Red Maple

by Josiah L.

being a big city guy, this place is definitely the place to go if you want something different from the local bar scene. opened by the co-owner of the GoodLove Bar in Canton, this place is definitely more hip and stylish. the tapas are good, and i do enjoy the music most of the time. love those fireplaces during winter.

by romych M.

By opening this faux-fancy lounge on N. Charles Street these guys are contributing to the deterioration of charm city and mt. vernon.  This place is just not that cool. Relatively speaking (this is Baltimore!) the cover charge, dress code,  and bullish bouncer will makeyou  feel as if you are attending a top notch club in Vegas or NYC; sadly the analogy stops there.

by Im Han K.

Key-yuuuuuuuute spot.It's a hip little lounge that has big style in a relatively tiny space. Not only does it offer an intimate little dance floor, it employs friendly bartenders who are very capable of making your tastebuds smile.  The lounge itself is popular enough to bring a pretty good crowd, but manages to leave plenty of elbow room for the smooth moves I was pretending to rock.  I also completely agree with Kevin L about DC needing a lounge like this, but the best part of Red Maple is that it doesn't have annoying DC patrons.  Minus me.

by Caitlin S.

In all honesty, if I was grading on a curve, Red Maple would get 4, maybe even 4 1/2 starts.  Baltimore just doesn't have much in the way of lounges and places to dance that aren't over run by chickadees who can't handle their alcohol.  The 3 star rating is based on the potential Red Maple has to be better.  The place is pretty and well designed.  It looks very Manhattan minimalist.  It's not what I'd call comfortable, but I've been to much less comfortable places.  Besides, sinking into a deep cushy couch in a public place makes my germ phobia come out the closet and sets my skin crawling.  The food is not great, but acceptable, especially for a bar.  The few times I've ordered food there, many of the items on the menu were unavailable, and the service pretty much sucked.  The bar service can be ok or even good, but admittedly, I find it much better with the male bartenders than the females.  The drink list looks fancy pants, but unfortunately the interesting concoctions aren't as tasty as one might hope.  The lychee martini is always a good choice (keep in mind these are incredibly easy to make at home).  Ok, so now onto the DJs, if you can call them that.  The actual musical selections they play at Red Maple are dependably good and danceable.  How they put it together is not.  Basically, they play one track after another without linking the two together, like an iPod.  What is cool music wise is when the bongos come out.  I have had some amazing experiences at Red Maple when patrons and staff start accompanying the recorded music with the drums.  Very cool times.  Certain nights of the week are better than others, namely Wednesday night, which is devoted to drum beats (Persian, Turkish, etc) and live belly dancing...bring your dollar bills for the lady.  Smoking is outside in a cute courtyard with a, you guessed it, red maple.  Often times they project kung fu movies onto the wall out back.  The crowd here tends to be the most international of all places in Baltimore, seeming very Hopkins (both the school and hospital) to me.  There is no getting around it that this is a pickup bar, so be prepared with your lines, or if you're not into it, be prepared with rebuttals and/or the ability to not make eye contact.

by Im Han K.Alex M.Robert T.Kevin L.John T.

Key-yuuuuuuuute spot.It's a hip little lounge that has big style in a relatively tiny space. Not only does it offer an intimate little dance floor, it employs friendly bartenders who are very capable of making your tastebuds smile.  The lounge itself is popular enough to bring a pretty good crowd, but manages to leave plenty of elbow room for the smooth moves I was pretending to rock.  I also completely agree with Kevin L about DC needing a lounge like this, but the best part of Red Maple is that it doesn't have annoying DC patrons.  Minus me.Very nice place.... very small  for how crowded it gets  but always a good time with nice people. As the nite progresses, the DJ gets a little  nicer with the music.The DJ was spinning nice tunes while we were here.  Its like  mash-up of Michael Jackson versus Kanye. And the Asians , that have com ehere lately-----wow, do they  let it loose. Too much pills---i think. There were  dedicated dancers dancing in the space inset into the ground toward the back of the building. After all , we are in BAltimore---I am sure this is close to Sin City.Interesting setup with the boys room--  from gum to colognes. Its something out of a nice  bar so u can impress whoever ur trying to meet or for yourself. Tip jar in bathroom----come on there --do I need to TIP to pee.... I actually like the Top of Bar...its pretty kool...its  clear polyurethane glass and they  place diff lights under them.Its one of the places in Mt Vernon where people flock to. The only thing missing is free wi-fi for that iPHONE...lolI was a bit underwhelmed by Red Maple. I guess I expected more from a place that produced a semi-celebrity chef. Red Maple is definitely more "bar/club" than restaurant. The seating is awkward having to hunch over the short coffee table-style tables. The backless cubes provided to sit on evoke memories of riding the bench for my high school football team. The bleacher benches along the wall weren't any more comfortable. The food was just okay. Certainly not worthy of even the $30 Restaurant Week price. Apps were good, but not outstanding. The empanadas were as expected. The beef summer rolls were also good, but didn't wow.  The swordfish was overdone and mealy and was kind of lonely on the plate. The green tea dusted scallops and corn fritters were the star of the meal. Tried the lemon curd creme brulee and peach/blueberry cobbler for dessert; both were pretty good.Probably will not return, unless only for drinks.This is the kind of lounge that would do well in DC.  Except that it would likely be overrun by jaded, cookie-cutter DC snobs in a matter of weeks upon opening.  Best just keep it where it is - far enough away from the pretentiousness and fakery of your typical K Street club.From all I can tell, the only signage for Red Maple is a lit logo outside.  I wouldn't have even known that was the name of the joint except for the friends I was hanging with, pointing us over here as a haven from the insanity happening outside during the Baltimore Pride block party.Inside, it's dark.  Ambient lighting illuminates the walls.  Couches line the edge of the room away from the long central bar, and cushy stools complete the seating arrangement around low tables.  It reminded me a little bit of Rye in San Francisco - just bigger and more chic.Reasonably-priced drinks can be had here.  A vodka tonic, gin and tonic, and a Manhattan ran just $20.The DJ was spinning eclectic tunes while we were here.  I think I caught a mash-up of Axel F meets Jackson Five. Like, whoa.  We didn't partake, but there appeared to be a dedicated dance space inset into the ground toward the back of the building.Interesting setup with the boys room.  They had an enormous spread of items on the sink, from gum to colognes.  What one might find in one of those gay bars in WeHo that attempts to be quasi-classy with the bathroom attendants.  Except there was just a tip jar there - no bathroom attendant.  Perhaps it's an honor system?For what it is, Red Maple was comfortable, not crowded, and the bartenders put together a stiff drink.  This is the kind of place I could totally find myself on an off night, as per my wont.Very reasonably priced, and the place is cool, clean, chill, and slick.  A group of us ordered a total of 10 tapa-size dishes and most of them are quite good.  The 2 desserts were so-so, but the Curry-crab Dip, Asian BBQ Burgers, Chicken Spring Rolls, and the Empanadas were very tasty and well-made.  I will definitely go back if given the chance.

by Lee D.

Everyone one needs a chic little lounge around the corner. This one is mine. The best crowd you're going to get in this city, scrumptious drinks and good food.

by Kathryn E.

I'll preface this by saying I haven't been later at night for the dance floor/bar scene thing (ie: never seen the bar change colors as in another review).  We typically hit here after work for drinks and food, and both are quite good.  They have a great cocktail menu and it's fun to work your way through it.  The fusion cuisine style tapas are mostly very good, though expensive.  The setting is very cool - not like Baltimore, more like a NYC club.  It sounds like others have had problems with the bar later at night, but our experience has always been good.  One weird thing - the tapas almost always come in 3s - 3 steak medallions, 3 dumplings, 3 scallops, etc - makes sharing weird - how often do you have an odd numbered party?

by Crystal C.

So, I'm in town visiting, and pop in here after dinner with some friends.  Super plush modern vibe, so we decide to stay and have a drink.  We are told by our waiter that the drinks are free.  Yes, free.  We look for the hidden camera.  Then we order our drinks.  Total bill for the evening?  Zero.  Red Maple, I love you.PS- I still have no idea why the drinks were free, or how often this promotion runs, so check with the bartender before ordering.

by Elliott P.

If you're into an upbeat scene with good tapas type dishes, Red maple is your spot. As far as the food goes, its really great 5/5. They have a lot of unique dishes and all of them are very well prepared. The atmosphere, like i said, is upbeat, even during earlier dinner they have loud music playing so if that isn't your thing, steer clear. The late night scene is Euro-Club-esc. Big bass DJs playing trance and house own the night here. Give it a shot.

by Robert T.

I was a bit underwhelmed by Red Maple. I guess I expected more from a place that produced a semi-celebrity chef. Red Maple is definitely more "bar/club" than restaurant. The seating is awkward having to hunch over the short coffee table-style tables. The backless cubes provided to sit on evoke memories of riding the bench for my high school football team. The bleacher benches along the wall weren't any more comfortable. The food was just okay. Certainly not worthy of even the $30 Restaurant Week price. Apps were good, but not outstanding. The empanadas were as expected. The beef summer rolls were also good, but didn't wow.  The swordfish was overdone and mealy and was kind of lonely on the plate. The green tea dusted scallops and corn fritters were the star of the meal. Tried the lemon curd creme brulee and peach/blueberry cobbler for dessert; both were pretty good.Probably will not return, unless only for drinks.