Vixen's L.A. HAPPY HOURS

Next Door Lounge

2011-12-20T15:31:00.000-08:00

I've already been out to Next Door Lounge when it first opened, but they invented me back to try their new happy hour menu. At first glance, we were pleased to see there was more food items compared to the old menu. There weren't as many cocktails choices compared to last time, but I'd rather have more food than drink options. Even though I love my cocktails, it's really the food that brings me in. After all, don't we all need good food to absorb the alcohol??? Another plus is that their happy hour cocktails are just $5-6. Definitely a good deal.

Next Door's happy hour is Tuesday through Friday from 5-8pm. I LOVE that it goes till 8pm!! And they also have a late night happy hour Tues.-Thurs. from midnight-1:30pm.

click to enlarge

So between our two trips, here's what we ate. And there wasn't one dish we didn't like. Definitely good quality food for happy hour!

Shrimp Ceviche - $5

spinach, walnuts, roasted apple, mozzarella, goat cheese, fresh herbs

Loved it! Very tasty.

Crostini - $3

Roasted red and white beets, carrots, parsnip,

turnip, celery root, and goat cheese

Spinach and Goat Cheese Flatbread - $6

spinach, walnuts, roasted apple, mozzarella, goat cheese, fresh herbs

Heirloom Tomato and Spinach Flatbread - $6

Smoked Pulled Pork - $6

with guacamole and srispy onions - served with apple coleslaw (not shown but it was GREAT!)

Sliders - $6

served with Sweet Potato Fries

YUM!

And they even have dessert on the happy hour menu. I definitely preferred the Creme Brulee over the Pumpkin Pie. It was a bit flat.

Creme Brulee - $6

Pumpkin Pie - $6

For happy hour drinks, NDL offers $4 beers and wine, and the following cocktails:

Whiskey Sour $6

Old Forester Bourbon, lemon, sugar, egg whites

Moscow Mule - $5

Vodka, ginger beer

Daiquiri - $5

Matusalem Plantino, lime, sugar

I just LOVE the drink prices!

So between the low drink prices and great food... Next Door Lounge has won me over compared to the last time I was there. I will definitely be back.

Happy Hour

Tues-Fri 5-8pm.
Tues-Thurs Midnight-1:30pm

Next Door Lounge

1154 North Highland Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90038
(323) 465-5500

nextdoorhollywood.com
facebook.com/nextdoorlounge
twitter.com/nextdoorlounge

Mohawk Bend on Mondays

2011-12-09T15:25:00.000-08:00

CRAZY CHEAP ALERT!!! CRAZY CHEAP ALERT!!!

Have you heard??? Every Monday, Mohawk Bend in Echo Park as an awesome deal of All-You-Can-Eat Pizza for just $12 and it's ALL NIGHT!
And how many choices do you get??? Over 10! And some pizza are vegan-friendly. This is one deal you shouldn't miss.

Click to enlarge

Along with AYCE pizza, selected pints are just $4 and their flights are served all night. Typically, Mohawk "Flight Time" runs from 5-7pm, but is extended all night in the Ramona Room on Mondays. Each flight is $9 and consists of four 4-oz California brews.

They also offer a Monday Night Cocktail at a discounted price. The night we went, it was The Hershiser (rum, lime juice, orgeat, grenadine, vanilla bean syrup, blue curacao float).

The Hershiser - $9

Now you can stuff your face with a crap load of pizza, but since you only spend $12... leave room for dessert!

Well, here was my dessert. ;)

So grab your calendar and put a big "Mohawk Bend" on every single Monday. I know I did!!

"Mohawk Mondays"

$12 All-You-Can-Eat Pizza
$9 Beer Flights
$4 Pints

Mohawk Bend

2141 W. Sunset Blvd.
Echo Park, CA 90026
213.483.2337

www.mohawk.la/
facebook.com/mohawkla
twitter.com/mohawkla

*Food and drinks were hosted

The Fat Dog

2011-11-15T18:45:00.000-08:00

I don't get over to Hollywood very much, but I'm so glad I got turned on to The Fat Dog. We went for happy hour and dinner and I was WOW'ed by the food. Sooo good!

The Fat Dog's happy hour is daily 4-7pm and offers a $3 beers, $4 wine, $5 well drinks, and $3 Shot of the Day. But the food (which runs $3-6) was real the star of the show.

Since we were having dinner, we only ordered 4 appetizers (see below) off the happy hour menu. And yes, we got four appetizers for two people. What I can say??? We were hungry!! hehehe. The Sweet Potato Fries and cheese plate were fine and dandy, but the Swedish meatballs and the Potato Skins were out of this world! The Swedish Meatballs were the best I have ever had and the Potato Skins were stuffed with crab, bacon, and asparagus and topped with Hollandaise sauce. YUM. The next time I go in, I might even just order those two items and make that my dinner.

Sweet Potato Fries - $3

A Cheese Bite - $5

Swedish Meatballs - $5

Potato Skins - $6

Happy Hour Food Menu

For happy hour drinks, Fat Dog offers $3 cider and beers, a $3 shot of the day, $4 wine, and $5 well drinks. I ordered the Shot of the Day plus a drink off their cocktail list, The Mutt (not happy hour), which contained Rye Whiskey, Absinthe (love), simple syrup, Peychaud's and lemon. My second drink was The Fat Mary (Bloody Mary). I love Bloody Marys and this one made me quite happy. My friend got the Tailwagger (Stoli Raspberry, sour, Triplesec, and lemon).

(L-R) The Mutt $11, The Tailwagger $9,

and the Shot of the Day (Pink Lemonade) $3

Fat Mary $9 (not on HH)

Happy Hour Drink Menu

Their signature cocktails aren't discounted for happy hour, but here's the menu just in case you were interested.

Now you would think two people sharing 4 appetizers would be sufficient but since I'm a ~~little piggy piggy~~ food connoisseur, we ordered dinner too. And thank god we did because it was sooooo good. We started with the Jalapeno Mac and Cheese and it was made to perfection. Perfect amount of jalepeno and the cheese blend was spot on! My friend got the French Dip Sandwich (which was really good) but I got the Roasted Organic Chicken which was UH-MAZING!!! I swear I think they put crack in it or something. It's THAT good. Now this stuff isn't on happy hour, but you have to try the Mac and Cheese and the chicken. You won't be disappointed.

Jalapeno Mac and Cheese - $9 (Not on HH)

Braised Short-Rib French Dip

$14 (Not on HH)

Roasted Mary's Farm Organic Chicken

$18 (Not on HH)

So Fat Dog definitely gets my stamp of approval. And if you are ever in the Montrose area, you should check out The Fat Dog there.

Happy Hour

daily 4-7pm

Small Plates $3-6

$3 beers, $4 wine, $5 well drinks, and $3 Shot of the Day.

The Fat Dog

801 N. Fairfax Ave.

Hollywood, CA 90046

323-951-0030

thefatdogla.com

facebook.com/thefatdoghollywood

twitter.com/thefatdogla

*food and drinks were hosted

Onyx Lounge

2011-09-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I met up with one of my favorite DTLA happy hour buddies, The Minty. We first met up at Pattern Bar, but unfortunately we weren't too impressed with their happy hour food prices and decided to go to Onyx instead. And boy, was that a good move!

Onyx's happy hour is daily from 4:30-7pm and ALL of their specialty cocktails are just $6 and I thought they were great!

They also have a REVERSE HAPPY HOUR Sunday - Thursday 10pm-close.

Onyx's cocktail list was created by Douglas Williams (@LiquidDouglas on Twitter) and is superb. Since Minty and Doulas are Twitter friends, he asked her back to try some new cocktails that would be on their menu. And lucky me... she invited me to tag along. Between both trips, we were delighted with the creative cocktails. Take a looksee!

Spring St. Smash - $6
Bourbon, blackberry, basil, lemon, sambuca

Lenora's Fizz - $6
Gin, applejack, raspberry, lemon, egg white

Bitter Muse - $6
Mezcal. sour cherries, gran classico

Smoked Peach Mint Julep - $6
Berheim wheat whiskey, Leopold Brothers' Georgia Peach Whiskey Cardamaro

Padrino - $6
Pisco, sherry, maraschino, bitters

FIDM Cup - $6
Gin, lime, celery salt

Here is the cocktail menu featured while we were there. Although the new cocktails were available, the menu was not yet updated. (Click to enlarge.) On my third trip back, I tried the Bunker Hill and love it!

For happy hour food, you get $2 off anything on the menu below. A bit high for happy hour, but if you are like me and you drink more than you eat... the $6 cocktails COMPLETELY make up for it. And notice there are many options for our Vegetarian friends!

Mojo Marinated Pork Sliders - $9

Fish & Chips - $6
Shrimp ceviche w/ tortilla chips

So if you are looking to get your drink on, you gotta check out Onyx. You won't be disappointed.

And check out Minty's take on our visit.

Happy Hour

4:30-7pm Daily
10pm-close Sun.-Thu.

Onyx Lounge

118 w. 5th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213-891-1144

onyxloungela.com
facebook.com/OnyxLoungeLA
twitter.com/onyxloungela

Michael's

2011-09-14T18:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a long wait, but Michael's in Santa Monica finally has happy hour!
*Wish for it, and it will come*

Michael's is a fine dining restaurant and is close to both the Third St. Promenade and the beach. Their happy hour is Monday-Friday from 5-7pm and is offered in their bar and in their lounge. If you are looking for a higher end happy hour, perhaps for a date... Michael's is a nice choice.

Click to enlarge

Michael's offers a selection of small plates all for $6, except the oysters that are $3 each. I was a bit confused by the oysters being on the happy hour menu because they are normally $3. Oh well. I love oysters so I ordered them anyway. In fact, I was starving so we ordered lots of different things. My favorite was the Crispy Sweetbread "Poppers". They were really good.

Truffle Fries - $6

Crispy Sweetbread Poppers - $6 - My favorite!

Duck Confit Rilletes - $6

Oysters - $3 each

Potato Blinis - $6

The happy hour seemed to be a lot of small plates, so we went on to the regular bar menu for something a bit more hearty. The Slider Trio sounded amazing so we went with that and it truly WAS amazing. It was soooo good! The Trio includes Pork Tenderloin, Duck Confit with Slaw, and Wagyu Beef with Stilton Blue Cheese. It wasn't on happy hour but it was worth the $12 pricetag. Sometimes you just gotta splurge!

Slider Trio - $12

Michael's also offers a selection of cocktails ($6-8), beer ($4) and wine ($6). We had 3 of the 4 cocktails offered and The 15th State was our favorite. The next day a friend told me that Jason's Famous Punch #1 is realllly good, so I'm bummed I didn't try that one.

The 15th State

Makers Marker Bourbon, Ginger, Lime Soda

$ 8

The Downtowner

Tito's Vodka, Lime, Canton Ginger Liquer,

St. Germain Elderflower Liquer, Soda

The Dominicano

Dolin Blanc, Dolin Rouge, Citadelle Gin,

Aperol, Orange Bitters

$ 8

So if you are looking for some small bites and drinks near the beach, give Michael's a try!

Happy Hour:
M-F 5-7pm
$6-8 selected cocktails , $4 beer, $6 wine
$6 small plates

Michael's

1147 Third Street
Santa Monica, Ca 90403
310.451.0843

michaelssantamonica.com
facebook.com/michaelssantamonica
twitter.com/msantamonica

*drinks and food were hosted

Shutters on the Beach

2011-08-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

Shutters on the Beach has been on my "want-to-go" list because I heard that all their happy hour food is just $5 and is really good. Since we were headed to Santa Monica's Concerts on the Pier, we thought this was a perfect place to eat and drink beforehand since it's walking distance.

When we first got to the hotel, we saw a bar in the lobby near a small patio. We checked out the menu and the happy hour food wasn't $5, but after checking with the waitress we found out there are two different happy hours... one in the lobby (which we were at) and one in the hotel's cafe, Coast Beach Cafe and Bar. And yep, it was the Coast Cafe that had the better deal and choice of items.

So my happy hour partner, Shaun-Mathieu, and I headed downstairs to Coast. As soon as we walked in, we liked the place. It's very nice, but not too froo-froo. There isn't an outside patio but you can see the ocean from the bar, so that was nice.

The Coast Cafe's happy hour is Monday-Thursday from 4-7pm and offers a nice selection of food, cocktails, wine, and beer. We tried everything you see below and we impressed with all of it except the nachos. They were actually very tasty but hardly had any cheese. The rest of it we just loved! The Fish Tacos were soooo good. And the oysters!!!! Great price and some of the best oysters I have ever had. We were even surprised the Pulled Pork Sliders were so good. They were made with pickle and cole slaw and were just delicious.

Nachos - $5

Fish Tacos - $1.50 ea.

Oysters - 3 for $5 or 6 for $9

Kurobuta Pulled Pork Sliders - 3 for $5

The drinks were a decent price. We tried three different cocktails: Cadillac Margarita, Mojito, and the Pomegranate Wave Martini. I had the Margarita and the Mojito. I liked both but the Mojito was definitely my favorite! I tried Shaun's Pomegranate Martini, but it was pretty sweet. Shaun-Mathieu tends to like more sweeter drinks than myself, but he even thought it was a bit too sweet. The prices aren't the greatest but they are completely awful either. I think since the food is so inexpensive, it sort of balances out.

Cadillac Margarita - $8

Pomegranate Wave Martini - $7

Mojito - $7

HH Menu from the Lobby Bar

So we definitely loved this happy hour and can't wait to go back. Our bill was a tad higher than our typical happy hour tours, but the food was quality so we were okay with throwin' down the extra bucks. On our next trip, I really want to try the Mussels and the Ahi. I would actually like to try the happy hour at the bar in the lobby, too. Check out the lobby's HH menu... not the best selection of food but I do like the drink selection.

Happy Hour

M-Th 4-7pm
$5 food, $4 beer, $6 wine, $7-8 Cocktails

Shutters on the Beach

(in Coast Cafe and Bar)
1 Pico Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
310.458.0030

Website for Coast Cafe and Bar

Thirsty Crow

2011-08-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

Thirsty Crow opened in Silverlake in April of 2010 and until last weekend I hadn't been there. Why?? Well they didn't have happy hour. Duh! But they do now!!

Thirsty Crow's happy hour is daily... Monday-Saturday from 5-8pm and 2-7pm on Sundays. And Sunday is packed full of events! Not only do they have happy hour, but they also offer Whiskey Education from 9pm-close with live local bands. During their Whiskey Education, they offer $4 Buffalo Trace and $5 Sazerac Rye.

princessFrank

We went in last Sunday around 5pm so we didn't get a chance to experience the Whiskey Education, but there was this singer who was a one-man-band called princessFrank. He was great! He's there every Sunday afternoon, so you should check him out!

For happy hour, Thirsty Crow offers 8 drinks for just $5! They were a bit on the small side, but for $5 I was happy.

Here's what we had...

Old Fashioned

Buffalo Trace Bourbon, bitters,

simple syrup, flamed orange zest

Dark n' Stormy

Kraken Dark rum, gingerbeer

Moscow Mule

Stoli Vodka, fresh lime, spicy ginger beer

Sloe Gin Fizz

Sloe Gin, Citrus, and Fizz

I started with the Old Fashioned which was great. I normally will drink a variety of drinks off the menu but I love Old Fashioneds so I stuck to that. Friends had the other drinks, so I got to taste them and they were good too.

If you'd like to see more of the bar, here is an article from LAWeekly from back when Thirsty Crow just opened. There are tons of great shots.

Unfortunately Thirsty Crow doesn't serve food, so this is a great place for some drinks before going to happy hour somewhere else. That's what we did and will probably do again!

Happy Hour

$5 Cocktails: Mon-Sat 5-8pm & Sundays 2-7pm

Whiskey Education w/$4-5 Whiskey: Sundays 9p-close

Thirsty Crow

2939 W. Sunset Blvd.

Los Angeles, Ca 90026

323.661.6007

thirstycrowbar.com

facebook.com/ThirstyCrowBar

twitter.com/thirstycrowbar

Saint Felix

2011-08-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

Old films play above the bar

I used to not be a big fan of Hollywood and the happy hours it offered, but it's definitely getting better in the last year. Recently, Saint Felix opened a second location on Cahuenga Blvd in the old Citizen Smith location, and it gets my stamp of approval.

Saint Felix's happy hour is daily from 5-8pm. I love that it's daily AND that it goes till 8pm. There is a large selection of drinks and some delicious small plates, too!

Let's start with the most important part... the cocktail menu. I tried four different drinks and the Stockholm Syndrome was my favorite. A couple were a bit sweet but I'm not much of a martini girl, either. If you are in the same boat, no worries... they offer any drink at half-off (like a Whiskey-Coke, Vodka-Soda, etc).

Pear Manhattan $6.50

Cucumber Dilettante $6.00

Stockholm Syndrome $6.50 *My fave*

Desperado $6.50

And in case you aren't a cocktail-lover, it's half-off wine and beer, too!

All beers during happy hour are $3.50

except Miller Light ($3) and Guinness ($4)

And now on to the food!! The happy hour menu is small but offers quality food. We tried everything except the Chopped Salad. Our thoughts were that The Chicken Cups were good but the Kobe Sliders, Ahi Sliders, and Cubano Tacos were the things to order! Yum!

Now if you are like us and stay way past happy hour into the wee-hours of the night and want some other tasty eats, I highly suggest the Steak Skewers and the Goat Cheese Gratin. Both are amazing and worth their price.

Steak Skewers $13

Goat Cheese Gratin $12

The place is big too... here's the back bar.

Some nice seating in the back...

And then of course there is the front bar. Pretty nice size crowd for happy hour, right!?

Another bonus is that it's really close to the Metro. So I will definitely be back for happy hour!

Happy Hour

Daily 5-8pm
1/2 off all drinks
$5 Food items

Saint Felix

1602 Cahuenga Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
323.469.5001

saintfelix.net
facebook.com/saintfelixhollywood
twitter.com/SaintFelixHwd

*food and drinks were hosted

1886

2011-08-03T17:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not too close to Pasadena but I sure love it there. If I had a helicopter that I could take to work each day and bypass the traffic to The Valley, I definitely would live there. If you live on the Eastside, you are probably just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Pasadena, so you're lucky. Since I don't get to Pasadena that much, my "places-to-go" list is super big... but topping the list was 1886, the bar inside The Raymond. If you haven't been to either the bar or restaurant, you are missing out. The Raymond is a restaurant that used to be an old house built in 1886. It's abosulutely charming with its classic design. And lucky for us, 1886 just started a new happy hour.

1886's happy hour is Tues-Fri from 5-7pm and offers wine, beer, a Champagne Punch, and a selected cocktail. The night we went, the cocktial was a London Fog. A great summer time drink! And for food, they take $2 off each item on the bar food menu.

Take $2 off each price for happy hour

London Fog - $7

We ordered everything you see below. There wasn't anything that we didn't like but our favorites (in regards to taste AND good pricing) were the Pork Belly and the Crispy Szechuan Fish. We loved the Cheeseburger and Fries and Foie Gras but would like to maybe see a couple bucks knocked off their prices.

Pork Belly - $8

Chilled Foie Gras Torchon - $10

Crispy Szechuan Fish - $8

Poppadums with Muhammara and Pomegrante - $3

Cheeseburger and Fries - $8

On this happy hour trip, I went with Shaun-Mathieu. And since we are both cocktail ~~lushes~~ lovers, we ventured off the happy hour menu and tried some of the other specialty drinks. And it was well worth it. The drinks was excellent! I truly loved all of them, so it's hard to say which was a favorite... but the Barbacoa and the Thai Iced Tea are two drinks that are a must!

Bourbon Peach Smash (left) - $12

Media Park Swizzle (right) - $14

Thai Iced Tea - $12

Thai Tea infused Cachaca, Demarara Syrup, and hand whipped cream

Barbacoa - $14

Created by Julian Cox of Rivera and Picca

Mescal, chipotle, agave, ginger, lime, and garnished with beef jerky

Shaun-Mathieu and I really loved this place. Not only was it beautiful inside, but the patio was gorgeous as well. When we were done eating, we took our drinks out to the patio to enjoy the lovely summer night. (Happy Hour is offered on the patio as well as the bar.)

So cheers to The Raymond of having such a great bar! We can't wait to go back!

Happy Hour

Tu-Fri 5-7pm

1886 Bar in The Raymond

1250 S. Fair Oaks Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91105
626.441.3136

theraymond.com

*Drinks and food were hosted

Basement Tavern

2011-07-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

Look for the eye!

I've been to Basement Tavern a few times but didn't write up their happy hour because it only offered drinks and no food specials... BUT NOW THEY DO!

If you've never been to Basement Tavern, you are definitely missing out. It's one of my favorite bars in Santa Monica. My friend Shaun-Mathieu just tried to go last week and well... he never found the place. That's because it is literally in the basement of The Victorian. Poor Shaun-Mathieu went right inside the The Victorian and just thought he had the wrong address and left. But since it's in the basement, you have to go to the back of the place and enter that way. Just look for the eye!

Once you've made it downstairs, you'll find one of Santa Monica's most charming bars with its elegant furniture and fancy chandeliers. Don't worry guys, it's rustic enough for you to still feel cool. In fact, there has been some pretty nice eye candy when I've gone. Oops, getting side-tracked. Sorry.

Basement Tavern's happy hour runs daily from 5-8pm and includes half-off most of their food menu, $3 beers, $5 well drinks, $5 wine, and a $5 specialty cocktail called Delia's Elixir (Buffalo Trace Bourbon, agave, raspberries, lemon). I was quite happy to see the Elixir contained Buffalo Trace. I love the stuff. And their well vodka is Pearl Vodka. Well done, Basement Tavern... well done!!!

Delia's Elixir

$5 (reg. $8)

We had a couple of the Elixirs and then decided to try some other cocktails not included in happy hour. I had the Basil Honeyden (below left) with Basil Hayden Bourbon, honey syrup, citrus, basil and my friend, Emily, had the C'est La Vie (right) Pearl Vodka, mint, citrus, blueberries, champagne. I loved the the Honeyden! I'll definitely have that again. Emily's cocktail was nice, but I'm more of a whiskey girl. Love and Linda had well drinks and they were pretty strong.

Basil Honeyden - $10


C'est La Vie - $10

Here's the complete cocktail list but they will also make drinks not listed. My friend, Christopher, said that bartender Matt makes the best Sazerac in town. And Chris KNOWS his Sazeracs.

When we looked at the food menu (all half-off except the cheese and meat plates) we were impressed with the selection and prices.

For food, we got the Basement Burger, Truffle Parmesan Fries, Lamb Kabobs, and Proscuitto & Wild Arugula Pizza. The Burger was really good!! I definitely recommend getting that. Unfortunately, I weren't impressed with the other items. But then again, my friend Jenn liked the pizza so try things for yourself. (Good to know: The burger comes with jalapenos.)

Basement Burger - $5

Truffle Parmesan Fries - $8

Lamb Skewers - $6

Proscuitto and Wild Arugula Pizza - $6

I would go back to happy hour at the Basement Tavern because I was a fan of theirs before and I liked the burger and drink specials. And if you stay past happy hour, they have live music almost every night.

Happy Hour

Daily 5-8pm
Half-off most food items,
$5 Specialty Cocktail,
$3 beers, $5 wells & wine

Basement Tavern

(the basement of The Victorian) 2640 Main St. Santa Monica, CA 90405 310.396.2469 facebook.com/BasementTavern twitter.com//basementtavern

M Street Kitchen

2011-07-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

I love going to Santa Monica for happy hour but there aren't too many places that have a patio. But we just checked out M Street Kitchen and they have a great one! Happy hour there is daily 4-6:30pm. They have a nice selection of drinks and food including sushi rolls, appetizers, and a $6 Burger with Fries. We tried a mix of things and my favorites were the Chicken Nachos and The Burger.

Spicy Tuna Roll - $6

Asparagus Roll - $5

Crunchy Spicy Tuna Roll - $7

Pulled Chicken Nachitos - $6

Guacamole and Chips - $4

California Griddle Burger - $6

served with fries

For drinks, M Street offers beer, wine, and Sangria. There is a White and Red Sangria so we tried both. They both were really good, but I preferred the White. And each were only $3. Loved the price! I also had a glass of white wine ($5) and that was really nice. I loved the prices for the drafts, too. Only $3 for a Hoegaarden! Sweet!

So I thought this was a cool place for happy hour especially if you want to sit outside. And the place is dog-friendly too. So great opportunity to take your pup for a walk and grab some drinks at the same time! And don't forget to check out their bakery inside. We got some delicious goodies to take home!

Happy Hour

Daily 4-6:30 pm

M Street Kitchen
2000 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
310-396-9145

http://mstreetkitchen.com

*Food and drinks were hosted

Next Door Lounge

2011-07-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

Next Door Lounge just opened in Hollywood last week and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they have happy hour. Yay! Being that I'm from the Valley, I was a bit confused because there is a "Next Door Tapas Lounge" in Studio City but they are not related at all. Next Door Lounge in Hollywood reminds me of the Edison with its speakeasy vibe from the 20's. When you first arrive, there is a doorman in front to greet you and to inform the host you are there so he can seat you. I chose to sit at the bar, but he even walked me there and grabbed an extra chair needed for a friend arriving soon. That was kinda classy. But enough of this chitter-chatter, let's move on to the food and drinks!!

Next Door offers happy hour daily from 5-8pm. At first they were advertising that HH went until 7pm but have since changed that. Let's hope that sticks!

For happy hour drinks they offer 5 different specialty cocktails, 2 craft beers, and 4 types of wine.
Definitely a nice selection.

We tried all five drinks and my favorite was the Whiskey Sour. It is my favorite drink in general so no big shock there. $8 for the Whiskey Sour was a decent price but the others would be better at $6. (Regular prices are around $12) The only drink I didn't care for was the Daiquiri. It was just kind of bland. But the rest were fair. I wouldn't say they meet the same quality as the drinks I've had at the Edison or other bars known for their mixology.

**Good to know: If you order the Whiskey Sour, make sure to tell them you don't want it on the rocks. The picture below is my drink, but when a friend ordered it later from a different bartender, it was with ice. #NoIceInWhiskeySoursPlease

Whiskey Sour $8

Old Forester Bourbon, lemon, sugar, egg whites

Tommy's Margarita $8

Blanco Tequila, agave nectar, lime

French 75 - $8

Gordon's gin, lemon, sugar, prosecco

Daiquiri - $8

Matusalem Plantino, lime, sugar

Moscow Mule - $8

Vodka, ginger beer

For happy hour food there is a small but tasty selection. There are four items which are all shown below except for "The Sheik" which is a Greek salad with cucumber, red onion, tomato, and Greek olives served with Chipotle hummus and pita ($6). I liked all three dishes we had.

Los Federales $6

Tortillas filled with grilled lime free-range chicken, caramelized onions,

roasted peppers, black beans, cheese with a Chipotle drizzle

Spinach and Goat Cheese Flatbread - $6

spinach, walnuts, roasted apple, mozzarella, goat cheese, fresh herbs

The Darb - $4

Roasted red and white beets, carrots, parsnip,

turnip, celery root, and goat cheese
Very tasty!!!

And they even have dessert on the happy hour menu. Love!!!

Creme Brulee - $4

Overall I liked the food more than the drinks, but they are still in their opening stages so hopefully some of the bumps will be smoothed out down the road. Joe Brooke (former cocktail director of the Edison) does have a role in making some of the cocktails and he told us they are still working on the final cocktail menu so a revisit is definitely in order.

Happy Hour

Daily 5-8pm

Next Door Lounge

1154 North Highland Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90038
(323) 465-5500

nextdoorhollywood.com
facebook.com/nextdoorlounge
twitter.com/nextdoorlounge

Public Kitchen and Bar

2011-06-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

One of L.A.'s newest happy hours is at Public Kitchen & Bar at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. Since that's where one of my favorite bars (The Library Bar) is at, I was excited to try this happy hour. Public Kitchen call theirs "5 for 5". I thought it would be 5 drinks and 5 food items like BLT's "5 fof 5 Happy Hour", but it was only wine, well drinks, and draft beers, one specialty cocktail and one appetizer for $5 each. Now the drink selection is good (especially the $5 cocktail) but I was disappointed with the one appetizer. Oh well.

The specialty cocktail being offered was "It's All Good" made with Skyy Vodka, Domaine de Canton (a French Ginger liqueur), mint, and soda. It was really nice... very refreshing and pretty strong!

"It's All Good" $5

(The picture is a bit deceiving. It was a nice size.)

Since they rotate the specialty drink, check out what else they offer. I ordered the Kentucky Brunch to give it a try, but I never got it. Why? Eh... long story. But it sounds great!

The appetizer being offered was Hummus with Sun Dried Tomatoes. It was good and they'll give you extra pita if you ask.

So "drink-wise" this is a good happy hour, but the lack of food deals was a bummer. Would I recommend this happy hour? Um, that's a hard one. Let's just say this, I don't ever mention service in my reviews... but good customer service was lacking.

Happy Hour

M-F 3-7pm

Public Kitchen & Bar

(in the Roosevelt Hotel)
7000 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 769-8888

Public's Kitchen and Bar Website

Mas Malo

2011-06-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

Have you heard that Mas Malo has a new happy hour?? Well, we just checked it out last week and we love it. I went in with our newest crew member, Hanh and we can't wait to go back. When we first checked out the food menu, I'll admit that I thought it was a bit small but after we tried everything I had a change of heart. Our bellies were very happy by the end of the night.

Mas Malo has happy hour every day from 4-6pm. Now I wish it lasted until 7pm but they do offer some great hand-crafted cocktails so I'll forgive them. In fact, I was quite impressed with their cocktails and they were only $5. ♥
Three different drinks are offered off of their Signature Cocktail list and our bartender said they will rotate drinks for happy hour from time to time. I like that because it gives you a chance to try all of them as time goes on. My favorite of the night was the Angelina made with Gran Centenario Roseangel Reposado, lime, and hibiscus in a glass rimmed with Chile Salt. Sooo good!

Angelina $5

The Senorita $7 Pinata Smash $5

As I said, they'll be rotating their Happy Hour drinks from their regular Cocktail List so take a peek at what else may be offered in the future for just 5 bucks!

Mas Malo also offers a Classic Margarita and Margaritas with fresh fruit from the local Farmer's Market during happy hour. They were very flavorful and perfect if you like sweet drinks. But if you don't like your drinks on the sweet side, I'd go with something else. Wine, Sangria ($4 ea.) and Beer ($3) are also offered.

Margaritas made with Pomegranate (left) and Berries (right) $5

For food they offer Chips and Salsa ($2.50), Ceviche, Mexican Pizza, and Soft Tacos. I really like that the Soft Tacos come individually during happy hour instead of 3 per order because then you can mix and match.

We tried four types of Soft Tacos and they were really good. But we were blown away with the prices and sizes of the Ceviche ($2.50) and Mexican Pizza ($5). Definitely great deals!

Baja Fish and Baja Shrimp ($2 ea.)

Carnitas and Al Pastor ($2 ea.)

Ceviche $2.50

Mexican Pizza $5

(It's hard to tell but the pizza is VERY big.)

Hanh and I loved this happy hour and I definitely recommend it. And when you're there, take a peek in the back hallway at the Vault in the back. They turned into a tasting room... very fancy! And they even have a hidden lounge in the basement for private parties. If we are friends... I'm inviting you now for my birthday there next year. :)

Secret Vault/Tasting Room

Basement Lounge with bar

So definitely check out this happy hour! I think you'll be very happy!

Happy Hour

Daily 4-6pm

Mas Malo

515 West 7th Street
(Located under Seven Grand)
Los Angeles, CA 90014

(213) 985-4332

masmalorestaurant.com

*Food and drinks were hosted

L'Epicerie Market

2011-06-07T21:13:00.000-07:00

Are you ever out shopping and would like a quick glass of wine and a nice little snack? Well, if you are in Culver City L'Epicerie Market is great for that.

L'Epicerie has a daily happy hour from 4-7pm. They offer four types of wine, three beers, and small bites for just $3. Awesome price!

The items on the food menu are small bites but are really good. I had the Pickled Vegetables, Field Mushrooms, and the Chicken Confit.

Farmer's Market Pickled Vegetables in Champagne Vinegar $3

I love Champagne Vinegar so this was great.

Field Mushrooms with garlic and parsley served with bread $3

Chicken Wing Confit $3

It first sight I though maybe these won't be good but they were delicious.

And it won't be happy hour with the wine!

And a healthy pour for just $3.

I sat at the counter like I normally do, but there are some table available. I'm not sure if happy hour is also offered at the tables so check before you grab one.

This is a great happy hour if you are looking for a quick bite, but it can't substitute dinner. But you can get three glasses of nice wine for less than $10 so I'm a fan. ;) And you can shop in the market when you're done. That's definitely an added bonus!

Happy Hour
Daily 4-7pm

L'Epicerie Market

9900 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310-815-1600

lepiceriemarket.com

Sushi Roku

2011-05-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr. Roku,

Vixen here! I just had happy hour at your Pasadena restaurant and it was awesome! GREAT selection and prices!! I can't wait to visit your Santa Monica location since I'm always on the Westside. And all of your happy hours are daily!? Sweet!! Mr. Roku, you are awesome and I love you. Wanna meet for happy hour??

Sincerely,
Victoria Vickson

That's the email I just sent to Sushi Roku and I meant every word of it. (No response as of yet.) If you are a sushi person, you gotta go here. All three locations have happy hour daily, but the Pasadena location has the best hours... Wednesday-Saturday it's 5-7pm but on Sunday-Tuesday it goes till 10pm! Whoop whoop!!!

The menu is lengthy so props to Mr. Roku: $3 hand rolls, $5 cut rolls, appetizers starting at $3, and $5 drinks. Check out the menu:

See!? Tons to choose from, right!? And everything was really good! Even the cut rolls were thick and were made with lots of fish. My only recommendation to my future husband (Mr. Roku) would be to put a bit more scallops in the Scallop Roll. Other than that, I was one happy camper!

Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice

$3 - NOT a typo!

Albacore Tataki w/ Ponzu Sauce $3

Scallop Roll $3

Spicy Tuna Roll $3

A selection of cut rolls - $5 per order

The drink selection is good. Beer, sake, and wine PLUS their Fusion on the Rocks and well drinks. I started with the Fusion on the Rocks. It was tasty but a bit small. It went down pretty fast. Next time I'd get that with some cold sake. The beer they offer (Kirin Draft) is $5. That's a bit much for happy hour unless it gigantic. I'll check that out the next time I go and report back. Unless YOU'd liked to find out for me and report back. I could you some Happy Hour Helpers!

Fusion on the Rocks and Hot Sake - $5 ea.

Sushi Roku definitely gets two thumbs up by me!!

Happy Hour

Sushi and Apps $3-5

Drinks $5

Locations:

Santa Monica: M-F 5-6:30pm, Sa-Sun 4-6:30pm - 1401 Ocean Ave 90401 (310) 458-4771
L.A. Mid-City: Daily 5-7pm - 8445 W 3rd St. 90048 (323) 655-6767
Pasadena: W-Sa 5-7pm, Sun-Tu 5-10pm - 33 Miller Alley 91103 (626) 683-3000

sushiroku.com

VIP Happy Hour Event

2011-05-18T17:03:00.000-07:00

Vixen's VIP Happy Hour 

at one of Santa Monica's newest restaurants

"The Misfit"

Photo Credit: PopSugar

Saturday, May 28th 4-6pm

offering FREE DRINKS!

Drinks will include:

Signature White Sangria,

Humm Punch, and

Mirror Pond Beer

FREE FOOD will also be served for the first hour

which will include their fabulous Prime Rib Sliders and other small bites!

The Guest List is now full.
Click here to get put on
the Wait List!

(Please include your first and last name
in your email. If someone cancels, you will be notified.)

*Happy Hour is served daily from Noon - 7pm
so great deals are available
before and after my event, too!
See you there!

Special Thanks

to The Misfit

for hosting us!

The Misfit

225 Santa Monica Blvd.

Santa Monica, CA 90401

323-656-9800

*Please Drink Responsibly

and Don't Drink and Drive.

Fleming's

2011-05-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

Tinkled Pink $6

Now we all love a good drink or two, but let's admit it... it's the food that usually "wows" us at a happy hour. Of course there are a few exceptions such as the Edison where I mainly go for the cocktails, but usually it's the food that knocks my socks off.

I usually like to try happy hours at steakhouses because the food is usually pretty good and Fleming's is no exception. And not only is their food tasty, but they have a cocktail that is only 100 calories called "Tickled Pink". Well, as a girl who drinks entirely way too much (at least that's what my mama says)... this was a nice option to have.

On this trip, I went with Love and our new happy hour pal, Lauren. Lauren and I liked the Tickled Pink but it was too sweet for Love. Love went with the Vintage Vodka Martini and asked for very little Vermouth. So basically Love drank straight Vodka. My mama says Love also drinks too much, but since Love is funny it's okay. We also tried the Pomtini (Pomegranate Martini). That was Lauren's fave. But if you aren't cocktails peeps, Fleming's also offers 5 wines for $6 or Guinness Draft for $3.

Vintage Vodaka Martini and Pomtini - $6 each

Now for the nom, nom, nom part! Fleming's has a nice selection of eats but I think the $6 Prime Burger will give you the most bang for your ~~buck~~ 6 bucks. Ours was cooked perfectly and the bacon "made" the burger.


Prime Burger $6

My other faves were the Tenderloin Carpaccio, Roasted Mushroom Ravioli, and Sweet Chile Calamari. Deeeelish.

We also had the Shrimp Cocktail and Seard Ahi Tuna, but I recommend the other dishes.

Now I normally don't like chain restaurants but I'll always make an exception for fine steakhouses. And since Fleming's is a chain, hopefully there is one close to you. Locations included Downtown (L.A. Live), Woodland Hills, and El Segundo. All three offer happy hour which they call "5 For 6 Till 7":

5 options of cocktails, wine, and food for $6 until 7pm.

So good food and good prices??? Yeah, Fleming's gets my Vixen's Stamp of Approval!

Happy Hour

Daily till 7pm
Food and Drinks $6

Fleming's - Multiple Locations

6373 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91367 (818) 346-1005
800 West Olympic Blvd., Downtown Los Angeles, CA 90015 - (213) 745-9911
2301 Rosecrans Ave., El Segundo, CA 90245 - (310) 643-6911

flemingssteakhouse.com

NEW HAPPY HOUR EVENT!!!

2011-04-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

Vixen's Awesome Happy Hour

~~~THE GUEST LIST IS NOW CLOSED~~~

Join us for an awesome happy hour at

The Capital Grille on Wed. May 4th from 5-7pm!

What makes this event awesome?

All the happy hour food is FREE from 5-7pm.

Yep! Just pay for your drinks and The Capital Grille will handing out food items from their bar menu. Happy hour drinks include $6 wine & specialty cocktails and $5 beers (I gotta double check on the beers, though.) Tip is NOT included so don't forget to tip the bartenders.... they are amazing!

Wanna see what their drinks and food looks like? Check out my recent visit.

This special Vixen's Happy Hour is a private event for my readers and their friends and will be held in the UPSTAIRS bar for the first 75 people. After that, the doors will be closed. So don't lag people!

Happy Hour ends at 7pm but you are welcome to stay as long as you'd like. We will!

***Don't forget we'll be in the UPSTAIRS BAR* AND VALET PARKING IS FREE with validation!

*Happy hour is available in the downstairs bar but no free food will be handed out there.

Special Thanks to The Capital Grille!

8614 W. Beverly Blvd.
Suite 157, Los Angeles, CA 90048

The Capital Grille

2011-04-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if you have noticed, but I don't "rate" the happy hours I put on my blog. That's because people have different taste. A happy hour I like, you may not like. But if I were to rate The Capital Grille, I'd give them 5 stars! No, 10 stars!!!!!! This place is amazing! We just went last night and I LOVED it!

The Capital Grille has happy hour Monday-Friday from 4:30-7pm offering small plates, signature cocktails, and wine for just $6 each. Now if you are more of a "quality over quantity person" like myself, you'll love this happy hour, too.

I actually went to Capital Grille last week for dinner and John, ~~the bartender~~ the awesome bartender, filled me in that they were starting a brand new happy hour the following week. So I marked in my calendar and we popped in last night. As soon as we saw the happy hour menu, we were impressed. Lobster and Crab Burgers? Mini Tenderloin Sandwiches?? HELLO!

I really loved everything we had but my favorites were the Lobster & Crab Burgers, the Tenderloin Sandwiches, and the Prosciutto Sandwiches. Soooooo good. The Tenderloin was sooo tender. Guess, that's why they call it a "tenderloin". : )

Lobster and Crab Burgers

Mini Tenderloin Sandwich

Mini Mozzarella, Crisp Prosciutto, and Basil Sandwiches

-served with a Tomato Salad

Shrimp Cocktail

Truffle Fries
Mmmmm.... truffle!

Capital Grille's drink selection is also wonderful. Check out the menu. (Their Classic Manhattan is also offered during HH but it's not on the menu.) We tried to sample as many cocktails as we could (for research purposes only) but only got to 6. There wasn't one I didn't like but my favorites were the Stoli Doli, The Bohemian, and the Mojito de Uvas. The Mojito was made with rum and topped with Champagne. Great mix! Love's (my friend) faves were the Stoli Doli, The Grapefruit Buck, and The Bohemian.

*click on picture to enlarge

Top Row: Stoli Doli and The Bohemian
Middle Row: Grapefruit Buck and Mojito de Uvas
Bottom Row: Adults Only Arnold Palmer

So this just became my new, favorite happy hour in Mid-City West. Not only was the food and drinks great, but the service was top-notch. Bartender John was behind the bar once again and was really through about telling all the customers about the drinks and food. We were highly impressed. Even the ambience was great! They offer happy hour in both the downstairs and the upstairs bar, but the upstairs is part-patio and is beautiful. I loved it and you will, too!

Happy Hour

Vixen's Tip of the Day:
If you can't decide between two drinks,

order both!

M-F 4:30-7pm

Drinks and Food $6

The Capital Grille

8614 W. Beverly Blvd.
Suite 157, Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 358-0650

thecapitalgrille.com/LosAngeles

City Sip

2011-04-19T16:13:00.000-07:00

Gosh golly, it sure is hard to find a good happy hour in the Echo Park area. I knew City Sip was in Echo Park and I've heard good things about them so I called my favorite wine-guy, Shaun-Mathieu, and we headed on down.

City Sip's happy hour runs from Tuesday -Friday from 5:30-7pm and offers a nice selection of wine, beer, and small plates starting at $4.

On our visit, we definitely did our best to try as many different wines as possible (hehehe). We had red, white, and sparkling wine and draft beer. City Sip does a nice job at offering good wines at happy hour, which I think is a must for a wine bar. And starting at $4?? Well done, City Sip!

Their beer selection was also nice. I got the Allagash Curieux (loved), but they also offered:
-The Bruery Orchard White
-Taps Cream Ale
-Strand 24th Street Pale Ale
-Coronado Islander IPA
-Bootlegger’s Black Phoenix (...which is a Chipotle Coffee Stout. I'm trying that on my next visit!)

For food, we began with the Trio of Olives, Almonds, and Cornichons. The almonds were warm and I just love those little pickles!

And then we moved on to the cheese plates. You can select any two cheeses for $5. We couldn't decide so we got all five and each one was great. Great quality cheese! (See above menu for choices.)

Then we had to order the Charcuterie platters. That's a no brainer!

The Bean and Cheese Crostini was delish! I loved the white bean topped with Burrata.
Mmmm, mmm.

The last thing we got was Caprese Sliders. Don't forget to dip it in the Balsamic on the plate. So good!

And if you can't make it out during the week, here are some cool weekend specials:
Saturdays: 5pm to 7pm, a wine tasting of 3 wines and 2 cheeses for $15!
Sundays: 9p-11pm - ALL open bottles are half-off by the glass! Wow! That's a great deal!!

We were definitely happy with found City Sip. It's definitely a great spot to meet up with friends and have some good wine. If you are a wine lover, you should really try this place out!

Happy Hour

Tu-Fri 5:30-7pm
$4-5 wine, $4 Draft Beer, and $5 plates

City Sip

2150 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026-3148
(213) 483-9463

citysipla.com

Big Bar

2011-04-06T21:45:00.000-07:00

For some reason, there aren't many happy hours in Los Feliz, which makes me very sad. So when I heard Big Bar has happy hour I got super happy. And when I heard that it started at 2pm, I did a cartwheel!! True story. ; )

Big Bar is actually a little bar along side of Alcove Cafe. There's about room for about 10-12 people at the bar and table seating for about 6 people. Yes, it's small but it has lots of charm and a big patio.

Big Bar's happy hour offers four small plates from $4-8, $5 draft beer, $6 wine, and $7 cocktails with that week's featured liquor. Although our menu said Luksusowa Vodka, Moonshine Whiskey was being offered on our trip. We were able to get any cocktail with the Whiskey as long as it didn't have expensive mixers. The Los Angeles Cocktail was a great choice and was quite delicious. And of course, I also went with my fave, a Whiskey Sour.

Los Angeles Cocktail $7
Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth, lemon, egg, nutmeg

Whiskey Sour $7
Whiskey, lemon, sugar, egg, bitters

After a couple drinks, we were definitely ready for some food. We started with some Fries ($4) and the Hummus Trio ($8). Both were huge! And the hummus is served with either bread or veggies. Now I love that both orders are huge, but I'd rather have smaller potions at a smaller price.

Then it was time for the heartier stuff. For $8, you can get either Carnitas Sliders or Angus Beef Sliders with bacon. The Beef Sliders were definitely our pick!

Big Bar is definitely a beautiful spot for happy hour. The drinks are more of a bargain than the food but the place is so cute, I think it's worth it.

Happy Hour

M-F 2-7pm
$4-8 food, $5 drafts, $6 wine, $7 cocktails

Big Bar

1927 Hillhurst Ave.
Los Angeles, Ca 90027
323.644.0100

alcovecafe.com/bigbar/

*Food and drinks were hosted

Lucky Devils

2011-03-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a new happy hour in Hollywood in a while, so I was tickled pink with Lucky Devils asked me to come check out their happy hour. I've heard from friends that they have some amazing pulled pork sandwiches, so it was a perfect opportunity to check this out myself.

Lucky Devils calls it's happy hour the "Lucky 7" since most food items are $7.77. I definitely dig their hours because happy hour starts early at 3pm and it's even on the weekends. For a person that gets off work at 3pm (like me!), it's definitely a treat! They also have a nice selection of eats and nice cold beers.

For this trip, I went with my friend Shaun-Mathieu. Although we sampled many things on their menu, we both agreed that our favorites were the Kobe Bacon Bleu Sliders and the BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders. Mmmmm-mmm. And they came on Hawaiian Sweet Bread, which I love! We tried both the Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese Fries and the Onion Rings and definitely preferred the Onion Rings more. I just wish they were a couple dollars cheaper.

Kobe Bacon Bleu Sliders

2 for $7.77
*VERY good, but could be cheaper

BBQ Sliders

2 for $5

Onion Rings

$6.50
*Great rings, but the price needs to be less

Baby Back Ribs $7.77

1/4 rack with Fries

Margherita Pizza $7.77
*This is the biggest bargain of them all

Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese Fries $5

During happy hour, Lucky Devils also offers a Kick Butt Kobe Burger for $8. Since the Sliders were so good, I'm going to try that the next time I'm in.

Lucky Devils also has over 30 Craft Beers to choose from. During happy hour it's $1 off all bottles and selected drafts are $4. If you look at their menu, it's all the ones with the Lucky 7 icon next to it.

So next time you are on Hollywood Blvd, you should go and try their sliders. It might not be the cheapest happy hour, but the food is good.

Happy Hour

Daily 3-7pm

Lucky Devils

6613 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
323.465.8259

luckydevils-la.com

Bar | Kitchen at the O Hotel

2011-03-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've been to happy hour downtown, and boy, I have missed it!
I love DTLA! So recently, I hooked back up with my favorite DTLA happy hour partner-in-crime, The Minty, at Bar | Kitchen in the O Hotel. We had been there before but not since the release of their new food and cocktail menu.

The "eats" on their happy hour isn't a huge selection but there are items on their regular bar menu that are priced very reasonably.

Food on Happy Hour Menu

"Shared Plates" in regular menu

In fact... since their regular prices were so good, we went with only one item on the happy hour menu (the Truffle Fries) and the rest was from the regular menu. Our Truffle Fries were definitely my favorite, but I really loved all four dishes that we ordered.

Truffle Fries $4

My favorite!!

*Photo Credit: The Minty

Bacon Wrapped Dates $6

Mexican Shrimp $8

Swiss Chard/Artichoke Gratin $6

And for the drinks, there's a nice selection offered including 3 specialty cocktails. My favorite was definitely The Brown Derby.

Brown Derby $7
My fave!
Bourbon, Fresh Grapefruit Juice, Honey

Negroni $7
Gin, Campari, Sweet Vermouth, Orange Twist

Mirror Pond Pale Ale $4
Whiskey Neat $6

Bar | Kitchen is definitely now on my top 5 list of DTLA happy hours and I can't wait to go back for those fries!!!

And check out The Minty's take on the night featuring more specialty cocktails.

Happy Hour

Mon-Fri 4-7pm
$4-10 food, $7 Specialty Drinks,
$3-4 beer, $6 wells and wine

Bar | Kitchen in the O Hotel
819 S. Flower St.
Los Angeles, Ca 90017
213.623.9904

Bar | Kitchen Website

Saint Rocke

2011-02-28T19:45:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, me and my happy hour crew have ventured to the South Bay to see what kind of happy hours are down there. Luckily we have found some mighty tasty treats and great deals. Saint Rocke fits in this category but it brings "a first" that even I haven't seen before. Happy hour bands!! Yes, bands as in "live music". Sweet!!! If you check out their website, you'll see that bands start at around 6:30pm on certain nights. Our girl, Love, had been to Saint Rocke before and has really liked all the bands she has seen. But let's talk more about happy hour!

Saint Rocke has happy hour Monday-Friday from 5-7:30pm and everything on the menu is $5!! Everything... all food and drinks!! Well, not the burgers or sandwiches but everything else is. And not only is the food cheap but it's really, really good. Scouts' honor!!

Now normally we are cocktail girls, but it was Valentine's Day so I thought I'd start out wine. I asked for a taste of the Liberty School Chardonnay and it was quite delicious. I liked it so much that I stuck with it all night. Love had 7 and 7s.

Liberty School Chardonnay

-Normally $9, but $5 at happy hour and it was great.

And all the food is 5 bucks, too*!! We ordered four things and all of them we really good! The sliders were probably my favorite of the night.

Strawberry Salad $5

w/ candied walnuts and goat cheese

dressed with a light Balsamic Vinagrette

Asparagus Flatbread $5

with mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and mozzarella

Baja Carne Asada Soft Tacos $5 for 3

*also comes with chicken

Signature Kobe Sliders $5 for 3

with grilled mushrooms and chipotle mayo and

served on Hawaiian Sweet Bread

~nom nom nom nom~

Now showing what we drank and ate truly does not give this happy hour justice. You gotta check out the menus. Did I mention it's ALL $5*???

Let's start with the food:

And the drinks!

All that for $5??? Uh-maze-ing! This is definitely a great happy hour, so check it out the next time you are in the Southbay. You won't be disappointed.

Happy Hour
M-F 5-7:30pm
$5 for all food and drinks*
(*burgers and sandwiches not included)

Saint Rocke

142 Pacific Coast Highway
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
310.372.0035

saintrocke.com

The Belmont

2011-02-22T21:52:00.000-08:00

Well, helloooooo Belmont! You are one of my new favorite happy hours in West Hollywood.
"Why?" you ask. Because all drinks at Belmont are half-off. Yes, any drink!
No well liquor for me... yay!! I got a Jameson for just $5... double yay!!

The Belmont offers happy hour everyday from 4-7pm and offers half-off on all drinks and appetizers. My friend Christopher and I got there around 5pm on a Sunday and the place was packed! We started out with some drinks. I got a Whiskey Sour and Chris got a Caipirinha.

Whiskey Sour $5

It was strong and definitely a nice size.

Caprihina $6

Margarita $5

In addition to these, I ended the night with a couple Amstel Lights ($3 ea.) and a Jameson neat ($5).

As for the food, I really thought they had a nice selection to choose from: Shrimp, Crab, Grilled Fish... so many great options.

Half-off All Appetizers

Here's what we went with:

Calamari $6
The calamari was good but could have used a better sauce.

BBQ Baby Back Ribs $6.50
You get four ribs and they are topped with deep fried onions.

Mac and Cheese $7
Our favorite of the night!
See the pic below to see the inside.

The Mac and Cheese is filled with Blue Crab, Apple Wood Smoke Bacon, Scallions, Mozzarella, Gouda, and Swiss.
It's soooo good.

So with all the drinks being half-off and such a great food selection... you gotta go to Belmont. Even our waitress, Sheena, was an absolute doll!

And here's the specialty cocktail list and the beer and wine list, just in case you wanted a a peek!

Happy Hour

Daily 4-7pm
Half off all drinks and apps

The Belmont

747 N. La Cienega
(Betw. Santa Monica and Melrose)
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 659-8871

thebelmontcafe.com

And a blog was born....

2011-02-15T16:39:00.000-08:00

Wow-oh-wow!!! Today my blog turns one-year-old. It seems like just yesterday I started this little page of mine. *tearing up* And in this last year, many people have asked me what made me think of starting it. Well of course it gave me an excuse to eat and drink more *wink*, but there is a bit more to the story.

Before starting the blog, I always went to happy hour more than the average person. So much so that people at work called me "the Queen of Happy Hour" (a title I am very proud of). But one day I happened along the best happy hour I had ever found... Kravings in Tarzana.

Kravings happy hour menu was BEYOND amazing. You were able to get a 1 1/2 lb. chilled lobster for just $20, a Filet Mignon entree for just $9, and lots more. It was just amazing! So amazing, I took pictures of it and posted it on my personal Facebook page. People were all... "Whaaa??? That's an insane deal!!!" I also wrote a review on Yelp.com and Yelpers had the same reaction. Then someone said, "Girrrl, you always know the best happy hours. Can you keep posting them on Facebook so I know where you go?"
"Ping!!!" A little light bulb inside head went off and the next day I created L.A. Happy Hours. ♥

After about a month, I realized that the name was a bit too generic, so I added on my nickname that I've had for years, "Vixen". If you weren't aware, my name is Victoria and have had the nickname for about 15 years. My family even calls me it, which is kinda of odd when you think about it.

So there you have it. If it wasn't for Kravings in Tarzana, this blog would have never been created. So CHEERS to Kravings! Now here's my first blog review for Kravings. But can I tell you a secret??? Most of it I just copied from the review that I wrote on Yelp. See... I'm definitely not a fancy writer. Just a lazy one. But to honor our beloved Kravings, it's time to update my review on them so their happy hour can have the true glory it deserves. (Okay, and I'm a cheesy writer, too.) Click here for Kravings updated review.

Me and Love celebrating one year of great happy hours!

And yes we always celebrate with party hats!

So happy birthday to my little ~~baby~~ blog. Mommy loves you. ♥

Kravings

2011-02-15T16:30:00.000-08:00

It was one year ago today that I posted my first happy hour review and it was for Kravings in Tarzana. Since their happy hour inspired me to start this blog, I thought I'd honor them and update my review. Plus, that original post is super cheesy 'cuz lots of it I just copied from the review I wrote on Yelp.com. And check out some of the text!! It's not even centered properly. How embarrassing! Hmmm... bad Vixen. Oh well. Now on to the update!

Kraving's happy hour is daily from 4-7pm and they also have a late night happy hour Wednesday -Saturday from 10-11pm. Gotta love a late night happy hour on the weekends, right!? But it's their menu that is the real bonus at this happy hour. The first time I went to Kravings, their menu was slightly different from what they have now. Back then I got a 1 1/2 lb. lobster for $20. WHOA MOMMA! You can still get lobster but it's offered in a combo deal and still is a great price. But they still do offer the Filet Mignon entree for just $10. YEP! 10 BUCKS! You get 4.5 oz of filet wrapped in bacon with a side salad, pita, and Greek yogurt. It's such a good value! Here some of the other goodies we've had and loved:

Blue Point Oysters $1.25

Big and meaty!

Bacon Wrapped Dates $5

Stuffed with Blue Cheese, Brie, and Walnuts

Love them!

Filet Mignon Wrapped in Bacon $10

served with pita and a side salad

Baby Back Pork Ribs $5

Very tender.

Seared Ahi Tuna $5

It was good, but just okay

compared to the other dishes.

Check out the rest of the goodies offered including their Happy Hour Combos:

Amazing deals, right!? I've been back a few times this year but if it wasn't my mission to find new happy hours, I'd be at Kravings every week!

They also have good deals on drinks. Signature drinks are $6-7, all Smirnoff cocktails are $5, and Straight Smirnoff Martinis are $6. You can also get wine starting at $6 or a 21 oz. beer for $4. And the selections of beer are great: Blue Moon, Heineken, Amstel Light, Pyramid, and Samuel Adams. That's an awesome deal for 21 ounces!

Caipirnha $6

Ginger Pineapple Mojito $7

White Cosmo $7

So if you live in the Valley and haven't gone to Kravings yet... well, I don't want to call you stupid... but... you are. ;)

Happy Hour

Daily 4-7pm and Wed-Sat 10-11pm
Amazing Food starting at $1.25
Cocktails, Beer, and Wine $4-9

Kravings

18663 Ventura Blvd.
Tarzana, Ca 91356
818-881-7111

kravingsfusion.com

Helpful Tip:
Don't park in the lot in front because it's one hour max. But there is a large parking structure in back and it's free.

Canal Club

2011-02-07T22:27:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks back, I asked readers on my Facebook Page what their favorite Venice happy hour was and I got a lot of responses that they loved Canal Club. So off to Canal Club we went!! And they were right! The food selection was great with more than 20 items that are $5 or less, plus there was a good amount of drinks to choose from. Canal's happy hour is daily, but 4 nights out of the week (Sun-Wed) they have ALL NIGHT happy hour. No wonder it's such a popular place.

With such a great selection, it was hard to choose what to get. But our girl, Amber, had been there before so she did the ordering. We went with the Sliders, a couple orders of sushi, and the Chipotle Cheese Fries. Why Cheese Fries at a sushi restaurant??? Well duh.. it's something fried and topped with cheese!
No more explanation needed. ; )

I was happy with everything we got. Next time though I'll order the Brie and Grape Quesdilla. It's one of Amber's favorites! But check out the sushi rolls below. No skimpy rolls here!

Chipotle Cheese Fries $3.50


S.T.S.T Roll $4.95

Spicy Tuna Roll $4.50

Monday's Special

Grilled Slider $2.50

I know it sounds like a lot for one slider,

but they are GOOD!!!

With all this great food, I had a Ginger Martini. (I looove ginger!) It was a decent drink of a sushi restaurant. It comes in a Mini Martini glass, so a beer or wine might be a better value. Other happy hour drinks are Kirin Beer, House wine, and a couple other cocktails for $5 each.

Along with Canal's happy hour specials, they also have some nightly deals. We picked Monday to go for their tasty sliders!! See a picture of a slider above.

So if you haven't tried Canal Club, put it on your to-do list. I'm so happy I did!

Happy Hour

Thurs - Sat 5-7pm
Sun - Wed 5pm-close
$3.50-$5 sushi rolls and other eats
$5 Kirin, House Wine, and selected cocktails

Canal Club

2025 Pacific Avenue
Venice, California 90291
310-823-5397

jamesbeach.com/canal

Mediterraneo

2011-02-03T22:16:00.000-08:00

As you may have read in my last post, me and the happy hour crew have headed to the Southbay to find all of their wonderful happy hours. We did a mini happy hour crawl to Mediterraneo and Sharkeez, and we loved both! We started with Mediterraneo because it's Love's favorite out of all of Hermosa Beach.

Mediterraneo's happy hour is Monday through Friday from 5-7pm and they offer 1/2 off house wine and all drafts beers, and selected tapas are 2 for 1... and they are great!

For happy hour drinks, House Wine and draft beer is half-off so they'll run you about $3. Their Sangria isn't discounted, but it's Love's favorite and wants me to tell everyone to try it. I tried it and it was really was good.

Draft Beer is 1/2 off

Now on to the food!!! Here's what we had:

Caprese $6*

*This is the regular price but remember it's 2-for-1!!

Mozzarella, Tomatoes, Basil, Olive Oil

Sunchoke Pintxo $4*

Roasted Sunchokes, pesto

Spanikopita $6*

Spinach, Feta, and pinenuts baked in Phyllo dough

Polpette - $6*

Italian Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Tortilla Espanola $6*

Potato omelette with piquillos, mushrooms,

fontina cheese served with garlic aioli

So my favorite out of all of these was the Tortilla Espanola. It was sinfully good. And I could have eaten that Garlic Aioli with a spoon. Mmm-yum! I liked all the other plates except the Sunchokes. Not that they were bad, they just didn't float my boat. We ordered two of each of the plates above (so 10 plates total) and it only came to $28. We split that four ways so with my $3 glass of wine, I only paid $10 before tax and tip. WOW!!

So check out the rest of the tapas available for happy hour. But if ya see two asterisks (**) next to an item, it's not available for the 2-for-1 discount.

Mediterraneo also has some other cool deals that run ALL NIGHT:
-Sangria Sundays: 1/2 off Sangria
-Draft Beer Mondays: 1/2 off Draft Beer
-Tapas Tuesday: 2 for 1 Tapas

Definitely a great find!!!

Happy Hour

M-F 5-7pm
2 for 1 Tapas and
1/2 off draft beer and house wine
*See above for other specials
(All Night on Tue. for 2-for-1 Tapas)

Mediterraneo

73 Pier Ave.
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
310.318.2666

mediterraneohb.com

Sharkeez

2011-01-31T17:59:00.000-08:00

Alrighty! It's time to finally hit some happy hours in the Southbay. We thought the best way to start out this venture was with a happy hour crawl. So last week we went to Hermosa Beach and went to Mediterraneo and Sharkeez. We started at Mediterraneo and that place was great, but I deciced to post Sharkeez first because the prices there are just amazing!

Sharkeez happy hour is Monday-Friday from 3-7pm and offers 2-for-1 drinks and tons of food specials that are super cheap! Check 'em out:

And the deals don't stop there. You can get full entrees with rice and beans. You can get three items plus rice and beans for just $3.25. CRAZY CHEAP!

And on Wednesdays you can buy a burger and get All-You-Can-Drink PBR for one hour for just 99 cents! (11am-close)

Although the entree specials sounded awesome, we ordered three items from the top menu:

Lobster Cigars $3.49
served with Picante Pepper Sauce
-Really good, and the sauce was hot!

Sonora Style Quesadilla w/ Chicken $1.75
-can also come with beef. It looks small in the picture but it's a full sized quesadilla and it was really good... a great mix of cheeses.

Grilled Lounge Burger $2.75
-Definitely tasty and I loved that it came with fried onion strings. It's not a huge burger, it was a decent size.

Another great thing is that all the drinks are 2-for-1, so you can get any drink you want!
I went Jameson on the rocks. So I got two Jamesons for $7. ♥ ♥ ♥

Jameson Whiskey on the rocks $3.50

We were definitely happy campers and will be back soon! I just wish their happy hour was also on the weekend. Oh well... it's still a fabulous happy hour.

Happy Hour

M-F 3-7pm
2-for-1 drinks,
$1.75-$3.25 small plates and entrees
Wed: Buy a burger and get All-You-Can-Drink PBR for one hour for just 99 cents! (11am-close)

Sharkeez

52 Pier Avenue
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

(310) 374-5668

sharkeez.net/hermosa-beach

Ugo Wine Bar

2011-01-23T20:24:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I saw that Ugo's happy hour was something like "Free Passed Appetizers". Whatever it was, it didn't sound like we needed to rush to check it out. But about a month ago, one ~~boozer~~ member of our happy hour crew, Christopher, decided to scope it out. As soon as he got there, he texted me pics of the menu right away. The selection of food was awesome and the next day we planned a trip for all of us to head out there.

Ugo's happy hour is Monday through Friday from 4-7pm (and happy hour food is all night on Mondays) and offer pizzas, paninis, appetizers, and wine. And the ingredients to some of their items are re-donk-u-lus! One of their pizzas is drizzled with White Truffle Honey. Soooooooooo good! My friends have been telling people that I licked the honey off the plate once the pizza was gone, but I beg to differ. ; )

Quattro Formaggi $7

Pizza w/ mozzarella, parmigiano, pecorino, romano, gorgonzola dolce

and drizzled with white truffle honey

SO GOOD!!!

Bowl of Crack - No Charge

The White Truffle Honey was practically like crack and we couldn't get enough of it so we got extra!

Alto Adige $7

Speck, grana padano, hard cooked egg, mozzarella, grilled asparagus,

rosemary, and black truffle paste

The Alto Pizza was also incredible. So which pizza was better??? It's a hard call because they are so different, so order both! Especially since they are only $7 each. We were also quite surprised how large they were for that price. Another good deal was their paninis. Only $5!! We had the Portobello Panini. It couldn't compare to the pizzas but it was still a winner.

Funghi Freschi $5

Grilled portobello mushrooms, grana padano, and sun dried tomato pesto

We tried three of the appetizers and they were okay, but next time I'd rather save room in my belly for my pizza drizzled with Crack.

Datteri Rapieni $4

Medjool Dates stuffed with gorgonzola, bacon, and rosemary

I wished the dates were wrapped in bacon.

Veal Meatballs $6

Burrata e Pomodoro $8

Burrata cheese and fresh heirloom tomatoes drizzled with olive oil

See? Great food selection! We also liked the wines they offered, which ranged from $5-10. I liked the Malbec. Here are both the food and wine happy hour menus.

Now the restaurant next door, Ugo Cafe, also has a happy hour so we hope to be trying that soon, too. I breally hope theirs is as good as the Wine Bar though. We'll see!

Happy Hour

M-F 4-7pm
*HH Food goes all-night on Mondays

$5-10 wine, $5 paninis,

$7 pizzas, and $4-8 appetizers

Ugo Wine Bar

3865 Cardiff Avenue
Culver City, CA 90232

cafeugo.com/winebar.html

Chaya Venice

2011-01-20T16:52:00.000-08:00

In the last week or so, I've been down in Venice covering their happy hours and I almost forgot Chaya Venice. It had been awhile since I had been there, but I remembered it being packed for happy hour. This last trip, we arrived around 5pm and it was pretty empty. But around 6pm, the place was packed.

But let me cut to the good part about this happy hour. Yes, ladies and gentlemen... it's ALL NIGHT, EVERY NIGHT! Looooooove it!!! So no wonder this place gets packed. Definitely go early if you don't want to worry about getting a table.

For happy hour, Chaya offers 2 different cocktails (see below) for $6 and a Cold Sake Flight also for $6. I had each of the two cocktails and I preferred the Martini and it was VERY strong. ;)

              The Juicy Infusion $6                                         Slingchi Martini $6
            Pineapple Vodka, Cranberry Juice,                                     Vodka, Lychee Juice, Lemon, Lychee Fruit
                          Orange Juice

As for the food, they offer a nice little selection... some sushi, edamame, Sweet Potato Fries, and more. See the menu at the top. Everything we had was good. No brightly shining stars, but everything was tasty and filled me up.

One order Spicy Shrimp Roll and

one order Spicy Tuna Roll on one dish

$5/order

Edamame $4

Albacore Sashimi Salad $5

Vegetable Roll $4

Sweet Potato Fries $4

And if you didn't notice, this happy hour is vegetarian friendly! With this and having happy hour all night, I say Chaya Venice gets a gold star!

Happy Hour

Every Night, All Night!

(starting at 5pm)

$6 Specialty Cocktails and Sake,

$4-5 Small Plates and Sushi

Chaya Venice

110 Navy Street

Venice, CA 90291

310.396.1179

thechaya.com/venice

Copa d'Oro

2011-01-17T14:20:00.000-08:00

I am actually very, very surprised that I haven't written up Copa d'Oro before now. It seems like we have been going there forever! It truly is one of my favorite drinking spots in L.A. Not only do they have superb cocktails, but they have happy hour Tuesday - Saturday from 5:30 - 8pm. I love that it's till 8pm! And Mondays it goes alllllll night!!

Copa's happy hour menu offers 12 different hand-crafted cocktails for just $5. Yes, that's right!!! JUST $5!!! Most of the cocktails are from Prohibition times such as a Clover Club, Dark and Stormy, or my fave, a Whiskey Sour.

Whiskey Sour $5
Bourbon, Lemon Juice, Egg White

Clover Club $5
Gin, Lemon Juice, Raspberry Syrup, Egg White

Moscow Mule $5
Vodka, Lime Juice, Ginger Beer

Gold Rush $5
Bourbon, Honey, Lemon Juice

Here's the full happy hour cocktail menu:

But if you aren't a cocktail lover, Copa also offers selected beers for $4 and $5 house wine.

When they first started happy hour, they didn't offer discounted food but they do now! Yay! You can get selected paninis for $6 and dips for &7.

So if you love hand-crafted cocktails, this is the place to go!!

Happy Hour

Tu-Sat 5:30-8pm
Mon 5:30-close
$5 cocktails, $5 wine, $4 beer
$6 paninis, and $7 dips

Copa d'Oro

217 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310-576-3030

copadoro.com

Comme Ca

2011-01-12T19:22:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to try Comme Ça's happy hour, so we popped in one night over the holidays. The place is nice inside... very frou-frou! You can either sit at the bar or at some small tables, but there aren't many of those.

Comme Ça's happy hour runs daily 5-7 pm and offers small plates, cocktails, wine, and beer. We mainly stuck to the cocktails but their wine and beer selection was impressive for happy hour.

There are three cocktails to choose from during happy hour and they are all $6. My favorite was the Copper Fix. After all, I'm a whiskey girl. ;)

Vodka Rose $6

Vodka, Lime, House-made Grenadine

El Diablo $6

Tequila, Lime, Ginger, Soda, Cassis

Copper Fix

Rye, Lemon, Honey, Bitters

Now the cocktails were a real good price, but unfortunately the food wasn't. The poutine was our fave and even it's $8 price was okay, but everything else was way too expensive for happy hour. *sad face*

Crispy Tete de Porc $9

It said it was supposed to be served with pretzel bread, but it didn't.

And that make $3 for each piece. Whoa! Wasn't this suppose to be happy hour?

Dungeness Crab Croquettes $8

Really??? $8??

Poutine $8

Frites, Vermont White Cheddar Churd, Sausage Gravy, and Egg

This was really good and definitely had a better price for what you got.

Fried Oysters $9

Again... too much for happy hour.

So the drinks were good, but the prices on the food were nooooo bueno!!! So unless you are buying, you probably won't see me there again.

Happy Hour

Daily 5-7pm
$8-9 Food, $6 Cocktails,
$4-7 Beer, $5-9 Wine

Comme Ça

8479 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90069

(323) 782-1178

commecarestaurant.com

Vu

2011-01-11T21:50:00.000-08:00

So I have been a bad, bad blogger recently. I've been going to so many happy hours lately that I haven't had time to write them up here. (Horrible, right!?) But last night the girls and I headed over to Vu in Marina Del Rey to try out there new happy hour. In fact, the restaurant just opened early December and they are still in their "soft opening" stage. I was excited to try it because I had heard their small plates were only $5!

Vu (pronounced "view") has happy hour Monday-Friday from 4-7pm. The bar area is large with lots of seating including a big communal table in the middle. The drink selection was okay with $6 wells, 2 selections of wine for $6, and Sam Adams and Stella for $4. The Stella was the best value hands down.

Draft Stella $4 Selected Wine $6

For food, Vu offers a nice selection of small plates for $5 that are very tasty but some plates were a bit too small for the price. We tried three different items and the Risotto Croquettes were the best value.

Risotto Croquettes $5

Chicken Liver Pate $5

w/ apple cider jelly

Beef Tartare $5

w/ pickled celery root and sous wide egg yolks

We loved all three selections but the servings of pate and beef tartare were a bit too small for $5. We wanted to try other things but we were a bit afraid those things would also be small.

Here's the full happy hour menu:

And I guess the waitstaff noticed what a shutterbug I was and the chef sent out an order of "Reconstructed" Caprese Salad for us. "Thanks, Chef!" You get three to an order and they were deeeeelicious!

"Reconstructed" Caprese Salad $7

Balsamic-injected cherry tomato

inside basil-infused mozzarella

*3 per order and compliments of Vu

My final thought? Although the happy hour food was a bit pricey for what you get, I'd come back for dinner some time. Check out my friend, Minty's take on Vu's food on the regular menu. The food looks amazing and she has lots of pics!

Happy Hour

M-F 4-7pm
Sundays 8pm-close
$5 small plates and $4-6 well, wine, and beer

(found in Jamaica Bay Inn)
4175 Admiralty Way
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
(310) 823-5333

Vu's Website

Cole's Downtown

2011-01-03T20:04:00.000-08:00

I am definitely a fan of Downtown. One reason is that it has a lot of my favorite bars. But also because it's the one place where you get a true feel of historic Los Angeles. And Cole's on 6th Street truly gives us that. It has been around since the early 1900's and was L.A.'s first public house.

Cole's has happy hour 3-7pm Monday - Friday and all night on Tuesdays. You can get a Half French Dip and Fries for just $5, $5 wells, $3 Schlitz Beer, and $8 specialty cocktails.

I love their specialty cocktails but especially when they are made by one of my favorite bartenders, D. "Max" Maxey. His cocktails are always perfection!

Monte Carlo $8

Rye Whiskey, Benedictine, Angostura Bitters

*Love*

Elton McGregor $8

Scotch, Absinthe, Orgeat, Mint, Laphroaig

*Loved this one, too*

But if you are a beer drinker, you can always get a Schlitz for $3 bucks!

Schlitz $3

Reminds me of "Laverne and Shirley"!

I love their French Dips, but I just wish you got a whole Dip rather than a half. Oh well.

So if you haven't gone to Cole's yet, you are missing out! So go soon... and invite me!!

Happy Hour

M-F 3-7pm and Tues. All Night
Half Dip and Fries $5
Wells $5, Cocktails $8, Schlitz $3

Cole's Downtown

118 East 6th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 622-4090

colesfrenchdip.com

Vixen's Favorites of 2010!!

2010-12-28T19:37:00.000-08:00

With my blog being about 11 months old, I have definitely drank and ate my way through LA. And with only a few days left of 2010, I thought I'd share some of my favorite happy hours with you. Definitely put these on your "must-go-to" list!

Favorite Westside Happy Hour Drinks
Fraiche-Culver City

Favorite Westside Happy Hour Food
The Arsenal

Favorite Downtown Happy Hour Drinks
The Edison
Seven Grand

Favorite Downtown Happy Hour Food
FOUR at Checkers Downtown
Drago Centro
Barcaro L.A.

Favorite Hollywood Happy Hour
BLT Steak
Delpine Eatery and Bar

Favorite Fancy-Schmancy Happy Hour
BLT Steak
FOUR at Checkers Downtown

Favorite Valley Happy Hour
Kravings

Favorite Sushi Happy Hour
Gonpachi

Favorite Seafood Happy Hour
Delpine Eatery and Bar

Favorite Beachside Happy Hour
Loews Beach Hotel

Cheapest Drink
Lost and Found

Cheapest Beer
Sake House

Favorite Happy Hour Burger
Bar Food

Favorite Happy Hour Sliders
Hotel Shangri-La
8 1/2 Taverna

Favorite Wine Bar Happy Hour
Mignon
Barcaro L.A.

Thanks again for reading my blog!

SO CHEERS TO YOU!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

LOVE,

VIXEN

PS. I'd love to hear what your favorite happy hour is, so leave feel to leave a comment below and tell me where you like to go!!

Lost and Found

2010-12-21T12:26:00.000-08:00

Wow. Is it already Christmas time? Gees Louise!!! Where did the time go? So, I actually have a present for you. Yes, your Christmas present is that I'm going to tell you about the secret place my happy hour crew goes when we wanna get our drink on for CHEAP.

It's a dive bar and they have some crazy cheap prices all day, everyday! It's called Lost and Found and you can get a well cocktail for just $3.75. And ALL their drinks are cuh-razzzzy cheap. Here's the breakdown:

Wells $3.75
Calls $4.50 (that means you name the brand of liquor you want)
Domestic Beers $3.25
Imports $4.50
Stella $5.50

See!! Great prices, right!?

Whiskey and Coke

$3.75

Now, like any other dive bar they don't offer food. Well, except the Slim Jims behind the counter and FREE popcorn. But they'll let you bring in your food like pizza or something. But those Slim Jims are a might tasty snack. ;)

Slim Jims

50 Cents! All day, everyday!

Lost and Found also has some nice amenities! There's a fire place, a jukebox, a pool table, a dart board, a nude photo hunt game, AND cocktail napkins with movie trivia (my favorite!) The only downside is that it's CASH ONLY.

So there you go! I gave away my one of my friends' favorite drinking spots. My friends just recently introduced me to it and I LOVE IT!

Thanks to Amber and Love for sharing their secret spot with me!

Happy Hour:

Amazing Prices All Day, Everyday!!!

*CASH ONLY

Lost and Found

11700 National Blvd.

(Cross Street: Barrington)

Los Angeles, CA 90189

310-397-7772

Lost and Found on Yelp

Merry Christmas from Vixen and the Happy Hour Crew!

(Love, Victoria, Christopher, Alvin, and Amber)

Sake House

2010-12-13T19:42:00.000-08:00

One thing that makes me happy is sushi. Wait. Let me change that. Two things that make happy are sushi and sake. Yeah, that's better. So the girls and I popped into Sake House for just that. It was the start of our Girls' Night Out.

We started with drinks, of course. And boy, the beers were BIG! You can get a 32 oz. beer for just $4!

34 oz. = $4

16 oz. = $2

And don't forget the sake!!! Hot Sake is $2 for a small and $4 for a large. "One Cup" Sake is $4 and Shochikubai is $6.

"One Cup" Sake $4

Now we had heard from a few people that The Monster Roll was the thing to get. It was pretty good. I actually liked the Spicy Tuna with Cripsy Wonton better.

Spicy Tuna with Crispy Wonton $3

Good value!

Monster Roll $7

Popcorn Shrimp with Spicy Mayo $4

Ooo, the mayo was spiiiiicy!

Seaweed Salad $3

It was pretty small for the price.

Beef Gyoza $3

Ours was a bit overdone. :/

So after we split the check three ways, my part was less than $15. NIIIICE!! I had plenty of cash left over for our next stop at Lost and Found (review to come!).

Happy Hour

Daily 4-7pm and 10pm-Midn.
$2-4 Beer, $4-6 Sake, $2-7 Apps and Sushi

Sake House

401 Santa Monica Blvd.

Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 576-7011

sakehousebyhikarimenu.info

Fraiche - Culver City

2010-12-12T17:36:00.000-08:00

The other day, my friend Amber and I went to Ugo Wine Bar for happy hour, and afterward we thought we'd go to Fraiche for a drink. It was about 30 minutes before their happy hour ended (7pm) so we thought we could sneak in one cocktail. Well, our drinks was so good that we went for a second round just before 7pm. Yowza! Those were some good drinks. In fact, we went back two days later to try the rest of the cocktail menu. And check this out... ALL of their specialty cocktails are just $6!!! WOW!

The Babe

Bacon Infused Bourbon, Maple Syrup, Bitters, Burnt Orange
(All Specialty Cocktails $6)

Frisky Sour

Bourbon, Lemon, Egg White, Chili Chocolate Bitters

Penicillin

Scotch, ginger, Honey, Lemon, Islay Scotch Sprtiz

The Left Hand

Bourbon, Campari, Sweet Vermouth, Chili Chocolate Bitters, Flamed Orange Peel

Turkey Dinner

Clove Infused Wild Turkey, Cranberry Juice, Cynar, Candied Orange Peel

Ben's Breakfast

Allspice Dram, Egg, Nutmeg

The Good Apple

Granny Smith Infused Vodka, Fennel and Clove Infused Simple Syrup, Lemon

The Grape

Vodka, Elderflower Syrup, Grapes, Lime

Poison Ivy

Vodka, Basil, Honey, Cayenne, Smoked Sea Salt, Lemon

St. Tropez

Gin, Lime, Lavender Oil, Cucumber Ice Cube

Now this menu is different from the last time I was at Fraiche and that's because Kiowa Bryan is now in charge of their bar program. Kiowa is formerly of SoHo House where she trained under Varnish's Chris Ojeda. No wonder this girl has mad skills!

So you MUST MUST MUST check out Fraiche's happy hour soon. Normally I like happy hours that offer food specials, but because Fraiche's drinks are so good I don't care. Plus, the drink prices are so amazing, it all kind of evens out. I had an AMAZING Truffle Burger with egg and it was deeeeeelicious.

Truffle Burger ($14)

w/ onion fondue, boschetto, truffle aioli

And every Wednesday starting at 9pm, Fraiche has "Pre-Prohibition Night" offering with select half-price classic cocktails and 1920s-priced bar bites.

$1 bites include: oysters, shrimp, anrancini, soup shooter, tuna tartare, cheese Panini and buratta crostini and $5 cocktails include Aviation, Daquiri, Clover Club, Sidecar, Old Fashioned, French 75 (gin or cognac), El Presidente, Sazerac, Manhattan, Bijou. And 50 cents for the Fish House Punch.

And since I'm currently reviewing Culver City bars, I'll be back very soon. Very very soon.

Happy Hour

Daily 3-7pm: $6 Specialty Cocktails, $3 Draft Beers, $4 House Wine
Wednesdays 9pm-close: $1 bites and $5 cocktails

Fraiche

9411 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310.839.6800

fraicherestaurantla.com

Check out my new 3D MAP!!!

2010-12-11T11:54:00.000-08:00

Woo hoo!!! It's here!!! My very own 3D map!

So now it's even easier to find a happy hour near you!! Just click on my "Eyes Icon" in the upper-right corner and you'll go straight to it!

(or just click here)

Gosh, I feel like a proud mommy and her little baby has just taken it's first steps. :)
(But of course, my baby carries a Vodka bottle.)

And soon I'll be adding ALL happy hours around town on to the map!

But there's more! Stay tuned because soon there will be...
***drum roll***
*
*
*A Vixen's L.A. Happy Hour App for iPhones and Androids!!! Yep!! It's in the works so stay tuned!!!

And a very special thanks to the crew at CyberCity3D for help making these dreams come to life! I'm very grateful.
*tears up*

Boneyard Bistro

2010-12-06T16:50:00.000-08:00

I live in The Valley and happy hours here are.... eh. But, Boneyard Bistro has definitely raised the bar. And has raised it high. Ohhhh yeah!!!

Boneyard's happy hour is Monday - Friday from 4:30 - 6:30pm. Yeah, yeah... it ends a bit early but the food is da' bomb, so I'll let them slide on that. All the small plates we had were really good, but the star of the night was their Famous Kobe Beef Chili Cheese Donuts. They are seriously like crack. One ~~hit~~ bite and you're hooked!

The food version of crack.

Kobe Beef Chili Cheese Donuts $9

Crack is not whack.

Homemade Hummus and Pita $4

Fresh, tahini, harrissa, and hot sauce.

(I have no idea what harrisa is.

All I know is that is all three were awesome together.)

Fried Mac and Cheese $4

Taaaaasty!

Spicy Chipotle Shrimp Grit Cakes $8

Excellent!

I'm definitely looking forward to going back and trying the other stuff. The bartender said that the Ragin' Cajin Gator Tacos were also pretty popular.

Their specials on their drinks are 25% off all draft beers and wine and $4 wells. Plus, they have a Daily Special cocktail that's $7. I had one of their Daily Specials (a Mai Tai that night) and a well whiskey and coke. And damn, I was pretty buzzed. I mean BUZZED. So take note here, people. The drinks were good and strong.

Daily Special - Mai Tai
$7 (regularly $10)

Well Whiskey and Coke $4

Manhattan $10

(Not on HH, but well-made)

So you definitely have to try out this happy hour. The food and drinks are great! Being that I'm a Valley girl, I'm sure I'll become a regular!

Happy Hour

M-F 4:30-6:30

25% off wine and draft beers

$4 wells

$7 daily cocktail

$4-12 Food

Boneyard Bistro

13539 Ventura Blvd.

Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

818-906-7427

boneyardbistro.com

8 1/2 Taverna

2010-11-28T18:41:00.000-08:00

**8 1/2 Taverna no longer offers happy hour**

You may or may not know that I live in The Valley and my friend Hanh and I found a great new happy hour at 8 1/2 Taverna in Studio City. The place is cool and the food is mighty tasty!

8 1/2 Tavenra's happy hour is everyday from 4-7pm and offers $5-8 small plates, $6-7 wine and beer cocktails and $1 off draft craft beers (normally $4-9).

Now we just LOVED the food! Here's what we had:

Sliders $6

w/ oven roasted tomato, pesto aioli, and a touch of foie gras

They were small but incredibly good.

I can't to go back and get a full size burger.

Arancini Potato Croquets $6

Mmmm so good! You must get them!

Mini Pizzas $8

A sampler plate of some of their pizzas:

Margherita, Artichoke, Salami & Chili Oil, and Shitaki Mushroom

For drinks, they offer $1 off drafts and $6-7 wine and beer cocktails.

Oral Sexto $6
Okay, you KNOW with a name like THAT we had to try it.
Sexto Meritage Red Wine, Cranberry Juice, and Sprite

8 1/2 Sunset $6
White wine, pineapple juice, grenadine, and sparkling water
*I preferred the Oral Sexto.

Fire and Ice $7
Allagash Black and Prosecco

They were good, but I was a little bummed that wine wasn't on the happy hour list. Then our friendly bartender said that they carry wine on tap for only $5. My response: "Wha, wait??" Wine on TAP??" Like out of the box???" No, it's not from a box, it's right along side of the draft beers. And it was really good! I'll probably get that that next time I go.

**8 1/2 Taverna no longer offers happy hour**

Happy Hour:

Daily 4-7pm
$5-8 small plates
$6-7 wine and beer cocktails
$1 off draft craft beers

8 1/2 Taverna

11334 Moorpark St.
(Cross St: Tujunga)
Studio City, CA 91602
818-308-1100

8andahalf.com

Okay, the Mac and Cheese isn't on the menu

but get it 'cuz it's sooo good!