Brewer's Art leads Esquire's list of America's Best Bars
Right now, Esquire is doing some kind of online contest where you can vote for the best bar in the country.
And as of this morning, Brewer's Art (1106 N. Charles St., pictured) is in the lead. Check it out.
I called Brewer's Art's co-owner Volker Stewart for comment, and he was dumbstruck by the news.
"I don't even know what to say," he said. "It's bizarre."
The only other bar on the list from Maryland is, oddly, enough, the Shamrock Inn (6044 Harford Road). And even odder -- the blurb about it appears to be written by John Waters.
He writes: "It's hard to find a corner bar in Baltimore that hasn't been affected by real estate porn, but the Shamrock is still untouched by tapas menus and deejays."
Hmm ... I don't know about that, John. I'd say this city still has a fair number of old-school corner bars ...
In the meantime, Stewart is relishing his bar's new status
"I always like to say these things are rigged, but we don't have the kind of money it would take to rig Esquire," he said with a laugh.
"I'm sure we'll be displaced. But cake for a day is good."
(Sun photo by Jed Kirschbaum)
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
What bothers me about this thing is that B-more is NEVER written up in either GQ or Esquire. We're a large city in the NE corridor and are constantly ignored by these mags when it comes to bar and restaurant reviews.
Posted by: JMGiordano | April 20, 2009 12:00 PM
Let's start a voting campaign for Brewer's Art. It's a great bar with great beer. Come on Baltimore, vote!
Posted by: JC | April 20, 2009 1:34 PM
Brewers Art totally deserves this honor,best brewery in Maryland,if not the east coast..right up there with Brooklyn Brewery...
Posted by: Don | April 20, 2009 2:31 PM
I like Brewer's Art's beers but I dont like the bar that much. Part of the reason is that it gets so crowded in there, which is a good thing but sometimes you just want to chill sip on your brew without having to stand.
Posted by: bcplanning | April 22, 2009 12:58 PM
I like the Brewer's Art. They have a tremendous beer selection...
I check out the Baltimore Bars on Esquire and only two are registered!
Posted by: Frenchy | April 23, 2009 9:39 AM
JMGiordano - its probably because baltimore restaurants dont come close to rivaling new york or philly...i mean its not close...bar scene is decent but restaurants? not so hot
Posted by: Mr X | April 23, 2009 3:56 PM