In a move which should surprise no one, the much-maligned Canton Arts and Entertainment is closed, bringing to an end one of the stranger Baltimore restaurant/bar sagas in recent memory.
There is a sign on the front door, which promises changes, such as a new menu and chef.
According to the sign, Canton Arts and Entertainment will only be closed for a few weeks. Anybody want to take a bet on that one?
Lets recap: A ginormous building which used to be a hookah sports bar called Hucka's closed.
The new owners spent oodles of time and money dividing the space into smaller sections: A bar, called My Generation, a horribly named restaurant, Gutman's, and an oyster bar, The Black Pearl.
The whole place was dubbed Canton Arts and Entertainment, an incredibly clunky name by all accounts.
Canton Arts and Entertainment didn't have a Web site, or an official grand opening -- none that we know about, at least ...
Instead, it had a woman named Dawn call former Sun restaurant critic Elizabeth Large to inform her about the place. Unfortunately, at the time, Dawn wasn't all that organized herself -- she didn't even have Canton Arts and Entertainment's phone number handy.
Dawn later called me and shared a bit more info about Canton Arts and Entertainment. Intrigued, I reviewed its bar, My Generation. In the review, I said:
I wonder how long such a big restaurant and bar can sustain itself when it's that empty on a Saturday night. I don't like to make projections, but at this rate, I will be shocked if Canton Arts and Entertainment is still open a year from now.
Looks like Canton Arts and Entertainment didn't even make it six months.
Oh, and let's not forget the City Paper's scathing review of Gutman's, which spawned one of the more hilarious comment threads on the alternative weekly's Web site.
Now, I think I'll take a cue from Owl Meat, who likes to end his posts with a song. Here's Ringo, with a farewell.
(Photo by jmgiordano)