Hazelwood Inn - Baltimore, MD

Hazelwood Inn
4937 Hazelwood Ave
Baltimore, MD



There's a lot going on here, and none of it's bad. Pull up a seat at the recently renovated bar, eat some outstanding food (make sure you take a look at the specials) and hang with a local crowd that gets lively, but not too rowdy. The beer is ice cold, and if you get bored, there's always Keno and a jukebox to keep things interesting. Anything goes as far as music selection goes, and there's a restaurant and carry out attached if you're with the kids or on the way home. The Hillbilly makes a point to end up here to grab a bite whenever possible.

The Linway Lounge - Parkville, MD

Linway Lounge
7714 Harford Rd
Parkville, MD

A trip to the Linway Lounge will probably feel like you stepped into a time warp at first, but grab a stool and a cold beer and ride it out. This one is a neighborhood staple, and that is actually good news. The place has old school wood paneling, wood laminate bar surfaces, and an awesome old jukebox among other interesting bar decorations. Some have labeled this a "dive bar", but I don't look at bars according to how recently they've been built or renovated - that's how "classic" or "vintage" works. The night we stopped in, one of the oldest jukeboxes I've seen in a while was kicking out 80's hair metal and classic rock, and it just kind of fit the atmosphere. The patrons were playing darts, the others just kicking back, and the vibe was laid back. If you get hungry, there is an interesting selection of some very good bar food, a big bonus. This is the definition of a basic bar, and that's not a bad thing at all.

Lauraville House - Baltimore, MD

The Lauraville House
4528 Harford Rd
Baltimore, MD

What happens when you take a dark and a little run down neighborhood bar with some of the best bar food you'll ever eat, hand it over to new owners, and proceed to completely renovate and update it? I'm not sure, but I know I wasn't very impressed with the results. The folks around the bar were very nice and all, there was a juke box playing some Sinatra that seemed to please mostly everyone, but none seemed to want to stay long. The lights are way too bright for my liking, and after asking the bartender if the former cook was still working in the kitchen, were amazed she lied and said he was (the place has been closed for about a year or so). That and the fact a patron from the neighborhood had nothing good to say about the food left us ready to go as well. The crowd seemed even keeled enough with the exception of a louder than necessary ass-clown drinking and using language you normally here on a construction site (I'm no shrinking violet, but there are a fair number of women in the room - how about a little tact?). I'm willing to try this place later on down the road, but for now, I can't really find anything to like about this one...

Buxy's Salty Dog - Ocean City, MD

Located at 28th St. on the bay side, this is a local kind of place with nice cold beer, and a real easy going atmosphere. The place is geared to locals and tourists alike, and features good food and great service. You can play Keno or other lottery games, a juke box delivers the music when a DJ or band isn't, sports are usually always on the tube, and there are tables and booths for familys who want to kick back when they stop in and can't sit at the bar itself. Everybody is made to feel welcome, and you might wan't to ask why there is a mannequin head attached to the ceiling behind the bar (I wasn't sure I wanted to know).





http://www.buxyssaltydog.com/

Caribbean Bar - Ocean City, MD

Plim Plaza/Caribbean Bar
2nd st.
Ocean City, MD

One day I was heading down an alley on 2nd St. towards the beach, when I heard live music coming from above me. I realized it was coming from a pool bar located behind the Plim Plaza hotel, and honestly wasn't expecting what I found when I climbed the stairs heading up to the second level. I was pretty amazed to find a surprisingly large bar surrounded by palm trees, filled with people listening to live music with a really laid back atmosphere. People of all types (even an occasional hillbilly) and ages were sitting back on the lounge chairs having drinks and enjoying the band, and everything had an awesomw low key vibe. There's also an added bonus -food is served and cooked behind the bar while you watch. Grab a frozen margarita or just an ice cold beer, either way gets you to paradise here.


www.ocmdhotels.com/plimplaza/thecaribbean.html

Rowboat Willie's Dock Bar - Miller's Island

Rowboat Willie's Dock Bar
Cuckold Point Rd
Miller's Island, MD





If you want a really nice place to relax, sit back and grab a beer while getting a great view of a marina, Miller's Island, and a boat removal service all at the same spot, you need to check this place out. The beer is nice and cold with a laid back atmosphere that anybody can fit into, with a basic set up of a second level deck that offers some tables, railing side seats with umbrellas to keep you from getting roasted by too much sun, or seats at the bar itself. The entertainment is courtesy of satellite radio, and that's kind of a bonus that doesn't overrun the vibe of the place. You can grab frozen drinks if you want (a true hillbilly like myself sticks to beer), and there is a pit beef stand or food delivery from a local restaurant if you start to get fuzzy from your drinks. The place is simple, clean and offers an awesome chance to kick back and enjoy the waterways around Miller's Island without a boat (I usually take the pickup truck express like a good hillbilly anyway). Naturally this place is seasonal, so don't drag your feet.

M.R Ducks - Ocean City, MD

This is an Ocean City mainstay that has been around since the 1930's, and offers an outstanding view of the bay, and if you're there on the right days, a viewing of the local watermen and charter boats arriving to dock with the day's catch. Located at the end of Talbot St. at the bayside, it's basically an outside gazebo style bar that puts you right on top of the bay with an obstructed view of the sunset with a huge American flag in the background (enough to make a hillbilly shed a tear in their beer). Entertainment is in the form of live bands on weekends and piped in music during the week, and that works perfectly with the laid back atmosphere. There is a pretty decent menu available if you get hungry, and for the braver drinkers, you can grab a shooter that is served up in a plastic decoy, and that makes any hillbilly proud.





http://www.mrducks.com/