Mt. Washington Tavern - Best Hump-Day Happy Hour

Mt. Washington Tavern on 11/5/2011, after its recent fire.

UPDATE:  This restaurant was completed renovated after a significant fire.  With this renovation came some "sprucing up" of th menu.  So please take this review with a grain of salt, many of the notes may be outdated.

So for my second post, I thought I would review a long-time north Baltimore establishment - and one of my frequent Happy Hour water holes - Mt. Washington Tavern. Located in a large house-like structure right smack in the middle of the quaint Mt. Washington Village, this large establishment offers 3 bars (and a 4th rooftop bar in the summertime), and several levels of restaurant seating. This is an acceptable venue for both hanging out at the bar or a nice dinner with the family, although I think the bar(s) is its strength. However, I will write about both.

First, the Bar: Mt. Washington Tavern has earned a reputation in the area for having the best Happy Hours in Baltimore, and I believe has been included in the CityPaper's Best of Baltimore several times for this very reason. Every weekday from 4pm-7pm, decent drink specials are offerred, and on most days around 5pm some form of free food is provided. Our favorite is free quesadilas on Wednesday. Now although they are not huge fancy quesadilas, they are about the best FREE bar food you will find. Usually you have a choice between chicken and steak, and a small selection of toppings. The lady who makes them, Beth, is very nice and will keep making them until she runs out. The beer special that day is $2.50 drafts and $2.50 margaritas. The margaritas are surprisingly strong for being on special, and although the drafts aren't full pints, they're well worth $2.50 (I think Yuengling is the most "normal" beer on tap, the rest are specialties like Hoegarden and DogFish Head).

Other days' beer and food specials (respectively) are:
Tuesday = free wings, $2.50 drafts, $3.00 select wines
Thursday = free Blue Point oysters, $2.50 martinis, $2.50 drafts
Friday = free steamed shrimp, $2.50 cosmos, $2.50 drafts

Also, Monday night after 8pm, the bar offers half price burgers (around $4) and 25 cent wings. The burgers are good; the wings... I could take them or leave them.

Now, the restaurant: The restaurant is a little bit over-rated, in my opinion. The food is decent, but its a bit pricier than it's probably worth (about $15-25 per plate). The decor is decent but again, nothing to write home about. We were talking to Beth yesterday at Happy Hour and she was telling us that the meatloaf is to die for. Monday night the whole place (restaurant and bar) has a deal on the Meatloaf as well: $12.95 for meatloaf, potatoes and veggies. I haven't tried it so I can't offer my opinion, but it sounded good the way she described it. They apparently cut up a fresh sirloin for the meatloaf, it's not just whatever's left over. So someone ought to try it and report your findings to us.

The one benefit about the restaurant is that, as long as it's not crazy busy, they should be able to fit a large party somewhere in that big building. I suspect they take reservations as well.

There is a parking lot that wraps around the building, although parking can be tough on a busy night. Usually though, one can find additional parking at the Mt. Washington municipal lot walking distance away (which is metered, so bring a few quarters). Also, the Mt. Washington Light Rail stop is directly across the street, making it very convenient by Light Rail (also good if you drink too much). Risk takers can try parking in the Light Rail lot as well (no meters), but BobGanoosh and his affiliates do not take any responsibility for any tickets given by the MTA Police.

So, in summary, I HIGHLY recommend the bar on Monday night or Wednesday Happy Hour (Friday Happy Hour too, although it's busier). The restaurant isn't bad but I wouldn't put it on the top of my "to-do list".

Location:
Mt. Washington Tavern
5700 Newberry Street
Baltimore, MD 21209
410-367-6903

Holy Frijoles - Good Simple Cheap Mexican

For my first post, I will talk about a place my roommates and I know all too well. That place is Holy Frijoles!

Located on "The Avenue" (W. 36th Street) in Hampden, this restaurant is one of the busiest and most well-known restaurants on this self-proclaimed "kitschy" stretch of local businesses. Being walking distance from my house, I have been there several times with several different crowds, sometimes looking for a big meal and sometimes looking for a good Margarita. Interestingly enough, Shawn and I have differing opinions of this establishment, so I'll give you both perspectives.

First my opinion: I love the place. Hence why I go there all the time. Now let's make one thing clear: if you are looking for quality, authentic, high-end Mexican fare, this is not the restaurant for you. What Holy Frijoles serves are simple versions of simple Mexican dishes. The menu could fit in your pocket - it basically consists of nachos, burritos, enchilladas, chimichangas, and fajitas. There are several prices for each, depending on if you want only beans, beef, or the works. Most prices are somewhere between $7-10.

Now, at first you may think, 8 bucks for a stinkin burrito, that's crazy. That is, until you see the size of the burrito. You know those huge burritos they sell at Chipotle... well picture 2-3 of those. The ingredients are simple but very well flavored. It is pretty much guaranteed that for under $10, you can leave there with your taste buds stimulated and your stomach full. I personally recommend the chimichangas (fried burritos) or the Drunken Sweeney nachos, which are a little more expensive but HUMUNGOUS. Also, the salsa there is uniquely delicious.

Now, if you like Margaritas, you're in luck as well. The house Margarita is decent - not necessarily the best in the world, but worth the money. And on Monday nights, they have half priced house margaritas.

Now Shawn's opinion: The first few times we went he liked the place. However, one time we went and he was sick the next day. I think it was a stomach virus but he thinks its Holy Frijoles. So, if your stomach is feeling a little funny in the first place, you may want to save Holy Frijoles for another day.

As for the atmosphere, it's everything you'd expect in Hampden. Vibrant colors, art on the walls, and lights made of Patron bottles. It's a trendy rough-around-the-edges joint that has a pretty eclectic clientele. The service is not super quick, but not horrible either. However, being a busy yet small joint, it doesnt work well for large parties, especially on busy nights.

Long story short - as long as you dont have a weak stomach, HolyFrijoles is a great place to just chill with a few friends, a margarita, and a huge burrito.

Location:
908 W 36th St
Baltimore, MD 21211
(410) 235-2326

Welcome to Bob Ganoosh's Blog

Welcome to our blog. Our group of friends started having a traditional "Friday Night Dinner" together every week, in order to keep in touch after college. We'd usually hit a different restaurant each time - some were great, some were terrible. And then we thought, if we're going to restaurants all the time, why not rate them so that other people like us can always find a good place to eat. And after alot of pondering and procrastination, Bob Ganoosh's Blogspot was born.

The Team includes Shawn Eccleston (aka Bob Ganoosh), Gary Sever, and a handful of their friends, depending on who goes out with them that particular night. Nowadays the night(s) we go out vary from week to week, so we should be able to get a more well rounded sample.

Please bear with us as we put the site together - right now it is brand spankin' new! Check back periodically for new posts!

-Gary