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Last night I checked out Field House, the new sports bar housed where Ray Lewis' Full Moon BBQ used to be. The Can Company location has a lot of advantages, including its huge size and a parking garage that's free after 5 p.m. Field House opened New Year's Eve and was, by all accounts, packed for the Ravens-Patriots game on Sunday.
And I can certainly see why. As a sports bar, Field House excels. The two-level loft space is enormous and there are TVs everywhere you look. The nice thing is the TVs are all actually high-definition, something surprisingly rare in most sports bars in the area. There are also two huge screens in the middle of the downstairs bar, on which projectors cast crystal-clear images of games (staff can control which direction the images are being projected, which is pretty cool, too).
So, Field House has the TV situation down pat. Onto the drinks. The bar has a decent happy hour special from 4-7 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, where Yuengling drafts are $2, Ketel One and Captain Morgan drinks are $3, and appetizer specials are $5. Beyond that, they have individual specials every night of the week. The drafts selection is pretty good, with a Clipper City seasonal tap in rotation. PBR and Natty Boh cans are also available, which is a plus. There are about 15 wines on the menu, ranging from $5.50-$7 a glass.
Though this isn't a food blog, part of what makes a great sports bar is great wings. We ordered the "crispy jumbo chicken wings" ($5 during happy hour), which really lived up to their name. We got 10 meaty wings, smothered in thick buffalo sauce and served with celery and carrots. The sauce packed a lot of heat, and the wings were overall a great value.
What might make Field House work where others have not is the live entertainment it plans to provide. Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, the bar hosts a DJ. Additionally, every Saturday night, a live band will perform. Upcoming acts include Mr. Greengenes (1/23), Burnt Sienna (1/30), Jah Works (2/6), and Can't Hang (2/20). The bands play on the upstairs loft and, judging by the attention paid to the nice TVs, the sound system is probably pretty good.
My one complaint is that Field House doesn't seem to have much of an identity, yet. Besides the college flags, the walls were pretty bare and I wasn't really able to pick up much of a distinct ambiance. Hopefully, that's something that Field House can find over time because, if you're looking to watch that big game in Canton, it will be hard to find a better spot.
[Image: courtesy of fieldhousebaltimore.com]
