I drove by a place called Silks on Hudson Street the other day and wondered what it was.
It kind of looks like a sports bar.
But I tried to find it the other night when we were out and about and didn't see any lit signs.
That makes me think it's a sports apparel store that's not open late.
Anybody know?
(Photo by me)
Hung out at a little corner bar called Hooper's the other night.
It's right by Saute (2844 Hudson St.), but I can't find anything about it online -- which makes me like it even more ...
Three cheers to Sarah M. Williams for keeping the Metro Gallery up and running for a year.
She's celebrating at 7 p.m. tonight with an art show titled Moist Hierarchy featuring works by Seth Goodman and Greg McLemore -- the first two artists the gallery exhibited.
Congrats, Sarah. Many more to come.
(Image courtesy of the Metro Gallery)
Taps has taps!
And a new sign!
And it only took three months.
But co-owner Dave Holter is slowly and steadily making improvements to the building.
I just wish he would return my calls and lemme know how many taps Taps has.
But I can't say I blame him for ignoring me. They don't call me Sessa the Pest for nothing.
(Photo by me)
How important is a bartender's name?
Todd Conner's over in Fells Point is run by a guy named Reds (pictured, to the right).
As you can see, Reds has a handlebar mustache and -- get this -- red hair.
And none other than Biff Baker pours beer down at Charlotte's in South Baltimore.
I mean, when you go into an Irish pub and the bartender's name is Blarney MacJameson, don't you feel like you're getting the real deal? ...
Mother's Federal Hill Grille (which is the topic of this week's nightlife column, by the way), isn't an homage to owner Dave Rather's mom.
The bar/restaurant is actually named after him.
His nickname is Mother Dave.
Curious as to how he got it?
Allow me ...
You can fire up a big ole stoagie once again inside the Havana Club.
The club proved it has lost at least 15 percent of its business since the smoking ban took effect, and has been granted an exemption until 2011, the Baltimore Business Journal reports.
I wonder what other bars and clubs will also be given an exemption. I remember reading that when certain bars in Washington got exemptions, they were swamped with smokers.
Since the Havana Club was a cigar bar first and foremost, I don't think it would have been able to survive as a smoke-free club.
(Photo by Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun Photographer)
Mick O'Shea's (328 N. Charles St.) runs a pretty sweet special on Monday nights.
For $6.99, you get a burger, beer-battered fries and a draft of your choice.
When Amie and I went last week, I ordered a Resurrection -- a beer which would have cost $4 by itself at a normal pub -- with my burger.
The burger was delicious and the service was good too.
And, unsurprisingly, the place was pretty full for a weeknight.
(Photo by Kenneth K. Lam/Sun Photographer)
The fire's out at Grand Central.
I got there at about 10:10 a.m., and by then, firefighters had put out the roof fire atop the bar's north building at 1003 N. Charles St.
When I arrived, firefighters were perched on top the smoldering roof, tearing up chunks of burnt wood with axes and tossing them down to the sidewalk below.
Grand Central's General Manager Steve Ledlow, who spotted the fire on his way to work this morning, said the flames were about three- to four-feet high.
Workers had just finished repairing the roof after it was damaged in a storm last week, he said.
The main part of the bar, at 1001 North Charles St., did not appear to be damaged, and Ledlow said he might open it tonight.
"It's just a headache," he said.
(Photo by me)
Grand Central, the gay bar on 1001 N. Charles St., is on fire.
At 9:45 a.m. today, flames shot out of the building near the Sappho's lounge, a MS reader reported.
About three firetrucks were on the scene and more were arriving. I'll post updates when I know more.
The Lodge Bar in Power Plant Live has closed.
"As Power Plant Live! has matured so has its audience and this decision is reflective of that statement," said Reed Cordish, a vice president of The Cordish Co.
"Lodge Bar will be replaced with an exciting use that will be announced shortly," he said.
I was there for a nightlife column on their '80s dance night six months ago, and the bar drew a decent crowd but wasn't packed. Wonder what will replace it.
(Photo by Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun Photographer)
Spotted on The Ottobar's site:
"MURDER AT THE EARTHQUAKE HOTEL"
A ONE ACT PLAY
Performed by the WHODUNNIT PLAYERS
$5 admission/ HALF-PRICE for seniors (over 40) and $5 for dinner
Hee hee.
One of the standouts from this year's Non-Comm emerging artist festival was singer/songwriter Newton Faulkner.
Faulkner's got a No. 1 record in Britain but hasn't broken mainstream in the United States yet.
Live, he slaps the guitar and finger picks like a classical guitarist (similar to Andy McKee). But Faulkner also sings and has some pretty solid hooks.
I could see his song "Dream Catch Me" catching on here. You can hear it at his MySpace site.
Faulkner's also got a great sense of humor. At one point in his set, he picked up a small toy guitar, and before starting to play it, he said, "Oh, in case anyone went to the toilet and came back, I'm not massive. This guitar is just really small."
(Photo courtesy of the band)
Since the smoking ban started a few months ago, I've noticed something in bars and clubs I never noticed before.
It's the smell. ...
Snapped this photo of Lucy's Irish Pub (formerly Maggie Moore's, 21 N. Eutaw St.) ...
Mutts blogger John Woestendiek is so relevant right now.
Tonight at Charlotte's (Light and Randall Streets), he's going to read an article he wrote on feral cats with some kind of musical accompaniment.
The details of the event (and how this event came to be in the first place) are hazy. But it will be awesome. More awesome than Ryu's Hadoken. Be there at 8 p.m. sharp.
Last week I sat down to talk to rockers The Hold Steady about their new album Stay Positive.
In passing, lead singer and guitarist Craig Finn said he always puts foam wind guards over his microphone.
I asked why and shuddered at his answer. ...
(Photo by Getty Images)
Since JMGiordano rather sarcastically nominated Bills Cafe (6701 Holabird Ave., Dundalk) under last week's FFF suggestions, I'd like to tell you about our ... experience ... there.
The first thing we noticed when we walked into the Dundalk corner bar: It was bright. Too bright.
The second thing: It stunk. Bill's Cafe was rather rank. It gets better ...
The first night in Philly, a few friends and I stopped by Smokey Joe's for a few rounds post-Non-Comm and pre-bed.
Joe's is a Philly institution, catering primarily to kids from the nearby colleges.
The decor is old school, with lots of wood and pictures of star athletes from days past.
We sat by the bar and ordered pitchers of Yuengling until they finally kicked us out for closing time.
(Photo courtesy of the bar)
In all the flurry of the Philly trip, I forgot to post about last week's nightlife column.
It was on Bobby's Jazz Club and Cigar Bar (1140 S. Paca St.), the fairly new corner joint in South Baltimore.
Roommate Patchen and I got better service there than we normally do at most clubs in this city, which was refreshing. Here's a link to the column.
The more time I spend in Philly, the more I think South Street resembles Fells Point (pictured).
Both neighborhoods have thrift stores, cool restaurant/bars and lots of live music. And neither are brand new or squeaky clean -- which I like.
Of course, South Street is kind of a long, thin strip and Fells Point is more clustered around the square.
But still, I think the two have a lot in common.
(Photo by Glenn Fawcett/Sun Photographer)
I have a question, and I'd like an answer.
I saw tons of concerts in college.
On the day of the show, my friends and I would never, ever play the music of the band we were going to see that night.
I'm not sure whether they thought if you played the band's music the day of the show then the show itself would be bad or if it was as toolish as wearing the band's T-shirt to the show.
But I'm curious. Have any of you ever heard of this before?
(AP Photo)
Tonight, Mosaic in Power Plant Live will once again host Hard Candy, the new weekly gay night with DJ Ultra Nate.
I talked to a guy who went last week and had a smashing time.
The Cloud Nine set poured into Power Plant Live to flirt with the muscle-bound bartenders and soak in Mosaic's Miami vibe, he said.
His only complaints: The crowd got straighter and straighter as the night went on.
And the event was not well-marked. They need to start hanging some rainbow flags outside Mosaic on Thursdays, he said.
Otherwise, he and his friends had fun.
(Photo of a Mosaic martini from Sun archives)
