Nightlife in Lowes Island

The owners of First Break Sports Bar & Grill turned a tragic fire into an opportunity. After the loss, they took time to update the space beyond its original condition, and today gleaming granite tops the bar and hardwood floors shine throughout. A typical night sees the latest sports events flickering on 25 HDTVs, while smokers retire to a separate lounge where they can throw darts through the smoke rings they blow. Players send billiard balls cracking at 9-foot Diamond Pro-Am tables, and on Wednesday nights, participants count their chips during Texas Hold 'Em tournaments. But whether they're spectating or playing, diners can fuel up with selections from the bar's menu with sandwiches, wraps, and pasta until 2 a.m.

Since 1984, Champps Americana's kitchen has sizzled with made-from-scratch dishes, satiating sports fans and families with a comfortable atmosphere. Amid sunlit dining rooms, diners seated at wooden tabletops can root for their favorite pixels on flat-screen TVs broadcasting live sports. In the kitchen, chefs prepare pastas with grilled chicken and roasted artichokes, pile buns with barbecued pulled pork and spicy buffalo chicken, and fill soft taco shells with grilled steak. Behind the bar, bartenders whip up specialty cocktails and margaritas and fill goblets with wine and local craft beers on tap.

Delve into Vinifera's award-winning wine list to plumb the garnet depths, or peruse the menu and try the expert wine-and-food pairings of the sommelier. Executive Chef Bo Palker taps into fresh ingredients, some of which can be traced back to his patio herb planters. Diners can start dining on dinner with a cheese-board appetizer, featuring four specially selected cheeses, toasted Marcona almonds, and Muscat grape marmalade ($12). For the main course, try a pan-roasted sea bass with wild-mushroom risotto and wilted spinach ($30) and teamed with a glass of Whitehaven sauvignon blanc ($11), or enjoy the individually grilled lamb chops with pomegranate sauce, lime risotto, and fig marmalade ($29) with a Red Rock reserve merlot ($9). The celebrated Vinifera paella, with jumbo shrimp, scallops, mussels, free-range chicken, and chorizo ($28) pairs well with Bodegas Julian Chivite’s Gran Fuedo Rosado from Navarra ($9).

Now & Then Dance Studios’ dance instructors let students pick from 21 styles of dancing, including waltz, salsa, and merengue. They make sure to integrate private classes, group classes, and supervised dance parties in their lesson programs, which have produced successful dancers for 35 years. They dance atop dance floors to reduce impact on joints and pump music through digital sound systems.

At Quench, owner Michael Holstein and barman Matt Allred aim to live up to the hype stemming from the Favorite New Restaurant award they earned from the Restaurant Association of Maryland. They, along with their team of chefs, go beyond simply making food and mixing drinks—they prepare artful dinner specialties and unique, out-of-the-box cocktails. Though their meal creations arise out of seemingly simple ingredients—local produce, house-ground meats—the team crafts wildly creative send-ups of typical pub fare in addition to traditional comfort foods. Baby back ribs are braised for days in homemade cherry cola, and Natty Boh beer cheese, local crab, and nacho cheese chips add local flavor to mac 'n' cheese. Quench also plates healthy fare such as herb-roasted chickpeas and edamame hummus served with local cucumbers and apples, all complemented by inventive cocktails, and the seasonal dessert menu includes house-made donuts and gluten-free flourless chocolate cake. The drinks, with clever names such as Sex in the Burbs and Django Juice, draw on a palette of blood-orange juice, house-made foams, and uniquely infused spirits. Mixology classes prepare students to delight party guests, and Quench also hosts events such as Saturday and Sunday brunches scored by live music, and weekday lunches that feature 10 dishes priced at $10.

Traditional pubs served as community hubs, places to see neighborhood folks and combine the flow of information with the flow of taps. Finnegan's Irish Pub aims to recreate that same setting for a modern audience, serving friendly sandwiches, burgers, and Irish entrees with plenty of beer.

Rather than depending on word of mouth for their stream of news, the pub's staff instead bedecks the dining room with flat-screen televisions and projectors. Outside, a television screens bathe the patio in its technicolor light. And some of the indoor booths come with their very own TVs, ideal for quietly feeding your curling addiction while pretending to care about football.