As branding goes, the Franklin Hotel Bar (176 E. Main St., Kent) may not be the catchiest or sexiest name for a mid-scale drinking establishment. Something like Scarlett or Derek would be much sexier, but arguably less useful for a business.
But the bar, which opened near the end of 2016, has a pretty cool and yes, even a little sexy atmosphere. It’s part below-ground speakeasy with a sort of old-school feel. It’s also part cocktail lounge with good and affordable small plates for sharing.
For anyone who thinks of downtown Kent as being filled with either raging college bars or fancy (read: expensive) eateries, the Franklin Hotel Bar is nestled in a nice spot where it doesn’t feel too stodgy. You can look through the front door and know it’s not the place to go for your $2 PBR tall boys or those $2 Red Bull-based, liquid-belch-in-a-tiny-glass shots the younger set love to inhale.
Though the friendly staff would surely smile and try to accommodate your awful taste in inebriation accelerants, there are plenty of other bars in the area where getting hammered as fast as possible for as cheap as possible is, well … extremely possible and welcomed.
No, the Franklin Hotel Bar isn’t really for raging. Walking down the stairs, you’re conveniently pointed toward the bar that isn’t hugely long, but has rounded tables at each end, allowing groups to sit, talk and share without having to talk over or through each other as you might when sitting at a regular bar.
On the right side of the bar there are a couple of those cool, ’70s-style, high-backed, semi-circular leather booths, good for canoodling couples or full-group communing.
On the other side is a lounge area with a faux fire and several overstuffed chairs covered in brocade. If they added several leather-bound books it would resemble a scene out of Downton Abbey. (OK, I’ve never actually watched Downton Abbey, but that’s how I imagine the reading and smoking rooms of all those stiff upper-lippers would look.)
Once you absorb the decor and the general vibe, it’s time to try the food and booze. Happy hour is 4-7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, bringing with it $5 versions of several signature house cocktails, such as the tart and tasty Cherry Limeade (it’s got Absolut Lime, so it will sneak up on you) and the Porch Rocker (house-infused black tea bourbon, egg white, peach puree, fresh lemon juice), both regularly $8. Aside from their house cocktails they also have variations on classic drinks, such as Tom Collins and Cosmopolitan, also in the $8-$10 range.
The Franklin Hotel has a healthily stocked and varied beer cooler of domestics, crafts and imports that offers more than 30 kinds of IPAs. And I’m no sommelier, but according to my resident wine connoisseur (aka the photographer with a wine cellar), the bar’s selection is good, including several styles of whites and reds at $8-$11 by the glass and $24-$120 by the bottle.
Emily Myers of Brimfield was enjoying post-work happy hour with friends Nina Pettry and Tim Pagliari, both of Kent. All three were familiar with the spot’s previous incarnation as a wine bar, but had heard good things about the new proprietors and have been impressed.
“I liked the idea that it’s a comfortable place to sit and talk and have a good glass of wine,” Myers said.
“I like it [better than the old spot]. It’s a warmer atmosphere and I really like the food selection that they have,” Pettry said.
The Kent State University workers had finished their “really, really good” shrimp and chorizo flatbread ($14) from the shared plates menu, and Pettry said the trio’s standard happy hour fare is the cheese board of imported and domestic cheeses that she said was “top notch.”
Pagliari is a fan of the braised short ribs served with an ancho red wine sauce, chevre potato cake and the increasingly popular chimichurri for $8.
I had three roasted poblano deviled eggs with bacon at $2 a pop, and the various flavors including avocado, goat cheese and smoked red chili sauce played very well together on the taste buds. I also had the chili-cumin lamb meatballs, which were tender, flavorful and well-seasoned enough to let the cumin complement the natural savory lamb flavor rather than dominate it.
If you’re looking for a place for a relaxed, tasty communal or low-key couples hang, give the Franklin Hotel Bar a shot.
Malcolm X Abram can be reached at mabram@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3758. Like him on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/1lNgxml and/or follow him on Twitter @malcolmabramABJ .