Lexington Brass: Happy Hour

I enjoyed a lovely brunch the Lexington brass just a few months ago (post here!), and I said I'd happily return. Not long ago, a friend I happened to be nearby right around happy hour. We exchanged the 'shall we?' look and popped inside. We found 2 seats at the gorgeous marble bar and had the same server (Mishaya-- I am sure I'm spelling that improperly--sorry) as Brad & I did last time. She's friendly, helpful, and mixes a mean drink.

Our drinks were not only beautiful to look at, they were absolutely delicious. The Anjou was light, sweet without being overly so and absolutely refreshing.
The Anjou ($13) for me: with pear vodka, spiced pear, lemon & ginger fizz.

The Sweet Savannah ($12) for my gal pal: Absolut wild tea vodka, white peach, crushed mint. Aren't they lovely?

The cheese plate was delicious with a chewy raisin bread, rich fig chutney and a sensational thick, delicious honey to go with the blue cheese and other harder cheeses.

This is not a cheap eats, per se, but it's definitely a bargain. Perfectly mixed drinks with refreshingly welcome service and a great atmosphere where we could actually hear each other talk -what a nice change!

Fig chutney, bleu cheese, manchego drizzled w/honey

There's a good after work crowd, and of course visitors staying at the attached hotel. It's a sorely-needed spot in that bit of Midtown East.

Lexington Brass
517 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10017
(212) 392-5976

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Time for Tapas: Olea

I met my friend Holly for tapas in Fort Greene, Brooklyn at a place known for a fantastic happy hour. With half-price drinks, half-price tapas, and a low-key, welcoming vibe, Olea Mediterranean Taverna is a favorite of Holly's, and a few bites in I could see why.

Two red wine sangrias to start: the sangria has a delicious, fresh blackberry flavor. It's not too sweet-- sometimes sangria can taste like super-sweet fruit juice. Olea's sangria has a nice balance between the wine and the fruit. Delicious and half-price, and it went down oh-so-easily!

We started with a few small plates: silky, garlicky, and chock-full of cucumbers, with tasty whole wheat pita -delicious.

We also got a favorite of both of ours: bacon wrapped dates with almond slivers inside. Okay, fine, we got TWO orders of this!

Holly convinced me to order the lamb meatballs. Lamb is not a common choice for me. Aside from the amazing lamb chili at the New York Vintners meal (LINK HERE) I don't normally enjoy it that much. These, however, were amazing.

Spiked with cinnamon, Soft, but still holding together, with a tangy, zingy melted goat cheese topping, these were fantastic. I could have gone for another order of these in a heartbeat!

I always order patatas bravas when I get tapas--and these were exceptional. Perfectly crisp but not greasy, with a harissa-spiked mayo that wasn't that spicy.

We ate our fill, had a couple of drinks, enjoyed the people-watching outdoors and just enjoyed a lovely evening in Brooklyn. Personally, I think it's pretty easy to enjoy Brooklyn. ;)

Our bill came to a grand total of $19 per person. That's for 3 drinks pp and more than enough food. What a deal! Even after leaving a nice tip, we still spent easily half what that would cost anywhere else.

I'll be back there in a heartbeat for another day of tapas and sangria-- and if you stop by yourself, let me know!

Olea Mediterranean Taverna

171 Lafayette Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11238

(718) 643-7003

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Midtown Find: 48 Lounge

It can be tough to find a good Happy Hour spot in Midtown--you have a lot of (seriously overpriced) chains and sloppy frat boy spots, but a nice post-work spot that has plenty of space? Tough to come by, so when you do find it, you want to spread the word!

48 Lounge is in the same building as our office, but it took Mel & me forever to get here. We sat at the shiny bar just before 5 on a Wednesday and checked out their menu. We both decided to order the LoJito ($14), a lower-calorie version of the Mojito (a favorite of LKP's!) made with fresh raspberries, lime, white rum, & agave nectar. $14 is more than I normally like to pay for a cocktail, but we wanted someplace close and quick---bingo!
Now, I don't normally mess with the original mojito, and I wasn't expecting much, but holy COW this Lojito was delicious. So delicious, we had 2! Splurge much? :)

We also ordered the spinach-artichoke dip ($11), a pretty safe go-to when you're not ready for dinner but way past lunch. We were both impressed at how fresh this was. Chunks of deep green spinach and savory artichoke--and it wasn't an oily, mayonaisse-y mess. It was light, delicious, with just enough salty cheese on top, and the garlicky toasts that went with it were outstanding.

Mel & I couldn't help noticing that there were more and more people showing up--most of them men. Helllooooo, ladies! Delicious drinks, dip, and mobs of well-dressed men? Yes please!

48 Lounge NYC
1221 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
(212) 554-4848

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The JakeWalk

I can always count on my friend Jen A to hit up Brooklyn spots with me. She works not far from Jakewalk, so we ambled on over one day, just missing happy hour but still up for a good glass of wine.

From what I've read, Jakewalk, a wine and cheese bar in Carroll Gardens, is co-owned by the owners of Stinky Brooklyn and Smith & Vine. (go here for my post on Stinky Brooklyn--but come back here after that, mkay?)

I ordered a French rosé--I don't remember the name but I know it was made with grenache grapes. Dry but fruity and just perfect.

You have to get the fondue when you go to Jakewalk--it comes with tart green apples, salty dried sausage, and soft chunks of bread. We demolished this in no time.

Everything was delicious, service was good, and our aim next time is to make it for Happy Hour, where I hear

The JakeWalk
282 Smith St
Brooklyn, NY 11231
(347) 599-0294

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Las Margaritas

My friend CPZ & I went out to Queens on a sweltering Sunday to check out the Museum of Moving Images' Muppets exhibit (so fun!) We were ravenous after and not in the mood for a long trek to find food. We decided to stop at Las Margaritas for their brunch special.

The chips and salsa were delicious--lots of chunky vegetables in the salsa, crisp, not-too-salty chips. This was a good start.

I ordered the scrambled eggs with tomatoes, onions and rice and beans on the side. One bite of the eggs and I was totally turned off. I can't even explain it--just very bland and unappetizing. The beans were tasty, home fries were passable, the pico okay, but this whole dish lacked...something. The guacamole needed a serious kick of lime juice.

Brunch dishes included a drink, and I opted for a mimosa. It was fine, but not anything super special. It had the citrus my guac could have used, though!

CPZ ordered the Bloody Mary--she's a fan of them. It was nice and horseradishy, but they're just not my favorite.

CPZ ordered scrambled eggs with chorizo, and didn't think hers was anything great. However, she liked it enough to take it home and try it again the next day (how did that turn out, CPZ??)

Ever the optimist, I ordered another margarita! This was spectacular. Tart and tangy with just a hint of sweet, this was exactly what I needed on this insufferably hot summer day. And at $7.50, a true bargain in NYC!

The crossbreeze kept us cool as we sipped our drinks and caught up on things (it had been too long since we got together!) The staff checked on us but never rushed us. We may have ordered another round before we left too, you know, just for good measure.

While the margaritas were marvelous, the brunch was a bust. My advice (take it with a grain of salt and some Patron if you'd like): skip the food and just come by for Happy Hour!

Las Margaritas
3801 Broadway
Astoria, NY 11103
(718) 777-1707

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Famous Dave's BBQ

While stranded in the city during one of our many snowstorms, some coworkers and I wandered a few steps from the office to get an actual away-from-the-desk dinner. I hadn't realized there was a Dave's Famous BBQ in Times Square. ABF & I go once a year or so to the Long Island location. Their smoked salmon dip is beyond craveable, so I thought that might be worth a trip to this one.

First thing I noticed on the menu: they don't HAVE the smoked salmon dip at this location. BLAST!

We'd all worked long days and were pretty tired after sleeping on rock-hard hotel mattresses, so two of us started with their Happy Hour specials: draft beers for 3 dollars. Yes, THREE dollars. We each got a Blue Moon (one of the few beers I really enjoy).

I ordered the Devil's Spit (what a name) burger because it claimed to have quite a kick. It had the Devil's Spit BBQ sauce, pepper-Jack cheese, jalapeno bacon and "Hell-Fire" pickles. However, the burger was not really spicy, and the pickles were sweet--feh. I removed the pickles and ate most of the burger, but didn't think it was noteworthy by any stretch.

Speaking of Devil's Spit, that's just one of the names of their house BBQ sauces, and one of my favorites. But my all-time favorite? The Rich N Sassy!

Yeah, that's a keeper.

Patty ordered the pulled chicken sandwich, and she liked it, but wasn't over the moon for it. It sure did look super cheesy and tasty to me.

Our friend Melanie (of Epi-Curious) ordered the salad with crispy chicken. It was a huge, fresh serving, with a tiny corn muffin on the side. She seemed to really enjoy it, and they got her specific order (dressing on the side, no this, no that) just the way she wanted it, including extra tomatoes (even though the server accidentally wrote down NO tomatoes!), so that's good.

Our server was great and attentive, the food came quickly, and it was fine. It wasn't outrageously priced either, which is rare for that area. I still prefer the Westbury (Long Island) location, but if you're desperate for a meal and in that normally overpriced area, stop in for a bite, especially during Happy Hour!

Famous Dave's BBQ
171 West 47th Street
New York, NY 10036
(212) 764-1899

Gossip Girl Gimmick

My friend the NewsHawk was in town recently, and I joined him and his friends for a wandering along the Upper West Side (including lunch at Niko's). We stepped in to the lobby of the Empire Hotel for a drink, and we were surprised to see an entire drink menu devoted to the "Gossip Girl" show, a guilty pleasure show that many people reluctantly age 18 & over confess to watching.

Ted's for Happy (?) Hour

Oh, Ted's. Why can't you just let me love you? I want to love you. But your service. Dear God, your service. Why does it always suck? Gah. It sucks so bad that once we actually walked out. We left money for our bill and maybe even a dollar tip, but the server (who ignored us for 30 minutes, then brought us a drink and ignored us for ANOTHER 30 minutes, all while serving tables around us) literally chased us out the door and asked if we were going to pay our bill. We informed her that we left cash on the table. Gah. And swore amongst ourselves never to return.

Vintry Wine & Whiskey

Fellow bridesmaid (from Jen's wedding) and friend Laura suggested a girl's night out one random Monday, and the bridesmaids and the bride all gathered in Fidi at a new spot: Vintry Wine & Whisky.

El Parador

Here's a Happy Hour spot worth your time and your money! El Parador has a killer happy hour from 3-7 each weeknight: 5 dollar margaritas and sangria, and super-affordable appetizers! I've been here a few times but this was only my second visit for Happy Hour.

El Parador's claim to fame is being the city's oldest Mexican restaurant, and they tout their margarita as one of the best in NYC, and most of the time I agree! I've been one night when it was all tart and no sweet, and that was tough. Way too acidic for me. Generally though, they are AWESOME. And five dollars!

Chips and salsa are on the house--note they serve their salsa warm! It took some getting used to for me, but not long. I could swear the last batch had pumpkin in it, but don't quote me. There was a very atumnal, squash-type flavor going on there.

You should definitely get the house-made guac to share--it's a steal at 8 bucks, and it's muy delicioso. I prefer this to the salsa no question! The happy hour portion is plenty for two people.

Another winner for me were the chicken wings. The menu says they are baked, but they are so delicious you won't miss the frying. Normally I leave half of the meat on the bone because I get all freaked out by fat, tendons, etc., but these wings are so succulent, the meat falls right off the bone. So good.

On my most recent visit, I shared the fajita dish with a friend. It's not what I would call 'cheap' at 21 dollars, but sharing it breaks it down to about ten bucks each, and that is a delicious thing. I loved the chicken--normally fajita chicken is the throwaway--it's usually overcooked and dry and tasteless, but this was moist, seasoned to perfection, and oh-so-good. The refried beans had an off-putting spice in them, so I didn't really eat those. The rice wasn't bad, but I've never been a huge fan of the stuff.

No matter the reason for showing up at El Parador, you'll leave full and happy for not a lot of money. This is definitely in my Top 5 Happy Hour spots!

El Parador
325 E 34th St
New York, NY 10016
(212) 679-6812