Oct 8, 2009
The Usual – A Look Inside
By: Kevin Buchanan
It’s been two years since The Usual was announced, and because the building it’s in doesn’t really lend itself to easy viewing of construction work inside, we are often asked if it’s still happening.
Well, we are happy to report that yes, The Usual is still happening, and in fact it should be open in one to two weeks.
The brainchild of The Chat Room‘s Brad Hensarling, The Usual takes a unique focus: Prohibition-era cocktails, in a smoke-free setting. At launch, it’s expected to have around 28 drinks on the menu, with plans to expand that up to and over 100 as things progress. Brad has been doing a lot of research into the Prohibition era and its assortment of drinks – when last we talked with him, he was in The Chat Room, not with a Rahr in hand, but with a particular variety of speakeasy-era martini that “will knock you on your ass.”
The Usual’s unique menu of drinks will be a big draw…but as it turns out, it won’t be the only one. It’ll also be an example of outstanding modern design, the likes of which we haven’t really seen before in Fort Worth.
Now, when last we took a look at The Usual, it was a gutted construction zone. It has come a long way since then, and when we first got a look at the nearly-finished interior, we were blown away. Unexpectedly, The Usual doesn’t look like a retro speakeasy from the ’20s (as its focus on that era’s drinks might make you think) – instead, it sports a sleek modernist interior comprised of metal, concrete, warm wood, and glass. It is absolutely striking, especially because the only hint of what’s in store is the small entry punched in the otherwise blank brick wall of its street frontage.
Springing from the mind of Fort Worth designer Kara Keith and realized by contractor Bill Smith, The Usual is the kind of warm and effective modernist design that isn’t really done in this area. Drawing inspiration from a variety of sources (to us, it has the vibe of Portland’s awesome Doug Fir Lounge), the interior is clean and contemporary, just dark and cozy enough without feeling like a cave. In these photos, the concrete floors had not yet been stained and all of the furniture was not yet in place.
In the photo above, you can see the main bar. Smith created those globe lights himself, because they couldn’t find any that gave them the specific feel they really wanted.
Along the sides are rows of intimate wrap-around wooden booths. They’re a great modern take on the classic feel of a Golden Era lounge, paying homage while carving out a clean, contemporary feel.
When you get the chance to go into The Usual for yourself, check out these booths and look up. There’s a cool surprise waiting on the ceiling above.
Along the front wall, in lieu of windows, there are two large porthole-like mirrors. They help give a sensation of depth to the space.
More booths, stretching to the back of the space. Just off to the left edge of this photo are the old fireplace (the back part of the building used to be a house), and the doorway to the patio space. We didn’t get a shot of the patio, because it was only just getting underway when we visited, but it follows the same designs as the interior and should be one of the coolest patio spaces in all of urban Fort Worth.
Brad tells us that The Usual should be opening its doors at long last in another week or two. We plan on going back just prior to opening to get some photos of the finished space. Look for more on The Usual to come!
Here are a few more photos of the beautiful design, taken around the bar:
“Unique menu”? Does that mean food, or drinks? Tell us more, Kev….
Drinks. 25+ Prohibition-era cocktails is pretty unique for these parts.
Where is it?
Thanks for the great pictures! This place looks AWESOME!
Annie,
1408 W. Magnolia. It’s just a couple of doors down from Nonna Tata, just west of Spiral Diner/Lili’s/Panther City Bicycles and east of Benito’s.
I should mention also that Brad said the signage will be very cool, too: he described 20-inch tall chrome letters mounted out from the brick wall about six inches, lit from above to cast a shadow of “THE USUAL” onto the bricks.
Wow!! Can’t wait to visit in person!!!
So excited about this!! It looks fabulous!
This should be something special. Nice work, Brad. This embiggens us all.
I want to live there. Wait a minute, I probably WILL live there…
So….what exactly is a Prohibition-era cocktail?
Looks wonderful. Fingers crossed they they put the Sazerac on the menu. I need a place I can go to get a good Sazerac.
Please tell me I can still get an ice cold Buffalo Butt though.
This place looks great. Do you have a website for the designer?
Can’t wait till opening. Looks beautiful. Been spreading the word to all in west texas.
Hooray! I’m so glad Kara got mentioned. She’s a genius.
I agree! Kara Keith IS a genius! It’s beautiful!
absolutely gorgeous! great job Kara! can’t wait to visit and see whats above the booths…
Looks cool, but is it wheelchair/handicapped accessible? Last time I was down there, that building didn’t have an accessible entrance. So, please correct me if I’m wrong on that because I’m getting really annoyed the lack of accessibility on that side of town.
Patrick: The front entrance isn’t, but it’s possible the back entrance is. I’d have to go back to check.
Patrick,
I don’t know for sure, but I think the back entrance at the patio might be accessible.
Thanks for the update Kevin! My cocktail-holdin’ hand has been itchin’ for this place to open since I first heard about it almost two years ago.
Congratulations, Brad, for getting this thing off the ground (which, I would imagine, was no easy task considering the financial climate of the last year). Bravo(!) to Kara for a fanfreakintastic design and big ol’ pat on the back to Bill for pulling it off. I look forward to running my non-cocktail-holding-hand along those wooden planks soon.
The finish work by Bill Smith is remarkable. I have seen his work before and the details plus innovations that he has added to the original design display his top-notched craftsmanship!
Thanks to everyone for the positive responses!!! We look forward to contributing to nightlife in the near southside. I would like to take a second to answer some of the questions that have been posed about the building and the business.
The opening menu consists of 27 drinks that have played a major role in the history of cocktails. Some you have probably heard of (the cosmopolitan, the manhattan, the mojito) and some you probably haven’t (the sazerac, abaci batida, the vesper). All drinks will be made with fresh ingredients and high quality spirits. Some of the recipes are original and some are updated.
We are located at 1408 W. Magnolia, Fort Worth.
As far as the commonly asked “What is a Prohibition era cocktail?” questions goes…
These cocktails vary quite a bit in style and flavor. Some were created in speakeasies here in America and others were created in Europe by American bartenders that were fleeing the drought and wanted to practice their craft legally. The sidecar is a great example of a drink that was created under the latter circumstance. I know this is a vague response, but for further explanation buy me a drink and I’ll be happy to entertain you with hours of oddball cocktail history.
There is a sazerac on the menu. To all those wondering what a sazerac is, I say it is one of the most beautiful drinks known to man and if you tell me that you don’t like it because you “don’t drink whiskey” I will shake my head and respect you less.
The building is accessible to people in wheelchairs. Along with restoring the building we brought it up to the most current ADA code. The wheelchair access will be from the back of the building, through the patio gate, and in through a new side door that we installed. Please come join us for a drink.
Thank everybody for your support and enthusiasm. If anyone has any further questions please feel free to email me at brad@thechatroompub.com
This place sounds and looks fantastic. I can’t wait to hang for a drink or six the next time I’m in Ft. Worth. Real classy joint, Brad. (And great design, Kara!) Congrats!!!
Stupendous! I can’t tell you how intriguing this looks. Amazing concept and space. So tired of “the usual” cocktails around town…
[...] the Chat Room & The Usual, left this comment with more info about his new establishment in our last post about it, and we thought we’d give it a front-page posting to get a little more exposure. [...]