The Corner Bar Exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Industry reminded us of a Baltimore classic corner bar, one of the best, American Joe's, so Jamie Costello called up old pals, Dennis and Joe Mieudusiewski and they met at the corner of Luzerne and Foster.
So many characters have poured in and out of this place where everybody knew your fake name.
"Oh man, it was really a great place to grow up," Dennis said.
"We would go through 100 barrels of beer in a week," Joe said.
The Miedusiewski brothers grew up upstairs, while Mom and Dad, Mr. Frank and Mrs. Francis, ran the bar downstairs.
"This whole area was a blue-collar area. There were guys from American Crown, Continental, General Motors, Lever Brothers, all of which are not here any longer," Joe said.
"They're visiting our house. But we had a house with a bar on the first floor," Dennis said.
You felt like an entire rancher was up there on the second floor. Dennis' pawprints still give you a sideways high-five. You can peek inside and see just how huge it was.
"All the beer was refrigerated in our cold box and traveled the length of the bar refrigerated, and it came out ice cold," said Dennis.
Lots of stools with one of the first big screen TV's.
"Pat Sajak walked in with me and on the big screen was Wheel of Fortune. Just happened, we didn't plan it that way. And everybody did a double take, like what's he doing here?" Joe said.
Arkansas Bill came in here to shoot pool. His nickname later became President Clinton.
"We were open seven days a week, twenty hours a day," Joe said.
And if Mrs. Fran wasn't hitting the tap at six in the morning, the fellows would pelt her bedroom window to wake her up.
"We were the cashier, we were the bartender, we cleaned up, we lent an ear to people who needed somebody to talk to," Dennis said.
Legend has it that women weren't allowed in, so American Joe's started takeout. They would empty out and clean out pickle jars so the ladies could carry their beer home.
"A funny story about that, my wife, who was a nurse at the time, we lived just down the street. She came in one day and she said 'I just saw somebody in the neighborhood carrying what looks like the largest urine sample I've ever seen.' And i said what do you mean? And she says there's a huge jar, like the ones they put pickles in and I said Pat, they just got draft beer from the bar, and they're taking it home," said Dennis
The brothers spent their lives on this corner, and it's been a while since both came back. All it took was remembering how Dad never spilled a beer, that would be wasteful. But, it's not a waste of time for the memories to rise to the top faster than foam on a Fosters.
"We had window boxes, the whiskey houses would come and decorate them every season," Joe said.
All the friends they nicknamed and understood their language.
"You could come in, you'd get a small beer and he'd do that, and I said what the heck is that? And he said I drink a single shot of Christian Brothers brandy with blackberry brandy on top. So Mr. Bill would walk in and that's how we would serve him. If he didn't give you this, you only got a beer," Dennis said.
The names will never change to protect those who were guilty of having a great time at the corner of Luzerne and Foster.
"Thankful that the people who were here, neighbors, had a very big important part in making this a success. And I wish they were all around to hear us compliment them again," Dennis said.
American Joe's was sold back in 1995, and since then several owners have taken over and the spot is up again for sale.
