Happy Hours

**Happy Hour at LS Social NYC, Chelsea, NYC

LS Social is a fairly new neighborhood cozy and casual cocktail bar on 17th Street near Union Square. I chose it to meet a new friend for a drink because it was close to home, as I had an upcoming Zoom board meeting to attend. I was early, the first customer that day, so I began chatting with Ron, the owner, who opened this—his first restaurant about two years ago—and Michael, the bartender. I liked their flavorful white Negroni made with gin, Lillet blanc and vermouth blanc, as the New Amsterdam gin was not juniper-forward, giving a smooth taste to the cocktail.  My friend first sampled their Sturm Collio Pinot [...]

By |2024-11-29T09:36:41-05:00November 22nd, 2024|Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Happy Hour*** Springs Tavern and Grill, East Hampton, New York

On an overcast weekend in East Hampton late summer, we visited Springs Tavern and Grill for their delightful happy hour menu. On our first round of margaritas, three of us had the regular; one tried the frozen refreshing blood orange one, although the sweetness made it more like a dessert. With that, we shared their delectable steamed mussels ($14) with garlic, herb butter, white wine and a soupçon of cream, then topped with fries; plus the mouthwatering Mediterranean platter ($15) that included housemade hummus — a regular and herbaceous green version with basil, a little mint and garlic — plus marinated olives, pita points and grana padano. I loved that [...]

By |2024-11-17T06:35:46-05:00November 5th, 2024|Happy Hours, USA Restaurants|0 Comments
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Happy Hour* Mediterranean ZIZI, Chelsea, NYC

One temperate night, I met a neighbor at ZIZI (formerly Zizi Limona), a modern Mediterranean restaurant on Eighth Avenue. Emmit, our server, mentioned that it was still happy hour and explained the offerings that included a martini selection from their few varieties and $6 off the small z's "3Z's" appetizer selection. I chose an espresso martini that included Spring 44 vodka, Luxardo espresso liqueur and espresso. We then selected their roasted head of cauliflower, the four falafel balls and the crazy baba (a blend of charred eggplant, feta and basil) with four large, warm pita ($23). We did order an entree but had no room for it, as we were [...]

By |2024-10-13T09:16:35-04:00October 8th, 2024|Big Apple Life, Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Happy Hour** at Rick Bayless’s Tortazo, Times Square, NYC + Doubt

I've meant to try Rick Bayless's Tortazo since it opened near Times Square about a year ago. I learned to love this Chicago restaurateur's food at Frontera Grill and Topolobampo. Tortazo is a modified version of Rick’s popular airport outlets. One opened in NoMad in 2021. Times Square area is his second NYC location. This Michelin-starred chef features antojitos — Mexican bites—at Tortazo. Some are available during happy hour when I slipped in before heading to Roundabout Theatre to see Liev Schreiber in Doubt, the Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-winning 2004 play. The drama teaches the potentially destructive consequences of being too certain about anything.  I recognized the fabulous flavors [...]

By |2024-04-07T16:48:05-04:00April 5th, 2024|Big Apple Life, Happy Hours, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Happy Hour* Rangoon, Chelsea, NYC + Philadanco! Intangible at The Joyce

After my Zumba class, I grabbed a nibble at Rangoon, a Burmese restaurant close to The Joyce Theatre, where I saw Philadanco!, the Philadelphia Dance Company, presenting Intangible. I selected the Keema Paratha, one of their signature dishes: Indian-style flatbread stuffed with spicy ground beef ($12). It's a spicy snack I'd recommend, but watch out for the very hot red pepper strips. The tasty happy hour Pegu Club cocktail of vodka, orange curacao and lime was $5 off from noon until 6 ($12). Satiated, off I went to meet my friend at The Joyce to see the amazing dance company. Happy Hour details as of 2.10.2024 Hours: 12 to 6 [...]

By |2024-08-17T07:24:34-04:00March 19th, 2024|Happy Hours, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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20th Anniversary of Momofuku Noodle Bar, East Village, NYC

In honor of Momofuku’s 20th Anniversary, the restaurant is bringing back some iconic dishes for each dish a month at a time. The restaurant has received numerous James Beard Awards, including “Outstanding Restaurant,” for three consecutive years. It is also honored with a Michelin Bib Gourmand, an honor for good quality, good value cooking. We had ordered their daikon and jalapeño salad ($6). We were told the daikons weren't looking good, so they didn't serve the dish; they gave us a bowl of kimchi ($7) gratis instead. To start, we had their unusual Brussels sprouts with candied toasted almonds, smoked paprika and a foam made from vegetable broth. Unusually delish! [...]

By |2024-02-16T11:55:27-05:00March 17th, 2024|Happy Hours, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Key West Dining: Roostica, Sloppy Joe’s, Santiago’s Bodega, Blue Heaven, Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, Latitudes and La Chapina

Thanks to all the Facebook friends who responded when I requested restaurant recommendations in Key West. What follows is a sampling of the places where we did eat and dishes that I'd recommend. Across from where we stayed on Stock Island is Roostica, a friendly place filled with a crowd and a great vibe at 4 pm when we went for Happy Hour. Don't miss the hearty meatball sliders, 2 for $8. We would have returned if we had had enough time. Drinks good, too. Roostica 5620 McDonald Avenue Stock Island 305.296.4999   Walking on Duval Street, Key West's main drag, we stopped at Sloppy Joe’s Bar — Ernest Hemingway's watering [...]

By |2024-03-15T09:24:16-04:00March 15th, 2024|Bites from the Road, Happy Hours, USA, USA Restaurants, USA Travel|0 Comments
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Happy Hour** and More at Chez Messy, Washington Heights, NYC

Chez Messy, a spirited tapas lounge in Washington Heights that opened last summer, offers tapas, craft cocktails and flamenco dancing. I headed north with a friend to sample their happy hour, the regular menu and their flamenco dancers. We got off the 1-train at the 157th Street subway stop, across the street from this whimsical tapas lounge. As we perused the menu, our waitress served us an amuse of a mini cast iron skillet filled with warm, pitted olives with serrano ham and an adorable 3-inch carafe of their specialty sangria. A real treat. We arrived in time for their happy hour. I'd recommend our cocktails: my Old Forester smoky [...]

By |2024-09-21T23:16:11-04:00February 9th, 2024|Happy Hours, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Happy Hour**at Jane, NoHo, NYC

We had come to Jane's for their "NYC Happy Meal" or a Ketel One Martini and Rosemary French fries ($22) that we saw on their website. When the bartender handed me the smaller menu without it, I mentioned that to the manager, who did honor the online offering. We were happy, sipping our Ketel One martinis and nibbling their large portion of fries; we both added the tasty, filling mini-burger with cheddar, bacon, caramelized onions, tomato, pickled green tomato, lettuce and jalapeño marmalade while my dining partner had their version of pigs in a blanket ($5) with sesame dusted puff pastry and kimchi aioli. Happy Hour details as of 11.30.2023 [...]

By |2024-01-14T13:54:59-05:00January 5th, 2024|Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Happy Hour*** Michael’s, Midtown, NYC + Rockettes

After taking my grandnieces to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes, we headed to Michaels for their happy hour, where Basdeo Balchan, their manager, welcomed us. We sampled many of their well-blended cocktails, including the Southside of 5th Brokers (gin, lemon juice, mint), Last Blast (bourbon, citrus, prosecco), Lil Pumpkin (vodka, pumpkin spiced Kahlua, espresso) and the Tranquilo (tequila, cranberry juice and fresh jalepeño) along with their appetizers, some of which have a Korean accent from their new chef. The sweet and spicy Korean fried shrimp ($18) comes in three pieces, also available as chicken; the vegetarian summer rolls come with a carrot ginger sauce and the duck-confit [...]

By |2023-12-31T20:17:42-05:00December 19th, 2023|Happy Hours, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Happy Hour *½ at Dock’s Oyster Bar, Midtown East, NYC + Gutenbert, the Musical

We laughed our way through Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad in the hilarious and unusual “Gutenberg! The Musical!" These two reunited on stage for the first time since 2011 when they performed in “The Book of Mormon." I do recommend seeing it before it closes in January. Afterward, we walked across and downtown to Docks Oyster Bar on Third and 40th to sample their happy hour. We were lucky to get one of the few tables by the bar where we could take part in their HH offerings. The best parts were they had a live trio, and we could converse without straining. I started with their Old Fashioned ($18), [...]

By |2023-12-17T09:38:09-05:00December 11th, 2023|Big Apple Life, Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Rosie’s *** Happy Hour, East Village, NYC + Solo

I love New York! Where else can you see a show and have dinner for about $50? We headed downtown to the East Village to the Connelly Theatre to see Gabe Mollica in Solo, his acclaimed one-man play about friendship, following sold-out runs at the Soho Playhouse and Edinburgh Fringe. We purchased the tickets for $4.95 from Theater Extras. We stopped at the Lower East Side Mexican restaurant Rosie's from the owners of Cookshop, Shukette and Vics. Lucky us, it was during their happy hour. We started with their margaritas. I had the chile-infused tequila picante one, my dining partner the "classic." Whenever a server stopped at our table wearing [...]

By |2023-11-07T12:41:14-05:00November 25th, 2023|Big Apple Life, Happy Hours, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Theatre|0 Comments
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Happy Hour ** at Osteria Morini, Soho, NYC

Osteria Morini, a part of the Altamarea Group (Ai Fiori, Marea), offers the spirit of Emilia-Romagna in SoHo. They also offer a happy hour. I convinced some building mates to join me to sample it. We sat at one of the hightops in the bar area, where the HH offerings are available. We sampled some of their HH cocktails, including the Aperol Spritz  ($10), Abby's Cosmo ($10) and a Cadillac Margarita ($15). The deal of the meal is their "Burger from Akron" ($13). The tasty double cheeseburger with BBQ sauce and tartar sauce would have been even more perfect had they offered fries. We also sampled some of their fried offerings, [...]

By |2023-11-17T06:50:50-05:00November 17th, 2023|Big Apple Life, City Bites, Happy Hours, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Tyron Public House Happy Hour* , Washington Heights, NYC + The Cloisters

We traveled to the Middle Ages with my ex.expat group when we visited the Cloisters with historical tour guide extraordinaire Kevin Draper. We learned a lot about architecture, discovering that many of the old-looking structures throughout the museum are new, just made to look old. A few of us wanted to hang out to chat, so we headed down the hill from the Cloisters toward the Dykeman subway stop to grab a bite and drink. Doing so, we hit the Tyron Public House's happy hour. We chose some beverages from the HH menu, including the French Pool Boy rose ($12), the Krasno Sauvignonasse ($13), the Allagash white ($9) and their lager [...]

By |2023-10-23T10:11:37-04:00November 9th, 2023|Big Apple Life, City Bites, Happy Hours, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews, Other happenings|0 Comments
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Happy Hour *** at Fogo d’Chāo, Midtown, NYC

Fogo d’Chāo has a daily happy hour (HH) all day long. I give this Brazilian steak house a 3-star rating, as you can easily make a meal for dinner from their abundant food offerings. That is, if you're okay with sitting in the bar or patio. We sampled some HH drinks, including two of the $10 Caipirinhas, the Brazilian national cocktail made with cachaça, sugar and lime. We sampled one with passion fruit juice and another with house-made hibiscus elixir and strawberries. We then switched to regular-priced martinis and old fashioneds ($16-19). I sampled the spiced marinated chicken breast sliders topped with arugula, tomato, and pickled onion with a mango [...]

By |2024-04-20T11:14:33-04:00October 3rd, 2023|Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews|4 Comments
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Happy Hour *½ Iris, Midtown, NYC

In continuing my Happy Hour hunt around the city, I met a friend at John Fraser's Iris midtown. [Please let us know if you have a Happy Hour for us to try and review!] We opted for everything on the limited menu besides fresh oysters (Mystic oysters, pink peppercorn mignonette, horseradish; 4 for $14) with a glass of the Greek white offered, Assyrtiko, Peloponnese, Greece 2020 ($12) We started with pikilia, a plate filled with small portions of tzatziki (garlicky cucumber yogurt), roasted eggplant, hummus and whipped feta with a puffed warm pita and endive leaves ($18) plus their spiced lamb flatbread ($10) that's always good. The other two options [...]

By |2023-09-24T11:14:29-04:00September 23rd, 2023|City Bites, Happy Hours, NYC Best Bites, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Happy Hour* Barn Joo, Union Square, NYC

I'm on a mission to discover worth-it happy hours (HH)in my greater hood.  My first time here, Barn Joo offered a grumpy hour from 11:30 am to 4 pm, which preceded their happy hour! Last time, I didn't try a HH cocktail as I was in the mood for an Old Fashioned. Barn Joo's was really good but didn't have the HH discount. So this time, I sampled their serrano margarita It was fine, just nothing I'd go back for. The only food specials are fresh oysters and cocktail shrimp, $10.50 for half a dozen. The service is consistently friendly. I ordered their bibimbap with spicy pork, which was even [...]

By |2023-09-02T19:36:17-04:00August 26th, 2023|Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews|2 Comments
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Happy Hour*** at Vinateria, Harlem, NYC

At a champagne event earlier this year, I met a new friend who lives uptown, a short walk from Dame Yvette Leeper-Bueno Harlem Restaurant Vinateria. When I learned she hadn't been, we decided to meet there for happy hour.  I laughed as we bumped into two other Dames also there to enjoy Yvette's seasonal Italian and Spanish cuisine and wine. (A Dame, by the way, is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, a philanthropic woman's organization. Our mission is to inspire, advance and support women in food, beverage and hospitality to achieve excellence in leadership and philanthropy.) I started with their maple pecan Old Fashioned ($10) while my friend sipped [...]

By |2023-09-02T19:36:33-04:00August 6th, 2023|Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Happy Hour*** at STK Midtown, NYC

When visiting friends wanted to meet midtown for a drink, I suggested STK Steakhouse's happy hour. It had been on my radar since my downstairs neighbor raved about the offerings. He was right. I laughed as I bumped into my friends on the street, looking for STK. Its Sixth Avenue address is confusing as the entrance is on 43. STK's happy hour, from 3 - 5:30 on weekends, is one of the best I've sampled recently. They offer good libations ($9) and lite bites ($3 - $9). That's only $9 each for a glass of Prosecco, a margarita and dirty martinis with three blue-cheese stuffed jumbo olives. The martini was [...]

By |2023-09-02T20:21:57-04:00July 23rd, 2023|Big Apple Life, Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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Dames at Summer Happy Hour at Vinateria, Harlem, NYC

This summer, a group of Dames — members of Les Dames d'Escoffier — gathered at fellow Dame Yvette Leeper-Bueno celebrated Harlem restaurant, Vinataria, for a summer happy hour. While sipping our beverage of choice, we sampled: fried calamari with a paprika aioli ($14) bacalao (salt cod) croquettes with a chili aioli ($8) polenta fries sprinkled with Parmigiana Reggiano and served with a apicy dill aioli ($8) honey-glazed crispy Brussels sprouts with pine nuts and raisins ($9) crispy French fries with blue cheese and scallions ($9) marinated olives with hummus and bread While there, Yvette shared that she had just been honored with an Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator for [...]

By |2023-09-02T19:39:05-04:00August 26th, 2022|Big Apple Life, Happy Hours, NYC Restaurant Reviews|0 Comments
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