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Showing results for tags 'Sports Bar'.
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It's such a beautiful day today that I decided to take a long walk. As I turned off Lee Highway onto Glebe Road, I noticed Thirsty Bernie Sports Bar And Grill, right next to the fisherman's shop that used to be called "Angler's Lie" (which I thought was a great name). A big sign on the restaurant says "Coming Soon!" I walked up and saw a big flat-screen TV in the window, and noticed that things looked set up and ready to go. There was a gentleman inside, working hard, and when I caught his attention, he motioned me over to the side door. He spoke very little English, but I managed to ask him when the restaurant would be opening; although I can't be sure we understood each other, it appears to be very, very soon. A menu is posted on the window, and Thirsty Bernie will be serving classic sports-bar fare such as chicken wings, hamburgers, fried onion rings, and bean dip. When I walked away and continued down Glebe Road, I had a huge smile on my face, and I headed towards Ballston with a spring in my step, unable to suppress the smile which kept coming back, again and again. Because in addition to the chicken wings, hamburgers, fried onion rings, and bean dip, the menu also listed beef on weck, a kielbasa sandwich, pierogies, a homemade charcuterie plate, and a whole host of other things. And on the bottom-right was this: Executive Chef, Jamie Stachowski. Cheers! Rocks. -
Summers. Arlington (website). The food may be a little lacking. But, then again, the comparison is to ESPNzone. Summers wins on price, and grit. -
Full disclaimer Scott is a great friend. I was there the first day he opened and have lent a hand as well as from time to time over the years. Helped hang some TVs, bar backed when he was swamped, worked the fryer, been on runs to Restaurant Depot, etc. All of that being said, Scott is a great guy (I knew him back when we were kickin it at Syracuse University) and he runs a heck of a sports bar/pub. I have always been a fan of his food and thought that his wings are the best in town (even though I am highly biased). It warms my heart that Tim Carman gave him such a nice review today in the Washington Post. Scott has pumped blood sweat, and tears into Ventnor for almost 10 years. Over the almost 10 years he has worked more hours than most in a lifetime. I know of him taking just one week off since opening. All of his hard work really shows in how he runs his operation. If you have never visited, I suggest you stop by. Scott will most likely be there, and he is always willing to chat you up if you are in the mood. Ventnor Sports Cafe- 11 replies
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We got delivery from Charlie's on the Avenue, chicken parm sandwich, wings, and Hubby got a po-boy, I forget what. The wings were smoked and were very good. The chicken parm sandwich could have been better if there was just a bit more sauce. But things were good and very affordable and delivery was quick. I would go there some night and chill. Anyway, I didn't see a thread on it, their website is here.- 8 replies
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Northside 10 opened up this weekend, it took over the Chez Andree space on Glebe Rd. Brought to you by the Southside 815 folks. Drove by and saw that it looked open, and wanted to watch football. So, instead of packing into Pork Barrel, stopped by here. It was pretty crowded. Decent draft list, including Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA. They had a bunch of TVs playing the playoff games (go Packers!) and a lot of the crew were familiar faces from other Del Ray restaurants, as were many of the guests. Lady got the burger, asked for medium, probably more medium well, but she loved it. I got some pretty darn good wings. Found out we had accidentally stumbled into Friends and Family soft opening, so they didn't charge us for the food. Oops! Paid for it anyway with a big tip. Although kind of a weird location, I think it's going to do well. Very residential area, lots of family's can easily walk to it.- 4 replies
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Based on the sign I saw in the window, it appears that the former Drinx location is going to be the 12th Green Turtle. I can't wait, another restaurant in this location that will have no impact on the culinary landscape and I can completely ignore. -
Last night we headed out to Lebanese Taverna to use a Groupon coupon only to find it closed due to a water main break across the street. We quickly regrouped and headed to the new Cava Grille - same problem. At this point we should have cut our losses and headed home instead I let my wife convince to head to American Tap Room. I had been to the bar for drinks but have avoided eating there to date. We arrived close to 7 pm and the place was hopping both bar and restaurant. We got a table right away and seated near the window looking out on Woodmont Ave. Wife ordered the Tap Room Steak Salad. I did not try but it looked like a decent sized salad and the steak was cooked to the requested medium rare - large enough that she brought the leftovers home for lunch today. I decided to go with the crab cake. It was actually not as bad as I expected - decent size with little filler but underseasoned. It was served with some type of vegetable medley and red pepper cream sauce, which was just plain awful. I think the vegetables were frozen birds eye that you heat up in the microwave. Kids had the mini burger sliders and buttered noodles, which they said were good. Total for four people with 2 glasses of wine - $80. Service was friendly and attentive. Our server commented that they have the "best Turkey Burger in the area", I was not willing to take him up on his challenge. Too many other options in Bethesda to return here any time soon. -
Fate: it's one of those words that you know isn't really true. So, what exactly was it that had me at Don Tito yesterday? Bad Luck? Divine Punishment? Did I do something bad in a previous lifetime that I don't know about? It started when my phone cord gave up the ghost, and the only appointment at the Apple Store was late-afternoon. Afterwards, I had a couple destinations in mind, but when I was driving up Wilson Blvd., there was Don Tito on my right, and open parking spaces on my left. Open parking spaces?! What did I do to deserve *that*? I had never been to an A-Team establishment, and wasn't looking forward to ending that honorable streak, but if I don't go, then how can I pretend to have any expertise? I parked the damned car and went in. It was exactly as I knew it would be: a sports bar. And when I asked my very pleasant bartender what the second floor was, she said, "They made it into more of a sports bar than this level is." I about spat out my draft of Miller Lite ($3 on the "Football Menu," which is available during all NFL and NCAA games, which I guess is pretty much all weekend). Miller Lite? Well, look, if I wasn't going to dine well, I was going to dine gently, see? And since I figured the kitchen was largely Latino, I figured that was the impetus behind the "Flex-Mex" shtick, and so I ordered a pair of tacos since Don Tito pushes "tacos, tequila, and beer." And I was going to dine gently: I stayed vegetarian. Okay, lemme take a deep breath: I ordered the Fried Avocado with Tomato-Jalapeño Salad Tacos ($8), on soft "corn" tortillas. The avocado was Dos Equis battered, and it came with "cabbage," smoked chili "aïoli," and roasted corn. I was actually thinking of asking them to go light on the smoked chili "aïoli," but it wouldn't have mattered if I had. The tacos arrived in less than two minutes. What showed up were best described as "cole slaw tacos," each having about an ice-cream scoop worth of industrial, mayonnaise-based cole slaw in it. On top of each was one slice of pre-fried avocado which, in itself, wasn't at all bad. Underneath the avocado were random kernels of corn; I could find no tomato or jalapeño salad. The smoked chili aïoli, as I feared, looked like a squirt bottle had an orgasm. Was I going to eat what amounted to industrial cole slaw wrapped in flour corn tortillas, and fill up on probably 800 calories worth of slop? I used my fork, and picked at the fried avocado, which was clearly fresh at one point, and got about three small bites from each taco. I milled around, looking for the stray corn kernel which hadn't been doused. I broke off a small piece of the tortilla and tried it. I had about five chips from the warm basket of Chips and Salsa (gratis), which wasn't really so bad. I thanked my bartender, paid my check, and left, having finished my Miller Lite, and having eaten about ten nibbles of food. Onward. --- Dining in Clarendon (astrid)
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The other week, I was staying up near Towson University, and overheard a lady talking about a crab-cake shack that was "Oprah Winfrey's favorite!" After a bit of digging, I realized they were talking about the locally renowned Pappas Restaurant and Sports Bar, famous for their crab cakes, and deified everywhere as "the best of the best of the best," etc. Because of where I was staying, I went to the Parkville location, which was interesting because it's directly across the street from (what appears to be) their main shipping facility, as well as a third building on that small intersection, for carry-out only. Here's the picture of the Parkville Sports Bar, and if you blow it up, and look closely, you'll see the shipping facility across the street on the left, and the carryout joint on the right - note the sign that says, "Maryland Steamed Crabs." Pappas is anything-but shy when it comes to flaunting all the lavish praise they've been receiving for decades - this is the bottom part of a sign that's posted on their front door - there are many, many more accolades, both on their building, and on their website. I ordered the "Double Crab Cake" for $32.99, the menu saying, "Two of the best crab cakes in town! Just ask Oprah!!" And what showed up was absolutely gorgeous: But I have some bad news for Oprah Winfrey. And I have some bad news for Baltimore. And I have some bad news for people who think they've been enjoying the world's best Chesapeake Blue Crab for years if not decades. Sigh ... I don't see how this was possibly Chesapeake Blue Crab. Furthermore, I don't see how it was possibly from Maryland, or even from America. It seems like I'm always the person who walks in at 4 AM and pisses on the party which has been going on since sunset; I also wonder if I'm the only person who notices, or even cares, about these things. From the very first bite, I "knew" this wasn't Chesapeake Blue Crab - the lumps were *enormous*, the size of grapes, and were extremely consistent in size (huge), texture (tough), and taste (nearly absent). And $32.99 for two crab cakes that were *this* big? If these were made from Chesapeake Blue Crab, the restaurant would be out of business in a week. I'd already made up my mind, but I needed something a little more "official" to go on, other than my own opinion, so I talked with two servers with whom I'd struck up a friendly rapport. "There's no way this is Chesapeake Blue Crab," I said to both of them. They both fell silent, glanced at each other for a moment, and one of them vaguely shook his head no. "Two lump crab cakes this size would cost a fortune," I added, encouraging them to say something. "You're smart," one of them said to me. "You can tell the difference." We continued our conversation. Reportedly, "they" (I'm not quite sure who "they" are) have "crab meat tastings" a couple times a week with different distributors. And, after I asked how the meat is selected, I was told - without hearing any specific names - it's from whoever has the most-consistent, least-expensive product. I'm no expert, but I grew up in Maryland, and have been eating Blue Crab my entire life - lumps this big, this firm, this tasteless, and this consistently shaped, scream out "Southeast Asia" to me (recall Todd Kliman's fine City Paper exposé about Phillip's Crab House, et al, using Southeast Asian crab meat - you can pretty much consider this Part Two of that exposé, without the extensive reporting and fact-checking that went into it). Although I didn't read every word of their menu, and haven't scoured every word of their website, I did spent about 20-30 minutes specifically searching for damning language, and I found none. Nowhere did I see that these crabs are Chesapeake Blue Crabs, from Maryland, or even from America, but have a look for yourselves. About the closest I came was in the very first picture up above - the sign across the street says, "Maryland Steamed Crabs." Note, however, that it doesn't say, "Steamed Maryland Crabs," which would give it an entirely new meaning. In other words, I am absolutely not accusing Pappas of anything shady in terms of false advertising, because I don't think they're claiming to be serving Maryland crab, and they're apparently taking great pains with their language to "circle the wagon" without actually firing a single arrow. They're letting rave reviews from "journalists" - dozens of rave reviews from "journalists" (*) - do the talking for them about what an amazing experience these crab cakes are, and there's so much noise that the ignorance of the masses seems to overlook the minor detail that they're buying into a marketing blitz that has everything to do with the Chesapeake Bay, even though the worlds "Chesapeake Bay" seem not to be used at all. (*) I was once told, by a journalist, in the angriest, most-hostile terms imaginable, that I'm no journalist - essentially because I have no training. In a similar light, I am absolutely not saying that Pappas never serves Maryland or Chesapeake Blue Crab - merely that the circumstantial evidence presented to me on this visit was pretty overwhelming. As for my meal? Just because the crab meat wasn't dredged from the Chesapeake Bay doesn't mean it wasn't good - I loved my crab cakes. Yes, the meat was bland, but it was still crab, and it was still alive and skittering around in the water, somewhere. I would absolutely come here again, and get this exact same thing, with the exact same expectations - there is minimal binder, virtually no leg meat (or much of any fibrous meat) that I could detect, and the primary scent of the crab cakes was something like that of a savory soufflé (i.e., egg, perhaps used as binder), which I find extremely appealing. The beer selection at Pappas is surprisingly good (and cheap!); the side orders are of banquet-hall quality. So don't take this as a condemnation of Pappas Restaurant and Sports Bar; it isn't. But do be aware that this one journalist's restaurant critic's person's impression is that he dined on something other than Chesapeake Blue Crab on this particular evening - extrapolate as you wish, since my investigation went no further than what you just read. That said, I doubt you'll be seeing this write-up on any websites anytime soon - being honest can be isolating, and truthful, knowledge-based writing is not very conducive to fame and fortune - at least not in this self-serving, PR-driven industry. Don't get me started on the most popular "craft beer journalists." Cheers, Rocks
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The outdoor patio is expansive, and the water view probably the best on this side of the Lake Anne (Plaza). The family-owned restaurant has been here for many years, and in the business (not here, but in the NoVa area) for many more. There are large umbrellas to help ward off the sun, but the setting is 1970's concrete and brick with a running fountain at one end. The food is decent, some of their specials better choices than regular items. We have never had a bad meal here, and the service has improved significantly, now they have modernized the ordering process. There is a sports bar with 30 TVs so if you want a local place to hang and watch games with friends, it is easy to do that here. It is not a large space, so it can fill up quickly. We were told they recently got a new pizza oven from Italy, but were still getting the hang of it (cooking temps). I am sure it is up and fully functional now, since that was several weeks ago. -
Website (NOTE: if your work monitors your computer, you may want to view this page on your phone): http://tiltedkilt.com/dulles/ (just had to say that - there's nothing R+ rated on it, but let's just say it's not something you'd want your boss to see on your screen if he/she was behind you) Location in Mall: Right inside the entrance across from the detached P.F. Chang's and Cheesecake Factory. So after a somewhat trying day, having just found out about this place the night before, I decided to see whether what I'd read about it being 'better than Hooters' (which, let's face it, isn't hard to do) was true. First, the waitresses are *much* more scantily-clad than Hooters - the standard 'uniform' being a mini-skirt (complete with a sporran 'micro-purse') and matching bikini-style push-up tops. The skirts leave exceptionally little to the imagination, but they're no shorter than you'd see at any club in DC on the weekend. Before I get started on the food, however, I do have to talk about the waitresses and the 'service.' I found the waitresses exceptionally attentive...but almost *too* attentive. Evidently in the Hooters of ~ye olden tymes~, the waitresses would 'gab' with the guests, and as they've become more successful, supposedly the practice of the waitresses playing the 'false pandering' card has fallen by the wayside (except with big tables where they can play the men against one another and rack up the bill)...and kind of for good reason. The practice is still very much alive at Twisted Kilt, however - if a seat is available (and, I'm presuming, if the place isn't packed), your waitress will sit down and make small talk with you, asking you standard questions (where you're from, what kind of music do you like, sports preferences, etc.) occasionally interweaving suggestions from the menu (both food and drink) into the topic of conversation. The 'killer' is, that *all* of the waitresses in the place are looking to get you to part with as much money as possible (~Strip Club Rules~), because soon after you start gabbing with your main waitress, a 'friend' of hers comes up and makes it a 'two-front war.' At tables with 2+, this can turn into a situation where you're suddenly swamped by just as many - if not more - waitresses, all of whom start besieging you with questions and making PG-to-PG-13-level 'girl talk' among themselves, asking you to be the 'arbiter' in playful little arguments/tete-a-tetes they get into. Evidently they've only been open around a week and a half, but it's very evident they've been coaching these girls (none seemed older than 20) on how to refine their 'mindfucking' skills for quite some time. Even the tables seem low enough that the waitresses are able to ~bend down~ just enough to flash their 'appetizers' at you. These girls *clearly* pool tips, even though I never explicitly asked. All of this happens while you're still in a position to order more food, once you've gotten your entree orders in, suddenly the 'relationship' you have with your main server becomes far more businesslike. You don't get 'hovered around' anymore (quelle surprise). One advantage to the system they have in place is that the waitresses are constantly in motion - unlike other restaurants, where your server can disappear for 5-10 minutes at a time, the 'gang' effect means that you can flag down your waitress' 'friend'/partner-in-crime and know she'll be back to you promptly. Okay...the food. First, the prices are high but not exorbitant for a mall-based restaurant. Entree prices seem to hover around the $10-15 mark - beer is ~$5-6 for a 20oz tumbler. Figure each person is going to rack up ~$15-20 each, minimum. The most attention is focused on you during the time when you're most likely to order appetizers and booze, obviously. Whenever I visit any sports bar (with or without 'boobage'), I always fall back on easy staples. I started with fried pickles, which for $7-9 (I can't remember which) were good enough, but they did try to steer me towards a costlier appetizer. Sorry, girls - fried pickles pair exceptionally well with Yeungling. The portion size was more than enough for one person - for two, it'd very much live up to the name 'appetizer.' For my entree, I tried their 'F.A.B. Burger,' and found it decidedly underwhelming. I've eaten quite possibly thousands of burgers in my almost 35 year life, but I'd never had a *deep fried* burger patty... ...and if what I ate is resplendent of what they're supposed to taste like, I might not eat any more of them in the future. I could distinguish no difference whatsoever between the taste of a cooked-well-done sit-down chain burger patty and this supposedly 'deep-fried' one. Now...this might be because they've only been open a week and a half and their cooks haven't quite gotten the practice down yet. But I have to stress that at ~5:30pm, this place was *maybe* at 10% load. For my side, I'd read in other Yelp reviews that the 'premium side' Garlic Parmesan fries were 'to die for,' and while I liked the taste, they were soggy as all hell. I ended up eating them Euro-style with a knife and fork to keep from accidentally dropping anything on my shirt. I'm of a mixed mind about this place. It's way better than Hooters at what Hooters 'does,' but I have to begrudgingly give the 'point' to Hooters simply because I've never had a bad meal at one (just boilerplate 'grub,' really). But the attention you get from the waitresses at Tilted Kilt can border and occasionally exceed excessive at times, especially if the restaurant's not that busy and they're able to ~gang up~ on you. I never felt as if I was being given the hard sell, but at the same time, I'm well aware I was very much being sold a 'bill of goods.' I'm definitely going to visit again, if only to see if their Shepherd's Pie is edible, but I'm not going to do so very soon. It's definitely a ~unique dining experience~, but this is definitely not a *family* dining experience. It would be exceptionally interesting to see if the same procedure is foisted upon tables where a fiancee, girlfriend, or wife is present - because if it isn't, this place could very well get the motto of, "Come for the food, then stay as long as you can to avoid the fight afterwards." One more thing to mention - most of the male staff that service the dining room wear Utilikilts. I didn't see a single one not sporting a surly demeanor or facial expression the entire time, too. They're definitely equipped to handle trouble, though - one of the guys behind the bar looked like he moonlights in a biker gang, which is good, because I could see socially-awkward/challenged guys buying into the 'attention' here and potentially stalking the girls, who go out of their way to tell you which nights and shifts are theirs so you can come back and 'visit' them.- 14 replies
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With all of the chatter about the Isabella Galleria deal, as well as the regrettable (already) deal that the Nationals struck to rename the Red Porch as the Budweiser Whatever, it seems that the news this week that was overlooked is that the Redskins have partnered with some restaurant group to open a Redskin-themed restaurant at One Loudoun. You sub-50 year olds will be able to find and post links easily, so help me out. Interesting that the Redskin name itself is not part of the branding. Will not be going unless I see 10+ favorable reviews on this forum... -
Situated on Lake Anne in Reston, Kalypso's Sports Tavern, with expansive outdoor seating across from the dock area and water. Plaza is dated due to the concrete theme of 1970s construction, but there are several recent additions to the area which all appear to be fairing well. Had not been here in some time but found ourselves there Sunday and decided to give it another shot. Outdoor seating area was nice, umbrellas are a little worn and could use a cleaning, but the open-air area was nice. They have improved their ordering system so it is automated and very efficient. From Humus appetizer to dinner salads, entrees and kids meals, everything was fresh, and nicely prepared. Service was efficient, and food came out quickly and hot. Lucky for us they had live music Saturday evening starting at 5:30 PM, which was great for atmosphere. Place was decently busy and when we departed around 7, there were people waiting to be seated.
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Friends and I are trying to watch basketball tonight but can't think of a place that has both TVs and decent drinks. Somewhere in Logan/Shaw would be ideal, but relatively flexible. Ideas? Only place we could think of was Riggsby, but that's not really a sports bar.
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I've been a fan of Southside 815 for many years. It is a neighborhood "joint" with impressively low prices and generous portions. I know that does not necessarily mean quality or enjoyment, but if you're in the mood for a burger or sandwich, or even a Southern-inspired entree( fried green tomatoes, ettouffee, po boys etc.), I think you will enjoy this place. What prompts my post is that for the first time, I got to enjoy their Happy Hour specials. The smoking ban in VA went into effect, and Southside now only has smoking outside (in season). The bar was a really smoky place to walk through to get seated in the restaurant, let alone eat in. I would walk through thinking "man, I'd love to eat cheap, delicious bar food, but...I'm not in the mood to take a shower when I get home." Anyway, Mr. MV and I got to sit at the bar and enjoy Buffalo wings @ $.35 a piece. The wings are quite good-crispy, meaty, juicy and come with lots of blue cheese dressing (not homemade, for sure). We also enjoyed a "mini nacho" plate that had their own pulled pork, cheese, taco sauce and sour cream. With my club soda and Mr. MV's beer, it came to $9.86. We left fat, dumb and happy, having left a 30% tip and feeling good! FYI, from experience, their burger has always been good. Not Central or RHB good, but enjoyable nonetheless. The fried chicken is worthy also, as is their pulled pork which is served in heaps between a bun. I've not ordered it to date, but the stuffed pork chop is about the biggest thing I've even seen and if you're in mood for fried green tomatoes, I think it hits the spot, at $5.50. They also have frickles . -
Actually, Grevey's in Merrifield does a passable job with their Beef-on-Weck (from what I remember; been awhile since I've had it). Apparently, the salted Kummelweck roll is what differentiates it from the standard roast beef sandwich. -
I have not been here, nor do I plan to ever go here, but we're trying to create a thread for every restaurant in the DC area, right? I saw a mention on craigslist about this place opening: http://chicsnwings.com/ It's called Chics N Wings and according to the menu, you can expect to pay $1 per wing on average. It's that pricing structure and the fact that ranch is the default dipping sauce that will keep this Buffalo native away. But what's really fascinating to me is their logo. Can anyone explain what that thing is supposed to be?? -
I've always had a food-snob disdain for Cleveland Park Bar & Grill. But on this Sunday, the chicken wings were pretty darn good. Nice and meaty, good crisp outer crust, appropriate Buffalo-style hot sauce. Celery and carrot sticks. The dressing was either really bland blue cheese or chunky ranch, so that needs to be fixed(ie: better blue cheese). 8 wings $10. The beer list could be better, I'd like to see a stronger line-up of local beers. But a Devil's Back Bone IPA worked out alright. The upstairs deck is probably an under-appreciated spot. Bonus points for them showing Euro 2016 on a majority of their many TVs, with the sound over the PA speaker system. And this was during a Nats game. So, I'm just going to say it: for grabbing a beer, eating a plate of wings, and watching a game on a weekend afternoon...you could do worse. Seriously.-
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Last week, I went to the Don't Know Tavern in Federal Hill for drinks and some food. The place is a sister bar to No Idea also in the neighborhood. My only beef is that it prides itself in being a Red Sox & Patriots bar - in Baltimore of all places! Anyways, my friends had heard some good things about the food at the bar. It was good- a bit too greasy, but a little bit better than your usual bar food in South Baltimore. My friend got the warm spinach salad- they liked it, but felt there was a little too much bacon dressing. I got the cream of crab and asparagus soup- this was really good- a ton of crabmeat, and a nice blend with the asparagus. For entrees, I got the grilled cheese- 4 cheeses, tomato and bacon- pretty yummy. My tablemates got the kobe beef sliders which were pretty good as well, and the meat pizza- with capicola, bacon, sausage, filet mignon, goat cheese and parmesan. The pizza's crust could have been better, but it wasn't too bad. We also tried the duck fat fries that were tasty, but so greasy. Overall, the food was pretty inexpensive- nothing over $10- not to shabby for a place i can walk to from my house. -
Haven't tried the new incarnation (First Down) yet, but did notice the new paint job (bright green) in the otherwise drab block. A quick glance at the menu in the window shows typical bar food but a wide variety of wings (bone-in and boneless.) They also advertised delivery (for a fee) with $15+ orders. -
not wanting to schlep all the way out to Annapolis yesterday we gambled and went to Steamer's crab house in Bethesda - when we walked in the place was empty and no staff were visible - just as we were about to leave the sole waiter/manager hustled upstairs apologizing profusely so we decided to stay.....and boy are we glad we did......prices were $50/60/70 for medium large, x-large respectively and we decided on a dozen large....they were huge and heavy, the meat was sweet and plentiful, so much so that by the time we were done I was stuffed to the gills, something that hardly ever happens when I eat crab....I've never really heard of this place but it was worth every penny yesterday -
Popped into Bar Louie in Gallery Place last night around 9:30... their first night open. Its below the Lucky Strike bowling alley and movie theater. Space is very large, although not quite as big as the Clyde's next door. This'll be a beer & bar food joint. Opening night was not without its kinks, but its opening night. No draught beer was available (CO2 problem) and a few of the bottles weren't either. But, the draught beer list was long and looked promising. Kro, Summer Heat, Paulaner Weiss, and a bunch of others, in addition to the usual standards. Among the less common bottles: Fat Tire. The food menus includes both small plates (of course... its Gallery Place) and regular entrees. We got only an artichoke fritti, served in a cone (like frites at Poste, etc.) with marinara sauce attached. The artichoke chunks were lightly battered and piping hot. The accompanying banana peppers, fried in the same batter, were quite tasty and I'd even go for them as a bar food item of their own. The round bar in the middle is ringed with about a dozen TVs with Direct TV (not yet activated so it was playing the Direct TV promo loop). I asked the waiter if it'll be generally a sports bar, and he didn't seem to think so. The service was attentive, friendly. The wait staff is quite large... -
And Hunt Valley at the Hunt Valley Towne Centre. (In general, I'm willing to cut shopping centers some slack for using the spelling "Towne" or "Centre," but not both. <Buzzer goes off!>)
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...Not quite Peter Chang. Ugh. -
I'm not even sure how to classify this restaurant, but my brother just texted me and said he has 35,000 tickets on his Dave & Buster's card. I do so love paying money to shoot 17-foot free throws on an 11-foot basket with a 14-inch rim, wondering why I'm air-balling everything.
