Brewer’s Hill Pub and Grill (3734 Fleet St., 410-558-1620) is a watering hole with a bit of a split personality disorder.
The long, narrow eatery, housed in a corner rowhouse, is divided, both physically and conceptually. On the right, it’s a typical sports bar with good beer on tap, flat screens tuned to the game, and lots of lively locals on hand. Up a step on the left, though, is a sleek dining room where diners can order a field green and raspberry salad or mussels in a saffron-dill white wine sauce, along with pub fare like burgers, wings, and crab dip. While it is commendable that the establishment is trying to branch out, one wonders if it is wise, especially when the results can be hit-or-miss. A dish of pan-seared ahi tuna with a seaweed salad was bland and soggy, but a plate of buffalo calamari was a zesty surprise.
The basics were also uneven. A peppercorn cheeseburger with glazed red onions and pan-roasted mushrooms was a carnivorous delight, but the crab and artichoke dip didn’t have enough crab or artichoke flavor. It may just be that Brewer’s is trying to be too many things. Maybe it should just concentrate on being what it is—or at least could easily be: a darn fine neighborhood pub with good, if unexceptional, food to match.
