The idea for Motel Bar is the result of the eternal search for the perfect Manhattan…not A PERFECT MANHATTAN, THE!!! One night John and I (FYI Hubie is writing this and will continually switch from first to third person, mostly because this is being written over the course of a few weeks and as a result I can't remember what voice I was writing in the last time I stopped) were pondering where to go for cocktails after work at MAS…not beers, COCKTAILS.

Although there are many great bars in Chicago such as The Matchbox, Delilah’s, Lemmings, The Green Mill, Rainbow and Gold Star, our never-ending search for the perfect cocktail was unsuccessful…therefore we decided to create a bar that is an homage to the cocktail culture. So, in the midst of what was most likely an argument over which Husker Du record was the best or who is a better song writer, Paul Weller or Joe Strummer, the idea was born for Motel Bar. We both decided that we needed a bar that would make a great Manhattan, understood that Gin does NOT suck, would NEVER close early, would serve food late and where you could listen to great rock music. We also decided that the bar should feel like a combination of a hotel lobby bar (comfortable furniture, GREAT service) and a neighborhood tavern (casual, inexpensive and friendly). So, what is a downscale (I hate that word but I’m too lazy to consult the thesaurus) version of a hotel…a motel. Brilliant, I know.

Anyway, Motel Bar will feature classic cocktails…Manhattan, Rob Roy, Martini, etc. We will serve them in the proper glassware, mix them as they were intended, garnish them properly and all the bartenders will make the drinks exactly the same. We will take some extra steps that will separate our service form every other bar, if these steps require us to take a few extra seconds to serve a drink than so be it, we hope the customer will understand, be patient and overall appreciate it. We believe that by serving a better drink, not overcharging and providing service beyond expectation, that the customer will adjust to our pace or at least we hope so.