Wharf Rat

Wharf Rat BarWhere: 801 S. Ann St.Hours: 10:30 a.m.-1 a.m. Monday to Saturday.Menu: Seafood, sandwiches, pizza, Irish stew, chili, jambalaya.Credit cards: MC, V.Call: 276-9034.If you asked Fells Point visitors, you'd probably find that everyone's heard of John Steven Ltd., a nightspot that has been written up in national magazines, but only some know about the Wharf Rat Bar, just a block away."We're off the beaten path just enough that we don't pull the tourists that John Steven and Bertha's do," explains Wharf Rat bartender Stuart Schadt.

The crowd inside Pratt Street Ale House on a recent Saturday night was anemic. It was 1 a.m. and a handful of couples idled at the bar and at the sandy brown high-top tables. Some talked among themselves, others watched a hockey game on ESPN. "Don't Stop Believin'" was on. A half hour later, lights came up, and the bartenders started shooing everyone out. The scene looked like something out of a brand-new bar on a Tuesday night, not one that's been open for three years, and a place that's doubled as the home for Oliver Breweries for 19. But the same thing happened two nights earlier, also some time past midnight.

The Wharf Rat near Camden Yards is so serious about its beer you have to be an expert just to understand the menu. That's the beer menu, not the food menu. I thought the waiter was going to faint when one of my friends tried to order a nonalcoholic beer.This brewery-pub takes its food seriously as well. I'm not a beer drinker myself, but I have one unscientific observation to make: Microbreweries serve good food. I don't know if that's because beer is a great cooking ingredient or for some other reason.

Five boaters spent hours stranded in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay after their 14-foot power boat capsized Saturday, floating in the water before they were rescued by the crew of a sailboat returning from a regatta. Though a child on board was wearing a life preserver, none of the other passengers were. The boaters broke no laws, but state officials said the incident should serve as a reminder that everyone is safer when wearing a life vest. Jose Reyes and four others were aboard the 1967 Appleby returning to Sandy Point State Park when a large wave caught their boat, causing it to flip around 9 p.m. Saturday, said Sgt. Art Windemuth of the Department of Natural Resources Police.

After walking into a doggy happy hour at a festival in Washington and hearing friends say they'd used pets - not even their own, in some cases - as a way of meeting women, Dan Cohen, a marketing executive, naturally started thinking about how he might package and sell such a concept to the masses. Thus was born Animalattraction.com, an online gathering place for singles looking for companionship beyond their own furry and feathered friends. The idea was a hit, and 18 months later, thousands of pet owners from all 50 states now log on to trade funny animal stories and flirt, virtually.

A few months after purchasing the Wharf Rat Brew Pub, along with its cellar brewery, its new owners closed it down for renovations and reopened it this year as the Pratt Street Ale House. This is the downtown location, right across the street from the Baltimore Convention Center, and within cheering distance of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The original Wharf Rat on Ann Street in Fells Point is still owned and operated by the Oliver family. The Pratt Street Ale House is now a tourist-friendly, even family-friendly, sports bar, with enough televisions to satisfy the most rabid sports fans.

The Wharf Rat Pub & Restaurant Step into this Fells Point pub, and you're instantly hit with a sense of history. Its vintage appeal is undeniable. Where -- 801 S. Ann St. Web site -- thewharfrat.com Notable -- The giant fireplace is so big you can almost stand inside. When fully stoked, it really roars and can warm the coldest winter night. But this month, you'll need a few cool pints of the pub's locally brewed Oliver Ales. Vibe -- Shoot some pool and relax. There's no ego at this pub. Crowd -- A hodgepodge of ages, but mostly Fells Point denizens.

What makes a bar a winter hangout? It must have a fireplace. A fully stoked fireplace -- not one of those slick imitation gas logs. Dark wood and worn brick must be everywhere inside. And this wood and brick must be dimly lit and adorned with eye-catching trinkets and frames. Hot food is also necessary, as are cold beer and warm, friendly service. For me, one bar fits that bill better than any other: the Wharf Rat in Fells Point. The Rat is always first on my list of cold-weather drinking holes.

Even with the Baltimore Arena sold out, NCAA March Madness still can be experienced in the downtown area.Several downtown restaurants and bars are celebrating the arrival of the NCAA tournament and will have televised coverage of the NCAA college basketball tournament throughout March 16-19.It is geared for both those wanting to catch the games with other fans and those searching for entertainment between sessions at the Arena, and require no reservations.Balls Sports Bar, which is located just a few blocks from Camden Yards on Pratt Street, will carry every game via satellite.

Few bars get such a drastic makeover in such a short time. The Wharf Rat, a longtime staple in the city's downtown bar scene, closed for renovations in late January. When it opened early this month as the Pratt Street Ale House, the difference was stunning. Gone was the dark, amicably cluttered Wharf Rat, with its wood floors stained from countless pints of spilled beer. In its place was an immaculately clean (though I'm sure that will change with time), open pub, fully stocked with flat-screen TVs and surround-sound speakers.

Five boaters spent hours stranded in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay after their 14-foot power boat capsized Saturday, floating in the water before they were rescued by the crew of a sailboat returning from a regatta. Though a child on board was wearing a life preserver, none of the other passengers were. The boaters broke no laws, but state officials said the incident should serve as a reminder that everyone is safer when wearing a life vest. Jose Reyes and four others were aboard the 1967 Appleby returning to Sandy Point State Park when a large wave caught their boat, causing it to flip around 9 p.m. Saturday, said Sgt. Art Windemuth of the Department of Natural Resources Police.

A few months after purchasing the Wharf Rat Brew Pub, along with its cellar brewery, its new owners closed it down for renovations and reopened it this year as the Pratt Street Ale House. This is the downtown location, right across the street from the Baltimore Convention Center, and within cheering distance of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The original Wharf Rat on Ann Street in Fells Point is still owned and operated by the Oliver family. The Pratt Street Ale House is now a tourist-friendly, even family-friendly, sports bar, with enough televisions to satisfy the most rabid sports fans.

Few bars get such a drastic makeover in such a short time. The Wharf Rat, a longtime staple in the city's downtown bar scene, closed for renovations in late January. When it opened early this month as the Pratt Street Ale House, the difference was stunning. Gone was the dark, amicably cluttered Wharf Rat, with its wood floors stained from countless pints of spilled beer. In its place was an immaculately clean (though I'm sure that will change with time), open pub, fully stocked with flat-screen TVs and surround-sound speakers.

Balto. County Savings parent reports profit BCSB Bancorp Inc., the parent company of Baltimore County Savings Bank, reported yesterday a profit of $461,000, or 16 cents per share, for the quarter ending Sept. 30, compared with a loss of $307,000, or 11 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. The company attributed the quarterly profit to increases in net interest income and noninterest income. The earnings were partially offset by $360,000 in loan loss provisions in the quarter due to the declining real estate market.

What makes a bar a winter hangout? It must have a fireplace. A fully stoked fireplace -- not one of those slick imitation gas logs. Dark wood and worn brick must be everywhere inside. And this wood and brick must be dimly lit and adorned with eye-catching trinkets and frames. Hot food is also necessary, as are cold beer and warm, friendly service. For me, one bar fits that bill better than any other: the Wharf Rat in Fells Point. The Rat is always first on my list of cold-weather drinking holes.

The Wharf Rat Pub & Restaurant Step into this Fells Point pub, and you're instantly hit with a sense of history. Its vintage appeal is undeniable. Where -- 801 S. Ann St. Web site -- thewharfrat.com Notable -- The giant fireplace is so big you can almost stand inside. When fully stoked, it really roars and can warm the coldest winter night. But this month, you'll need a few cool pints of the pub's locally brewed Oliver Ales. Vibe -- Shoot some pool and relax. There's no ego at this pub. Crowd -- A hodgepodge of ages, but mostly Fells Point denizens.

Sampling vintages and ingredients, comparing bouquets and bodies, the educated palates of a new breed of gourmets are fomenting a fermenting revolution -- in beer.The decade-old U.S. microbrewery revival is mushrooming into a full-fledged boom, with an average of two microbreweries and brew pubs opening each week and hundreds of new brands crowding store shelves."We stack them anywhere we can. Sometimes it feels like they're breeding in the back room," said Mike Bareford, beer and wine consultant at Super Cut Rate Liquors in Catonsville, where the beer selection has tripled -- to some 300 labels -- in the past two years.

Balto. County Savings parent reports profit BCSB Bancorp Inc., the parent company of Baltimore County Savings Bank, reported yesterday a profit of $461,000, or 16 cents per share, for the quarter ending Sept. 30, compared with a loss of $307,000, or 11 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. The company attributed the quarterly profit to increases in net interest income and noninterest income. The earnings were partially offset by $360,000 in loan loss provisions in the quarter due to the declining real estate market.

After eating a mess of gumbos - 13 bowls to be exact - I was curious about what the keys were to making a good one. "It's the roux; you have to move it, move it, move it," said Mary Rivers, who prepares the gumbo at Ale Mary's, a Fells Point pub that she operates with her husband, Tom, and her brother-in-law, Bill. "The roux has to be the consistency of good gravy," said Brian Badger, who whips up the gumbo in the kitchen of Slainte Irish Pub and Restaurant on Thames Street. "You can't rush the roux," said Jill Oliver, who - along with Ted Young - makes the gumbo at the Wharf Rat's locations downtown and in Fells Point.

Eating outdoors is one of life's great pleasures. That's why man invented the Weber grill. And that's why so many local restaurants, noticing the tremendous interest in decks and "outdoor kitchens," have created outdoor seating in recent years -- in spite of Baltimore's heat and humidity. At least that's my theory. Whatever the reason, visitors to the Inner Harbor have many more options for open-air dining than they did even a decade ago. Of course, Harborplace practically invented the concept in downtown Baltimore, with almost every restaurant space having seating on a terrace outside and many of them also having an atrium with sides that can be opened up. But that's old news.