This is the watering hole to hit when you park yourself in Hampden; hell, it's the place to go when you hit Baltimore, period. And if you live anywhere near Hampden, it will become your go-to bar. The food is typical pub fare, nevertheless, it's really prepared well, and you'll probably agonize over what to order as there is so much from which to choose. If you're a drinking man (or woman), you'll be pleased to note that the pours here are alarmingly generous. You ask for a shot, you get an whiskey glass filled nearly to the brim. And how to describe the place? Well, it's probably not the "in" with the "in-crowd," and that's why you're here, are you not? Alright enough with the philosophizing. Let's get down to it. We've got drinking to do. There's two sections. Firstly, the stadium-sized main room with photos and posters, a number of wall televisions and shelving with all manner of gnip-gnops. Low key overhead lighting and unpretentious furnishings never let you forget that this is, above all else, a bar. In this happy place your seating consists of unassuming wooden tables and red banquettes toward the back wherein you'll stumble upon several pool tables and a large drinking station to your right. In the adjoining space, you'll find a long, narrow bar and a few small tables; it's where the serious drinkers go to gossip, listen to the jukebox and watch their beloved Orioles and Ravens. There's a pool table in the back as well. The crowd in here is a bit more, how shall I say it, louche, but friendly enough. Just try not to bump into the pool players or squeeze between the patrons to order a drink if the bar is full. Just raise your hand, the barkeep will...
Read moreWell, tonight was a disappointment. Now Fraizers is a very casual neighborhood restaurant and bar in Hampden. Despite me coming at 10:30, there was no formal welcome because the host/waitress was too busy counting her tips with her co-worker. 2ndly, I sat myself down directly across from host/waitress stand, took my coat of and patiently waited for someone to greet me with a menu, ask if I needed anything, or was waiting for others...what I got instead was several looks from the waitstaff of "I am off and doing my closing work for the night, so I can't wait on you". I waited long enough to watch an episode of my favorite show Big Bang Theory on TBS without interruption as I looked around at the rest of the restaurant to see if I just was too late for proper services to be rendered or if I was supposed to go to them to ask to be waited on. After the show concluded, I felt like an unwanted black man in a whites-only restaurant environment, so I packed up and left the way I came in. My neighborhood is extremely diverse so I am sure that the way I felt is not how Frazier on the Avenue wants anyone to feel. Despite the laid-back environment you all need to realize you are still at work. Counting ya tips in front of "guests" comes off as highly unprofessional if you ask me and is off-putting to customers. You all should try...
Read moreStopped in for dinner and drinks with a friend we were looking for some good food and atmosphere. This is pretty popular so we were excited but not near as excited as the people behind us who were playing board games and kept outbursting. The place was so dark we couldn’t hardly read the menu and somehow we got the impression that something fishy, drug related or underhanded was going on. It was hard to concentrate on ordering because watching sketchy behavior at entrance and hostess desk. The food came out fast I had the muscles with garlic bread and nachos that literally looked like they threw shredded cheese and black olives on a bag of nachos and tossed it in the microwave. The cheese just peeled off like the top revealing a stack of boring dry salty tortillas chips. My friend had a huge helping of frozen French fries and the old bay wings which was obviously also frozen judging from the way they looked and tasted not to mention the texture. The garlic bread was delicious but for 70$ I want to be raving about more than just the bread unless...
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