Baltimore Grows

I managed to make it over to the Hudson Street Stackhouse which opened a few months ago at 2624 Hudson Street across from the Safeway in Canton.  The bar occupies the spot formerly occupied by the Hudson Street Cafe.  The space is noticeably different.  As I recall, Hudson Street Cafe had a bar that was like an island in the middle, and the back was kind of a dark, unfinished area with a pool table.  The Stackhouse is much brighter and completely remodeled.  The bar has pushed off to one side, which allows more room for tables, but doesn’t sacrifice space for barstools.  When it first opened, the Stackhouse only served drinks, but now the kitchen is up and running.

The bar kind of reminded me of a cross between two other Canton bars… Relaxed, casual, and with a good beer selection like Mahaffeys…but a bit more spiffed up, bigger, and cleaner like Saute.  The beer list wasn’t quite as extensive as Mahaffeys or Max’s, but still impressive with a bunch of beers on tap.  The menu consisted of mostly upscale bar food ranging from about $5 to $15.  The buffalo wings were about 7 bucks and were delicious.  I also had a barbecue chicken sandwich with bacon on a fresh baked bun for 8 bucks.  It was delicious.  I noticed that the menu had a crabcake sandwich and a New York strip steak sandwich special which were both around $13 to $15. 

The only glitch while we were there was that there was no server.  I’m not sure whether he/she didn’t show up, or if there just isn’t any table service, but it was kind of awkward having to go up to the bar to order food and then have the chef bring it out for you.  However, by the end of the evening, the bartender was coming around to the tables to check if people needed any refills…maybe she got the hint.  I imagine these are the kind of details that they will hopefully work out over time. 

The place was pretty busy for a weeknight, leaving me hopeful that they’ll be another strong neighborhood restaurant/bar nearby.  With all this food and beer around, I might never need to go to the grocery or liquor store again.

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com