Flying Dog Tap House ~ Baltimore, Maryland

BWI airport

First visit: Dec 2021

To be honest, the rest of my business trip was disappointing from a dining perspective. I fear to say that my peers would rather "meet than eat", but OK, when in Rome... There were so many places I would have loved to drop by and say hi again: Joe Benny's, Max's Taphouse, Taco Fiesta, and Ale Mary's leading a long list. But I wasn't there on vacation, and there's work to be done. So roll up the sleeves and sway with the breeze. There's always a next time. I hope.

The coffee place in the Marriott where we stayed (Harbor East) is awful. They serve Illy, but the mocha was really bland. There used to be a Starbucks in there, but I guess they decided to pack up and leave. For lunch on "big meeting day" they did bring in some food (that was good of them...). I'm not entirely sure where it came from, but I think it was Samos Greek Island Grill, which is nearby and the menu items look about the same (the photos that is). This was very good - and I definitely want to go to their restaurant. Maybe next time with my own team if the opportunity presents itself. Not writing about it here because I'm not 100% sure it's the right place, and we didn't actually go there. For dinner it was a bowling event at Mustang Alley. It was definitely a social get together, and the food offerings were appetizer finger food. Not exactly a fair way to judge a restaurant. Mustang Alley sits right next to what used to be our regular Thai stop at former company: My Thai (who have since moved out of the area). So anyway, definitely a liquid dinner, if you know what I mean. The next day, they didn't even cater the lunch. NO food (well, they ate donuts and cookies, good Lord). I can't do that. Running 3 miles and having no carbs is crazy. I can barely think. Fortunately I mentally prepared for just that situation (I sensed what their priorities are), and I was to head to the airport in the early afternoon anyway. I'll just eat there I figured.

And now we get to the subject of the post. I had my former standby's at BWI (the Baltimore airport). One was DuClaw's brewpub which sat outside the secure area. It's now gone. The others (Firkin & Flyer, Potbelly, Urban Bar-B-Q, and Harbor Grille) all sit inside the American terminal (didn't research if they're still there), which is my airline of choice (Million Miler if curious as to why...). Well, doggone it, they eliminated their early Sunday flight from COS to DFW heading out (don't want to get to Baltimore too late), so I'm now flying Southwest to Denver and onto my destination. What does the Southwest terminal at BWI have to offer? A much better selection of restaurants, that's for sure. And how can I pass up Flying Dog Tap House? OK, we have a date!

I have a long history with Flying Dog going back to when we had a summer townhome in Denver, and a nearby tavern called City Pub (2009-2011). Long time readers will remember that joint, which is deeply hidden in these very pages (I think the restaurant might be gone now actually). Flying Dog was their primary craft beer provider. At that time, they were based in Colorado. Since then, they reestablished themselves in Maryland, and are one of the more known craft breweries in the state. And we reacquainted with them on our numerous visits to Baltimore from the prior job. But I didn't realize they had a tap house, and right in the airport. And I haven't eaten (proper) in like 30 hours. I'm hungry and I'm thirsty. I hope this hits the spot...

...and it did! Big ol' fat YUMMY cheeseburger (with banana peppers), fries, and 3 craft beers later, my belly is finally full and happy. I found a nice snuggy table in the back, and just relaxed for a few hours before my flight, nursing my beers and settling the stomach. Overall it was a great trip from a work perspective, and it was great to get back to Baltimore. Hopefully next time I'll have a bit more eating freedom.... But for certain Flying Dog Tap House will be the bookend before heading home.

12/21/21 (new entry)