Friday, February 11, 2011

The Final Map


View 101 bars in 100 days in a larger map

February 5

Saturday was the 100th day (by my count) and therefore we needed to finish. So we had a bar crawl, while never leaving Thames Street in Fells Point. Worked out pretty well.

#91 - The Point
A more upscale bar located on the corner of Ann and Thames. We started here around 2:30 in the afternoon, leaving the car in a safe place. I had a Boh (bottle, I don't think they had the draft yet) and we made it a short stop. Despite several folks expressing interest it was only Jon and I for most of the crawl.


#92 - John Steven Ltd.
Directly across Ann Street is John Steven, a nice enough looking place. Rumors are always that people have seen Michael Phelps here, but it was half empty or less on a Saturday afternoon at 3. We though about eating, but decided to eat at Slainte, which was the next stop, back toward the square in Fells.

#93 - Slainte
An Irish pub. Yes, that's right I went to an Irish Pub. First time that has happened. Or not. Slainte has good food and nice beer, and you will probably wind up seeing Gaelic Football or Hurling at some point on the TVs. We wound up back here later on the evening when a band was playing and it was good times. Nothing like back-tracking on a bar crawl.

#94 - The Whistling Oyster
Various friend have worked here or still work here, but somehow we chose to not visit the joint until the very end. I had a Raging Bitch, which might have been counter productive since it's a rather strong beer. There was a band setting up right by the door, but we didn't get to escape before they started playing. The Oyster is off Thames Street, technically on Broadway, but really on the Fells Point Square.

#95 - The Horse You Came In On
I have been calling this place the Horse You Rode In On, which is not quite correct. It is notable for being the last place where Poe was drinking before he was found delirious in the streets of Baltimore, but who knows. It surely wasn't called the Horse You Came In On at that point, and it certainly didn't have a lame western theme. There was a guy with a guitar playing Sublime songs (pretty well, actually) and a few bottles of Jack Daniels on a shelf, but nowhere near One Eyed Mikes down the street.

#96 - Shucker's
A sports bar and seafood place located on the water away from Thames Street was our next stop. I did occasionally eat lunch here for half price burgers, but I don't really do that anymore. The one guy working was very excited about the bar tour and told me I should continue on in Annapolis in the future. I think we had Boh on draft here and Danny showed up to hit a couple of stops with us.

#97 - Woody's Rum Bar
Located upstairs from Slainte was a Florida themed bar. I was excited about the view, but it wasn't anything spectacular. I do think I spilled some of my drink on their nice couches (oops). There were just a few other people in the place, so had our drink and moved on to the next stop.

#98 - Ledbetter's
A bar that consider to be hidden in plain sight. Located right across the square at the center of everything, Ledbetter's seems more like a liquor store, but it was in fact a full bar. Danny came in with us but disappeared shortly after we arrived. A decent band with a female drummer was playing. We had a drink and the next stop was back toward the Horse You Came In On.

#99 - Duda's Tavern
An Oyster bar located on the corner of Bond Street, Duda's seems like a decent neighborhood place. We had our drinks and played the 'crack' machine as Jon calls them. Getting a little restless I texted my friend Grant from the footy team and we invited him down, but decided to go where he was:

#100 - The Greene Turtle
Yes, after spending 100 days avoided the Greene Turtle like the plague it gets the honor of being #100. Planning goes out the window after 10 stops and we met Grant and his flatmates here. I think it was once we were inside I realized it was going to be #100. But that was the fun of the tour. Jon had already been to the Frederick Greene Turtle on the previous bar crawl after I bailed for the Government Issue show. So we had a drink and then moved to the end of the Street for #101. The Dead End of the street, that is...



#101 - Dead End Saloon
Dead End is another of the type of places that inspired me to do my tour. Located off the beaten path on Fell Street, around the corner from Red Star, it was a fitting place to end the tour. I believe I had a beverage of some kind and we still were hanging with Grant. We also made a few stops after Dead End, but they were repeats, so obviously they didn't count. Amazing there were still several places in Fells that we had not visited, including Cat's Eye Pub, Riptide By the Bay, Rodos (The Greene Turtle East basically), and the unnamed place around the corner from Dead End and Red Star.

Postmortem:
After 100 days and 101 bars, one would think I would want to take a month off before going out, but Sunday was the Super Bowl and I've been dying to try the Bull and Oyster roast at The Bay Cafe, so I lazed about the whole day and then walked Zuni to my car and afterward went there. Food was very good and the Packers won, so it was a good time. Technically it was 102 bars in 101 days. And so it continues. I also signed up for the 100 beer club at Mahaffrey's so at least I'm working toward a 100 of something.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

January 27 - February 4

I am writing this in preparation for the final day of my bar tour. I started on October 29th, visiting four bar on a Friday night, not really sure if it was a good idea to even attempt this. But now 100 days later, I'm very glad I came up with this nutty premise.



#80 - 13.5% Wine Bar

The only 'wine bar' on the list, this is an upscale place in Hampden. I did have a glass of wine, although their beer selection looked quite good. The pork belly sliders weren't the best thing i've ever eaten (and I was hoping they would be). We had our wine and then moved on to the next stop. Located on the Avenue - Thursday.


#81 - Rocket to Venus
A decent hipster bar located off the Avenue in Hampden. Rocket has a good jukebox and decent ambiance, so we stayed a little longer than we should have. The bar was actually full and we had to hang in a booth until the crowd dissipated. I had been here before randomly in 2009 or something. Still a decent amount of weather, which had interrupted progress the day previous. My power was out for 11 hours, so I didn't want to leave the animals in the house with no power. But I would have wound up at the Murphy's anniversary party if I had left the house, so who knows what progress I really would have made. Located on Chestnut Street - Thursday.


Confusing PBR ad.

The ceiling is a bit low...
#82 - Quarry House Tavern
Your typical subterranean Silver Spring bar with a good beer and spirit selection that also has Sunday punk matinees. The food looked like it was pretty good as well. I had a Red Hook and a tall PBR can while watching friend's bands play a show. The always entertaining Copstabber was followed by the Spitfires United reuniting and doing a half Cock Sparer cover set. Which was just awesome. Located on Georgia Ave - Sunday.

#83 - Ryan's Daughter

I had initially bought a groupon to the Egyptian Pizza place in Belvidere Square in an attempt to make progress and save a little $, but it was a BYO place so we had to branch out in order to achieve the all-important progress. Ryan's Daughter is a nice Irish Pub, I had been before to eat, but we strictly sat at the bar. The most important revelation is they have Kilkenny. A creamy light beer, it's something I drank quite a bit when I was in Australia. Also, they sold it in Montreal when we were there in 2007 or 2008. But it's not widely available here. So it might be worth the trip for that face alone. Located on Belvidere Ave - Monday.

#84 - Brewer's Art
It's only right that we hit up Brewer's Art in Mount Vernon during the course of the 100 bars. I drank my share of Resurrection in a can while out and about the last three months. So we went down after a few at Ryan's Daughter. Time and money dictated that we only had one, but there was a nice crowd and I wouldn't have minded if we hang around a little longer. Also located below grade and had good food, I believe. They were hyping the arrival of Natty Boh on draught, which will be discussed later. Located on Charles Street - Monday.

#85 - Verizon Center
The home of the Washington Capitals, Wizards, Georgetown Hoyas, and more. We went down after work to see the Capitals play the Montreal Canadiens (a rematch of last year's playoffs). It was much the same result, with Montreal winning in an overtime shootout. In typical sports area fashion, the cheap beers were 7 dollars and good beers were 8., so we had a good beer. Located on F Street in Chinatown - Tuesday.

#86 - Bertha's Mussels

A bit of an institution on the square in Fells Point, Bertha's makes it's belated debut at number 86. A nice place for post-club, we stopped in and had a pint, and some mussels, of course. They were very good, naturally, but there was some sort of oompa band setting up (complete with a tuba and such) so we fled to Murphys for the rest of the night. Located on Broadway - Wednesday.

#87 - Jaleo
One of the better regarded restaurants in DC, I hit up Jaleo with my greyhound friends. Including a new one, Vanitha from California who was in town. The meal was very good and the drinks did flow. I did especially like the sangria. Funny thing is Jaleo is right down the street from Verizon Center, where I had been only two days earlier. After a recommendation from my friend Collen we walked up a few blocks and went to Matchbox. Located on F Street - Thursday

#88 - Matchbox
A nice Chinatown gastro pub. We moved the festivities up here and enjoyed the beer selection. I had a Bell's (which I previously had at #66) and there was also a nice-looking black lager. The pizzas looked great and every one was hypnotized by the sliders (except for the vegetarian). Having a long drive ahead of me (in which 295 was closed completely for at least 10 minutes) we called it a night and I headed back. Located on H Street - Thursday.

#88a - The Sidebar Tavern
I feel a bit guilty about how the Sidebar was treated at number 64. It should have been with a big group of people I know, and ideally at a show, either playing or where good friends were playing. I am almost tempted to remove the Sidebar and renumber. But I'll just add an asterisk of sorts here. We actually did go to a show, but more importantly we went for the tapping kegs of Natty Boh party. After some 15 years (mostly the time i've been a legal drinker) Pabst has brought back draught Boh. So the Sidebar, being a place where Boh is consume in mass quantities, was one of the first places to have it. And they had a party. The first one was on the house, even. And my friends Danny, Tom, Dan, and Scotty were there to partake. And later there was a Copstabber show, so it was a full evening. Because

#89 - Bistro R
Another spot that has had a lot of turnover (like #67), this is a nice place right on the corner of Patterson Park. My friends Tina and Eric live nearby so they were the ones to suggest going here. We met and a had a nice meal (they have recently upgraded chefs) and a few drinks. I had not been to any of the previous incarnations of the place, but it's now owned by a consortium of locals, and that's very cool. The neighborhood was there supporting their own. Located on Linwood - Friday.

#90 - Roman's Place
For the final stop before the final day, Tina and Eric recommended this neighborhood place just a couple blocks up from Bistro R. A pretty cool, funky bar with some nice history and a resident cat. We had a quick drink and watched the Caps beat the Lightning before heading back to the Sidebar for the show. So now, i'm at 90 and killing time before I start the Fells Point crawl which will get me to 100 (hopefully). Located on Decker Street - Friday.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

January 23 - January 25

This part of the tour I will refer to as 'The Grind.'


#73 - Outback Steakhouse
What's this? A chain place? I had up to this point consciously avoided the big chains as a personal preference. But this Outback stares me in the face every time I drive by (which is pretty much every day). I broke down and decided it was the place to start a Sunday of progress. It was a little after noon and the place was empty. I think there were more people working than there were customers. I had a tall drink at the bar and then continued on the tour. Located in the Can Company in Canton - Sunday.

#74 - Langermann's
A fancy place located directly next to the Outback in the Can Company. We once were headed here, but I bailed at the last minute feeling underdressed or underclassed. The barmaid wore a tie and folks were enjoying brunch. I went in and seeing the rarer 90 minute Dogfish Head, I had to order it. After a tall at the Outback and the strong 90 minute I was feeling tipsy. I decided to order food and had the Low Country Louie, which was something on a deconstructed Low Country Boil. It was also just awesome. Located in Canton - Sunday.


#75 - Clutch Sports Lounge
I went in hoping to hear some of the band, but I don't think this place has anything to do with them. It was also pretty much dead and didn't have Boh. So I had one drink, exchanged pleasantries with the barmaid and moved on to the next stop. She did say it was a bit of a dance club on the weekends, and had a crowd for the Sunday Ticket during the season (the Bears-Packers game was about to start). Located on Hudson Street - Sunday

#76 - Fins Bar and Grill
One of the last remaining spots on the Square in Canton. Fins is some sort of South Florida-themed place. Food looked pretty good, but I was full. They did have Boh, so I hung around longer and watched the football game. But at that point i'd probably had too much 'progress,' and decided to relax and watch the game at Jon's house. Located on the square - Sunday.


#77 - The Gin Mill
A fairly prominent spot right on Boston Street. I had been here previously post Run Club (when it was at 5K on Bond Street, which no longer exists). I ordered a fairly weak-tasting IPA with a medium amount of hoppines and watched the overtime of the Florida-Georgia basketball game. I think the State of the Union Address started around the time arrived, but it was no on the TV. This place did have full bottles of Liquor as to-go items. Located in Canton - Tuesday.


#78 - Montford Bar
A bar in what appears to be an ordinary house. It's tucked back a block from the Boston Street (the main drag). I had a Boh and was only one of two customers here. They were playing Tosh.0 instead of the State of the Union. I'm not sure what kind of crowd they get here. Located on Montford Ave, obviously - Tuesday.

#79 - Speakeasy Saloon
The last of the Canton Square bars, I finished my night here. I had an Otter Creek and they did have the State of Union on the TV. It was a decent crowd for late on a Tuesday, with no real spots at the bar itself. It might be a cool spot, if you wanted to drink mint juleps and dance the Charleston. Otherwise, it's just another place. I like the 'speakeasy' place in State College better, if it still exists. I drank my drink and then went home to walk the dogs. Located on the Square - Tuesday.

January 19 - January 21


#67 - Hollywood's Burger Bistro
After some deliberation we went to this ever-changing spot just off Boston Street. It's formerly Red Fish, formerly Mon-51, and briefly was a Moroccan themed joint. The food was very good, the beer selection pretty average, and the bar mirror was interesting. The sign outside promised Bingo, but we either didn't stick around, or it wasn't happening. Located in Canton - Wednesday.


#68 - Lager's Pub
A neighborhood Canton spot, off the square. I've been here a bit, first for a Raven's playoff game when it was packed, and then a couple of other nights when it was less so. It was pretty much dead on a Wednesday night. Decent beer selection and it has Galliano. Located on Fait Ave - Wednesday.


#69 - Frazier's on the Avenue
Fraziers is Hampden's hipster dive and home of the occasional home to a Cowboy Ugly gig. We went to watch the hockey game (Caps won) and have some PBRs. Stayed in the front room, while we usually go the larger back room. Staff member played an interesting playlist on the juke box. Located on the Avenue - Thursday.



#70 - Holy Frijoles
Holy Frijoles is Hampden's hipster Mexican joint. Located directly across the street from Frazier's. It seemed like a strange night and most of the crowd shuffled out after we arrived. We told the woman at the bar she should put in a TV (we were debating if we could watch the hockey game there) and she told us to go over to Frazier's (where we had just been). We decided we had bothered her enough and went to the next stop after a quick drink. Located on the Avenue - Thursday.



#71 - Golden West Cafe
A combination breakfast place and bar. I had been here previously to eat, and maybe once to drink. We ordered a pitcher of Weyerbacher (they gave us the special, even though it was after 10). Nice tattoo flash artwork on the walls of the bar and crazy crap on the walls in the dining room. I didn't order a piece of cake, although I really, really wanted to. Located on the Avenue - Thursday.

#72 - 1919
Don't blink or you will miss 1919. A corner bar on the corner of an alley, the place was so intriguing I concocted the 100 bars in 100 days (101 bars in 101 days will be the end result, I hope) to give me an excuse to go here. Not very crowded and the folks seemed a bit standoffish at first, but at the core a typical Baltimore place. Got into a random home brew conversation with one guy and talked beards and haircuts with the guy behind the bar. This was after a stop at Murphy's (#1), The Blarney Stone (#2) and right before going to Ale Mary's (#7) for tots. Located on Fleet Street near Fells - Friday.

Friday, January 21, 2011

January 11 - January 15

Trying to backfill, and expanding into new territory.


#59 - Baltimore Taphouse
At one point this place was called Growlers. With named like the Taphouse you'd expect a nice beer selection and it was decent. Tuesday night when we went was fairly snowy, and parking was difficult. It was trivia night, but we filled out half the questions and then left, which seemed to offend them. Initial we were set to go to Annabel Lee, but it was pretty packed so we killed some time at the Taphouse and then moved down the street. Located on Fleet, just off the Park.



#60 - Annabel Lee Tavern
The Poe-themed corner tavern in Brewer's Hill. A very nice place. Resurrection on tap and duck fat fries meant a good time. The crowd was thinning out after the dinner hour, but we still have enough to amuse us. The 'review' on the zagat page 'had' too many 'quotes.' Visited on a Tuesday - located on Fleet and Clinton.

#61 - Mama's on the Half Shell
Oddly located two doors down from Nacho Mama's (with a yet unvisited bar in between) this is a more upscale Mama's establishment. Having started the evening at Mahaffrey's (#29) this was the only progress on Wednesday. While at Mahaffrey's we started the 100 beers club--coming soon to a blog near you. I managed to spill my drink and I'm not sure what other trouble we got into. Some girls came in late and were talking about an early flight to Florida the next day. We unsuccessfully tried to convince them to stay up all night. Located on the square in Canton


#62 - Elliott's Pour House
A neighborhood spot on the far side of Brewer's Hill, this was a good find. Went early on Friday and caught some of the hockey game. The crowd seemed to be 'regulars,' and the bartender asked my name and shook my hand. Left intending to head to the Sidebar for a show, but made a stop on the way. Located on Hudson Street.


#63 - Sharky's Bar and Grill
Sharky's is somewhat of a sports bar located right on the park. It sponsors a lot of social football and kickball teams, and I frequently see them hanging out there when I drive by. Met up with Big Brian who was drinking with some coworkers. We did, in fact, leave for the Sidebar, but wound up back there after having another drink or two. Located on Eastern Ave - Friday.


(from the Midnight Sun blog in the Baltimore Sun)
#64 - Sidebar Tavern
Five years ago this would have probably been the first bar on the list. But a dip in Scheduled Beating's activity and activity of the scene overall means months between stops in the downtown home of punk rock in Baltimore. Could have gone back in mid-December, but it was in the middle of the ankle problems. We went inside and paid for the show, ordered a drink. Then got to looking around and decided the show was not happening. First clue was the fact that no bands were playing. Also the facts that no bands seemed like they were playing anytime soon. Turns out the show was at the Ottobar and I had my details all wrong. Oh, well. On the corner of Lexington and Guilford - across from City Hall - and 'as seen on The Wire.'


#65 - Thaitanic II
One thing about living in Baltimore that I wish was different is the Thai food. Working in Alexandria, there were about 8 places that I could get above average Thai food for lunch. Currently I don't approve of any of the places I've tried around here. So when I visited my sister in DC, we wound up here at Thaitanic II. The first try was a Vietnamese place that was small and busy so we kept going up the street past the Tivoli and stopped here. Nice bar and really good food. I had the obligatory Singha. Located on 14th Street and Newton NW - Saturday.

#66 - Tonic
A short walk from my sister's condo is Mount Pleasant, so we headed over to a typical DC bar for a quick drink. I think the owners were from the Midwest cause they had a bunch of Midwest beers. I had a Bell's from Michigan and my sister had a pear cider. A large group was watching the playoff game at nearby tables, being very loud. I think there were people cheering for Green Bay and for Atlanta in the party. I feel bad for the Atlanta fans. Located on Mt. Pleasant Street, near Lamont - Saturday.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

January 4 - January 6 2011

The bar tour has entered a new year. Still really more of the same, though.

#54 - The Pickled Parrot
We used to stop in here a lot when our buddy Scotty worked the door. Haven't been here much since he stopped working there. It was very dead on a Tuesday night and we pretty much had a beer watched a period of hocked and moved on. We didn't go to the semi-outdoor patio part. Located on Elliott Street in Canton.

#55 - Nacho Mama's
A kitsch-y Baltimore bar full of Elvii and Mr. Bohs. The Bathrooms were designated 'stand-up' and 'sit-down' and had chalk to encourage custom graffiti. I believe one said 'Ohio State sucks' since their bowl game was on. Definitely more dive bar than the Mama's on the Half Shell two doors down (I assume owned by the same folks). Located on the square in Canton - Tuesday.

#56 - Portside Tavern
One of the classier joints in Canton. Still a few folks hanging around late so we stopped in. A pretty typical beer selection, but good company so we were here for a while. Jon declared it one of his favorite 'discoveries' of this whole project. If we're out on a Tuesday night in the future maybe we will go back. Located on O'Donnell in Canton.


#57 - Sticky Rice
A sushi place in the former home of Friends (miss Friends) a dive bar with good beer and a good jukebox. Sticky Rice shares a lot of the same layout but with sushi chefs at the end of the bar. Did get tempted to have a few pieces of octopus, but didn't have the bucket of tater tots this time. Was expecting some sort of game with prizes, but we were too early it seems. Located on Aliceanna - Thursday.


#58 - Alexander's Tavern
A pretty typical Fells Point bar. AT's is where folks from work tend to have happy hour. It's funny cause it's only two doors down from The Blarney Stone, so I'll be over there and work folks will be here. In fact, we left this place and had a quick boh at the stone. Located on Broadway in Fells - Thursday.