Bohemian Rhapsody

(Okay, okay, that's a cheesy title. I couldn't resist)

As much as I love food and dining out in Sacramento, I inevitably get stumped on the "where should we go to eat?" question. It's not as though there aren't a lot of places to go, but for some reason it's awfully hard to decide sometimes. Carmen and I went to look at a friend's art exhibit yesterday and wanted to get a bite to eat afterwards. She drove (a little below the speed limit and in at least one circle) through midtown as we tried to decide. I ran through about 10 suggestions, but nothing stuck. Finally Carmen said she'd always wanted to try that "Czech-Italian place next to the pub in East Sac." That place is La Trattoria Bohemia on J Street.

The place has a real neighborhood feel. We were only the second table when we sat down, but the restaurant started to fill up by the time we paid our bill. The menu offers Czech specialties like Goulash and Chicken Paprikash, as well as Italian staples like pasta & pizza. Carmen ordered the Spinach Ravioli with Pesto ($13.50). I opted for a bowl of the Chicken & Dumpling soup ($4.50) & a Spinach Pizza ($11 for baby spinach, artichokes, chicken, feta cheese, mozzarella cheese and olive oil). The soup was piping hot with big pieces of chicken, veggies and delicious dumplings. My pizza had a doughy crust and was loaded with fresh spinach and piles of cheese. The 8" personal size is enough for last night's dinner and today's lunch. Carmen really enjoyed her pasta and remarked on the freshness of the spinach in her homemade pasta.

Surprisingly, we both had a glass of wine. She chose the Castello d'Albola Chianti ($7.50) and I went for the Hey Mambo! red ($6.75), just because it had a fun name. The desserts looked good too (apple struedel, tiramisu) but I already had my heart set on Big Spoon across the street (http://sachappyhour.blogspot.com/2007/10/fro-yo-faceoff.html).

La Trattoria Bohemia is a great, little place with a warm atmosphere. Next time you can't make up your mind, it's definitely worth a stop.

I guess you could call us wine-os...

I know you all have missed our postings, but with the end of the semester upon me, and the end of year and the holiday season on everyone else (I haven't gotten that far yet) we just haven't had that much time to go out to eat. However, Jennifer and I have had plenty of time to drink (shocking)and I just thought you'd like to know what we've been up to lately.

Unless it's been a really bad day, our drink of choice is wine, and we've made two rather surprising discoveries lately. As much as I love 58 Degrees and other bars around town, I'm just tired of the scene lately. Sometimes I just want a good glass of wine and some nice company. My favorite for the quiet nights is the The Grand on L and 16th. If you haven't been to this little hole-in-the-wall wine bar yet, you have to give it a try. It's a literal hole-in-the-wall, in what was intended to be a parking lot kiosk. But the owners of Aioli took over and reinvented it into a great little space. Check out the amazing decor and the feeling of spaciousness. They have a relatively small list of wines that cover all parts of the world, but you can tell the wines are intentionally chosen for those who love wine. The Grand has also started serving tapas, soup, and panini from Aioli. I haven't had a chance to try them yet, but they look fantastic. I'll be sure to report back when I have.

Our other favorite place lately is Sweetwater on J in East Sac. This is mostly for location reasons, it's on both my and Jennifer's way home (sort of). The wine list is good, but not fantastic, but they do pour you a pretty good sized glass. What they lack for in selection they make up in quality; the Holly's Hill Grenache is a great choice. The service is rather hit or miss, one of our first times there our bartender was fantastic, and last night the service was rather disappointing. But the bartenders are friendly, the clientele is mostly regulars, and the ambiance is great. Check out the rotating artwork. All I've eaten here was calamari, which was delicious and had bits of friend red pepper, jalapenos, and onions.

I recommend both The Grand and Sweetwater if you're looking for a smaller, quieter place to grab a glass of wine. Definitely check out The Grand if you're downtown, and even if not, it's worth the drive.

Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda

Sometimes I am genuinely surprised by restuarants. Other times, well, I'm disappointed. In the interest of trying something new I forgo the old favorite (see below post for my feelings on old favs) and go for something interesting. I like to tell myself it's in the best interest in the blog.

Jennifer and I met for drinks and free apps at Il Fornaio last night. I've always thought it was a lovely restaurant (even if it's a chain!) with wonderful service and delicious food. And they play Italian music, always a good thing. Il Fornaio labeled wines are only $5.95 a glass and very good. The bartenders are promt and courteous and not overly attentive. But Jennifer and I were hungry, and we didn't feel like spending Il Fornaio prices. So after a brainstorming effort and another glass of wine, we decided to go to Sacramento Brewing Company in Dowtown Plaza.

I'd been there with my parents before and remember enjoying the food, so I figured it was worth a try when I was paying my own way. Jennifer and I were shocked, frankly, at the prices of the meals. Usually at brewery type restaurants there are plenty of choices in the under $10 to $15 range. We found that most of the prices were above this. It's like a brewery in disgiuse as a fancy restaurant--or perhaps the reverse. We sat in the bar and our service was, well, weird. I actually got a strange look when I ordered my salad. I'm not sure what the problem was, it was a mixed green salad with blue cheese and I got flank steak added to it. When it arrived it was good, not fabulous, but good. Jennifer had a chicken breast stacked on spinach and mashed potatoes and floating in a pesto cream sauce. Yes, this was at a brewery. She gave it a "OK".

We did notice that one of the specials looked remarkably like one of the menu items. Their menu was ok, but it just wasn't what we were looking for. Going from our fabulous bartender at Il Fornaio to our so-so bartender at Sacramento Brewing Company was a disappointment. I'm sure he's a fine bartender--but perhaps not the best in the food department. And we could have easily spent the same amount at Il Fornaio. Our lesson of the night was, if you like where you're at, then you should probably just stay there. (Although I did get some early shopping done!)

Lowdown on Lodi

When a lot of people think of California's wine country, they think Napa & Sonoma. Others are quick to sing the praises of Amador and El Dorado counties. Then there's Lodi. I like to call it the California's undiscovered wine region. (In the interest of full disclosure, I've done some PR for the city and it's signature event, "Taste of Lodi," for the past few years but the region has some great wineries and great prices! This is not a PR-post though) This past weekend Carmen, Lisa Marie, Jessica and I headed down scenic Route 99 for The First Sip. Needless to say, we had many, many sips! The first stop was Vino Piazza. If you've never been -- you should go. It's a few miles outside of Lodi in Lockeford. The place houses about 10 small wineries in an Italian-style plaza. The handful of wineries I've tasted at are great! Worth mentioning is Macchia. Their brightly-labeled bottles hold some amazing and unique vintages from Nebbiolo to Petit Sirah -- with about eight different Zins in between. It was so hard to choose a favorite!

However, my favorite stop may be Stama. Gus Kapiniaris, who runs the place, settled in Lodi from Kalamata, Greece. He's the sweetest man in the world and has quite a way with the ladies! His wines are delicious and inexpensive - which Gus likes to point out. I'd suggest the Curvaceous Cab or the Reserve Zin. And as a red wine drinker I'm bewildered by the fact that the White Zin is fantastic. Try before you judge. I guarantee you'll be surprised.

The Berghold Estate Winery was all decked out for Christmas - maybe a little too much - but the winery is a great stop for its extensive antique collection and gorgeous grounds. The wines are good too, but didn't compare to our first stops. Our trip also included a stop at M2, which was too crowded to really enjoy though they had live music, live art demonstrations and good snacks.

By the time we got to Borra it was starting to rain (and I was getting a little tipsy), but the Italian sausage hot off the grill and the Andrea Boccelli in the backround made it worthwhile. Like most Lodi vineyards they're known for their Old Vine Zin, but their Fusion blends (in red and white varieties) were quite tasty too. Plus, they have whimsical labels.

Lodi is so close to Sacramento and most of the wines are really good. I really encourage more people to take the 45 minute drive down to check them out. A good starting point if you've never been before the Wine & Visitor's Center on the grounds of Wine & Roses Inn (http://www.lodiwine.com/visitorcenter1.shtml). Cheers!

Ok, I'll admit it

I'm a traditionalist. I love good ol' fashioned, delicious non-pretentious cuisine. Sometimes you just need something that tastes fab, is fancy without boggling the mind, and is totally straight forward without being boring. Really, the reason why I like to go out to eat is because I like food that tastes good, I like to drink a glass of wine that tastes good, and I like a great conversation. Not one that you have to fight with other diners to hear, or one with waiters who don't understand the menu, or don't present the food, menus, wine, etc with a smile on their face. For these reasons, I like the following restaraunts: Paragary's, Lucca, Zinfandel Grille. Appropriate for a date, family dinner, or good time with friends. I had the pleasure of going back to Zinfandel Grille on Fair Oaks tonight for dinner. It was great, and everyone should go there. Sometimes it's just nice to not question things, you know? PS- try the lamb shank. Yum.

Really! It was good!

I know what you're thinking. A sushi buffet? Seriously?

That's what I was thinking when I met my cousins at Mizu Japanese Restaurant in Roseville last Friday. My expectations were fairly low, but boy was I surprised! For $9, you get all-you-can-eat sushi (sashimi and rolls) -- that is made right in front of you -- and a variety of other Asian treats including soups, lo mein, potstickers, mussels, tempura shrimp & veggies, orange chicken, beef with broccoli and more.

Did I mention it was only $9?

Mizu is located at 1420 East Roseville Parkway in Roseville. 916-781-6888

Update

The Happy Hour list has been updated: http://sachappyhour.blogspot.com/2007/10/cheers.html

The Search is On

For close friends of mine this will come as no surprise. I love Italian food. I love everything about it. And I don't mean mere "pasta" (or, as I'm sure some of you will say, "noodles". Noodles are the egg variety, or the Asian kind. I like these, but they're different.), but the inmmense variety of traditional Italian food. What I love about Italian food (besides the mass amounts of cheese often present) is that the focus is on the ingredients. Anyone can make great Italian food as long as you have high quality products to make it. Which is perhaps where the problem is in most "traditional" Italian restaraunts. They often try to make it something it isn't. I'm looking for a great hole in the wall Italian place where I feel like I'm stepping back in time, or half way across the globe. Because really, I make a pretty mean Italian meal myself and am just as happy cooking at home if necessary.

My first attempt at finding the perfect Italian restaraunt was Cafe Milazzo on Folsom Blvd in East Sac last week. I've heard mixed reviews on the restaraunt and wanted to try it myself. A friend and I stopped by last Tuesday after my class. I was afraid that we would be too late, but even though they were cleaning up they welcomed us in. Their menu is fairly brief and basic, but honestly, I like it that way. Our server was extremely patient with us while we took a long time to decide. I decided on the ravioli special, an asparagus and cheese ravioli with a vodka cream sauce, and Emily chose the Tuscan chicken over fettucinni. We got a glass of Chianti each, and our wine was perfect start to our Italian meal. I was excited.

Foccaccia and salad are complimentary with dinner. The bread was fabulous, and served with the traditional olive oil and balsamic rather than butter. I was starving, but regardless it was still awesome bread. Our salads were good and large with a simple Italian dressing. This may seem nitpicky, but it was impossible to eat the salad without making a huge racket because the bowls didn't sit flatly on the table. Emily and I were flinging lettuce everywhere. Emily's Tuscan Chicken was good, a pounded chicken breast on a bed of fettucini and wilted spinach with red bell peppers and a cream sauce. The combination of flavors was quite good, and the spinach a nice surprise. My ravioli were good, but they came out with about 7 medium sized ravioli floating in the vodka cream sauce. It looked like pink soup. The sauce was so thin it was hard to have a bite of the ravioli and the sauce together because it kept dripping off. The ravioli themselves were good, but they tasted very similar to the kind that come out of the grocer's freezer. It wasn't very exciting.

I have to say, in perusing the menu I was rather shocked by the high prices. Price-wise they were comprable, or even more, than restaraunts such as Paragary's and Lucca's, two of my favorites. I was sincerly hoping for gigantic portions or fabulous food. I received neither. The service, however, was fantastic. Everyone was incredibly friendly and knowledgable about the food. But I just don't think the food was worth the price. They do, however, have pizza nights on Tuesdays where a slice costs only $2. Their lunch menu looks good as well, and the prices seemed all to be under $10. I'm willing to go back and try either of these options, but Cafe Milazzo just did not fulfill my search for the best Italian in Sacramento. I'm still looking though, so if you have a suggestion please let me know.

Shackin' Up

For a bit of a change of pace from the normal Thursday night, the normal dinner/wine drinking crew (me, Jen, Deb, David and Marla) hit up The Shack last night for some nosh and wine. The Shack is normally a sub place--but this is no ordinary sub shack. They have an extensive beer and wine list that includes local small wineries and unusual varietals, and microbreweries mostly from the local area (Rubicon and Sudwerk on tap!). Jen and I stopped in for happy hour a couple of weeks ago and had a great time. The people were nice and the beer was cheap and good. After signing up for their email list we discovered a great thing--they have a buffet dinner every Thursday and theme changes according to the whims of the owners.

We committed to our plan last weekend, but didn't find out the theme of this week's dinner until Wednesday. I was pleased to find out that it was going to be comfort food. Regardless of what they fed us, I'd be happy! It turned out to be chicken pot pie, meatloaf, two kinds of mac & cheese (fontina and bleu), asparagus and green salad. The chicken pot pie was delicious and flavorful, the meatloaf was perfect (and I'm not even a meatloaf fan), the mac & cheese was decadent and even the asparagus stood up to the powerful flavors. Gary, the chef/owner, really outdid himself. If he could do these wonderful things to chicken pot pie, I wonder what else he can do?

There's also a wine tasting, 4 good sized tastes of wine for $10. Live music was played on the patio as well. We were all genuinely surprised by the amount of people who were there, but the crowd was friendly and neighborly. It almost felt like a giant family dinner. The only problem with the entire evening was that dinner didn't come out until after 7:30 and by then we were all starving. They could use some apps, but maybe that's to encourage us to eat more food. And really, what family dinner comes out on time? And for $10 a plate, it was quite a deal.

The Shack is open weekdays until 7 (happy hour as well!), closes on Thursdays at 3 and reopens at 6, and is closed on weekends (unfortunately). You can find The Shack on the corner of Folsom Blvd and 42nd in East Sac.

Fro-yo Faceoff!

My sister just returned from spending the summer on Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island. While I was jealous of the idea of island living, she was missing the simple pleasures of Target, Trader Joe's and restaurant selections. The grass is always greener.

Anyway, one of her cravings upon her return was frozen yogurt. We took the opportunity to try two of Sacramento's newest fro-yo offerings: Big Spoon on J Street and Yogurtopia on Freeport Boulevard. They both share the same self-serve concept: customers can fill their cups with as much frozen yogurt and as many toppings as they want. You pay based on weight - which can be dangerous for those who's eyes are bigger than their stomachs!

Big Spoon was first. When we walked in we were like kids in a candy store. Literally. The place has six kinds of yogurt (chocolate, vanilla, peanut butter, NY cheesecake & two fruit flavors) and more than 75 toppings to choose from. There were the traditional candy bar pieces, sprinkes, cookie dough, yogurt chips... even Nerds! They also have a variety of sauces like hot fudge, strawberry and caramel.

My sister admits to being a little overwhelmed by it all. She felt rushed into choosing her yogurt (she opted for cheesecake & I took the peanut butter - good choice!) and didn't have time to "think through" which toppings she wanted. There were so many that we felt like we had to try a little bit of everything - even ones that didn't exactly compliment our yogurt. When we got to the counter our desserts were close to $5 each at 33-cents an ounce.

We took a smarter tack at Yogurtopia. They also have six yougurt flavors - again I went with the peanut butter - including two "Euro-style" flavors. Sis had the Euro-style Wild Berry and couldn't tell what made it European. Yogurtopia has a lot of toppings too, though noticably fewer than Big Spoon, which isn't really a bad thing. However, one big plus was the fruit toppings. Here there were fresh berries. Big Spoon had fruit sauces - almost like pie filling. Also, the nutritional information for the yogurt is painted on the wall which is nice if you pay attention to those sorts of things. Since we had time to think through our purchases this time, we managed to get a very manageable serving of yogurt for less than $4 a cup at 39-cents an ounce.

Frozen yogurt seems to be the new sushi in Sacramento. I haven't checked out Mochii Gourmet Yogurt on 16th & P yet. Yogurtopia's website mentions another location opening on 20th & J Street this fall. In the meantime, you can go to their current location at 2992 Freeport Boulevard from 12pm to 10pm daily. Big Spoon is at 3644 J Street and is open from 11am to 11pm daily. They also have locations in Rocklin, Natomas and Folsom.

Tokyo Fro's Happy Hour

As the list implies, I am not picky about happy hours. I love them all. But I think I may have found one of the highlights in Sacramento.

Tokyo Fro's changed their happy hour a few months ago to a new, not as user-friendly format. That translates to, less free drinks, not as much cheap food. Apparently this hurt them, because they are back to 1/2 cocktails and 1/2 rolls during their happy hour, weekdays from 3-6. I usually don't like happy hours that end this early but I work right across the street, so this works. They've also added happy hour on Saturdays. Yippee!

Service was a little hit and miss, but only because the owner decided to send one of the bartenders home before 5pm. Kind of silly for a Friday, but I'll forgive him because we spent $40--yes, $40-- on 4 giant and delicious rolls, 2 martinis and a beer. Sushi is not normally cheap, and this was not only cheap, it was tasty.

I'll always go to Fro's because it's the fastest walk from the office to liquor, but now I have a better reason, and I don't need to worry if I spent too much on shoes that week!

Yay for cheap sushi and drinks--go to Tokyo Fro's for happy hour. You can find Fro's on the corner of Howe and Fair Oaks, on the Fair Oaks side of the Safeway shopping center. But you knew that already.

Whine about Wine

I love 58 Degrees. When I lived in midtown I was there at least once a week. I knew some of the servers by name. Some of them knew mine. They were nice, knowledgable and seemed to really enjoy and be passionate about wine.

Based on my most recent visit, it seems something has changed.

I recently went to one of their $10 Wednesday night tastings. It wasn't my first time at one of these events. The usual routine is you buy five or six tickets for $10 and each ticket gets you a taste of each of the wines in their selected flight. The first problem -- the pourer was not very knowledgable about the wines. In fact, he poured one that was so "cooked" that it smelled like vinegar. When one of my fellow tasters told him about the problem he didn't think it was worth changing the bottle. That's not good.

The second problem -- they were stingy with the pours. I don't mean they didn't give me a full glass as my taste. In the past, if you wanted to pass on a port (yuk!) for example, you could get another taste of Pinot with your extra ticket. No more! It's one taste of each wine and that's it.

Now, I understand their policy. It was explained by our server (a woman we've always liked) that people were taking advantage and just getting six tastes of the most expensive wine on the list instead of sampling them all. I get that, but they didn't make the customers aware of the change. In fact, they go to CSI lengths to stop the abuse! When I brought up my glass for a taste of Grenache I brought my friend's glass too. She had already had the Grenache but wanted to skip the next one on the list for a 2nd taste of Grenache. The Grenache came after a rose in the tasting line. My glass had pink in it, hers had red. He refused to pour her a taste because the forensic evidence proved she was going out of order.

And overall, besides the server I just mentioned, the staff doesn't seem very engaged or interested in what they are selling. On a different visit, we asked a bartender for his thoughts on the rosés on the menu. He said "all rosés are dry." That's just not true. When asking another server about a series of whites I might be interested in trying, he referred to them all as "nice." Same for several reds.

I'm sure I may sound like a big whiner (ha!). That's partially true, but it's not the issue here. I love wine. I am sure I'll be back to 58 Degrees because they have great wine. I'm just sad about the change since the place first opened. And now with all the competition within walking distance, they should be striving to be the most friendly, knowledgable staff in midtown.

In fact, later that night after the aforementioned tasting, my friends and I hoofed it to The Grand on 16th & L and had some delicious vintages that were recommended by our charming server. What a difference a few blocks made.

Bali Wine Bar and Grill

Jennifer and I had been waiting for our Cafe Rolle night for weeks. Literally weeks--we planned this dinner so long ago (and have had dinner elsewhere in the meantime) that it seemed like it was never going to happen. So when we pulled up last night to use our expired coupon and taste some delicious French cuisine (yum, pate) I don't think either of us was surprised that the restaurant was closed until next week. Damn it!

Instead we decided to drive to Bali Wine Bar and Grill, another restaurant on our list to try. Bali (the restaurant, not the island) is right off Broadway on 18th Street. Super close, easy drive. There is plenty of parking on the street (if you don't mind parking in front of someone's house) and a very small lot in the back of the restaurant. I was already impressed "I love it already" to which Jen replied that I hadn't even seen it yet. Well, perhaps not all of it, but I did see lovely gauzy curtains and a wine bottle on every table. Good enough for me!

We were warmly welcomed right when we came in, and continued to have excellent service throughout the meal. Our server was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful in choosing entrees from a rather exotic (and unpronounceable) list. A nice touch was the recycled wine bottles used for mint-flavored water. Our server graciously poured our water and left one on the table. Always nice for us thirsty folks to not have to continuously ask for a refill of water.

We decided to order a bottle of red wine for our meals, and although Bali calls itself a "wine bar" I have to say it's a little stretch. They have wine, sure. And there's a fairly decent selection of varietals. But they certainly don't have the selection necessary for that title. And not to sound like a wine snob, but I don't go to a "wine bar" to taste wine I can buy for under $10 at Trader Joe's. That said, Jennifer picked out a lovely Sangiovese from Gina in St. Helena and it was great. It was also very reasonably priced.

We snacked on the chip things our server brought for us-- a strange, yet tasty crispy tapioca with garlic. I'm not sure exactly what they were called, but they were addictive. We decided not to do apps (saving room for desert) and went for main courses. Jennifer had the tri-tip and I had the salmon. Both were great-- each was marinated in a lovely tropical sauce that was not too sweet. None of that sticky sweet teriyaki here! My salmon was topped with a really spicy chili mix that really brought out the flavors of the fish. Both of us were pleasantly surprised by the veggies; each entree was served with a mix of wilted greens that were not too wilty, and crispy green beans and bean sprouts. The rice was our favorite however-- it was warm and aromatic. I'm not a rice fan (unless it's fried, but that goes for just about anything) but this was so good I had to go back for more. It was also nicely served in a separate bowl to share.

For desert we had a chocolate filled banana that wrapped in some sort of phyllo and fried, served with vanilla ice cream. The banana was great-- really chocolaty and crispy on the outside. The vanilla ice cream was also something special, it was very creamy and a great accompaniment for the bananas.

Overall, the ambiance and service were fantastic. It has a kitschy feel that works well with its small space. The bathroom is also something to check out--so much stuff! You almost want to hang out in there for a little while, if it wasn't for the scale sitting on the floor. Hmmm. Maybe it was a good thing there was no french food tonight! This would be a great place to go on a date, it's quiet enough to easily have a conversation, yet there's plenty of stuff around if the date proves boring.

It was also quite reasonable, due partially to our Entertainment card. If we had a rating system yet, it'd be right up there.

You can find Bali Wine Bar and Grill at 2416 18th Street in Sacramento, 95818. (916) 444-1247

Cheers!

It took a little leg work, some research and plenty of drinks to compile this list of Happy Hours in Sacramento. Cheers!

33rd Street Bistro: 4 - 6, $3.33 drafts and house wines; $4.50 well cocktails

4th Street Grille: 11am- 7pm - $5.95 apps, drink specials from $3 to $5

58 Degrees: 3 to 6 - $10 flights , $5 selected wines and selected apps between $3 and $5.

Aura: 4 - 7, Monday - Saturday, $2 domestic beers and well drinks & $3 import drafts; half price appetizers, including coconut shrimp, quesadillas, chicken tenders and bruschetta. On Mondays, entrees are half price all day, as is wine (glasses and bottles).

Beach Hut: 5pm to close - $5 liters of beer (just stay away from the blond girl)

Blue Cue: 5 - 8, $2 appetizers & drinks; Tuesday from 8:00 - 11 enjoy $1 tacos & $2.50 domestic

Biba: 5 - 7 (M - F): $5 selected cocktails and appetizers; half-price wine

Bistro 33: 4-7pm - $3.50 selected beer, cocktails and house wine, $3.50 apps including chips, wings and fries; $6.50 crab & artichoke dip

Brew it Up!: 4:00 – 6:00 & 10:00 – close; $3 draft beers; $1 off all house cocktails, martinis and house wines; free appetizer buffet from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. M – F

Burgers & Brew: 3 - 6pm; $3 pints and $12 pitchers; $5 - $5.50 apps including quesadillas and shish kabobs. Late night happy hour Thursday to Saturday from 10pm to 1am.

Cafeteria 15L: 4 - 7 (M - F) & 9pm - 12am (Thursdays): $4 well, $5 house wine, $6 martinis, $4 - $6 appetizers including mac & cheese, sliders, ahi poke and tater tots

Capitol Garage: 4 - 7; $2.75 well drinks, $3.75 Long Island Ice Tea, $1 off pints, $4 Jagermeister and $3 - $4 appetizers

Celestin's: 4 - 6 (Tu - Sun) and 9 - 10 (Fri & Sat), drinks start at $2; $3 apps include sweet potato fries and jerk beef empanadas

Centro: Margarita Mondays, two-for-one; Tuesday through Friday $3 - $5 food and drink specials from 3:00 - 6:00.

Chevy's on the River: 4:00 – 7:00, 50% off all appetizers and $1 off all margaritas!

Chevys on Howe and Hurley: 3:00 - 7:00 M - F & 11am - 3pm Saturdays; $3 margaritas, draft beer and wine, $3 appetizers including HUGE nachos, buffalo wings & chicken flautas (thanks to Meesh for the tip!)

Chicago Fire: 4:00 - 6:00; 1/2 off apps, $3 wells and $1 PBR

Chops: 3:00 – 7:00 , $3.50–$4.50 for beer, wine and well drinks, selected appetizer specials including oysters on the half-shell for $1.50 a piece.

The Corner Bar: 3 - 6 (M-F), $2.50 bottled beer, $2 Rolling Rock, $3 well drinks. Apps from $3.50 and up. Tuesdays get a pizza and a pitcher for $20.

Cosmo Cafe: 3:30 - 5:30, $3 domestics, $4 selected wine & $5 cosmo; $3 - $5 apps including fries, crostini and salmon pastrami

deVere's: 3:30 - 6:30, M - Th (Friday's starting at 1:30): $3 - $5 appetizers including deep fried pickles, three varieties of wings & Dublin crisps; $3 & $4 drinks including beers and spirits

Ella: 4 - 6: $8 cocktail specials

Elixir: 4:00 – 7:00, $2 wells, $2 domestic bottles, $3 pints, $4 u-call-it

El Patron: 3:00 - 6:00,$4 margaritas, $1 tacos and 1/2 price appetizers

El Torito: M-F 4:00—8:00, drink specials, Cuervo Gold Margarita $3.75, Domestic Draft $2.75, Dom. Grande draft $3.75, House Chard $3.50, Well drinks $2.75, ½ price appetizers

Esquire Grill: M-f, 5:00 - 7:00: $6 wines, cocktails and appetizers

Fat’s Asia Bistro (yes, ROSEVILLE!): Tommy Bahama rum specials, house wine and draft beers that range from $2 to $5, 1/2 off appetizers

Fat City: 3 - 6, M - F: $3 house wine, $2 drafts, $2.50 well, 1/2 off appetizers

Frank Fats: "Martini Hour" from 3:00 - 6:00; half priced martinis& appetizers, $3 well drinks and $2 beers.

Gallagher's: 3:30 - 6:30, M - F: 1/2 off selected menu items, daily drink specials ($3 range)

Golden Bear: Daily from 4 - 7: $1.50 Miller High Life, $2 well drinks & 2 tacos for $5

The Grand: till 6:30, $2 off wine; limited appetizers

The Grange: Mondays only, $6 apps and cocktails; $5 wines

Hamburger Patties: 4:00 – 7:00; half price apps; $3 drafts & $2.75 well drinks; hourly specials; progressive happy hour on Friday & Saturday

Hangar 17: 2:00 – 7:00; $3 to $5 calamari, beef skewers, sliders, pizza and salad. $2 beer, well & select cocktails.

Hashi (formerly Stonegrill): 3 – 6:00, $3 beers and cocktails and $2 to $6 appetizers. $3 sake bombs on Wednesday and $5 margaritas on Friday.

Hoppy Brewing Company: Tuesday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to closing, Monday all day, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday from 3 p.m. to closing; $3.25 pints, $1.50 half-pints, $11 pitchers

Il Fornaio: 5:00 – 7:00, Free appetizers, $3.50 house wines and beers, $5.50 Chianti, $3.50 well drinks.

INK: 4:00 – 7:00 (M - F) & 10pm - 12m (Mon & Thurs), $3 apps, including wings, sliders and quesadillas. $3 well and drafts

Kasbah: $12 sangria pitchers; $2 - $4 appetizer specials

L Wine Lounge & Urban Kitchen: Wednesday wine tasting, including five wines and a sample of small bites for $15

Level Up: till 8pm, Tues. - Sat.; $2.25 & $3 beer, call $4.50, wine $5.50, signature cocktails $6.50 and $6 appetizers

Lounge on 20: 3:00 - 7:00; $5 martinis, cocktails, bubbles & wine; $4 beer; app prices based on time of order ($3 in 3:00 hour, etc.) including fried risotto, mac & cheese, ceviche & smoked salmon

Lucca: 2 - 6 every day; drink specials from $3 to $5 and small plates from $3 to $5

Malabar: 3 - 7pm, $3 beers and well drinks, $3.50 wine, half-price appetizers

McCormick & Schmick’s: till 6pm, $1.95 appetizers with two drink minimum

Mikuni (Midtown Only): M- F, 2 - 6; Sa & Su, 12 - 4: $3- $5 beer, sake, salads, rolls, handrolls, nigiri, other appetizers & $6 cocktails

Mix: T - F, 4 - 7: $5 well, $5 wine, $6.50 martini; half off small plates

Monkey Bar: 3:30 – 7:00, $2 draft beers and well drinks

Morgan's: 4 - 6: $2 drinks and $3 apps

Morton's: 4 - 6:30 & 9:30 - 11, after 4:00 on Sundays: $5 bites (including crab & artichoke dip, filet mignon sandwiches, wedge salad & bleu cheese fries); $4 beeer, $5 wine, $6 Prosecco Spritz, $7 martinis

MVP: till 7, $3 appetizer specials, $4 well drinks

Nishiki: till 6, $2 Kirin, $3 sake bombs, $2 food specials

Paesano’s: 4:00 – 6:00 (M – Th) $3 beer, 44 cocktails & $5 wines; $3 - $8 appetizers

Parlare: 4:00 – 7:00, Tuesdays - $2 beer, sangria, 'tinis, house wines and apps; W - F; $3 - $7 drink specials; $5 - $10 small plates

Paragary's: Saturday thru Friday, 4:30 - 7:30; $2 - $4 beers; $4 - $6 wine; $5 - $6 cocktails and $3 - $5 appetizers

Pearl on the River: 3:00 - 6:30, Buy one get one free drinks with the purchase of a small plate (includes well drinks, draft beers and wine)

Pine Cove: 12- 7 everyday, $2.50 single drinks, $4.00 double drinks, $1.00 off pitchers

R15: Tuesday's Champagne Campaign, come in a group of three or more and get a $5 bottle of bubbly; M - F, 3:00 -- 7:00: $2 featured drinks and beer for $2

Revolution Wines: 4 - 6 (Th & F): $2 wines

Rio City Cafe: 3:00 - 6:00 half off apps, well drinks & beer

River City Brewing Company: 3:00 - 6:00, M - F: $3.25 for all pints and house wines; selected appetizers for $3.25

Riverside Clubhouse: 4:00 - 7:00, $3.50 drafts, wine and wells & half-price selected appetizers; Wednesdays enjoy buy 1/get 1 tacos adn Pacificos if you ride your bike.

Rubicon: Tuesday is $2.50 pint day - all day!

Sakura Sushi: 3:30 - 6:00, free chef's choice appetizer

Sapporo: 2:00 - 6:00 (M-F) and 11am - 5:00 (weekends): huge selection of $2 - $6 appetizers, $3 & $6 drink specials and $4 - $7 rolls; Half-off rolls all day Sunday through Tuesday.

Scott’s Seafood: 4:00 – 6:00 (10pm on Thursdays at the Fair Oaks location) drink specials; $1 shucked oysters/$1.25 Rockefellers

Shady Lady: 4 - 6, M - F: $3 well drinks and $6 "classic" cocktails

Sofia: 4:00 - 7:00; different drink specials by day

Spa Bar: 4:00 – 6:30, $3 - $5 drink & appetizer specials; No corkage Mondays

Streets of London: 4:00 – 6:00, 10 - close; $1.25 off pitchers and $1 off drafts, free appetizers at the bar

Sweetwater: 2 to close (MTW), 2 - 6 (ThFS)$3 beer, well & house wines; $5 big easy shrimp, artichoke, calamari, spinach/artichoke dip; Sunday, 2 to close is $2 pint night

Taco Loco: $3 margaritas and Tuesdays feature $1 tacos, Wednesays have $1 quesadillas

Tamaya: 4:00 – 6:00, $2 sake bombs; $4 well, $3 draft beer, $3 selected rolls and appetizers (including sesame chicken and gyoza)

Ten22: 4 - 7 (M- F), $1 off well, $2 & $3 beer, $4 daily appetizer special

Tex Wasabi’s: 3:00 – 6:00 & 9:00 – 11:00, $2 - $4 drinks and appetizers

Three Fires Lounge: 3:00 - 7:00, $5 food specials including wings, pizza & burgers; $2 domestic, $3 wine & $5 Smirnoff cocktails

Tokyo Fro's (Fair Oaks Blvd): 4:00 – 6:00, 1/2 off most drinks (including great martinis) 1/2 off certain rolls

Uncle Vito's: 4:00 - 6:00, $5 for a slice and a beer or well drink. Late night happy hour after 10 (Sunday - Thurs) and after 11 (Fri & Sat)

Zebra Club: After 2:00pm, $2 burritos while they last

Zinfandel Grill: 3:30 – 6:30 ,$3 margaritas, draft beers and well drinks, ½ price appetizers

Zocalo: 3 - 6 on Fridays $2 tacos and $5 margaritas

** updated May 4, 2010**