The Chop Endorses: The Dizzy Cocktail Glass

Whew! Well, that was a hell of a Halloween, don’t you think? We had a blast going out all weekend, but if there’s one thing we regret it’s got to be that we did so much reveling out on the town, there was scarcely any time left for imbibing at home.

We’ve finally got the dining room done. As in finished. As in ready to eat. The last step in that process involved (yet another) trip to Crate and Barrel where we found one of our new favorite things ever: the Dizzy Cocktail Glass.

The Dizzy Cocktail Glass is available at Crate and Barrel for $1.95 each.

We weren’t even really shopping for cocktail glasses, but we picked up six of these on a whim. As you know, we’re big on the double old-fashioned (DOF) glass, and we’ve already gone on record as being against stemmed cocktail glasses.

The Dizzy Cocktail is 4″ tall, and 4″ in diameter at the rim, which makes it appear to be about the same size as a DOF glass, but with the V-shape of a cocktail glass. It’s even got the same heft and weight in the hand as a DOF, thanks to the knot of glass that serves as the foot. (Which means less drips and drops when you’re holding it in your hand.)

This ‘foot’ is not your traditional glassware foot, but manages to serve the same purpose while looking much more modern and stylish. No matter how cold you mix your drinks, your furniture will stay dry and safe without the need of a coaster. The name ‘Dizzy’ might have been a poor choice though, because these glasses are very stable on the bar. It would take the same force and effort to spill one of these as with any other type of glass… they won’t tip over easily.

At 8 ounces, we feel they’re the perfect size for a straight up cocktail, and will even leave you a bit of room around the rim. They’ll also support a drink which calls for crushed ice, and can even pull double duty as an attractive dessert or appetizer dish. (Think shrimp cocktail, crab salad, or gourmet ice cream.)

The customer reviews on the C & B site all unanimously rave about these glasses, and with good reason. Most of them neglect to mention the best part though: the Dizzy glass is hand-blown and costs $1.95 each. Let us repeat that… $1.95!

At that price you can’t afford not to buy one. Drinking from this glass will make your cocktails more enjoyable, and by encouraging you to mix cocktails more often they’ll ultimately make you a better drinker at the end of the day. It’s not just any glass that can say that.

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Crate and Barrel has locations at Towson Town Center and Annapolis Mall, as well as several DC area locations.

House Rules: Baltimore Bar Trivia Nights Part 3

When we decided to write about the Baltimore area’s bar trivia nights in part one and part two of this series, we had no idea just how many trivia nights there were to choose from locally.

The Chop is nothing if not your humble public servant, and in furtherance of that service we are proud to present you with a comprehensive (as far as we know,as of Memorial Day 2010) list of games so that you may choose either by night of the week, or by the bar or restaurant that is closest to your home.

When we said bar trivia was taking over, we meant it. Now you can see why.

Monday

Belisimo’s- 2900 Baltimore Blvd, Finksburg. 8:00 pm.
Catches- 9727 Pulaski Hwy, White Marsh. 7:00 pm.
Charles Village Pub- 19 W. Pennslyvania Ave, Towson. 8:00 pm.
Charred Rib- 12 W. Ridgely Rd, Timonium. 7:00 pm.
Dark Horse Saloon- 117 S. Main St, Bel Air. 8:00 pm.
DJ’s Sports Bar and Grill- 8894 Fort Smallwood Rd, Pasadena. 6:30 pm.
Field House- 2400 Boston St, Canton. 7:00 pm.
Greene Turtle- 718-722 South Broadway, Fell’s Point. 8:00 pm.
Greene Turtle- 19961 Century Blvd, Germantown. 7:00 pm.
Growlers- 227 E Diamond Ave, Gaithersburg. 7:00 pm.
James Joyce- 616 President St, Baltimore. 7:00 pm.
Manhattan Grill- 5009 Honeygo Center Dr, Perry Hall. 7:00 pm.
Padonia Station- 63 E. Padonia Rd, Timonium. 8:00 pm.
Phoenix Emporium- 8049 Main St, Ellicott City. 7:30 pm.
Pub Dog- 8865 Stanford Blvd, #101 Columbia. 7:45 pm.
Side Pockets- 904 Fairlawn Ave, Laurel. 7:00 pm.
Sunset Beach Club- 11445 Pulaski Hwy, White Marsh. 8:00 pm.

Tuesday

Bill Bateman’s- 8100 Waltham Woods Rd, Parkville. 8:30 pm.
Bill Bateman’s- 566 Ritchie Hwy, Severna Park. 8:00 pm.
Della Rose’s- 1501 S Clinton St, Canton. 8:00 pm.
Diamondback Tavern- 3733 Old Columbia Pike, Ellicott City. 7:30 pm.
Frank and Nic’s- 511 W. Pratt St, Baltimore. 8:00 pm.
Frazier’s- 919 W. 36th St, Hampden. 8:30 pm.
Glory Days Grill- 7939 Ritchie Hwy, Glen Burnie. 8:30.
Glory Days Grill- 1220 E. Joppa Rd, Towson. 8:00 pm.
Greene Turtle- 1604 Ridgeside Ct, Mt. Airy. 7:30 pm.
Greene Turtle- 408 York Rd, Towson. 7:30 pm.
Hazelwood Inn- 4937 Hazelwood Ave, Overlea. 7:30 pm.
Hellas- 8498 Veterans Hwy, Millersville. 7:00 pm.
Hightopp’s Backstage Grill- 2306 York Road, Timonium. 8:00 pm.
Jilly’s- 1012 Reisterstown Rd, Pikesville. 7:30 pm.
Jimmy’s- 6526 Holabird Ave, Dundalk. 8:00 pm.
Looney’s- 312 S. Main St, Bel Air. 7:00 pm.
Looney’s- 8180 Maple Lawn Blvd, Maple Lawn 7:00 pm.
MaGerk’s- 120 S. Bond Street, Bel Air. 8:00 pm.
Skipjack’s- 7703 Bel Air Rd, Overlea. 8:00 pm.
Wharf Rat- 801 S Ann St, Fell’s Point. 8:30 pm.

Wednesday

Alexander’s Tavern- 710 S. Broadway, Fell’s Point. 8:30 pm.
Austin Grill- 2400 Boston St, Canton. 8:00 pm.
Bare Bones Grill- 9150 Baltimore Natl. Pike, Ellicott City. 8:00 pm.
The Barn- 9527 Harford Rd, Carney. 7:00 pm.
Bill Bateman’s- 805 Aquahart Rd, Glen Burnie. 7:30 pm.
Buffalo Wings and Beer- 1438 Liberty Rd, Sykesville. 7:30 pm.
Camden Pub- 647 West Pratt St, Baltimore. 7:00 pm.
Coconut Charlie’s- 9129 Fort Smallwood Rd, Pasadena. 8:00 pm.
Greene Turtle- 14150 Baltimore Ave, Laurel. 8:00 pm.
Hull Street Blues- 1222 Hull St, Locust Point. 8:00 pm.
Jilly’s- 10030 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City. 7 pm.
Luckie’s Tavern- 10 Market Place, Baltimore. 8:00 pm.
Mad River Bar and Grill- 1110 South Charles St, Federal Hill. 8:00 pm.
No Idea- 1649 S. Hanover St, Federal Hill. 9:00 pm.
The Parkside- 4709 Harford Rd, Lauraville. 9:30 pm.
Piv’s Pub- 9811 York Rd, Cockeysville. 8:30 pm.
Portside Tavern- 2821 O’donnell St, Canton. 8:00 pm.
Sullivan’s- 9624 Fort Meade Rd, Laurel. 7:00 pm.
Taps- 1439 S. Charles St, Federal Hill. 8:00 pm.
Time Out Sports Bar- Cranberry Mall, Westminster. 8:30 pm.
Waterfront Hotel- 1710 Thames St, Fell’s Point. 8:00 pm.
West End Grill- 2049 West St, Annapolis. 8:00 pm.

Thursday

Baltimore Taphouse- 600 S. Potomac St, Canton. 8:00 pm.
Bill Bateman’s- 102 Chartley Dr, Reisterstown. 8:30 pm.
Bill Bateman’s- 7800 York Rd, Towson. 8:30 pm.
DuClaw- 16 Bel Air South Pkwy, Bel Air 8:00 pm.
Ellie’s Place– 8421 Veterans’ Hwy, Millersville. 7:45 pm.
Glory Days Grill- 7939 Ritchie Hwy, Glen Burnie. 8:00 pm.
Griffin’s Grill- 969 Ritchie Hwy, Arnold. 8:00 pm.
Jasper’s- 1651 MD Route 3 North, Crofton. 8:00 pm.
Jilly’s- 10030 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City. 7:00 pm.
Loafer’s Bar and Grill- 6518 Baltimore Nat’l Pike, Catonsville. 7:00 pm.
Manhattan Grill- 5009 Honeygo Center Dr, Perry Hall. 7:00 pm.
Max’s Taphouse- 737 S. Broadway, Fell’s Point. 9:00 pm.
Mother’s- 1113 S. Charles St, Federal Hill. 7:00 pm.
Ropewalk- 1209 S. Charles St, Federal Hill. 8:00 pm.
Tavern 101 (Fairfield Inn)- 101 President St, Baltimore. 8:00 pm.

Friday

Applebee’s- 2450 Broad Ave, Timonium. 9:00 pm.
JJ Muldoon’s- 16143 Shady Grove Rd, Gaithersburg. 7:30 pm.
Old Havela Inn- (???) Main St, Taneytown. 6:30 pm.
Pike’s Diner- 921 Reisterstown Rd, Pikesville. 8:00 pm.

Saturday

Jilly’s- 10030 Baltimore Nat’l Pike, Ellicott City. 8:00 pm.
Jilly’s- 1012 Reisterstown Rd, Pikesville. 9:00 pm.
Three 9’s- 7705 Washington Blvd, Jessup. 8:15 pm.

Adam Stab Lectures on the Baltimore Graffiti Scene @ Goucher Tonight

One of the best things about living in a city like Baltimore is that you can give yourself a free education. We’re not talking about any “school-of-hard-knocks, streetwise bullshit.” No. Anyone in this town who loves learning for learning’s sake is lucky enough to be able to put together an actual curriculum and pursue just about any field of study as a hobby.

Not only does Baltimore have a wealth of resources dedicated Full Time to giving you a free education, like Book Thing, Baltimore Free School, and the Village Learning Place; we’ve also got one of the Nation’s best libraries, to say nothing of the other museums and cultural institutions in our backyard.

As if that weren’t enough, every Baltimorean has access to top-notch colleges and universities, which most people don’t realize are willing to teach you for free. We already tipped you off to Daniel Shea at MICA, and tonight we can’t stress enough that you should come up to Goucher to see Adam Stab.

Adam Stab tells the history of Baltimore graffiti and stylewriting at Goucher College tonight. 7 pm.

We shouldn’t have to tell you who Stab is. Like any successful writer, his reputation precedes him. He’s Baltimore’s version of the Easter Bunny… hops around all night and leaves beautiful, colorful things wherever he’s been. You’ve never actually seen him, but you’re glad whenever he leaves you something.

Speaking of free educations, there may be no better example than Stab himself. With very little traditional schooling and no college degree, Adam Stab has been able to do for two decades what many classically trained artists never do: Make a living making the art that he loves. Having moved quietly up the ladder from bus stop benches to studio work and even corporate commissions, Stab is uniquely qualified to explain not only the stylewriting sub-culture, but Baltimore’s place in it as well.

Listen closely Baltimore: Chances like this don’t come around often. Graffiti is still very much a product of the night and of the fringes, and the chance to have it explained point by point amounts to nothing less than cracking the new urban Da Vinci code. If you miss this tonight, it goes back underground.

Available at a bench, mailbox, road sign, or lamppost near you.

Street Art: A Lecture on the Baltimore Graffiti Scene will take place in the Pinkard Community Service Center in the Athanaeum of Goucher College. (number 2 on this PDF map). Tonight’s lecture is a part of the ongoing Baltimore City Forum series.

Gentleman Jesse and His Men @ Celebrated Summer Records This Saturday

As of right now… this is the Baltimore Chop’s first ever world exclusive! since this news is so super-new, we’re pretty damn sure no one has blogged about it yet. (Of course, we make good use of the ‘schedule’ feature on WordPress. Do you really think we’re up and writing at 7 am? Hell no.)

But on to the news… This Saturday at 9 Celebrated Summer Records is going to be hosting a last-minute show featuring Atlanta ‘close-your-eyes-and move-your-feet-simultaneously’ rockers Gentleman Jesse and His Men. This band sounds like a cross squarely between Television and the Minutemen, and that alone should make you want to go.

Tony Pence inside CSR. (Photo: Joy Davis)

The Chop also wants to take this opportunity to throw out a wholehearted endorsement of Celebrated Summer Records, and its founder and proprietor, Tony Pence, who buys and sells very cool records at very fair prices. The store is named after a Husker Du song, and that alone should make you want to patronize it. And if it doesn’t then you should bear in mind that the Roommate was once upon a time the founder of the Tony Pence Admiration Society.

Bet you wish you had your own admiration society.