By LYNDSEY LOVELADY

lbl010@latch.edu

 

Sundown West Tavern, located at 111 E Park Ave.,  is the place to be whether you’re looking for a fast and friendly lunch experience or a cool and relaxing night meal under the stars.

With the most expensive item on the menu at the not-so-whopping price of $8, the student budget-friendly carte du jour ranges from seafood po’boys and platters, to grilled chicken salads and chicken salad sandwiches.

Sundown’s multifaceted atmosphere displays rustic and Native American themes coupled with a conglomerate of wall décor from boxing gloves, tribal masks and other arbitrary items of the most random nature.

Sundown owner Bruce Van Zantt opened up the doors of Sundown on Valentine’s Day of 1987.

Van Zantt said the ’70s progressive country music movement was the inspiration for Sundown’s rugged motif.

“I’ve had this place for a little over 31 years,” Van Zantt said, “So I’ve been collecting stuff for a while.”

Leighanna Otwell, a junior psychology major, has been on Sundown’s wait staff since July of 2004.

“This was my first job waiting tables,” Otwell said. “I really enjoy working here and meeting people.”

Otwell said she started working at Sundown when she came to college.

“I’ve established a lot of friendships while working here — the people I know, I know because I work here,” Otwell said. “We have a great crew and I wouldn’t wait tables anywhere else.”

Stay-at-home moms Sara Adcox and Christy Albritton frequent Sundown’s jovial establishment monthly and have no criticism of the wait staff, or the food.

“Service was great; the service is always great,” Albritton said. “It’s the place I like to come to eat lunch because the food is always good, always consistent and I love the atmosphere.”

Albritton enjoys Sundown’s M.J.’s Burger and the strong flavor of Sundown’s homemade French fries.

“I love the fries but I do not indulge,” Albritton said. “And I love the Mary Jane burger — the smaller version of the hamburger.”

Adcox said, the sandwiches are her favorite food at Sundown.

“Today I had a turkey on wheat,” Adcox said. “It’s my favorite item on the menu.”

Adcox also enjoys the fun-loving ambience of Sundown’s dining and bar areas, but it is Sundown’s open patio area which has such a strong grip on her dining loyalty.

“You can sit outside in the summer and it’s a good place to bring kids so they can run around,” Adcox said. “It’s the best place in town.”