Days: Daily
Times: 4-6pm
Food Deals: Special “8 Under $8” Menu
Drink Deals: $5 specials on beers (domestic, imports, and local), wines, well drinks, and specialty cocktails!
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Drink Up! – Plenty of food and drink items in a fab setting!
Spill the Wine – Bud Light the same price as Prickly Pear Margarita ($5)? Good for Prickly Pear fans, not so much those true Bud Light aficionado’s!
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On the road again! During my great migration from the West Coast to the Middle Coast, I was fortunate to visit with great friends and family along the way. They took me to see the local sites; we visited rockin’ Happy Hours; all this made for a very Happy Adventurin’ JB!
My first overnight stop found me in Phoenix, where I stayed with my dear aunt, Tia Juanita (TJ for short), and we had ourselves a little Frank Lloyd Wright kinda day! We toured Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter compound in the nearby city of Scottsdale and the current home of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. The architecture highlights Wright’s fondness for the elements (water from an underground spring keeps the fountains running) and his mathematical mind (every triangle in the design was configured to a 15-degree angle). Taliesin is Welsh for “shimmering brow” and the compound certainly is that – beautifully nesting three-quarters up the mountain (brow height).
Taliesin West in Scottsdale - Frank Lloyd Wright's Desert Home
Wright began work on the house in 1937, but Wright wasn’t new to the Phoenix area. Back in the 1920’s, he had been consultant on the construction of the Arizona Biltmore hotel, a glamorous resort that Albert Chase McArthur was the lead architect on. And why I bring all this Frank Lloyd Wright stuff up now… the Biltmore houses several restaurants, and the one they offer Happy Hour at is named after the two architects, Frank & Albert’s! *
Frank & Albert's at the Arizona Biltmore, Frank Lloyd Wright was a consultant on the design.
So after our trip to Taliesin, TJ and I stopped over at the historic Biltmore and enjoyed a Thursday afternoon Happy Hour in the bar area of the restaurant, which carries through with the designs of Frank & Albert in an upscale hotel bar setting.
Arizona Biltmore Lobby
Inside Frank & Albert's - Bar Area
We were pleased with the drink menu, featuring an all-around $5 line-up of beer, wine, well drinks, and specialty cocktails (good price for cocktails, maybe not so much for domestic beer!). For our order, we both tried the Lavender & Lemons, made with organic lavender lemonade vodka, house made lavender syrup and a splash of lemonade. The cocktail was good, but was even better once we mixed the lemonade into the lavender concoction! For my drink dos, I enjoyed the Prickly Pear Margarita. I typically don’t love blended margaritas, but this one was fun and sweet and perfect for a hot Phoenix afternoon!
Prickly Pear Margarita and Lavender & Lemons (both $5)
TJ and I with our Lavender & Lemons cocktails - it was better stirred as shown in TJ's pic :)!
For food, I’ve gotta admit that I felt my first pangs of missing California’s veggie friendly Happy Hours! Frank & Albert’s “8 under $8” menu definitely had some vegetarian friendly items. Evidence A: Chips & Dips (tortilla and potato Chips with hummus, avocado, and salsa) for $4.50, Evidence B: Gourmet Pretzel Bites with spicy mustard and cheese dip for $5), but the rest of the HH menu offered actual meals – Mole Chicken Pizetta for $6.75, Au Poivre Meatloaf sandwich for $7.75, Pulled BBQ Taco (w/ avocado, slaw, and salsa) for $7, and Honey Citrus BBQ St Louis Ribs (w/ sweet slaw) for $6.25. After seeing that line-up, I wanted a dang meal too :)!
Chips and Dips ($4.50)
Gourmet Pretzel Bites ($5)
As for the scene, our fellow diners mainly looked like they had come straight from the office and maybe a couple of pairs were on dates? While the restaurant isn’t entirely romantic (though it’s not un-romantic!); but the hotel itself is very much so. In that light, I think Frank & Albert’s could definitely be recommended as a good date Happy Hour. Hell, gentleman, surprise your lady and make a day of it – visit Taliesin and stop at Frank & Albert’s, and you will have one swooning partner! -
-JB
*For side reading – I suggest this interesting Wikipedia article about the men’s often less than friendly relationship and the building of the Biltmore!
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Frank & Albert’s
Neighborhood: Biltmore District
2400 East Missouri Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85016
(602) 381-7632
www.frankandalberts.com
twitter.com/ArizonaBiltmore
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