Tavern

Pamplemousse: "grapefruit" in French; or, the name of a sunny winter fruit cocktail at Bluegrass Tavern in Federal Hill. Kelli Kulnich, bar manager at Bluegrass, admits, "Grapefruit's always remind me of my grandmother ... you know, the big box of citrus?" In fact, I also recall my grandmother's own advice: eat one every morning for breakfast and you'll never get sick. I'm pretty sure the same is true here, except this grapefruit comes with a side of vodka AND Scotch. Healthy?

Canton is getting a new "upscale tavern" in about two weeks. Called Lighthouse Tavern, it replaces the old Sports Cafe, which closed earlier this month. Co-owner Patrick McCarthy promises "an alternative to the Canton Square scene. " McCarthy knows that area. He worked as a bartender at Looney's for nearly 15 years and at Coburn's for about three before that bar closed in 2009.  He and his business partner, Christopher Petrie, bought Sports Cafe nearly two weeks ago to re-open as "a place where you don't have to have someone screaming next to you," as is the norm at the Square, he says.

When Brad Keevan and Marka Browning took over the space formerly known as Reefer's in June, they had a lot of work on their hands. Reefer's — an often shuttered dance club that had been on the skids for years — was, in a word, scuzzy. In order to bring in a regular crowd, the property needed a major face lift. From the looks of it, Marka — a former bartender a JA Murphy's — and her partner Brad have done a pretty impressive job. They've transformed the space from a dingy and, frankly, weird Caribbean-themed dive to a warm, friendly after-work hangout.

Tavern on the Square has opened in the Canton. It's in the old Fins space. Mel Carter, the general manager and part owner of Blue Hill Tavern , also in Canton, purchased Fins last September and, for a few months, kept things as they were. Right after the new year, Carter says, he closed the property for one week. Fins reopened on Monday with a cosmetic makeover, a new menu and new name. The new interior, Carter says, is decorated with black wood furniture and trim and vintage black-and-white photography of old Baltimore.  Carter describes the menu at Tavern on the Square as "contemporary American bar fare with a focus on game oriented dishes.

Towson has a new tavern.  Recher Theatre owner Brian Recher has opened this new dark-wood, upscale tavern in the space that a generation of billiards-loving Towsonites got to know as the Rec Room space. It's name is Towson Tavern. For the Towson Tavern , Recher has hired his favorite chef, Daniel Henry, former executive chef at the Capital Grille in Baltimore. For now, Henry is serving an abbreviated lounge menu, with things like house-smoked pork dumplings, a black truffle and cheddar panini  and pork lollipops with porcini reduction and crispy prosciutto Think of this as phase one. The next step phase begins in just a few weeks when the Towson Tavern annexes and begins construction on a neighboring space, which for decades has been  Kazem Importers of Fine Persian Rugs.

If you're going to go to a bar on New Year's Day, it might as well be a special place. To watch the Ravens this Sunday, consider Red House Tavern in Canton. A mainstay on the corner of Essex and Leakin streets for years, Red House didn't make its mark until April, when new owner Ron Singer, who also runs Leon's in Mount Vernon, reopened it as a mature alternative for the neighborhood. Under the new management, everything from the decor to the menu was overhauled. Red House is now handsome and classy, with lots of new beers and a terrific menu that includes french fries that taste like they came from Thrasher's in Ocean City . In many ways, it is the ideal neighborhood bar: friendly and familiar without being boring.

It's been 11 years since the Ravens played a home game on Christmas Eve. What did you do after the game? This year, fans will be able to stay in their favorite haunts long after the final play as many area taverns are sticking with their regular Saturday night hours. Some of those haunts are keeping their kitchens open. Open for regular Saturday service on Christmas Eve are Regi's (1002 Light St., 410-539-7344, regisamericanbistro.com) and Ryleigh's Oyster (36 E. Cross St., 410-539-2093, ryleighs.com)

State Del. Joseph J. "Sonny" Minnick and his family have quit the tavern business after 20 years, selling their liquor license shortly before the lawmaker's brother faces trial on gambling charges in connection with video machine payouts at the Dundalk establishment. Records show that the Minnick's Restaurant liquor license was transferred last month to new owners, two of whom also have Baltimore County political connections and own another Dundalk restaurant. The Democratic delegate's older brother, Daniel Minnick, 86, faces six charges in a case scheduled for trial Monday in Baltimore County District Court.

The Sunday review for Dec. 10 is of Wit & Wisdom, A Tavern by Michael Mina, the 365-day restaurant at the new Four Season Hotel Baltimore. The bottom line is it won't cost you anything to go in and take a look. Observing that Wit & Wisdom   in the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore had perhaps an over-abundance of good ideas, I felt like Emperor Joseph II telling Mozart that the Marriage of Figaro had too many notes. But there is a lot going on at Wit & Wisdom. There's the attention-grabbing, room-dominating open wood-fire and rotisserie area, which looks more a stage set than it should.

Don't Know Tavern in South Baltimore has always been a reliably quiet neighborhood bar, especially appreciated by Red Sox and Patriots fans. But in the past year, Don't Know has gone through more upheaval than it has in all the four years it's been in business. In June, its longtime owner, Jason Zink, sold the business , partly to deal with the expense of a lawsuit that had been filed against him by five of the bar's former employees. In July, Zink settled the lawsuit, and soon after, new management took over.