Canton's Clutch replaced by The Americana

Closed just five months ago, Clutch in Canton already has a replacement, a new bar and restaurant called The Americana.

It's fitting that a bar you'd never heard of is being replaced by a new venue you'd never heard was coming.

The Americana had a soft launch about a month ago and will have its grand opening August 27, according to a press release from Wednesday.

The venue, at 900 South Kenwood Ave., is roomy - 2,000 square feet over two floors. It has two full-service bars, about 40 beers for sale - though it's not clear from the press release what's on draft - and eight large TV screens.

As a restaurant, it serves a combination of high-end bar food - salmon jalapeno poppers, Irish nachos - and dinner entrees - port tenderloin, blackened chicken penne pasta, among others.

The venue's name is a nod to its decorating scheme, which is Americana kitsch. Wesley Case, who visisted a month ago, said it's decorated like a grandmother's basement, with "70s record sleeves and knick-knacks." Funny. Sounds like Wesley's grandmother's basement looks a lot like Golden West.

The Americana replaces a bar no one seems to miss. When Clutch closed, the general reaction on the blog was, "Huh? Clutch, the early 90s band from Germantown?" The bar opened in Spring 2009 billing itself as "Baltimore's premier sports bar and lounge," but failed to find a following.

It closed officially on January 29.

Photo: The Americana website