Get Your Drank On: Vino California 2013

We are ready to celebrate Vino California!

 

Vino California is back! The five-day celebration of food & wine is recognized as one of the largest native Italian wine extravaganzas on the West Coast - bringing together Italian winemakers, sommeliers, and chefs to promote fab eats & sips (or guzzles for the Happy Hour Tour :) at great locations throughout LA.
 

Setting the Scene

 

Inside Osteria

The fest wraps up on Friday, but there’s still time to check out its nightly Happy Hours at Locando Del Lago and Bar Toscana featuring Italian spirits and exclusive cocktails. Check out happenings here. As part of the fest, longtime HHT pal Carrie and I hit a special wine & dinner pairing at Osteria Mamma! I hadn’t been to the restaurant before and was totally charmed by the evening’s end! How couldn’t you be with this fantastic line-up?!

 
Pre-Appetizer Round - Aperol Spritz with Prosecco served with Italian bread and tomato sauce

 

 

Antipasto - Crab with cherry and orange salad paired with Gran Cuvée Rose Brut

The delicious sweet flavors of the fruit paired well nicely with the light and fun Rose Brut champagne.

 

Primi - Risotto with black cuttlefish ink paired with Chardonnay La Monacesca

I’d never had squid ink before and I’ve gotta say I was a fan of the savory and salty risotto and the texture of the calamari-like cuttlefish. 

 

 

Secondi - Grilled Scampi served with polenta and grilled vegetables paired with Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico superior
This dish led to a new word to describe Carrie and I - “Trassy!” We had felt like such classy wine drinkers before we got a little trashy trying to eat the scampi. But oh it was sooooooo good and the white wine paired terrifically.

 
Pasta - Tagliatelle with porcini mushroom and truffle oil paired with Tintilia del Molise
Loved this awesome mushroom pasta served with our favorite wine of the evening, the excellent Tintilia del Molise, a red wine from the Molise region of Italy.

 
Dessert - Tiramisu paired with Moscato Fior D'Arancio
OMG, we were so full by this point - but passing up tiramisu with sparkly bubbly champagne should be a criminal offense (if it’s not already :). Delizioso!
 
Even though the pairing was created specially for Vino California, we still wholeheartedly recommend checking out Osteria Mamma for a fancy Italian Dinner!

 

With our new friend, Angelo!

Thanks to Vino California 2013, Osteria Mamma, and Jen and Carl at Pivotal PR for treating us to an excellent dinner!!

Drinking Game: Scandal season 2 finale

The good news to all my friends, family, and bars & restaurants with Thursday night specials, I will now be free on Thursdays. You see, I almost never go out on Thursday nights if there’s a new episode of “Scandal” on.  It’s that good that it must be watched live! If you’re not familiar with the show, you need to get over to abc.com or OnDemand to catch up on episodes NOW!!!

source: Entertainment Weekly

The second season of “Scandal” comes to a close on Thursday, May 16^th, 10pm/9pm CST.  As “Scandal” fans (better known as #Gladiators) know, a bottle of wine is just as important prop to the show as a briefcase - so grab a bottle of your favorite wine as we see this show off into the summer sunset.

Watch along and drink whenever:

1. Olivia drinks a glass of wine.

A couple of weeks ago, someone on twitter suggested that not only should ABC launch a soundtrack for the show, but they should launch their own “Scandal” wine label for all the wine sipped each episode.  I second that!

“I like how wine is a food group for you.” – Captain Jake Ballard, played by Scott Foley. Us too, Jake, us too.

Olivia Pope, played by Kerry Washington

Source: scandalmoments.tumblr.com

2. Olivia’s lip quivers.

Olivia is so good at hiding her emotions from others and sometimes herself, but she cannot hold in that lip quiver.  It has become so popular that you can’t read an episode recap without that lip quiver mentioned. A google search for “Olivia Pope lip quiver” yields over 80,000 results.

Source: abc.com

3. Olivia & Fitz get it on

Now that Fitz & Olivia have made nice, they have been quite busy getting busy!  I guess they had to make up for lost time since there hadn't been any action between the two since the February 14th episode. I’ve had Stevie Wonder’s “I Don’t Know Why” on repeat ever since.

Olivia & Fitz, played by Tony Goldwyn

Source: abc.com

4. Everytime someone says "mole."

The last few weeks have been all about #WhoIsTheMole and last week's episode definitely left my jaw on the floor and chills down my spine. If you follow this rule alone, you will have a healthy buzz in no time because people seem to care more about the mole than they do about the President stepping out on his wife!

Nice to Mole You!

5. Harrison gets a love scene! 

Super hot Harrison has not had one damn love scene on the series. Ever. Even Huck has got some lovin’ and he’s all types of crazy! I’m sure fellow Gladiators can all agree that Harrison is due for a little slap and tickle.

Hot Harrison, played by Columbus Short

Source: abc.com

***EXTRA BONUS ROUND***

We know there is sure to be a cliffhanger, but what will it be?!?!  Refill your glass and drink it all when there is:

• an unexpected death
• an unexpected romance
• Olivia & Fitz become an official couple
• Olivia & Fitz become a public couple!
• a known actor shows up for what can only be a reoccurring role. Remember when Addison showed up and shook it up on “Grey’s Anatomy?” Can we keep Scott Foley? Please?

As always, drink responsibly and have fun!! Tweet your favorite #Scandal moments and what’s in your glass to @HappyHourTour!

 Cheers! - JG

The Proud Bird

11022 Aviation Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90045
(310) 670-3093
www.theproudbird.com
twitter.com/proudbird

Parking: Free lot (pretty awesome in LA!)
Days: Monday – Friday
Times: 4-7pm
Drink Deals: $3 Domestic Bottled Beers, $5 Wines by the glass and House Drinks, $6 and $7 Specialty Cocktails
Food Deals: $2-7 Appetizers and Small Plates

In LA, it’s not just a good friend who volunteers to pick you up at the airport, it’s a damn saint. Seriously, there are pockets of time that make airport rides quick and easy – too bad those times are usually during hours that anyone in their right mind should be in bed! Seriously, in a slightly brutal recent trip – it took me an hour driving to LAX from from Hollywood and then it took us an hour and a half to get back. So like 30 miles in 2.5 hours. Wowzahs! The good news is that I think I’ve finally discovered the key to inner peace on rush hour airport rides (well, besides giving your guests $30 for a Super Shuttle ride :). And that would be stopping off for a post pick-up Happy Hour at the Proud Bird, the delightful aviation themed restaurant a couple miles from the airport on the appropriately named Aviation Blvd!

 
I’d been to the Proud Bird once before, well outside it. The Alamo Cinema Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow brought JACKIE BROWN (1997, d. Quentin Tarantino) to screen in the area where it was filmed. When something or other fell through at the original Torrance mall location, the roadshow traveled up to the Proud Bird, where an appreciative audience could watch the film on an inflatable screen under the stars… and the jet stream of all the incoming aircraft!! Suffice to say, we couldn’t hear sh*t and left shortly after the movie began. But the experience was fun and memorable!

Hi Mom!

 

Cut to several years later – my little sis, Amelia, came to visit LA for the first time in 9 years and for the first time as an of age drinker. Soze, I figure we’ll kill a little rush hour time and baptize her in the name of the Los Angeles branch of The Happy Hour Tour with a Proud Bird Happy Hour!

The Proud Bird is a great stop after LAX – the parking lot and “back yard” area host a museum of old planes from many eras, ripe for any photo shoot! The actual restaurant reminds me of a steakhouse from back home in the midwest – carpeted floors, wood panels, you know what I’m talking about.

The Lounge where Happy Hour is served.

After taking a look at the planes, we headed to the lounge where Happy Hour is served on Monday to Friday from 4-7pm. The HH menu is pretty fair with quite a few items at good prices. Amelia & I started the evening with a round of $6 cocktails – the Rock Coconut Mojito (Bacardi Rock Coconut, fresh lime juice, organic agave nectar & a splash of club soda) for Amelia, and for moi – the Sangria Blanco (Brandy, chardonnay, peach schnapps, organic agave nectar, fresh orange and pineapple juice, served with fresh fruit). Both were fine and dandy and sweet as candy!

Rock Coconut Mojito and Sangria Blaco ($6 each)

Proud Bird’s food Happy Hour options are diverse from $2 Street Tacos or French Fries to $5 options like Soup of the Day and Bruschetta all the way up to $7 options like Crab Cakes, Ahi Tuna Tower, and Sliders with Cheese. Our slightly older bartender who very much fit the bill of what I might expect at a slightly upscale airport bar didn’t seem amused when I asked him what the best options were. Maybe to him it’s like going to McDonald’s and asking what’s good (note to self, when in need of a good kick, try that sometime :)!

So we bravely faced the Happy Hour menu alone (haha) and decided on the $5 Hummus & Pita Bread and the $6 Calamari. The serving sizes were good – especially the former featuring three different hummuses (what is the plural of hummus, anyway?!). Everything tasted fine, fair-enough bar fare.

Hummus & Pita Bread ($5)

Calamari ($6)

Really, the best part of the Proud Bird experience is your proximity to the airport and that great yard for watching the planes fly in. And given that proximity, you’d think noise might be an issue (like for the JACKIE BROWN screening), but Proud Bird must have some strong sound-proofing because I don’t recall it bothering us once!

The view from the yard.

The worst part of the Proud Bird experience is the 15% service charge – which prior to my Aroma visit, I had not experienced in my 10 years living in LA. Sidenote: subsequent to both these visits, I stopped at the Tropicana Bar at the Hotel Roosevelt where 2 margaritas cost my friend $42 with a built-in service charge. For real, for real. What is the universe telling me with these LA service charges? At least Tropicana’s service charge clearly covers the gratuity (as their bartenders will tell you). At Proud Bird, the bartender showed me a note about the service fee:

As a tenant of the Los Angeles Department of Airports, the Proud Bird is governed by the Living Wage Ordinance of the City of Los Angeles. In order to assist us in honoring the Living Wage Ordinance, and in lieu of raising menu prices, we assess a 15% fee on all sales.

None of this fee is paid a gratuity to employees. We invite you to leave a gratuity separately. Your understanding and continued patronage is greatly appreciated.

I don’t know – something just seems strange about that. How is a service fee ANY different than jacking up your prices by 15%? And encouraging your guests to leave a separate gratuity works on bleeding hearts like me, but I’m sure other diners aren’t so friendly about it. Asi es la vida.

Still, even with the service charge – our trip to Proud Bird was a good airport ride/sanity saver as the drive home only took us half the time!

--JB

Rating: 3 Martinis

Get Your Drank On: Cinco de Mayo 2013 in Los Angeles

Howdy LA booze enthusiasts! It’s that time of year again, the old Cinco de Drinko and LA is ripe with excellent food and drank deals all over town! But first, did you know why we celebrate this special day? Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexico’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla back in 1862 during the Franco-Mexican War. Impress friends and strangers alike with that fun fact, preferably after you’ve had a tequila shot or four – Drunk History tales are the best!
 
Apparently, Cinco de Mayo isn’t a huge holiday in Mexico, but Americanos certainly love it – elevating the spring holiday to a boozy celebration only second to St. Patrick’s Day! In this spirit, we offer you these fine events and specials all over the city.

Have another deal that must be shared? E-mail us at TheHappyHourTour@gmail.com!

Cheers! --JB
 
La Cuevita – 5922 North Figueroa St.
Highland Park Hipster Heaven with live music and DJ + $5 Margaritas or Dos Equis w/ tequila shot!

Holy margarita, Batman! Highland Park’s popular neighborhood joint formerly known as the Cave celebrates its 1st anniversary as La Cuevita (meaning “little cave”) with a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta running from 4pm to 2am. Don’t miss $5 margaritas and Dos Equis drafts w/ tequila shot all night! Plus, live music (Los MuerTones and El-Haru Kuroi start at 6pm) and DJ Jimmy James at 10pm. Pow! Bam! Boom! I’m excited like a fight on the old Batman show!
 
Tortilla Republic – 616 N. Robertson Blvd.
WeHo Block Party with DJ’s, Mariachi Band, Tacos, Margaritas, and a Pintata Pit!
 
West Hollywood’s margarita mecca, Tortilla Republic, is going all out for 5/5 – can you say Grande Cinco de Mayo Block Party?! The party is truly a Sunday Funday affair running from 2-7pm, and in drink & do good news – proceeds will go to a great cause, Project Angel Food. A $10 donation gets you in and $20 offers VIP access - looks like the donation is just to get in, your margaritas and goodies will be extra. The open-air party will feature DJ sets and a Top 40 Mariachi Band; tacos, tacos, and more tacos; margarita pitchers, and a Pinata Pit. I don’t know what a Pinata Pit is, but it sounds AWESOME! Those WeHo boyz & girlz sure know how to throw a partay!! Get your tickets now here.
 
The Mission Cantina – 5496 Sunset Blvd.
East Hollywood Cantina with food & drink specials on Saturday and Sunday
 
¡Ay, carumba! One of my personal favorite East Hollywood Mexican bars (great food, cool regulars, sweet décor) offers up double the fun with Cuatro & Cinco de Mayo. On both May 4th and 5th, Mission Cantina will be open from noon to 2am and will feature mariachi music, a photobooth, food and drink specials, and giveaways (what, oh what, are they giving away?!).
 
The Mixing Room – 900 West Olympic Blvd., 1st Floor
Celebrating the Cinco with a roaming Mariachi band, food & drink specials on Saturday & Sunday
 
The Mixing Room at the beautiful Ritz Carlton in downtown LA will also be featuring a double-header of Saturday and Sunday deals including Made-to-Order stations (Burritos - $12, Tacos - 2 for $10, Nacho Bar - $10), House-made Guacamole for $7, and Chocolate Tamales at 2 for $7! Drink specials haven’t been listed yet. And I know, I know – you can get the best burrito of your life for a third the price at Cactus Taco, but sometimes, well, sometimes it’s just fun to be fancy!
 
Las Perlas – 107 East 6th Street
Downtown tequila bar offers nice tequila shots between $5-7 213’s tequila bar
 
Las Perlas is offering up sweet deals all day long – from 4pm-midnight. They’ve got: $7 Herradura Blanco Shots, $7 Herradura Reposado Shots, $6 El Jimador Margaritas, $6 Palomas, $6 Batangas. $5 El Jimador Tequila Shots. For vittles, Julia Arenas will be serving up street tacos. I don’t know what the means, but I trust the 213 group to provide a fun evening of tequila and tacos!
 
Border Grill – 1445 4th St.
Santa Monica’s rad restaurant features $3 shots and $5 draft beers and margaritas + food deals on Cinco de Mayo

Promising the best Mexican fiesta in town, Border Grill is going to keep fun going from Friday, May 3rd – Sunday, May 5th with $3 shots and $5 beers or margaritas! Stay on the 5th for $3 Tacos, $5 Ceviche & Taquitos, $7 Carne Asada Fries, plus Karma Tequila prizes, a photo booth, and more! I’m gonna hold them to this being the best fiesta, umkay?!
 
Angelenos, as you can see, there are plenty of great options to get your drank on! However, should you choose to stay at home and booze while watching ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO or something equally lame (CUT TO: me sitting home boozing and watching ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO :)  – here’s my personal favorite au naturel margarita recipe!

 
1. Ya start with 2 oz. of Tequila in a glass. I prefer Hornitos Reposado and Milagro Silver.

2. Squeeze in juice from half of a lime.

3. Stir in ½ tablespoon of agave syrup.

4. Pour the mixture over freshly made ice in a cocktail glass (home bartenders take note, a terrific homemade cocktail starts and ends with fresh ice)!

5. Add lime-flavored club soda. Stir one last time to mix the soda and tequila-lime-agave mixture.

6. Ta-da! Drink up!!

Get Your Drank On: Cinco de Mayo 2013 in Chicago

Row 1: Cheddars / Pepe's Mexican Restaurant / Jimmy's Grill

Row 2: All from Zapatista
Row 3: El Mariachi Tequila Bar & Grill /  Frontera Grill / Mago Grill & Cantina

When it comes to drinking holidays, Cinco de Mayo is my favorite. What’s not to love about warm weather and cold drinks while drinking on a patio? I’ve always spent Cinco de Mayo bouncing around Hollywood like a Mexican jumping bean because that’s what we do at The Happy Hour Tour.  Now, that I’m living in the Chicago suburbs, I don’t know what I’ll get into this year, but here’s a few Chicago area specials for inspiration!

Got a special that must be shared?  Email TheHappyHourTour@gmail.com!

Cheers! JG

Ay Chiwowa! – 311 W. Chicago Ave.

$5 Sauza Margaritas plus food specials

Ay Chiwowa is putting the cinco in Cinco de Mayo with a five-day celebration starting on May 1^st at 5pm. They will be launching new margarita specials and food specials are to come. Bring your sombrero or floppy derby hat because this cinco celebration will also be joined by a Kentucky Derby celebration with $5 Mint Julep specials!

Bull & Bear - 431 N. Wells

$3 tacos, $9 Dosaritas, $10 bottomless guacamole, $25 Sangria pitchers

Bull & Bear is all about the bottomless specials from the $10 bottomless guacamole to the $30 Fiesta Package that includes bottomless specialty margaritas and chips & salsa, from 1-4pm.

Fiesta Mexicana - 2423 N. Lincoln Ave.

$16 assorted beer buckets, free tequila shots by Casa Noble

Thanks to the popular #ChiChats hosted weekly on twitter by Cece & Melinda of Raymi Productions, I’ve been introduced to Fiesta Mexicana and their great deals. They always feature deals, which often feature free margaritas or free appetizers.  I can only imagine that by Cinco de Mayo will be even greater!

Frontier - 1072 N. Milwaukee Ave.

$4 Mexican beers, $5 Michelados, $6 Don Julio, & $7 Armargo Adios

Frontier will have their patio open for their celebration. To keep you on your feet, Frontier will feature Mexican street food for $3 - tacos, churros, & elotes

High Noon Saloon – 1560 N. Milwaukee Ave.

$3 Corona Bottles, $3 Milagro Tequila Shots, $4 Pacifico Drafts,

A DJ will get the party started at 2pm. Once the tequila shots have kicked in, you can dance along to the mariachi band starting at 4pm!

John Barleycorn - 1100 American Lane, Schaumburg, IL 60173

$25 admission benefitting Susan G. Komen For the Cure

JB & I love to promote events that involve drinking for a good cause! On May 5^th, John Barleycorn is celebrating Pinko de Mayo with five bands performing throughout the day.  The $25 ticket price includes two drink tickets and one meal ticket. After the tickets run out, food & drinks are priced from $5-$10.

Tailgaters Sports Bar & Grill – 431 W. Bougton Rd., Bolingbrook, IL 60440

$2 Coronas, $3 Margaritas, $1 Tacos all weekend

Tailgaters is a popular sports bar in the southwest suburbs known for its concerts, karaoke, many TVs for sports viewing, and wide range of daily specials. There’s always something going fun going on here so Cinco de Mayo here is sure to be good time.

Zocalo Restaurant & Tequila Bar – 358 W. Ontario

$5 Margaritas and Tecates served with a shot of tequila

The Cinco de Mayo deals start on Friday, May 3^rd. Bands and DJs will perform throughout the weekend.

Crosstown Pub & Grill

909 E. Ogden Ave.

Naperville, IL

630.357.9775

www.crosstownpub-grill.com

twitter.com/CrosstownPub

Parking: Free lot

Days: Daily

Times: All Night Long!

Drink Deals: Daily Specials for $5 and under!

Food Deals: Daily & Monthly Specials

Crosstown Pub & Grill has been on my radar for months due to the coupons I receive in those weekly suburban mailers.  However, it wasn’t until I checked out the amazing daily specials listed on their website that I decided Crosstown Pub was worth a visit. 

In my experience covering bars & restaurants with daily specials, it’s rare to find a day that offers something for everyone.  There is usually a beer or wine or well drinker day, and sometimes food is included.  At Crosstown Pub, they feature specials for everyone everyday!  On my Wednesday visit, the specials included:

·      1/2 Price Pizzas & Calzones

·      $4 - 24oz "Big Basterd" Domestic Drafts

·      $5 - 24oz "Big Basterd" Premium Drafts

·      $4 - Glasses of House Wine

·      $2.50 - Hamms Cans - While Supplies Last

·  $4 – “You Call It” Captain Morgan, Ketel One, Jack Daniels, Fireball Whiskey ON GAME DAYS!

The Happy Hour Tour regular Tamika & I kicked off our visit with $4 wine.  I never order wine at a pub because I fear it may be old and sour, but I had a good feeling about this place because it was packed with so many people, some who appeared to be regulars.  I received such a nice pour of sauvignon blanc that I ordered a second round.  For Tamika’s second round, she switched it up with a $4 Ketel One & cranberry because she was too happy with that price.

We were both in agreement that we would be ordering chicken wings because Crosstown Pub’s wings have been featured on local shows and The Travel Channel.  The wings are served breaded, grilled, or naked, and they come in over 30 different rubs and sauces!  I was pretty intrigued and overwhelmed with all the choices but luckily mix & matching was an option.  I finally decided on 10 breaded wings ($10.95) – 5 bacon cheddar rub, 5 bourbon sauce.  Tamika chose 5 Cajun rub, 5 chipotle mango sauce.  Some other flavors include pizza, cool ranch, and peanut butter & jelly! 

The wings were beyond amazing. I’ve been telling everyone that will listen. They are hearty sized wings, not the smaller ones that are regularly served at other restaurants.  Unfortunately, my fingers spent the better half of the evening covered in wing sauce so I didn’t get as many happy hour shots as I normally do.  Fortunately, I’ll be sure to get more when I revisit on a Thursday night for half-priced wings!

Not only are the food & drinks great at Crosstown Pub & Grill but it’s the first bar that I’ve been to in awhile where I feel that you can walk in alone and probably leave with new friends.  Men held doors for us, bartender chatted us up a bit, and people made conversation with us about the wings.  I also dug the 90’s alternative music playing from the jukebox.  It made me nostalgic for the days of my Chris Cornell obsession when my bedroom was covering with Rolling Stone & Spin magazine covers.

Be sure to check out Crosstown Pub & Grill!  The patio opens on May 1^st.

-JG

Rating: 5 Martinis

Aroma Bakery Café

7373 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 850-8120
www.aromabakery.com

Parking: Valet is free for first hour ($3 after); Metered Street Parking
Days: Mon-Fri
Times: 3-6pm
Drink & Food Specials: Wide selection of $5 appetizers & cocktails

Aroma!

Aroma Bakery Café has been in JG’s (former) and my (current) hood for the last 4-5 years. Even with its close proximity and having been open for years, I’d somehow only been once before. I vaguely remembered it being good overall – nice patio seating, interesting Sunset Strip views, the food was good, but there seemed to be something that wasn’t quite right. It only took me one Happy Hour trip to remember what that was – the prices!

Inside Seating

Generally speaking, the Happy Hour deals are great; Aroma features a large selection of $5 appetizers and beverages. However, Aroma assesses a 15% service charge to every bill – no matter the size of your party or the time of day. Logically, I thought this was our waiter’s tip, but when I asked him – lo & behold, the service charge is paid directly to the restaurant and he only received any left by the customer.

In my 3-and-a-half years covering Happy Hours around LA, I can honestly not recall running across a service charge (unless it was a large party), so I was rather baffled. So were plenty of unhappy Yelpers (read their comments here). Ironically, the next week, I ran into my second service charge at Proud Bird near LAX (review coming soon) – not sure if the universe is trying to tell me something or if this is a new trend!

This is me - not comprehending the 15% service charge. But good mojito!

In any event and in fairness to Aroma, the service charge is noted on their menu. In unfairness, the menu is pretty massive and the charge is bit buried. And also - on the website, it’s noted that “In some cases a 15% gratuity will be added for groups of four or more.” They should probably change that if their printed menu says otherwise.

Not to dwell on the service charge (though it’s kind of hard not to) – the Happy Hour deals really are good. Longtime HHT friend Adbot and I feasted like kings, enjoying a number of $5 apps: 

Mozzarella Sticks

Avocado Rolls

 Feta with Grape Leaves

Labane (a sour cream-like dip served with flatbread)

Guacamole Dip (chopped guacamole served with pressed French bread)

Sweet Potato Fries

4 non-Happy Hour, but delicious macaroons ($5.98 for 4)

For drinks, we were intrigued by the name of a new drink – The Muchito, assuming it was a new Spanish style cocktail we’d never heard of. LOLzzz, not quite – it was a mojito spelled… well, differently (honestly, about half the items on the HH menu were spelled phonetically). Whatever you call ‘em, the muchitos/mojitos were delish. Adbot sampled the regular and I tried the day’s special Berry Muchito. For rounds 2 & 3, we had 2 glasses of white wine apiece at $5 a glass.

It's muchito time!!

We had a great time overall, there was a good number of other diners, our servers were nice and checked on us regularly, so we were feeling pretty happy by the end of Happy Hour (3 cocktails will do that too!). Too bad we had a bit of a rude awakening with the service charge, nothing to snap you out of a Happy Hour reverie like getting less of a good deal than you had originally thought...

C’est la vie.

--JB

Rating: 2.5 Martinis