Thursday Night at MaGerk's - If you don't feel like (or can't afford) driving to Philly

---UPDATE!  April 2016: The Thursday Special price as of this date is $4.50 from 6-10PM ---

Ok, so I know we ha/ve recently tackled the subject of Philly cheesesteaks, so perhaps you can treat this post as a "follow-up." For our follow-up investigation we visited MaGerk's, one of the better-known Federal Hill bars, and pretty much the closest thing to Philly that ol' Balto has to offer. In fact, the bar is an "Eagles Bar" that imports their break from Philly (or so I was told by a waiter in Fells Point).

We visited on Thursday night, after finding out that they offered $4 cheesesteaks after 6:30, and $1 domestic bottles after 9:00. "Not a bad deal," we thought, and apparently we weren't the only ones. We had actually gone a week prior, only to find barely enough room to even enter the bar, let alone find a seat. This week was less busy, since it was quite cold out, but still seats were limited. We managed to find one in the back.

The service left something to be desired. In their defense, it is more of a bar than a restaurant, with all self-service seating, so one can't really expect quick and thorough service. We waited for quite a long time before anyone came over though, and she did not come by very often. You could tell she was really busy.

Once we ordered, though, the cheesesteaks came out right away. For $4, you got a hoagie close to a foot long (maybe 10 inches) with a decent amount of meat and lots of grease, the way a cheesesteak should be. Plus, you got a bag of chips and a pickle. Not a gourmet meal by any stretch of the imagination, but about the best bar food you can get for $4. And it actually filled us all up!

We each had a beer with our meal. So, we each got dinner, which filled us up, for $5! Very good news in this economy!

So overall, Bob Ganoosh gives a big thumbs up to MaGerk's $4 cheesesteak night. Just be prepared to wait for a place to sit (and then for service), and dont even bother if you have a big group (unless you can eat standing up). We also thought about the idea of getting there at 6:30 sharp, when perhaps they are less busy - plus, there'd be a half hour of Happy Hour left! I would guess that Thursday Happy Hour is less busy than Thursday Night (known by some as "College Night"). If anyone has been there at this time, please feel free to leave your feedback!

MaGerk's

S. Charles Street at E. Cross Street

Baltimore, MD 21230

410-576-9230

http://www.magerks.com/

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