Friday, February 11, 2011
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.
#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.
#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.
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