Chilling at Clutch
My second stop on yesterday's Sunday afternoon mini-crawl was Clutch, the new sports bar and lounge in Canton.
I had a Victory Pale Ale ($5), one of six beers on tap. The building, which used to house Tiburzi's, has been repainted, and the walls inside were oddly bare of decorations. I hope the owners will fill the place out in time.
I never went upstairs when it was Tiburzi's, but as Clutch, the upstairs has a lounge area with sofas and a brand new roof deck (pictured).
The roof deck is key for sipping cold beverages on a sunny day. But I can also see it getting loud and rowdy out there on a Friday or Saturday night. I'm glad I'm not one of Clutch's neighbors ...
I didn't try any of the wine, but judging from the number of bottles on the bar, Clutch appeared to have a fairly solid selection. The service was friendly, too, though I was one of the only people in the place at the time.
Tennis was on the flat screen TVs behind the bar, and surprisingly, I wasn't the only one there interested in watching it.
Would I go back? I don't know. Probably not. Clutch didn't appeal to me as a destination bar. But if I lived in the neighborhood, I'd consider it -- at least on a Sunday afternoon.
(Photo by me)
I've been The Baltimore Sun's nightlife and local entertainment reporter for a couple years, and it's surprising how much the scene has grown in that time. Most of Baltimore's bars and clubs are unpretentious places with fairly cheap drinks and plenty of character. I like dancing and think this city needs more clubs, but nothing beats having a cold, locally brewed beer with friends in a comfortably full corner bar.
Comments
Why did they name a sports bar after a type of purse?
Posted by: BA | June 29, 2009 1:23 PM
The roof deck looks nice, but I'd hate to be the person walking by when a drunkard pukes on them
Posted by: Anonymous | June 29, 2009 2:17 PM
please tell me that as a sports bar they had the orioles game on too.
Posted by: brandon | June 29, 2009 2:18 PM
That deck isn't brand new, it was there when Tiburzi's was open and had been used as a smoking area. If I remember correctly, Tiburzi's was adamant about no drinking out there since their license didn't cover outside.
Posted by: LGood | June 30, 2009 10:58 PM
Clutch sucks, and yes, the deck is extremely noisy, but not just on weekends.
Posted by: neighbor | July 1, 2009 12:34 PM
Whoa wait! Another neighbor on the boards...glad I don't live near that place.
Posted by: Neighbor | July 1, 2009 4:35 PM
Absolutely terrible food and terrible service. It's a shame, because the interior is really nice and the outside deck has quite the appeal too. Definitely NEVER going back!
Posted by: butchers hill | July 1, 2009 10:13 PM
The venue is nice and I love the outside patio, but the service was horrible and the food wasnt that great either.
Posted by: cantonite | July 2, 2009 9:38 AM