Used to be, Happy Hour was, oh, 3 to 5, the idea being to let your neighborhood alcoholics start early so they wouldn't interfere with your after-work crowd. That got to be 4 to 6, precisely to attract the after-work crowd, then 5 to 7, which is now pretty much Seattle's standard. About half the places with early-evening drinks specials have added late-night happy hours as well, 10 to midnight, 10 to closing, that sort of thing. One would think we're a nation of drunks, using those in between hours to sleep it off.
Nope, no longer. Now See Sound Lounge (115 Blanchard; SSL to its friends) is weighing in with a mid-evening Happy Hour, 8 to 10 PM. Recognizing that most of its patrons have already had a bite and a drink by the time they arrive for the late-night music scene, SSL's Kristi Anderson decided to entice them in a bit earlier than usual. Rotating lineup of beers and cocktails for $3. Not just drinks, either: everything on the menu is $5, including SSL's signature crab cakes with lemon aioli. And the movie (last night it was Stanley Kubrick's classic "A Clockwork Orange") thrown in, with the house DJ's techno soundtrack.
So now, with Happy Hour at Umi Sake House running until 8, the whole evening's covered. What a town!
Footnote: have just spent a week in California, where Happy Hours are few and far between. Guess they're happy enough already.
French Chef Sally is my friend Sally McArthur, who hosts luxurious,
week-long cooking classes at the Chateau du Riveau in the Loire Valley.
Local Wine Events.com,
the worlds leading Food and Wine tasting calendar. Spirits and Beer events as well. Post your own event or sign up
to be notified when new events are po
sted to your own area.
VinoLover, Seattle wine promoter David LeClaire's bulletin board of tastings,
dinners and special events.
Wine Educator Dieter Schafer maintains a full schedule
of Seattle-area tastings and seminars
for amateur wine drinkers and professional alike.
Nat Decants, a free wine e-newsletter from Natalie MacLean, recently named the World's Best Drink Writer at the World Food Media Awards in Australia. Wine picks, articles and humor; no ads.
Who links to me?
