The Brooklyn Papers / Daniel Krieger

Two-for-one: Twenty-five-year-old restaurant The Usual recently completed extensive renovations to its interior (pictured), kitchen and basement to please its loyal daytime crowd and attract a new dinner crowd.

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It’s not every restaurant that lets its patrons micromanage a renovation, but The Usual, a long-standing diner at 637 Vanderbilt Ave. in Prospect Heights, is that kind of place. Owners Mike and Johnny Halkis pride themselves on pleasing their customers, so when a regular dropped by to check on the progress of the remodeling and noticed that the new bar had nowhere for his feet to rest, the brothers promised to install a rail.

This diner has kept the neighborhood in fried eggs and BLTs for 25 years; it’s one of the few places that newcomers and old-timers of all races and walks of life feel at home and talk to one another.

Now, it aims to keep its neighbors in steamed mussels and blackened swordfish, too. Prospect Heights is changing; Vanderbilt is suddenly flush with new shops and restaurants, including Joyce, a bakery at Park and Vanderbilt with a long line at breakfast.

But Mike doesn’t worry about the competition.

"We needed that. The more the better: more people, more restaurants, more traffic," Mike told GO Brooklyn.

But still, the time had come for The Usual to change with the times. On Sept. 30, with renovations complete, the restaurant re-opened with a new look, a new chef and a new twist: diner by day, fine dining by night.

The new chef is Bill McGowan, late of Manhattan’s Beekman Towers hotel, where he cooked for 16 years, and where he and Mike became friends. He’s a hometown boy, born and raised on the other side of Prospect Park - in Kensington, where he still lives. After a stint in the Navy, McGowan found a job at Rusty Staub’s on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

"Best ribs in the world. Not many people have the recipe. Once I feel out the night, I’m going to put them on the menu," predicts McGowan. As he describes the 72-ingredient marinade and the two-day cooking process, it is hard to avoid drooling.

Entrees on The Usual’s new dinner menu include sauteed pork medallions on spaetzel, portobello mushroom ravioli, grilled scallops and sirloin. There are extensive salads and also homemade soups, McGowan’s specialty.

The menu tries to offer something for everyone; there are vegetarian options, including a falafel plate.

"We don’t want to lose anybody, so we also have a big burger," says McGowan.

Regulars will be relieved to know that the daytime menu has not changed, despite a new layout. There is still a pot of grits on the stove all morning and four choices of cheese for your sandwich. There are, however, welcome additions to the menu, including fresh fruit and hot oatmeal.

Even the prices are the same, despite the concerns voiced by regulars who stopped by during the renovation period.

"We’ll still have 85-cent coffee!" Johnny promised - and they do.

"You’re not paying for this renovation," says Mike. "We are."

During the six weeks that the restaurant was shuttered, while regulars were biting fingernails over the possible implications of the new awning, the owners were hard at work.

"I thought I was done with construction when I renovated my house," groaned McGowan two weeks before the re-opening, as the men discussed installing ventilation and removing the old dishwasher.

The changes to the restaurant are extensive. The old counter has been removed and replaced by a shortened stone version, leaving more space in the front of the restaurant for tables. The griddle and prep area that was behind the counter is now in an enclosed kitchen with a new grill. The basement has been finished, giving McGowan room to prep for the evening while the brothers are busy cooking for the daytime crowds.

Most enticing for diners are the new front window, which can slide open in warm weather; an additional restroom; and a new seating area in the backyard.

The walls are freshly plastered and painted, and black-and-white photos hang in place of sports paraphernalia, but the place has not lost its character. A newly commissioned neon sign, reading "THE USUAL," hangs over the kitchen window, and there is still a TV so you can catch the scores while you eat your French toast.

Will McGowan leave it on at night?

He pauses, torn, before deciding: "Depends who’s playing."

As Mike and the old friend he calls "Chef Bill" lapse into abusing each other’s baseball alliances, it is clear that the fundamental character of this place has not changed, even if they do serve salmon with asparagus as well as grilled cheese with bacon. This new venture is offered in the spirit of creative compromise, embodied by this appetizer offering: tempura-battered provolone with garlic aioli.

"Mike wanted me to do mozzarella sticks, but we can’t do those at night, so I came up with a variation," says McGowan. "It’s great."

The Usual (637 Vanderbilt Ave. between St. Marks and Prospects Place in Prospect Heights) accepts cash only. Entrees: $11.95-$18.95. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. For more information, call (718) 636-0856.

©2006 Community Newspaper Group