The news was devastating. Last summer, chef Ted Stelzenmuller announced that Jack’s Bistro—for a decade one of Canton’s finest restaurants, and definitely its funkiest one—was closing. But before his fans had a chance to mourn, he delivered a reprieve: He planned to open a new eatery just a few blocks away.

When Blair’s on Hudson served its first helpings of Jack’s staples, such as chocolate mac and cheese and udon noodles with bacon, mushrooms, onions, and jalapeños in January, Stelzenmuller devotees breathed a sigh of relief. We were among them. The magic was back. A mural on the outside of the corner rowhouse restaurant hails Blair’s as the “Home of the Guinness Filet,” so, during one of our spring visits, we couldn’t resist ordering it. This decadent dish is indeed worth praising on the side of a building. The tender meat and creamy bacon grits are comfort food at its finest.

We returned for a third time after the restaurant’s summer break (the annual week off is one reason Stelzenmuller’s friendly and talented staff have remained so loyal). Blair’s reopened with a revamped menu that will change on a regular basis. We began our meal with two of the new appetizers: spicy shrimp and a cold jumbo lump crab and cheese ball. Both were quite good, but the shrimp stood out for the complexity of its chili, garlic, and butter sauce.

The eclectic selection of burger and chicken sandwiches remains. We opted for the bánh mì burger, an eight-ounce patty served with hoisin sauce, pickled vegetables, cilantro, mint, and basil. It arrived perfectly prepared to our tastes (slightly red in the middle) and was terrific. Sandwiches (including a Thai BBQ pork one) are accompanied by house-smoked fries, which smell slightly like Scotch (and are almost as addictive).

A wide variety of entrees are available, including the unappetizingly named Garbage Plate. While it’s not particularly aesthetically pleasing either, the combination of a quarter-pound beef patty with American cheese and pork sausage smothered with hot sauce atop a bed of French fries and pasta salad is legendary grub in Stelzenmuller’s hometown of Rochester, New York. He’s done its century-long legacy proud.

Blair’s has a casual, neighborhood feel. Happy hour runs daily from 5-7 p.m., which means all burgers are $10 and Natty Bohs—one of the house beers, which include lagers from both China and Singapore—are just $2. (It’s no coincidence that the acronym for the restaurant is BOH.)

Similar in size to Jack’s (which is to say, quite cozy), Blair’s has retained its forerunner’s sense of whimsy. “Seriously, please do not order this. It is far too spicy to consume,” advises a menu note below the Hotter Than Hell Burger. We plan to ignore that advice when we return to what has become one of Canton’s finest and, yes, funkiest restaurants.

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BLAIR’S ON HUDSON. 2822 Hudson St., 443-939-2440.
HOURS: Thur.-Fri. 5-10 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 5-10 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 5-10 p.m. PRICES: Appetizers: $8.50-18; entrees: $14-36; desserts: $5.50-9.
AMBIANCE: Neighborhood spot.

If you could open a bar that was a complete reflection of your personality, what would it look like? That idea is coming to fruition for Ryan Sparks, former beverage director at Bookmaker’s Cocktail Club, who is now opening Regal Beagle on the corner of Elliott and Robinson streets in Canton next week.

“The main inspiration for me is my living room,” says Sparks. “I want people to feel how I feel when I go home and sit on the couch—surrounded by plants, records, tattoo flash art on the walls. I just want to extend that level of comfort.”

There’s another reason that the Regal Beagle feels like home for Sparks, since this is the place he earned his bartending stripes when it was Jack’s Bistro. Now that Jack’s chef-owner Ted Stelzenmuller is opening a restaurant concept, Blair’s on Hudson, just a few blocks north, he gave Sparks the keys to run his own bar.

“I’ve always loved Jack’s because it was so neighborhood-focused so I want to keep that aspect,” Sparks says. “There was a reason it was open for 11 years because that’s no easy feat.”

Stelzenmuller’s one condition is that the bar still run with the Three’s Company theme, hence being named after the neighborhood bar featured in the show. That homey feel, as well as nods to the late ’70s/early ’80s, can be seen throughout the space. A lounge is the back has reclaimed furniture in pale pinks and peaches, a bookshelf houses board games and magazines, and there’s a record player with a vinyl collection to the right of the bar (patrons are encouraged to in their own). 

The cocktail menu will be reflective of that time period, too, with nods to classic cocktails and also a section of tiki-inspired drinks including a take on a Midori Highball with Nikka Japanese gin, Green Chartreuse, yuzu juice, fresh honeydew, and salt. There will also be a list of shot-and-beer pairings including the locally inspired Water Taxi, which is a shot of Sagamore Rye backed by a Natty Boh. Beer will mostly be local and craft-focused. None of the cocktails are over $11, the pairings are $7, and there will be a daily $6 cocktail.

“I want this to be a place for neighbors considering we are right in the middle of a residential street,” Sparks says. “Even as we’re getting ready to open, about 40 people peek into here daily to check it out. I’m excited to get reacquainted with all my regulars from Jack’s.”

The food menu, which will be served pub style and executed by Stelzenmuller’s sous chef Brandon Stanley,consists of casual street food like sandwiches and lo mein. For this year’s inaugural WTMD First Thursday concert at Canton Waterfront Park, the bar will host a pop-up with taco favorites Cocina Luchadoras and drinks from Ilegal Mezcal. 

“The goal is that this place will be a hub for industry people, both as a bar to hang out in and also somewhere businesses can pop up and people can guest bartend,” Sparks says.

Regal Beagle will operate on a six-day license and be open from 4 p.m.-1 a.m. (keeping minimal food going until close). Sparks says he’s excited to run a bar that truly feels like his own. 

“I’m a bit stressed, but mainly I just feel great,” he says. “The bartenders and I, we’ve all been in there the last two months, thrifting things, decorating, painting. I feel a true sense of ownership here and that’s really nice.”

Canton staple Jack’s Bistro will soon join the lengthy list of Charm City restaurants that have shuttered their doors this year. But, rather than being upset, executive chef/owner Ted Stelzenmuller is excited for what lies ahead. 

“With this recent brash of restaurant closings, I can understand some people being sad,” he says. “But this particular case is much different. It’s a really happy time for all of us here. We’re still going to go kick ass seven blocks away.”

Stelzenmuller recently made the decision to close his 10-year-old bistro in order to open a new concept, Blair’s on Hudson, around the corner at 2822 Hudson Street. Jack’s will remain open through Baltimore Restaurant Week, and Stelzenmuller estimates the transition to take place by the end of August.

“I’ve been involved with other restaurants before while running Jack’s and it’s nightmarish for me because I’m so hands-on,” he explains. “Ten years is an eternity in the restaurant business. So I thought, ‘Why not just start over?’ It’s kind of a way to set a reset button.”

Since purchasing the Hudson Street property—which previously housed neighborhood dive Mad Dog Murphy’s—in November 2015, Stelzenmuller has rehabbed the 68-seat space with new furniture, an Italian-tile bar, stained cement floors with swirls of blue, and an upstairs kitchen.

He says that, while the renovations are still not entirely finished, he wanted to give regulars a heads up so that they had the opportunity to dine at Jack’s one last time before the move.

Though Jack’s classics like the Guinness filet mignon and chocolate macaroni and cheese will transition to the new menu (cue sigh of relief), Stelzenmuller says that it will have a more approachable feel, featuring lots of burgers and noodle dishes.

“It’s going to be focused on everyday stuff,” he says. “Some people consider Jack’s more of a special occasion restaurant, which I never wanted it to be. This is a way for me to get away from that.”

Behind the bar, the new spot will highlight a curated wine selection and local beers from the likes of Union Craft and Monument City. Stelzenmuller adds that the acronym for Blair’s on Hudson (BOH) was intentional, and the beverage program will also incorporate Natty Boh cocktails.

“It’s just going to be fun,” he says. “We’re not going to take anything too seriously.”

Looking back on his time at Jack’s, Stelzenmuller mentions witnessing engagements through the open kitchen as some of his favorite moments—and he is enthusiastic about making new memories at Blair’s.

“I got a little complacent, and that’s the killer of creativity,” he says. “It’s exciting to be able to get to do it all over again.”