The Usual

q · October 2006

Subject: more on the usual...

here's the deal:

I have been a regular at the usual for the last few years. i have seen them go through lots of waitstaff, a few grill guys, and a couple different delivery people. I have spent hours talking to johnny's kids and love mike's jokes.

i was very worried when they closed. for one, i didn't know where i'd go for coffee every morning. also, i was nervous (from the way mike was talking about it) that they would class up the joint so much that we would no longer have the usual we know and love. luckily, i was wrong.

from 7 am (8 on sundays) until 6 PM they have the SAME MENU (slightly expanded) that they always have. it's a teensy bit pricier, but still a great buy. tino's still at the grill and mike and johnny are still out front. they still deliver. so for breakfast and lunch, it's the same food (and service) with new decor.

from 6 PM on, they have a more proper and pricy dinner menu. mike and johnny have been joined by a third partner, the chef, who mike has known for a loooong time. the food is reasonably priced (for fine dining) and absolutely delicious. our meal looked something like this:

me:
house salad (mesculin, tomatoes) - 4.75
swordfish with tasy remoulade (potatoes and asparagus) - 15.95
snickers pie - 4.75
coffee - on the house (a welcome back gift from mike)

my better half:
tempura battered provelone (BRILLIANT, btw) with aioli - 4.75 (ish)
pork over spaetzel and spinach with mushroom sauce - 13.95
apple pie - ????
tea - again, on the house

the food was DELICIOUS.

they have applied for a liquor license, but in the meantime, you can bring your own.

the coffee is the same. (WOOHOO!!!)

if they had had booths before, i might have some complaint about the decor change, but, really, there's just less counter and nice tables. plus the front window opens on to the street and they have dining in the back yard. (imagine having omelettes out back this summer!)

seeing as they pretty much closed by 6 before, very little has changed. we just have more options.

see you on saturday morning as we fight for a table. : )

idlewild · October 2006

Were you the couple up front around 6ish?

I went there too, earlier tonight. As a regular it does take getting used to the fancier decor. Dinner was pretty good. I started off with the free WARM bread, something that even the high priced eateries in the Slope don't do and ordered a modified dish of mussels, and pork tenderloin with spaetzel. I say modified mussels because it's offered with red or white sauce. I asked for plain steamed with melted butter on the side. I got what I requested (without hassle) and the mussels were great. They were tender, juicy and had that shellfish meat crunch instead of the overcooked hard squish that so many restaurants tend to present. They had a nice brine to them, they didn't taste like they had the flavor steamed out by an abundance of freshwater. The tenderloin was also presented as requested, medium rare. It was the best cooked pork I have had in a long time. The sauce was also fine, not excellent but fine. I suggested that maybe some sherry, such as a cream should be added to the sauce, not wine because I feel wine dissapates its flavor to quickly when cooked. The mushrooms in the sauce were fresh as was the spinach that the medallions were resting on. I declined dessert because all I saw was pastry. I suggested that they should serve an all fruit plate (after I paid my check) and to my suprise he told me they do that. I am a happy camper with the new Usual. I still need to get used to the new greasy spoon by day/fine restaurant by night motif but this is no big deal. Except for changing over to a better bread selection, my only worry is that with only room for one chef and over 36 seats that they'll be able too keep up. I hope they do well and I look very forward to having more a.m. and p.m. meals there.

P.S. I also understand that after 6pm you'll still be able to order the breakfast menu but only as take-out.

qtrain · October 2006

q · October 2006

Subject: good eye...

indeed, idlewild. that was us. guess you have slightly more refined tastes than my lady-friend as she was in love with the pork as is. the desserts were nothing out of the ordinary, but they were pretty tasty.

this diner by day/finer by night thing seems to be a pretty good read of where the hood is at right now.

idlewild · October 2006

Actually, if that's your pic you're not the folks I saw. The lady I saw was wearing a red sweatshirt and the gentleman didn't have a dress shirt. My reason for not wanting dessert wasn't so much refinement as is I need to watch blood sugar. As far as the pork, I'm just a sucker for a sherry in the gravy thing.

q · October 2006

Subject: dress shirt...

not me in the pic. i WAS in the red shirt. actually more maroon. colors of the portugese national soccer team. but now no one cares about our sighting one another. : )

let the usual conversation continue...

doctorj · October 2006

Subject: Re: dress shirt...

Q wrote: but now no one cares about our sighting one another. : )

Better to be out there sighting one another than on here citing one another

q · October 2006

Subject: same ol

ate there this morning.

breakfast tasted the same.

cost the same.

i smiled when i saw the home fries.

the only difference was the round plates as opposed to oblong.

the white table cloths come off during the day. : )

long live johnny and mike.

emily · October 2006

We had dinner there last night and enjoyed it. It's fancier than breakfast and lunch, but it still has a low-key vibe. Mike was his usual self and gave us some wine because they don't have a liquor license yet and we forgot to get wine before the store closed. Looking forward to going back for brunch sometime soon.

roux42 · October 2006

We had dinner there last night and our only complaints were aesthetic ones...

They had a radio station piped in. The music was not bad but the advertisements kind of ruined the flow....

A really loud phone kept on going off. Lower the ringer!

Other than that yum!

teddyballgame · October 2006

I've been twice - same great breakfast for same cheap-ass prices. Same nice people and all too. Looks good and clean inside, though I always thought the last place looked clean inside too.

The important thing is how great it is that now, as soon as Cheryl's opens, I'll have three non-Tom's neighborhood breakfast options for when I don't feel like breaking the bank on pancakes. And it's cool that Joyce, The Usual, and hopefully Cheryl's all have slightly different appeals so you don't have to feel like you're choosing between them, only choosing between appeals.

Did that make any sense? This post was useless.

heights249 · October 2006

So tonight was mine and my husband's first time at The Usual - nightime style. I have to say the food was really really yummy and of course the staff is the best. You can't beat Mike and Johnny - they are just too nice and gracious! While we were sitting there it felt so cozy and I could definitly picture what it would it be like sitting in there on a cold, snowy, winter night...can't wait. Anyways, I thought I would spread the word that it's definitely a great place to go for a nice dinner. It can now also accomodate bigger parties than they obviously could before. Local guys, local business, quality stuff - yeah!!!

underthehill · October 2006

I found out today the person responsible for the nighttime transformation of The Usual is the son-in-law of a co-worker's friend. My co-worker has gone to private events held by the son-in-law and has always raved about the food he prepares.

The Usual

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