Monday, August 21, 2006

Bluehour in conflict

Bluehour Happy Hour

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, one brought on by a tough Friday morning at work. The kind of day that makes you start thinking about happy hour at 11 a.m. So, an email was sent to rally the troops- meet at bluehour at 1700 hours. We will partake in the drink specials and the affordable and consistently good happy hour foods. Friday was going to be redeemed.

But something happened on the way to happy hour. A little thing called lunch. Lunch at Henry’s 12th Street Tavern, where quite a few of our trusty soldiers, despite careful ordering, were to be crippled with stomachaches to last well into the afternoon. One by one, those enlisted went AWOL. The idea of indulging in more food, no matter how fantastic or reasonably priced, was simply unappealing.

In the end, just noneifbysea and I sat down to an outside table. I’m not a stranger to the bluehour happy hour. Once in awhile, I just crave the margherita pizza. $5 for a thin crust pizza painted with a sweet, tangy sauce, comforted by just enough cheese, sliced tomatoes, buttery whole roasted garlic cloves and fresh basil. It’s a gem, really. And often I find their daily special cocktails perfectly anticipate exactly how I’m feeling on any given day. It’s good stuff.

But on Friday, I wasn’t feeling it. Henry’s swiss and mushroom burger had done a number on me, and more cheese wasn’t in the picture. I ordered the Caesar salad. $6 for a dozen well-dressed leaves of romaine with a rough crackle of pepper and satisfyingly crunchy croutons. I was content. I ordered the special drink (name escapes me)- citrus vodka with strawberry, lime and kiwi. It was like an adult Snapple. Pretty damn tart, but still good.

Noneifbysea, however, didn’t fare so well. He ordered Kenny’s fries, a hefty and shiny pile of greasy potato badness. A terrible showing. Also, the Butcher Board left NIBS wanting more. Literally. A few paper-thin slices of prosciutto, coppa and speck laid out on a wooden board, punctuated with a round milky sphere of house-made mozzarella, for NIBS didn’t warrant the $5 bluehour was asking. Also, there was an assortment of olives that NIBS characteristically ignored. I’ve ordered the Butcher’s Board before and been pretty happy with it. A little bread and butter to go along, and I’m all set. A nice $5 snack.

To drink, noneifbysea went with the “best drink,” a mix of vodka, ginger syrup and ginger ale. I think. A little too sweet. Probably the syrup.

So, bluehour happy hour is a place in contention. I was happy, and I’ll go back. Even thinking about that pizza makes me want to send out another group email to meet me down there for crispy, cheesy goodness. And though yes, that evening wasn’t the best food I’ve had there, I know the potential it holds. For noneifbysea, not so much. Too much money spent for too little. The tally for this one is split, but this is one place we will be revisiting, for certain.

All in all:
  • Food: I know the food is good. It is. We're going to get that pizza, and I'll show you.
  • Drinks: Cocktails good. Happy hour deals really good.
  • Atmosphere: It is what it is. Pearl district in all its glory. I don't mind it. Reminds me of L.A.
  • Strikes: Oh, NIBS'll argue that everything was strike-worthy. Hence "in conflict"
  • Tally: We're split on this one. There will be a rematch.

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