Ropewalk Tavern

A few weeks ago, in between discussing Eastbound and Down and Tiger Woods 2008 at The Wharf Rat, I got into a conversation about favorite bars in the area. I mentioned that I don't venture over to Federal Hill as much as I should, but that I always liked stopping by Ropewalk Tavern when I was met with an "Eww, really? Isn't that a Republican bar?" I know there are random pieces of Ronald Reagan memorabilia scattered throughout, but really, who gives a damn? I go there because it's usually not packed (at least the hours I'm there), the beer selection (especially bottle) is pretty good, and the sandwiches are quality. Nobody asked me who I voted for when I asked for ketchup with my fries, so if you share the concern that you're *gasp* in a Republican bar you're safe.

Anyway, on to the food. I don't remember what we were on that side of town for, but we decided a simple dinner of sandwiches was in order. Deana ordered a Turkey and Brie sandwich and I decided to temp fate and go with the Sgt York burger.

The Turkey and Brie was awesome. As much as I loved my burger, I had restaurant decision envy the whole time we were eating because Deana's sandwich was just that good. A big pile of juicy turkey, melted salty brie, sweet honey mustard, a few slices of apple, lettuce and tomato were all piled inside a soft pretzel roll. It was great. I really loved how the apples added a nice crisp bite to an otherwise soft sandwich and the contrast between sweet honey mustard and salty brie was really fun. The fries served on the side were also much better than you're standard fare. 

My Sgt York burger was also a winner. The burger itself had really good char flavor and the fried jalapeno rings (hence my aforementioned tempting of fate) added solid but not overpowering heat. It was also topped with melted pepper jack cheese and a chipotle mayo, but neither of those really stood out to me. Perhaps because the burger was so full of that delicious char flavor my taste buds weren't interested in seeking out other flavors. Whatever the case, the Sgt York burger is a good choice for anyone that likes a little spice with their burger. 

As I mentioned up top, this is one of my favorite Fed Hill bars and one I'd recommend to anyone who wants a good beer and some really good sandwiches. Ropewalk isn't fancy, it's just good and every time I've been there that's been enough for me. 

Price: Average

Recommendation: A winner for all, no matter your political affiliation.

What to Order: Turkey and Brie

Alewife

Every time I visit Alewife I leave with mixed feelings. Did I just visit an awesome bar? Did I just eat at a great restaurant? Did I do both at the same time? The debate is on going even as I write this.

On this particular visit we were greeted in a semi-scattered brained way.

"Do you have reservations?"

"No. We were just hoping to find a seat."

"Okay. We are full."

I wasn't sure if that meant forget it they weren't seating anyone else for the rest of the night, but I didn't have time to ask because the hostess ran away before I could open my mouth. Deana and I walked down near the entrance/exit to discuss our options for a few minutes and right as we were about to leave the hostess came back wondering if we still wanted to sit down. We said yes and took our seat, but the whole exchange was odd.

Oh well. We were there to eat and after looking over the menu the call for red meat overcame both of us and we decided on the Smoked Burger. My great hamburger gauge is controlled by Hamilton Tavern's burger. Happily, I can report that Alewife has a burger that gives Hamilton all they want as far as burger battles are concerned. For my money, they don't quite edge them out, but they put up one hell of a fight. This is definitely one of the top burgers in Baltimore.

Alewife's Smoked burger, as they would say in NBA Jam back in the day, is on fire. It's thick, juicy, topped with fantastically gooey Gouda and Gruyere cheese, the crunchiest bacon, caramelized onions, and accented perfectly by a faint smokey flavor that separates them from most other burgers. And did I mention that it's a huge 11 ounce burger?

As far as Alewife and it's bar scene is concerned, though, I never feel the need to visit them simply to get a drink despite the fact that have 40 or so beers on tap. It's always crowded and parking in the area isn't the greatest. It's just not convenient for me and unless you live in that area I doubt it is for you either. That stinks, but it's no reason to stay away from Alewife. Every time I've been there the food has been delicious and there are plenty of quality craft beer options to pair up with. Just be sure to make reservations first.

Price: A little above average
Recommendation: Great place for a beer and quality food.
What to Order: Smoked Burger

Towson Tavern

At least once or twice a week I find myself in Towson after work. Usually it's to meet up with Deana before she heads back to work on one of her long days and sometimes it's just to get some exercise walking around the never ending mall. On one of those occasions we were looking for somewhere to eat when we walked up to the circle and found Towson Tavern calling our names.

The inside of Towson Tavern was very nice. It had a very modern look, and if I remember correctly the bar even had a marble bar top. Very swank when you consider most of the other casual restaurants in the vicinity.  Given the look and the prices on the menu, I think it's safe to assume they aren't looking to attract the college crowd that most everyone else in the area goes for. 

Not knowing what to expect going in and dining without the biggest appetite we had a little trouble finding something on the menu to fit our appetite and our budget. Nearly every entree was over $20. We weren't looking to spend quite that amount so I ended up with the $16 Burger and Deana decided to order the Pork Lollipop appetizer.

Happily, the lollipops were of fairly substantial size for an appetizer and it was more than enough for Deana on that day. The pork lollipops were covered in a ginger marmalade that served as a bit of a sauce. The sauce was very good, but at times the ginger could smack you in the face. The lollipops themselves were very crunchy and reminded both of us of fried chicken. I can't say that this was my favorite appetizer of all time but Deana commented more than once that she would order the lollipops again. So, I guess you can chalk these up to personal taste. If you're a fan of pork and ginger there's a pretty good chance you'll like this one. 

When it comes to my meal, I'm not sure I've ever spent as much on a burger as I did at Towson Tavern. Obviously, my expectations were pretty high. At $16 their margin for error was pretty slim. As fate would have it, this was a damn good burger. Was it $16 good? Eh, I don't know, but I didn't leave feeling like I was had. Taking that and the fact that I annihilated the burger in record time into account, I guess I can't really complain all that much. My burger was large, juicy, tender angus beef topped with tomato, homemade aioli, and arugula. I really enjoyed the arugula as opposed to traditional iceberg lettuce. Not only did it add a nice freshness to the burger, but the peppery taste was quite nice as well. Typically, they serve the burger with sweet potato fries but I passed on them for traditional fries. The fries were delicious and you get served a TON.

So, despite their prices being a little on the high side you can go in knowing that they don't skimp on the portions and the flavor is there.  Overall, Deana and I had a good dinner and we look forward to visiting them again some time in the future.

Before I go, one thing I thought I should make mention of was the fact that despite referring to themselves as a Tavern their draft list at the time of our visit was lacking. It wasn't the all-time worst or anything. In fact, in the grand scheme of things it was probably somewhere in the middle, but given their upscale menu I think it would behoove them to ditch some of the typical big beer brands and replace them with more craft options. They had a few, but I'd like to see even more in the future.

Price: Expensive
Recommendation: If you're looking for something a bit fancier in Towson, this is a good place to try.
What to Order: Burger

Bobby's Burger Palace

My transformation into a "foodie", if I even am one, probably began 15 or so years ago (aka known as half my life). The catalyst to that transformation was Bobby Flay. At that time, I didn't cook, couldn't cook, and had never heard of 60% of the ingredients he was using. But his food always looked so damn good and since I didn't live in NYC to visit his restaurants, watching his TV shows and pretending I was eating the screen was the best alternative. So, when I heard that they were putting a Bobby's Burger Palace in the area I was very amped about this. It wasn't one of his fancier restaurants, but it was backed by Bobby Flay and I was going to make one of 15 year old Doug's food dreams come true.

Before I even arrived I knew that I was going to order the hallowed CrunchBurger. After years of being teased by it on TV, I was so ready to sink my teeth into this beauty. And......it was pretty good. It's better than almost any burger you're going to get from a chain restaurant, but I can guarantee you there are better burgers near you. Being that I'm speaking to Baltimore area readers, I know for a fact that there are better burgers to be had. If you don't believe me, try Hamilton Tavern or Alewife. But in regards to the burger in question, I give them high marks for at least allowing you to order the burger to a specific temperature instead of the arbitrary "no pink or some pink" BS that some places do. I ordered mine medium which allowed for extra juiciness. The chips that make this a CrunchBurger, while adding nice texture and contrast to the soft burger and roll, make it all a bit salty.

The highlight of the meal,surprisingly, was the french fries. But it wasn't just the french fries I liked as much as I loved the dipping sauce they serve with it. It reminded me of a spiced up (not heat) thousand island dressing minus the pickle flavor. If they served the sauce as a milkshake I think I'd be set. I loved that stuff. 

So, was 15 year old Doug satisfied with the trip to Bobby's Burger Palace? Yes, he was satisfied, but he wasn't doing back flips and crying burger grease tears of joy like he always expected he would be. If you're in the area and you're in the mood for a burger, you could do far worse than this place. But, if you're looking for one of the best burgers in the area I can point you in a few different directions.

Price: Surprisingly cheap

Recommendation: If you're a fan of Mr. Flay, you gotta try it.

What to Order: CrunchBurger and Fries. Do not pass on the fry sauce!

The Feisty Goat Pub

I'm just going to come out and say it. The Feisty Goat Pub was a huge letdown for me. They have the word Feisty AND Goat in their name. How can it not be good? Well, let me count the ways.

Once again, Groupon was the reason we ended up visiting this place as neither of us had ever heard of it before. We weren't worried though. With Groupon you either find a diamond in the rough or you're only paying half price for something you're not totally enamored with.

When you walk in you'll notice right away that it's very small and dimly lit. There isn't a whole lot going on by way of decoration. Most disappointingly, they really under deliver on the whole "Feisty Goat" theme. The only thing goat related is a head hanging up behind the bar. Other than that there's nothing goat related and I think they really missed a fun and easy way to market the place within the actual restaurant. Probably my favorite part of the restaurant is the copper bar top they have. It's not something you see every where and is without a doubt the distinguishing mark of The Feisty Goat Pub

But whatever. I like a cool ambiance and all that, but if the food is good that kind of overwrites nearly all other shortcomings when it comes to a restaurant experience. The menu was very small. It was mostly sandwiches and typical pub grub. As much as I wanted to venture off the typical wings as an appetizer path I really didn't have a choice and ended up ordering them anyway.

They weren't bad. The wings came out hot and were nice and meaty, but the sauce tasted very "out of the bottle" and that's never a good thing. In my opinion, if you're going to offer a limited menu you really need to hit a home run with the menu items you do offer. Something as simple as a wing sauce should be executed with a little more pizazz to make it stand out a little more.

For dinner, I decided to go with the burger they referred to as "The Big Goat". Being that this was The Feisty Goat this seemed like it had to be the signature dish of the place. Deana, begrudgingly went with a buffalo chicken sandwich.

The burger wasn't bad at all. You get an 8 ounce Angus burger served on brioche with roasted red pepper, garlic aioli,  melted goat cheese, lettuce and tomato. The only thing I would change about the burger is reducing the size of the red pepper. I love red pepper, but too much totally over powers whatever it is you're eating it with. The goat cheese, though, that was a nice change up to the typical burger.

Deana's buffalo chicken sandwich, on the other hand, was very bland and dry. Again, it was very disappointing to end up with mediocre food when we were almost pigeonholed into choosing the items we chose due to the lack of options.

The worst part of the entire dinner was when I took the first bite of my burger. Just as I bit into it a wave of garbage juice smell shot right up my noise. At first I was a little concerned about what I was eating. As I turned my head to tell Deana about how bad my burger smelled I saw someone from the kitchen dragging a garbage can through the middle of the bar and realized then it wasn't my food that was the issue. Rather, it was the lack of sense by the staff. I don't know the logistics of their building setup, but why they would think its acceptable to drag stinky ass garbage through the bar/restaurant while people are trying to eat is beyond me.

At that point, I had my mind made up that I wouldn't be visiting again anytime soon. The food wasn't all that good, was actually kind of expensive for what they were offering, and call my crazy but I don't want to smell garbage juice while I'm eating.

Price: Expensive for what they offer
Recommendation: I would pass on this place
What to order: The Big Goat

Hamilton Tavern

A few weeks ago I turned 30. When Deana asked me where I'd like to eat for my birthday it took me about 2 seconds to answer. In fact, she could have asked me 3 months before my birthday rolled around and I would have known that I wanted to eat at Hamilton Tavern.

Hamilton Tavern is one my favorite places to visit in all of Baltimore. It's a fairly small bar/restaurant but it's just so cool. There are all kinds of interesting antique decorations spread throughout, board games you can play late at night, and you'll even be entertained in the bathroom where there are random pages of literature for wallpaper.

The few times I've been there I've noticed that it pays to get there early. The place fills up quick, but if you don't mind killing some time with a drink at the bar it's not that big of a deal. Hamilton Tavern always has a small but interesting choice of beers on tap. I decided to go with a Nectar Ales Red Nectar that night. Red Nectar is a very well balanced ale with nice hop presence up front and a mild malt finish on the back end. It didn't knock my block off, but it was a quality beer nonetheless.

For an appetizer we decided to try fried cauliflower and broccoli served with a Resurrection (Brewers Art's Ale) cheddar dipping sauce. It was okay. I had high hopes for the cheddar sauce but it was kind of under the radar as far as taste is concerned. The fried veggies were also a bit underwhelming. It just wasn't crispy enough for me and the mild vegetables needed a sauce with a little bit more "oomph" to bring it all together.

The fact that appetizer wasn't spectacular should be of no concern. The reason you go to Hamilton Tavern is to experience the Crosstown Burger. I'm not exaggerating when I say this thing is otherworldly. A few months back I asked a co-worker to suggest a unique place to take my dame out for dinner. He mentioned Hamilton and was adamant that we try the burger. I took his advice and I haven't been the same ever since. This burger has become what all other burgers are measured up against from here on out. The Crosstown Burger is a gigantic burger with lettuce, onions, and horseradish cheddar cheese sauce. For the more gluttonous among us you can add bacon and a fried egg. Trust me when I say you should add both.

There is no need for ketchup, mustard, mayo or whatever other condiment you typically put on a burger. The slightly spicy and sweet horseradish cheddar cheese sauce mixed in with the egg yolk that will eventually break and spread all over your burger is what life is all about. You might have thought it was about some spiritual journey or something. You're wrong. Life is about getting in your car and finding this burger and savoring it. Sadly, the excitement of eating the food has once again led to me being a little absent minded in regards to taking a picture. I'm sorry.

If you have room for desert after indulging in the burger you have to try the maple bacon cupcake. It might sound weird, but it's worth trying anyway. How many places do you come across that work bacon into their dessert?

The picture above doesn't do the cupcake justice. Trust me, it tastes much butter than it looks. I think the bacon is candied and the sweetness against the salty bacon flavor is really nice. The maple cupcake and butter cream icing round it out and before you know it you don't know if you're eating dessert or breakfast. Really, it doesn't matter because what you're eating is simply delicious.

Price: For Pub food it's somewhere in the middle. In the grand scheme of things it's not bad. Probably in the 10-15 range

Recommendation: Get there ASAP

What to order: Crosstown Burger

Gino's Burgers and Chicken

Gino's Burgers and Chicken restaurants have been popping up everywhere lately. Being an out of towner I hadn't heard of them, but my girlfriend let me know that they used to be quite popular once upon a time. Naturally, my interest was peeked. When we found a Groupon offer to the Towson location we had the perfect opportunity to see what Gino's was all about.
We ended up at the Towson location on Friday night and it was PACKED. The line was nearly to the door but it moved surprisingly quick. The first thing I noticed was the giant sign of milkshake offerings. As you know from the By the Scoop review I'm a huge fan of peanut butter and I ended up with a Reese's Pieces Milkshake. My girlfriend, on the other hand, decided on a Cherry Cheescake shake.

The shakes were really big and thick. The huge straw you see in the picture came in very handy. However, on the whole they were kind of "ehh" on the scale of tastiness. They weren't bad but they weren't anything special either. My Reese's Pieces Shake tasted like a pure vanilla shake with a bunch of broken candy that eventually sunk to the bottom.  Deana's Cherry Cheesecake didn't have any cherry flavor and even worse there was no cheesecake presence to be found either. That was kind of a letdown.

For dinner I ordered a Bacon Blue Burger and Deana had the Chicken Caesar Wrap. Out of the two, the wrap was easily the winner. The chicken tasted really good and we both really liked the ceasar dressing. My burger, while okay, was a huge bummer. The bun was nearly twice as big as the burger but that was the least of my concerns. The fact that the "Bacon Blue" burger didn't have any blue cheese crumbles on it really annoyed me. Putting cheap mass produced blue cheese dressing on a burger and calling it "blue" doesn't cut the mustard with this guy. With that said, the bacon on the burger was really tasty.

The best part of the dinner were the Wild Fries we decided to split. Wild fries are french fries with cheese, ranch dressing, and bacon crumbles over the top. The fries alone were really good and crunchy. I was a little worried they were going to be soggy and covered in ranch dressing (not typically a huge fan) but it was really well balanced. Both of us agreed the fries were worth coming back for.

Because we went with a Groupon deal we had some extra money left over and were able to order chicken fingers and a cookie to go. Even though I didn't get to the chicken for a full day it was really good. The breading they use was a big hit with my tastebuds.

It seems to me that the chicken is the way to go if you end up at Gino's. Between the chicken fingers and the wrap Deana had, I think it's safe to say they know what they're doing the chicken. On the other hand, the burgers and the shakes were a big let down.

Price: Cheap
Recommendation: It was okay, but it has its strong points. Give it a shot.
What to order: Chicken Caesar Wrap and Wild Fries.