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Saturday, November 06, 2004

Eat, Drink and Be Happy Hour


A short guide to Tucson happy hours

<>By Karyn Zoldan

I love happy hour: After being slumped over a keyboard trying to surf for a living, I yearn to share fabulous food and drink at affordable prices with good friends. It’s that time of day when I want to relish in my accomplishments or file away failures. Happy hour bridges the joys of cocktails with promising value-driven fare consumed in lieu of a traditional dinner.

Fortunately, Tucson’s cup runs over with happy hours. You can still find free food at Kon Tiki and Macayo’s but my angle is on dining well beyond buffalo wings, crunchy bar mix and institutional cheese sauce from a giant tub. Ambience, attentiveness, alcohol and action or lack of, are duly noted.

Heart Five has the least amount of curbside appeal but don’t let that stop you. Once inside, H5 radiates seduction with an imposing bar and a rope-lit dazzling display of liquor bottles ready for action. Gauzy strips of cloth and butterfly mobiles languish in the air as Norah Jones croons in the background. Chef Joseph Sotomayor, formerly of Lumé Trattoria and the Arizona Inn, prepares an extensive selection of $5 plates of gourmet food like ceviche served in a martini glass and the sublime Portobello panini. As bartender Eric recited the drink specials, he introduced us to some of the regulars. I thoroughly welcomed a soothing sour apple martini while Ginger inhaled her cosmopolitan and then a martini for a grand total of $19.

Heart Five - 61 E. Congress, 903-0911, weekdays 4-8 p.m.


Bob McMahon reigns as the unequivocal king of happy hours. Except for Smokin’, the Metro Restaurant Group offers happy hours everyday from 4-7 p.m. McMahon claims that he was first to start the half-priced appetizer trend about five years ago. He initially ran it as a special but the demand became so great, he continues to satisfy customer expectations.

I’m cannot afford to eat dinner at McMahon’s Steak House, so we tried it for happy hour instead. M&M, Ginger and I each ordered an appetizer: Juicy shrimp resembled a ballet of swans dancing over a chilled goblet filled with horseradish spiked cocktail sauce. Fire-roasted chiles stuffed with goat cheese and cilantro mirrored sophisticated chile rellenos. Stuffed shrimp wrapped in smoky bacon served with sauce remoulade and the ahi carpaccio ranked as favorites. We each savored a glass of buttery house chardonnay. At 6:55 p.m., our server Helen asked if we wanted anything else because the Cinderella hour of eating-and-drinking-for-less was ending. Now that’s service worth writing about! We split $41.80 four ways and left feeling pampered.

No one wanted beef or we could’ve savored baby beef Wellington for $5. And for you true epicureans, foie gras is on the appetizer menu and escargot and caviar will be added soon.

McMahon’s Steak House - 2959 N. Swan Road, 327-2333


Gee’s Garden Bistro really needs signage facing busy Alvernon Way alerting, “Half-priced appetizers and drinks every day from 4-6 p.m.” Although a parade of people came and went with takeout orders, we had the bar to ourselves. Gee’s could be the perfect solution for couples who go out to eat but fail to communicate. With two televisions at the bar, each with its own remote, they can have it all over BBQ spareribs and spring rolls. We watched the Food Network and learned how to make roasted plantain pie while eating exquisitely fried calamari with sea salt and spicy drums of heaven, washed down with a large bottle of Sapporo beer ($9.35 total). Try a Sex on the Beach or ripe mai tai for a change of pace.

Gee’s Garden Bistro - 1145 N. Alvernon Way, 325-5353


Kingfisher Bar and Grill is about as close as you’re ever going to get to a Tucson Cheers. Show up three times in a row and the bartender will know your name and preferences in the clubby and intimate bar. A few of the seafood appetizers are half-priced, Pacific Northwest oysters are a buck plus $2 discounts on beer, wine, and well drinks. We opted for a half-dozen chilled and grilled Gulf shrimp with condiments and a bowl of steamed mussels in Vietnamese red chile fish broth. The former was good but the latter swept my taste buds away on an ambrosial wave. Herb bread nicely soaked up the sensual juices. Include a sunshine wheat beer with lemon slice and glass of chardonnay for $18.50.

Kingfisher Bar and Grill - 2564 E. Grant Road, 323-7739, weekdays 4:30-6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.-midnight

Sakura on Oracle proved to be the liveliest venue with plenty of women or men with their daughters (sic). The huge room with a round bar that opened to the patio boasted big televisions screens and a personable bartender. Here weekdays between 4 to 7 p.m. a dozen half-priced appetizers and drink specials prevail. We ate an ample portion of vegetable tempura and a less than satisfying salmon wheel (thinly sliced smoked wild salmon stuffed with fly fish caviar, cream cheese and capers) along with a pink martini for me and a dirty one with extra olives for Ginger totaling $16.

Sakura Teppan Steak and Sushi West - 6091 N. Oracle Road, 297-5555

Sakura Teppan Steak and Sushi - 6534 E. Tanque Verde Road, 298-7777


Honorable mention also goes to busy Bamboo Club with a special discounted appetizer menu (try the wonton nachos and grilled chicken with dipping sauces) and $1 off martinis and mixed drinks. The miniscule bar at the downtown El Charro Café already teems at the rafters with post-work revelers and local artists. A selection of discounted appetizers (the cheese crisp practically floats off the plate) and half-priced drinks are renowned. Only on Fridays, La Cocina hosts an all-you-can-eat fajita or enchilada buffet complemented by $2.50 margaritas in the courtyard of the Old Town Artisans. The action begins at 3 p.m. and remains open until restaurant employees begin to outnumber the customers.

Bamboo Club - 5870 E. Broadway in the Park Place Mall, 514-9665, weekdays from 4-6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to closing

El Charro Café – 311 N. Court Ave, 622-1922, weekdays from 4-6 p.m.

Old Town Artisans – 201 N. Court Ave., 623-6024, Friday only from 3 p.m. to closing

Before launching into happy hour, consider these happy hour tips: The more the merrier; share and share alike. Be experimental and order different foods. Tip the bartender or server well. Bring along a designated driver or drink responsibly. Don’t wait until Friday; immediate gratification is good for the Tucson soul.

(The area code is 520.)




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