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July 21, 2015
Surrounded by beer references, including a beer board that lists the wide array of local and global beers on tap, seating at the copper-inlaid bar at Old Town Pour House in Gaithersburg, MD, establishes a brew-friendly tone. Designed by Dacre & Youngquist, this is Old Town Pour House’s first location outside the Chicago area. As with the Chicago and Oak Brook locations, the menu offers spins on American cuisine, complemented by the beer selection.
The Independence, a tavern in Santa Monica, CA, is named for the Los Angeles & Independence Railroad that connected downtown L.A. to Santa Monica’s wharf back in the 1870s. Designed by Wick Architecture and Design, a long central bar with a white subway tile backdrop sets the urban tavern atmosphere. Local artist John Park created the urban landscape mural adjacent to the bar. The restaurant’s menu features shareable appetizers and New American entrees, including shellfish stew and whole stuffed trout.
Borderless Latin cuisine and cocktails at La Pulperia in NYC are underscored by Central and South American design references. Diners at the bar are surrounded by reclaimed wood from Brazil on the walls and ceiling, a marble bartop and handcrafted floor tiles from Mexico. Partners Carlos Barroz (chef/owner and Argentinian native) and Victor Medina (a native of Mexico) wanted to create a spot offering contemporary versions of the cuisines they ate while growing up.
The Independence has an urban tavern atmosphere.
A horseshoe-shaped bar anchors the interior at the R Bar & Grill, adjacent to the Hilton Arlington hotel in Texas. The menu features locally sourced ingredients for cocktails and menu items, and the design incorporates locally sourced magnolia and sycamore wood tabletops. Texture comes from repurposed materials such as cedar planks from old fences, a pressed tin bar face and lamps made from old lawn mower parts. Designer Candice Schiller of Schiller Del Grande, R Bar’s restaurant consultant, says, “Restaurant design always flows from the concept itself, and the spirit of the menu.”
Counter seating reflects the Old Florida-meets-New-Orleans vibe at Mignonette, a seafood/oyster bar located in a former 1930s gas station in Miami. Seated at the marble oyster bar, guests can check out the vintage style marquee featuring the daily selections. More than a dozen types of oysters are flown in fresh each day from the East and West coasts and are displayed in glass cases.
Contact Gail Bellamy at [email protected]
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