Tag Archives: Maryland

Black Flag Social House

It was Superbowl Sunday, and those in Ravens country were mostly done with football. For those unaware, the Baltimore Ravens’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs a couple weeks ago was crushing. As a distraction, we decided to check out Black Flag’s new spot for lunch. Black Flag Social House is tucked away in the back corner of the parking lot, near the intersection of Marriotsville Rd and Old Frederick.

Brewery in Black Flag Social House

When I first walked into the Social House, I was struck by how bright and cheerful it was, with lots of glass and gorgeous wooden tables for dining. The brewery is on your left behind glass doors. (We learned later that this brewery is not yet open, and all the Social House beer is currently made at Black Flag’s Brewing Company on Snowden River). An impressive pizza oven is located in the back. Also in the back, but outside, is a porch (not yet open to the public) overlooking the woods in the direction of the Little Patuxent River.

Pizza Oven

Our experienced waiter had recently come from Guinness Brewing. It is full table service here, as opposed to the brewery. The beer is good – Deep Beer uses untappd data to rank Black Flag as the 14th best brewery in Maryland. We were encouraged to try samples of any beer we wanted, but no flights were available. I enjoyed a sour – Crumble: Apple & Mixed Berry. The food is good bar food. My pizza was delicious, and Mrs. Adventures enjoyed her burger.

Inside the brewpub

Our party of 4 all agreed that we’re definitely coming back to the Social House. It was a bit loud, but it was a nice, comfortable brewpub to enjoy a meal and a few drinks with friends.

Black Flag Social House
2050 Marriotsville, RD
Marriotsville, MD

Mon 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tue 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wed 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thu 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Fri 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Sat 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Sun 11:00 AM -  9:00 PM


Cheers!

Warren

Cult Classic Brewing occupies a vacant strip mall in Stevensonville, MD on the eastern shore.

A Cult Classic Groundhog Day

We had stopped for lunch on our way to Ocean City (goin’ downy oshun, hun!). Just fifteen minutes from Annapolis, Cult Classic Brewing is a brewery, bar, and live music venue in Stevensonville, MD, on the Eastern Shore. As we walked into the resurrected ACME grocery store, we were reminded it was Groundhog Day with Bill Murray stuck in a time loop playing on the big screen.

Paul and I ordered food and two flights from the in-house beers, like the cleverly named UFOria. For a micro-brewery, their menu is extensive. They offer burgers, pizza, chicken wings, and even salads. Besides the big-screen TV, beer, and food, Cult Classic has pinball games and a stage featuring live music.

TBH, I was skeptical about visiting a once grocery now brewery located off Rte 50 on “Shopping Center Rd” with Dunkin’, Hardee’s, and Centreville Trailer Parts as neighbors. But I was pleasantly surprised. The food was quite yummy – my Caesar’s salad with crispy chicken was drizzled generously with creamy Caesar dressing, giving a burst of tangy flavor with every bite. The beers were all decent. UFOria Citra IPA is their most popular, and I can see why. Its wafts of citrus, tropical fruits, and pine tickled the nose, beckoning the adventurous palate to embark on a cosmic journey of flavor. (Apologies for the UFO humor)

Cult Classic Brewing UFOria Citra IPA
UFOria Citra IPA

Overall, Cult Classic was a fun place. If you find yourself on the Eastern Shore, I recommend a stop at Cult Classic Brewing. Visit on Thursday afternoon, and you can walk over to the Kent Island Farmers’ Market, open year-round. Other nearby businesses include Centreville Trailer Parts, Tokyo Bay Japanese Steak Seafood & Sushi, Dollar General, DePaolas Bagel & Brunch, El Jefe Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar, and 4 Sisters Kabob and Curry.

Cult Classic Brewing
1169 Shopping Center Rd, Stevensville, MD 21666-4051
(410) 980-8097

MON: 4pm to 10pm
TUE - THU: 11am to 11pm
FRI - SAT: 11am to Midnight
Sunday: 11am to 10pm

Cheers!

Warren

Frisco Tap House Aquarium

Frisco is Back!

After a long wait, Frisco Taphouse is back at a new location.

Yes, after many months, Frisco, is open again, with lots of TVs, a nice craft beer list and your choice of booth, table, high table or bar. They even brought the aquarium from their old location.

Frisco Tap House, inside view
Frisco Tap House, inside view

A few of the Pint Night gang spent the past two Wednesday nights at Frisco Tap House in Columbia. Both nights I had dinner and a beer(s).

Here are my thoughts.

FOOD

The food is much better than the old kitchen bar food. I had a veggie Pizza the first night, intending to share with the table. It was so good, I gobbled down all eight pieces all by myself, showing my usual restraint. Their pizza oven puts out a great pizza with a wonderful, melt in your mouth crust. The second night, I had the Mushroom Risotto, which was full of creamy, tangy flavors. Also, the French Onion soup was quite yummy, with lots of cheese and a healthy offering of onions. I heartily recommend all of those dishes.

Beer List

The previous Frisco location had 53 taps pouring many world class ales. Frisco was, in my humble opinion, the best beer bar in the county and probably the second best in the state. Now, the beer list is much more limited. The new location puts a heavy emphasis on their in-house brews, which are quite acceptable, but I haven’t found one yet that I would drive far to seek out. Their sour program is fun and the IPA respectable. I tried a few non-Reckless brews – a mug of Troegs Nugget Nectar (always an exceptional IPA) and a ten ounce pour of Burley Oak’s Jelly Not Jam – Key Lime, Pomegranate, Vanilla (as Dennis says, “The flavors just keep on coming”).

Most of the pint night crew have earned the right to receive 16-oz mugs of the beer of their choice. Frisco still honors that privilege. However, on the Reckless Shepherd side of the building, I still have not discovered the secret to ordering a mug.

Service

The servers are all efficient and friendly. I like their team approach where you can flag down any server to make an order. This new location just opened up, so I am not surprised that the staff seems unfamiliar with a lot of the beer or food selections. I do miss the old location wait staff with their impressive beer knowledge.

The Reckless Shepherd and Frisco Tap House share a building and ownership. You can wander from one to the other through a connecting door. Reckless is a massive, game oriented place with many TVs, pool tables, a potential music venue and a large deck outside. Each location has a QR code, which you can scan to place an order. When the process works, your order seemingly appears by magic. Paying is just a click on your phone. This eliminates that mad rush when everyone from your party leaves at once, flagging down the waiter, and getting, reviewing and paying the bill. Sometimes I have difficulty with the online system, which I blame on user error. Hopefully, I’ll figure it out soon.

Frisco Tap House provides the traditional system, with paper menus for food and beer, and no QR codes. I tend to like that system better. Since Frisco is so new, their on-line presence is very limited. For instance, right now no food is listed on their on-line menu and only one beer is mentioned on-line at the Columbia Frisco.

Reckless Shepherd's outdoor area with 2 firepits and some outside tables.
Reckless Deck with firepits and ginormous tables.

Outside Deck

The outside deck overlooks the back parking lot. It is part of Reckless, using the QR code system. It has great potential, being outside, with 2 large firepits and enormous wooden tables. I had lunch there with Mrs. Adventures on a warm fall afternoon. Reckless had just opened and the QR system was hiccupping (well it just didn’t work). But the service and food was good. Unfortunately, some of the refrigerator trucks behind Wegmans were idling (I guess to keep their inventory cool), and it was very loud. Despite that bad first impression, I still imagine spending an evening out beside a firepit enjoying a drink with friends when the weather gets warmer.

Cheers,

Warren

Hops & Harvest Festival

Hops & Harvest Festival 2019

Columbia, MD October 5, 2019

It was a good move changing the Hops & Harvest Festival venue from the Columbia Lakefront to Merriweather this year. With lots more room, we could all sample local craft ales, wine, and spirits, chow down on food truck food, or learn about medical marijuana dispensers in the comfort of the deep shade of Merriweather Wood’s forest. Continue reading Hops & Harvest Festival 2019