When Marc McFaul purchased the Stalking Horse building at 26 E. Cross Street a decade ago, his goal was to bring some modern flair to Federal Hill.
“We wanted to do something different,” says McFaul, whose family also owns Ropewalk Tavern on South Charles Street and previously operated the now-shuttered Volstead Saloon on the other side of Cross Street Market. “We had done a lot of old-school bars—Ropewalk is in a building from the 1700s and Volstead’s was Prohibition-themed—so when we came in here we wanted to do something a little more hip.”
Though Stalking Horse’s modern club concept—known among the fresh-out-of-college crowd for its boozy vodka slushies and live DJ entertainment on weekends—has had a good run, McFaul says that it’s now time for a change.
At a launch party next Friday, November 11, the bar’s bottom floor will officially transition into a new concept called Whiskey Hill, highlighting a brand new menu, interior upgrades, country music, and a revamped bar program with a variety of bourbons and whiskies. The top two floors will remain as is for the time being, while management observes how the new southern whiskey bar catches on with the neighborhood.
McFaul says that the inspiration behind the change came from seeing the spike in business at Ropewalk after it did some restructuring a few years back, getting rid of multiple pool tables and adding sliding doors and dueling pianos in its back bar.
“We want to refresh things like we’ve done at other locations,” he says. “[Federal Hill] is a rollercoaster. Cross Street has seen a little bit of business decline and Charles Street has picked up. It jumps around. Sometimes things just need to be changed up.”
The owners are hoping to use the transition as an opportunity to become more food-centric. McFaul has brought on chef Frank Campanella from Ropewalk’s Fenwick Island location to assist executive chef Kevin Medvecky in executing the new menu—which now lists more refined dishes such as meatloaf burgers, maple-bourbon wings, a romaine salad with ground chorizo and pickled jalapeños, and a Belgian waffle sandwich topped with roasted turkey and cranberry mayo.
“We want to work on getting more food business so that we’re busy more often than six or 10 hours per week,” McFaul says. “This is a great time for the chefs to be creative and really spruce things up.”
In keeping with the new emphasis on dining, the team has reduced the size of the front bar on the right side of the first floor to make way for more restaurant seating near the windows overlooking Cross Street. Other upgrades to the 75-seat space include renovated bathrooms, new furniture, hardwood floors, custom bar tops, and reclaimed wood artwork.
As the neighborhood continues to fine-tune its offerings (the former Cowboys & Rednecks space around the corner, now called Wayward, also recently underwent a major rebrand), McFaul says he’s excited to introduce something new.
“We want it to be something for everybody, whether you bring your kids in for dinner or come on the weekend to have a good time with friends,” he says. “After a decade, it’s nice to see the place evolve.”