Raw Bar

On the morning a fire devasted the Mt. Washington Tavern, its two owners, Rob Frisch and Dave Lichty, rushed to the scene convinced the incident would be minor. "While we were driving down, my wife said, 'I still have to get a Halloween costume because I'm bartending tonight,'" Lichty said. "We didn't know what were walking into. " The two owners had been working at the restaurant since their early 20s, each doing his best to keep together a bar and restaurant that was famous for its consistency and that had become a mainstay in the city, and especially during the annual Preakness Stakes.

Fells Point, a waterfront neighborhood, has had a historic shortage of good seafood restaurants. There are one or two very good high-end choices, but the casual options are meager and the mid-range options non-existent. Here comes Thames Street Oyster House , which in the few weeks since its opening has been drawing a steady stream of customers. Part of the instant success at Thames Street has to do with the popular owner, Candace Beattie, who developed a following behind the bar at nearby Alexander's.

Brasserie Brightwell is the new Easton restaurant from Brian Fox and Brendan Keegan, the brother-in-law team behind successful and well-received 208 Talbot and its offshoot, 208 Burger , in nearby St Michaels. Brightwell, which describes itself as a "cafe and comptoir" has been open since just before Thanksgiving in the Easton Market Square development in Talbot County. ("Comptoir" means counter, and I guess that might refer to the raw bar as well as the one serving spirits.

John E. Larkin Jr., a seafood dealer whose raw oyster bar became a popular downtown gathering place, died of cardiac arrest Sunday at St. Agnes Hospital. The Catonsville resident was 71. Born in Baltimore and raised in Catonsville, he attended Leonard Hall Junior Naval Academy and was a 1955 Mount St. Joseph High School graduate. Family members said that he remained close to his teachers, members of the Xaverian Brothers, throughout his life. He entered the seafood business as a young man. Multiple generations of Larkins had worked in the Baltimore seafood industry and owned stalls at Lexington, Hollins and Belair markets.

It is a custom in this town at year's end for folks to gather around a plate of raw oysters. The oysters are loaded both with tangy flavor and with zinc that puts fuel in your firebox. The gathering provides good cheer. As 2007 drew to a close, I visited several spots around Baltimore where bivalves were plump and the conversations friendly. There was nary a bad mollusk or moment in my expedition. That means, of course, I will repeat this ritual next December. Nick's Inner Harbor Seafood Address --Cross Street Market, 1065 S. Charles St. Phone --410-685-2020 Hours --11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday This raw bar in the colorful Cross Street Market features comfortable seats, prize-winning shuckers and easy conversation.

A waterside Fells Point eatery has brought a little more of the sea inside. Last weekend, Shucker's Restaurant and Bar opened its new raw bar. Tony Lombardi - who owns Shucker's with Andy Rosenthal - says the room used to be one of two main dining rooms. Now, the room is more of a bar/lounge area. When you walk in the restaurant's front door off the Broadway Pier, you can go left of the big 400-gallon fish tank into the main dining room, the main bar or a back bar/lounge. Or you can turn right, where you'll find a long Corian-topped bar, divided in the middle by the large iced fresh seafood display set behind a wall of glass.

August may be the time for folks to go away. This year, it seems it's also the time for some local restaurants to disappear. The popular Owings Mills bistro Due closed recently. However, its food can still be found in its sister restaurant, Linwood's, right next door. One of Linwood's managers, Rachel Zundell, says the Due menu was rolled into that of Linwood's. The Due space is being turned into a catering venue. Linwood's Restaurant, 410-356-3030, is at 25 Crossroads Drive. Lunch is served 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Add another restaurant to the local scene. And to the number of nosh-eries owned by Steve de Castro. The B-more hotspot honcho can already claim the Ruth's Chris Steakhouses, Havana Club, Eurasian Harbor and Babalu Grill in his fleet of upscale eateries. And as of this week, he's added another. The Blue Sea Grill has just opened in the spot vacated last year by the short-lived Cafe Asia-turned-Red Coral. It's in a convenient spot, tucked between Ruth's Chris and Babalu on Water Street. The space features seascape paintings on curvy blue walls, with banquettes and tables throughout.

To be fair, Ryleigh's doesn't claim to be a restaurant. The Federal Hill establishment, which opened in November, describes itself as a brew pub and raw bar. So maybe it's not fair to expect restaurant-quality food. However, a brew pub ought to have beer that is decent, not flat and bland. I sent back my Marble Golden Ale because it had no fizz and got another that wasn't much better. Another, called Raspberry Wheat, was so sweet and carbonation-free it seemed more like a juice than a brew.

Razorback's Food: ** 1/2 stars Service: *** stars Atmosphere: ** stars Where: Dulaney Valley Shopping Center, Towson Hours: Open every day for lunch and dinner Prices: Appetizers, $5.95-$9.95; main courses, $9.95-$24.95 Call: 410-821-9550 The new Razorback's Raw Bar & Grill in Towson fills a particular niche: It offers ribs for yuppies. This is not a bad thing unless you're a purist about your barbecue - that is, if you believe that real barbecue can only come from a shack with a woodpile out back.