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Business & Tech

Babe's Sports Bar For All

New sports bar in Silver Spring is a work-in progress.

Offering two floors, with all-glass walls and televisions on the main floor and 10 pool tables and countless flat-screens in the basement, along with bars and food service throughout, Babe’s has a lot to offer. Plenty of sunlight brightens up both floors, cold beer on tap, hot grub served by friendly hostesses and an attentive owner make for a good experience. 

Babe’s also has outdoor space, and plans to cover it with sand and lounge chairs for an urban beach oasis. Talk of two outdoor smokers ought to liven up the atmosphere. Babe’s serves up classic bar starters like mozzarella sticks, buffalo wings, jalapeño poppers and chicken tenders, as well as salads, burgers, hot dogs and sausages. The place has an array of sandwiches, from grilled cheese and BLT, to roast beef French dip. Entrees run the gamut of fried chicken, ribs, steaks and pastas.

My party noshed on nachos, a bacon cheeseburger inspired by a Minneapolis classic, baby back ribs and a brownie. The ribs stood out, the burger has potential and the remainder was just OK. The best we tried were the baby-back ribs, served simply showcasing owner Ron’s dry rub, an interesting mix of spices that complimented the exceedingly tender ribs. Babe’s offers half ($13.95) and whole ($24.95) racks. Cooked low and slow and served with a choice of two from French fries, cole slaw and a side salad.

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We had the fries, which have a good crisp and come with a touch of Old Bay, and the slaw, which lacked a good crisp punch. The rub presented a good mix of salt, savory, spicy and a hint of sweet, and the meat easily pulled off the bone. The rib meat was smoky and delicious. Certainly Babe’s best offering.

Our meal started with an order of nachos ($8.95). The nachos come with chili, salsa, melted and shredded cheese, veggies and sour cream. The tortilla chips were crisp, and the flavors decent but not outstanding. Next up we tried the ½ lb. Signature Burger, featuring cheese and other goodies stuffed inside the patty. The owner got the idea from an episode of the Travel Channel show Man vs. Food and the Juicy Lucy burger in Minneapolis. The burger has American cheese between two patties, which turns into a melty, gooey tasty, mess. We ordered the Griffen - American cheese and bacon inside and added grilled onions on top.

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Sadly Babe’s hasn’t gotten its cooking technique down yet, and the cheese had not melted. If the cooking can be gotten right, this burger, which comes in many other incarnations and with many other topping choices, could be excellent. I didn’t care for the surprise shot of salsa hidden within though. Just melt the cheese, please. We finished with a hot fudge brownie ($5.95). While the brownie was decent, moist, warm, a bit chocolaty, it wasn’t anything special, and in fact we ordered the chocolate chip cookies, only to find there were none available.

To watch a game, drink a few beers and eat some ribs, I strongly recommend Babe’s. I hope they work the kinks out because I’m going to need a place to watch baseball games this summer, and that outdoor lounge sounds intriguing.

Babe’s is open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. 

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