Santa Monica restauranteur bringing high-end steakhouse to Bartlesville icon

The owner of one of California's restaurant institutions is creating a new steakhouse set to open soon in Bartlesville's iconic Price Tower.

Anthony Fischler, the owner of Patrick's Roadhouse in Santa Monica, California, is transforming the 15th- and 16th-floor restaurant, formerly Copper Restaurant + Bar, into an exclusive high-end steakhouse called Wright Steak.

The name is an homage to the acclaimed American architect who designed the building, Frank Lloyd Wright.

"Where do you have this experience?" he said in an exclusive interview with the EE recently. "Eating art and experiencing art at the same time."

Fischler was convinced by the new owners of Price Tower to come to Bartlesville and see if he would be interested in running the restaurant.

"Anthem and Cynthia [Blanchard] used to live up the road from Patrick's Roadhouse and they would come in, and we would sit and talk, and we got to know each other pretty well," Fischler said. "Anthem wrote to me saying we bought this place, and you should come out and see if you can help us."

"I came out and fell in love with the building."

Immediately, Fischler knew a steakhouse would be the perfect fit for the building. But not an ordinary steakhouse − a high-end, locally sourced steakhouse that he expects will have a three-week waiting list to get in.

While he admitted the experience would be expensive, Fischler said it would be well worth it. Once up and running, he said he sees no reason for anyone to drive to Tulsa for a steak, but quite the opposite.

"I think we can pull in from Tulsa, and we can pull in from Route 66," Fischler said. "I'm pretty good at making a kind of place famous as a stop-off from other places."

In the last few weeks, Fischler and his team have been trying steakhouses across the Tulsa area. In his estimation, Wright Steak is primed to become a must-stop destination restaurant like Patrick's Roadhouse in Santa Monica.

"We spent the last two weeks sourcing the steak; we literally tried like every ranch and farm," he said.

Fischler also is transforming the first-floor Price Plaza restaurant into Love 66 Bistro. Chef Albert 'Nook' Ducre will continue to operate the first-floor restaurant but is being trained by Fischler.

"I don't want people coming into the hotel and getting a great experience upstairs and not having a great experience downstairs," Fischler said.

The bistro menu will have similar offerings as Patrick's Roadhouse, such as unique egg dishes, omelets, salads and sandwiches − but with a historic atmosphere.

"A lot of real Beatles memorabilia," Fischler said of his vision for the bistro. "Sticking with the museum theme, but this will be a music history museum."

The plan is to renovate and open the first-floor cafe in the next few weeks, then finish Wright Steak.

"We want to make this place the center of town that everyone will want to come to," he said.

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Santa Monica restauranteur bringing high-end steakhouse to Bartlesville icon