.
The town acquired the space earlier this year and is operating the facilities with Troon. The restaurant, formerly called La Vista, was previously part of the Hilton El Conquistador Country Club. In the process of turning it into a community center, the town performed significant renovations to the restaurant space, replacing carpets with dark wood floors, installing new booths and reconstructing ramps to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Daily Star reported.
The 5,282-sq. ft. restaurant features high ceilings and a loft-like view overlooking the golf course and surrounding Santa Catalina Mountains. About half of the space is taken up by the bar, which has five flatscreen TVs which broadcasted sports games during a restaurant preview last week, the Daily Star reported.
The team brought on Executive Chef Robert Kaslly, a Le Cordon Bleu graduate who most recently managed the culinary program at the active adult living community Restaurants at SaddleBrooke. His menu features classic American dishes with a gourmet touch, like warm steak salad and pepper jack chicken with calabacitas squash blend, the Daily Star reported.
The most expensive item on the menu is the Traverse city filet mignon with Boursin cheese croquette for $25. But most items are sandwiches and salads between $9 and $12 apiece. The restaurant closes at 6 p.m. most nights, with dinner service Thursdays through Saturdays until 8 p.m. Overlook also runs happy hour specials from 3 to 6 p.m., a Thursday build-your-own pasta night for $13 and Sunday brunch. The restaurant is open to the public, the Daily Star reported.
Before it even had a name, The Overlook was the subject of much controversy in Oro Valley, after its acquisition by the town sparked a recall election. In December, the town council voted 4-3 in favor of purchasing the El Conquistador Country Club for $1 million, a deal that included a half-cent sales tax increase to pay for the since-completed renovations to turn the club into a community center, the Daily Star reported.
The town bought the property from Tucson-based HSL Properties, which acquired the Hilton El Conquistador Resort with the intent of splitting off those entities and selling them to the town for $1 million paid over three years. The market value of the property had initially been appraised at $3.25 million, the Daily Star reported.
After the purchase agreement was signed in late April, an Oro Valley citizen’s group initiated the recall of the four members who voted to approve the purchase: Mayor Satish Hiremath and council members Lou Waters, Mary Snider and Joe Hornat. All four will appear on the November 3 ballot, defending their seats against five challengers. The incumbents have been vocal throughout their campaigns in defending the purchase, repeatedly saying that citizens have been asking for a community center and gathering place since the mid-’90s, the Daily Star reported.
However, recall challengers have argued that by the town owning the community center—including The Overlook—it’s directly competing with privately-owned businesses in Oro Valley. Tom Meade, who runs the food and beverage program at the restaurant, says The Overlook stands out from other local businesses and offers something new, the Daily Star reported.
“We have the best views in town,” he said. “The restaurant is part of the community center, so you can literally come in and take a swim and hit the locker room and come upstairs and enjoy braised beef tacos for lunch.”
Meade added that large size of the restaurant makes it a perfect choice for large parties and banquets, the Daily Star reported.
During the restaurant preview earlier this week, Mayor Hiremath praised the council for its work in opening the restaurant. “Today is only just the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “Wait to see what we have next.”
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