When Creme Restaurant & Lounge opened in Mount Vernon in 2010, Ezra Tilaye and his mother, Tegist Ayalew, seemingly had a blueprint to follow.
Six years prior, the co-owners had opened the first Creme Cafe & Lounge in uptown Washington, with winning results. The Washington Post praised it as a "sexy addition" to the area.
What came next was predictable. The Baltimore version of Creme — with its "Lounge" label sending mixed signals (Is it a club? When is it appropriate to go?) — found some fans, particularly of its brunch, but never eclipsed the reputations of former tenants like Ixia and Louie's Bookstore Cafe.
Tilaye — who has become much more acquainted with Baltimore's personality since relocating from D.C. to Hamilton 2 1/2 years ago — decided it was time for the North Charles Street space to reflect its home. After months of planning and renovations, Creme reopened as Ware House 518 in October.
A couple of friends and I visited the bar on a recent Saturday night, and the overall experience was solid enough to warrant more visits. Although there was something slightly perplexing about Ware House 518, it was hard to ignore its potential, too.
If drinks matter most — and to many, they do — then Ware House 518 should have no problem finding a following in a city that has embraced the craft cocktail movement. Out of a handful of rounds, there were no missteps, just properly executed and uncomplicated concoctions that made a lowkey Saturday night even more enjoyable.
The cocktails we ordered from the menu, which had eight options, shared common traits: Subtle, sippable and pleasing to the eye. The Mobbin' Manhattan ($11), which resulted in a beautiful burnt orange color served in a martini glass, found a soothing balance between its Jim Beam bourbon and sweet Luxardo Maraschino liqueur. Our favorite from the menu was the Moon Over Monument ($9), a Midnight Moon moonshine-based cocktail that sings with the help of sweeteners (honey, mint and house-brewed iced tea). It felt more appropriate for an August day than a late November night, but there was no denying its charm.
We also tested the bar staff (which included two bartenders and Tilaye, all gregarious and happy to chat) with drinks not on the menu. A friend deemed his Old Fashioned ($10), made with Maker's Mark bourbon, "top-notch." When I wondered aloud if a Dark & Stormy ($9) should be next, a bartender answered with certainty on my behalf. Her prodding led to a fine take on a classic; Ware House's version utilized housemade ginger beer and Kraken black spiced rum.
So what holds Ware House back? The strange hours for one. It closes at 10 p.m. on its latest nights, Friday and Saturday, which barely makes it a place to start a night. (The bartender said it's really the kitchen that closes at 10, and no bar patrons are asked to leave then.) The early closing hours are temporary, according to Tilaye, because he wanted to give staff time to transition into the new space. Tilaye said he hopes to extend the hours early next year.
It is hard to imagine Ware House truly thriving without it staying open until 2 a.m. (We saw roughly 30 people there on Saturday night, which was a decent crowd that felt thinner in such an open space.) The clean setting — with its neutral tones and recessed lighting — feels like a natural place for nightcaps and unhurried conversations. Instead, 9:45 rolled around and I felt like I should get the check. Extended hours would solve a noticeable problem here.
The other issue is harder to describe, but no less obvious. Ware House is large (roughly 25 seats by the bar and 75 more on the first level, with a 100-seat private dining room looming on a second floor), and feels even bigger inside thanks to high ceilings, unadorned walls and big windows. The sheer amount of space makes it difficult for Ware House to fully own the intimate vibe it tries hard to achieve, especially by the bar.
Tilaye recently expressed a desire to make Ware House a destination so his friends in Canton, Fells Point and Federal Hill will want to include Mount Vernon in their stable of bar-hopping neighborhoods. It's a goal I'm sure he's not the first to have. Many factors — some obvious, some unconsidered — will determine whether Ware House can break through and become that place, but what Tilaye and his bar staff can control (service and drinks) should only help the cause.