Rob Kasper reviews Yellow Dog -- Baltimore's dreaded upstairs dining rooms
Oh, the unloved upstairs dining rooms of Baltimore.
Rob Kasper's review of Canton's Yellow Dog Tavern, which appears in print in tomorrow's Live section, is on line now.
Fatefully, Rob chose to dine in Yellow Dog's upstairs dining room:
"While almost every seat was taken downstairs, we had plenty of privacy upstairs. We were the only ones there."
That ended up making a difference, particularly in the service he received.
I remember going to review Yellow Dog back in 2007, a few months after it opened, and worrying about that second-floor dining room. It is pretty, but no one seemed to want to go up there. I think the smoking ban changed everything.
Bluegrass Tavern, in South Baltimore, is one of the few restaurants I can think of that has thoughtfully addressed this problem. They put bar up on there second floor -- a full-time bar, always staffed bar by the front window. So hanging out up there doesn't feel like a punishment. The Waterfront in Fells Point is another.
Baltimore Sun photo/Gene Sweeney, Jr.
Comments
It's such a shame, all the space that is wasted in this city on upstairs dining rooms which usually sit empty and unloved. Now I'm all sad and stuff.
Posted by: Sam Sessa | November 11, 2010 11:09 AM
Upstairs dining rooms are notoriously full of C.H.U.D.s. Basement dining rooms? Don't get me started. If we had more ninjas in this backwater city, the whole C.H.U.D. situation could be dealt with.
"Vigilance is a job for all but the unprepared" – Umberto Swarm
Posted by: CHUDalert | November 11, 2010 11:30 AM
The one time I went to the Waterfront for dinner, we were the only table upstairs. It was kind of strange to know the server was constantly watching us the whole time. I guess it's better than bad service, but still would be less awkward to have some other people around.
I was thinking about the upstairs bar and not the dining room -- good point
Posted by: Jen | November 11, 2010 12:28 PM