FALL 2010

Happier HOURS

by Jack Robertiello

Old-school, after-work promos are back, with 21st-century panache, sophisticated food and thoughtful drink pairings

During the glory days of the American happy hour in the 1970s and 1980s, bars and restaurants seemed locked in a no-win race to the bottom to see who could give away more limp egg rolls, greasy chicken wings and cheap drinks. This approach was tied to the misguided belief that, once inside an establishment, customers would stay rooted to their chairs for hours, and operators could make up the difference when discount prices reset.

Both custom and concerns about the over-serving of half-priced drinks put a stop to many happy-hour promotions quite a while ago. But recent economic challenges have forced operators to turn once again to traffic-driving promotions, and this time, happy hour has been given a decidedly contemporary approach.

While price incentives are on the upswing, giving away the house is definitely out of style, and the range of food and drink in the mix has gotten serious culinary attention, designed to pique interest in real foodie pursuits rather than just fill up patrons with cheap grub and beverages.

Happier by the Bundle

Take the approach recently introduced by BLT Steak in Los Angeles, where a “5 at 5” menu features five food items served with specialty cocktails, beers and wines for $5 from 5 to 7 p.m. nightly. Rather than the defrosted and deep-fried morsels of the past, the frequently changing BLT Steak menu includes contemporary bar snacks and comfort dishes: barbecued-short-rib gnocchi with tomatoes and pea tendrils; Gruyère, bacon and truffle mac and cheese; steak sliders with red-wine onions and aged cheddar; and crispy Fanny Bay oysters with fennel slaw and yuzu aïoli.

The beverages change as well. One favorite cocktail special is the Kentucky Side Car, a mixture of bourbon, spiced tea syrup and lemon, or diners can opt for a selected wine, a glass of featured prosecco or beer specials. Similar “5 at 5” promotions take place in BLT Steak’s Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., and Scottsdale, Ariz., locations.

Over at Cecconi’s in West Hollywood, the 5-to-7 p.m. crowd indulges in complimentary snacks that change daily; slices of wood-oven-baked pizzette, chunks of pecorino or Parmigiano, mixed olives, Italian-style croque monsieur, grissini wrapped in Parma ham, and bruschetta are among the delicacies on offer. When inspired, chef Andrea Cavaliere goes over the top; in late spring, he baked squash blossoms and topped them with goat cheese for the bar crowd.

Based on the Venetian bar snacks called cicchetti, Cavaliere’s dishes are accompanied by Italian-inspired cocktails, including the Eighty-Seven Sixty-Four, a mix of bourbon, white crème de cacao and absinthe. His Nerone blends gin, Aperol and fresh grapefruit and blood-orange juice, and the Infernale features silver tequila, chile and guava.

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