Esquire magazine is running a contest for the Best Bars around the country, and guess who is currently number one? Not some swanky place in New York or Chicago, but The Brewer's Art in Mt. Vernon. The magazine acknowledges that "Belgian-style home brews are always on tap" and recommends a pint of Resurrection for your visit. I guess they thought it was a little too dangerous to recommend a Delirium.

Besides Baltimore being number one, other locations in the the top-five are as unlikely as Missoula, Montana; Tacoma, Washington; and Shepardstown, West Virginia. In true Esquire form, the rankings all are very macho-centric, recommending various IPAs or shots of bourbon.

I had the chance to meet Esquire's editor-in-chief David Granger when I was a magazine intern in New York City a few years ago. A quintessential guy's guy with a lot of class, Granger could easily be seen munching on one of Brewer's small plates while enjoying an Ozzy pint and overlooking the sidewalk traffic on Charles Street. Not sure if I could really see him hanging out in the cavernous basement back in its smoky days, though.

But I no doubt want to congratulate Brewer's Art and its very talented staff. Now the rest of the country can learn what we already knew: Brewer's is an awesome place to drink.

[Image: courtesy of classiccitybrew.com]

Last night I attended a benefit/fashion show called "Denim, Designers & Donations," hosted by Elizabeth Zepp, Jill Peterson and Lisa Surino from Agora, Inc., at Red Maple in Mt. Vernon. The event, which sold out in two days, featured Agora employees modeling clothes from local stores to benefit the Roberto Clemente, Santa Ana Health Clinic in Nicaragua. The clinic supplies free and low-cost medical care to the isolated villages and communities in the southwest part of the country.

When I arrived around 6:15, Red Maple was already packed. The bottom floor was reserved for press and VIPs, but the top floor was general admission and looked wall-to-wall crowded. Attendees were sipping on Prosecco and nibbling on pot stickers and mini bruschetta (food was generously provided by businessman Greg Barnhill). I got a chance to take a peek upstairs where the models were prepping. On the girls side of the floor, Agora event coordinator/model Jill Peterson said she was a little nervous for the show, but more excited than anything. The girls were dressed in fashion provided by Babe in Federal Hill, however owner Lisa Ponzoli couldn't attend the event because she had to watch the shop. I reached her today and she said this about her selections: "We wanted to go with the whole Nicaraguan theme with bright colors like coral and bright green," she said. "Of course they also tied in with the upcoming spring and summer seasons. Just fun."

Over on the guys side of the room, things were a little more low-key. They were grabbing a bit to eat (and drinking away some nerves) before the show started. All of the guys were styled by Reason (the male counterpart to Whimsy in Federal Hill). Store co-owner Jen Solomon and Reason manager Nikki Reese said they picked a broad range for the show. "Some of the clothes have a military theme, with the shoulder epaulets," Solomon said. "But then we have more preppy looks with more of a boating feel." Reese explained that they only had a couple of days to put the outfits together (Jean Pool in Mt. Washington was originally slated to dress the men, but unfortunately had financial difficulties because of a recent break-in). "We've done events like this before, but this was the quickest we had to work," Reese said. "We wanted to show that our store really caters to every style."

As the show was about to start, I got back downstairs and listened to the speakers. The clinic's operational manager, Juan Muñoz, spoke candidly and passionately about the work that they do. "The idea is about building community in Nicaragua," he said. "And providing simple healthcare for people who don't have the money and resources that we have." He explained that the money people donate goes to paying for doctors, nurses, and equipment for the clinic's roughly 10,000 patients per year. There were plenty of ways to give last night. Besides ticket sales, Red Maple gave 15 percent of the drink sales towards the clinic and there was a $1 raffle with a chance to win a trip to Nicaragua, a Mt. Vernon prize package, or beautiful Nicaraguan pottery. Plus, Agora matches any donations by 100 percent.

The fashion show went off without a hitch. There were 10 Agora employees walking down the "runway" in two sets of outfits, stopping to pose under the spotlight at the end while Gutter magazine photographer Sarah Beck snapped away. The models walked from one end of Red Maple, up the stairs to the next floor, and back again. After the show, Julia Guth, who helped establish the clinic and oversees some of the financial and travel publications for Agora, gave thanks. "I’m very proud that we are helping to provide better health and sanitation,” Guth said. “We can save lives and uplift spirits in those villages.”

To find out more about the clinic and possibly donate, please see their website: nicaclinic.org

[Image: courtesy of Kimi Aghevli]

Last night, I had the privilege of attending the screening of a powerful documentary, Men II Boys, at the Charles Theatre. The movie, directed by DC-based filmmaker Janks Morton, discusses the lack of father-to-son relationships, primarily in the African-American community, and how that affects boys' ascent into manhood. In the film, Morton interviews a range of black men asking them to give advice to young boys of color.

The documentary is based on a book, 101 Things Every Boy of Color Should Know, written by LaMarr Darnell Shields. A former Baltimore City school teacher, Shields is the CEO of the Urban Leadership Institute, which consults with corporations and institutions working with at-risk youth. "Young black men are so used to hearing what not to do: don't drop out, don't go to jail," Shields said. "This book and movie are a way for them to hear from men about what to do: tie a tie, respect a woman."

In attendance at the screening was Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Mayor Sheila Dixon (and her 14-year-old son Joshua), media personality Marc Clarke, and an incredible range of ages that filled the largest theater at the Charles. "I turned on channel 45 to check the weather and saw that this movie was being shown tonight," Dixon said. "So I brought my son with me because it sounds like something that could really be inspirational for the African-American community."

As the film started, an immediate silence came over the crowded theater. The documentary spliced together several different interview sessions. One showed Morton talking to guys off the street asking them to fill this blank: "To become a man you should know..." The answers ranged from the everyday "how to separate your whites and darks" to the more serious "how to make money legitimately and save it." Morton also interviewed well-known locals like Cummings, Baltimore Raven Daniel Wilcox, and UMBC president Freeman A. Hrabowski III about their own experiences with their fathers and how they've impacted them. Cummings shared a particularly touching moment when his father explained that even though he couldn't afford Christmas gifts, his "presence was present enough."

As with Morton's previous film, What Black Men Think, the documentary was flooded with statistics. The film states that among the African-American population, there's a 52.4 percent divorce rate, 68.7 percent of births are out of wedlock, and 82.3 percent of children don't have daily contact with their fathers. Another powerful moment came when Morton was interviewing a young boy who said, "all the gangsters come from mothers, fathers just make [them] soft."

At the conclusion of the film, Dixon got up and spoke to the audience saying that her son called it "powerful." "This reinforces the need to connect young people to positive influences," she said. Cummings agreed. "Thank you for letting me tell my story in the film," he said. "We've got to become fathers to the fatherless."

I talked to Morton today, who said the screening was everything he hoped it would be and more. "Last night was way beyond my expectations," he said. "Everyone laughed, took pause, and gasped at the right places." Morton and Shields say they hope that this film can inspire a greater movement and they plan to keep showing it to churches and different activist groups around the country. "There are strong and powerful women that are doing excellent things," Morton said. "But they shouldn't be doing it alone."

To read more about LaMarr, Janks, and their movement, check out the June issue of Baltimore magazine.

[Image: courtesy of amazon.com]

Besides rooting for the Orioles in their series against the Tampa Bay Rays and having a Happy Easter, here are some things to check out this weekend:

Baltimore's beloved Caleb Stine & The Brakemen are bringing their alt-country Americana to The 8x10 tonight. The four-piece, whose folksy music chronicles long travels and past relationships, is being opened by acoustic rocker Shane Gamble and Annapolis-based Van Meter. Doors at 8. 10 East Cross Street, 410-625-2000.

If you're a fan of NBC's The Office or just like making fun of corporate culture in general, you should attend the screening of Standards of Ethical Conduct at The Creative Alliance at the Patterson on Saturday night. Canton-based filmmaker Roman Hardgrave presents a 45-minute featurette that satirizes office culture, big corporations, HR departments, and any and all things cubicle. Screening begins at 8. 3134 Eastern Avenue, 410-276-1651.

Saturday is the last chance to see Bridget Sullivan's solo exhibition Watershed at School 33 Art Center. Sullivan's digital art pieces examine the relationship between humans and the Earth's ecosphere. She particularly focuses on humans' detrimental behavoir and how that affects the survival of the Earth and its inhabitants. 1427 Light Street, 410-396-4641.

[Image: courtesy of citypaper.com]