This is for all those with Monday workplace doldrums: Treat yourselves.
At the Rusty Scupper in Baltimore, the piano is as cool and smooth as the happy hour cocktails. The 25-year Inner Harbor fixture is a nautically themed, multi-tiered restaurant with a comfortable and pleasant lounge.
“The typical Monday night crowd is corporate,” said Joe DeCara, the music coordinator at Rusty Scupper. “They come in to unwind because the ambiance is wonderful.”
On Mondays, appetizers are $1.95 between 4 and 7 p.m.
Each table offers a panoramic view of the water, and the alternating piano players exhibit an extensive repertoire of tunes.
“Sometimes I think people are not listening,” DeCara said, “but then someone will come up and thank [the piano player] for having played a certain song and ask for another.”
Songs include the classic standards of Gershwin and Cole Porter, as well as contemporary artists such as Billy Joel, show tunes and movie hits.
It takes a certain kind of musician to play at the Scupper, DeCara said.
Since the tables are so close to the piano on the second floor , with the music piped to the third floor lounge and outdoors by the entrance, a player has to be heard throughout the room, yet his music must not intrude on conversation.
“The restaurant is decorated for the holidays with lights and poinsettias everywhere,” said general manager Ed Prutzer. “The atmosphere and music, together with our fine food, makes for a great evening out.”
If you go
Rusty Scupper Restaurant
402 Key Highway, Baltimore
410-727-3678
» Hours: Open daily at 11:30 a.m.
