Tag Archives: happy hour

Eat and drink very well at Drink.Well

11 Apr

I am absolutely loving my neighborhood right now.  It seems like every month, at every corner,  a new restaurant/bar is popping up.  What was once a sleepy little neighborhood street is now evolving into a destination for the night- who needs donwtown?  One of these such places is Drink.Well American Pub, located on North Loop (53rd St) between Lamar and Guadalupe. 

Happy Hour at Drink.Well makes its appearance Sunday – Thursday from  4 to 6 pm.  Take note, however, that they are closed on Wednesdays.  Don’t be like me, hearing about this new neighborhood hotspot, looking forward all day during work to when the clock strikes 5, excitedly racing to Drink.Well’s front door and then having my dreams quickly smashed while staring at a locked door and dark, empty bar because it is indeed a Wednesday and they are indeed closed.  Okay, maybe it wasn’t quite that dramatic.

But I am happy to say that Drink.Well was well worth the wait!  The space is small, cozy and open, which is what I like in a neighborhood pub, and is well laid out, with only 6 tables and a long bar furnished with comfy, retro-style chairs.  They offer a nice selection of beers in the bottle/can and several on tap, as well as a nice selection of a few wines.  But what they really do right here are their cocktails – using fresh ingredients and a good imagination, they have come up with some interesting libations that really quenched my thirst.  My date for the evening was the El Diablo – tequila with fresh lime, blackberry cordial and ginger brew.  Very light and refreshing.  Their cocktails are $7 – $10, but during happy hour several of these are featured for $6.  Also during happy time – $1 off draught beer, $2 off wines by the glass and $5 house spirits.

Watch out for El Diablo - he's a sneaky devil!

Drink.Well also has a few food specials during happy hour – $4 brussels sprouts (which I heard were amazing), $5 wings, $5 chips and dip (tried these – very tasty) and $1 off of the ZLT (zucchini lettuce & tomato) or the fried bologna sandwich (that sounds so bad and so good at the same time). I also ordered The Salad, which was very fresh with a touch of citrus.   Other items I am looking forward to trying are the Kobe Burger, Crack and Cheese (a.k.a mac-n-cheese) and their homemade twinkies!

The Salad

chips and dips

The ZLT

I had a really nice time at Drink.Well. I thought the cocktails were fabulous and the food was inventive and fresh.  I absolutely loved the atmosphere of the place – bright, modern and cheery, a great neighborhood pub that I could easily see myself becoming a regular.  Uh-oh. 

Drink.Well on Urbanspoon

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You can get happy anytime at Jasper’s

3 Apr

I tend to not visit chain restaurants too often.  And this blog is really about promoting locally owned and operated places.  But every once in a while, I figure an exception can be made.  Jasper’s,  located in The Domain in North Austin, is one of those exceptions.  It is part of a chain (there are Jasper’s in Dallas and Houston), but chain restaurants only become chains if they’ve got a good thing going on.  And this place does – especially for happy hour.

Any place that states “If we’re open, it’s Happy Hour” is okay in my book!  The happy hour deal only applies to seating at the bar or on the patio, but that’s fine because that’s where all the action is anyways.  Jasper’s has a great outdoor patio and a very nice bar with comfortable seating.  Their happy hour menu is great, not only for drinks but food as well.  The list of $5 edibles is substantial and delicious.  I tried the beef sliders- a pair of cute mini burgers topped with onion and pepperjack that were juicy, flavorful and a little messy (messy burger = good burger).  Other items on the happy hour menu include smoked brisket tacos with tomato avocado salsa, sausage pizza, ginger citrus marinated pork satay and a few others.  Plenty of food for a meal – and all at only $5 each!

Now on to the real reason why people go to happy hour – the drinks!   During happy hour (which really is all day everyday, remember?) they offer $2 off of specialty cocktails, beer and wine.  They also have a list of $5 martinis.  I tried the Skinny Margatini – tequila, agave nectar and fresh lime juice.  Not too sweet, not too tart and a perfect way to start off my weekend.

You can't go wrong with the Skinny Margatini

The beef sliders make a cute couple

I thought Jasper’s was a classy place with a great patio, good food and drinks at a good price and friendly staff.  It’s a fun and lively spot – good for whenever you are in the mood for happy hour.  And who doesn’t love that!

Jaspers on Urbanspoon

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Sushi with spurs on

19 Nov

One thing I love about Austin is that you really don’t have to travel too far to get great food.  In the past few years my own neighborhood has really flourished in the bar/restaurant department.  The southernmost part of Burnet Road, now nicknamed “Lo-Burn” (kinda funny name if you ask me),  has several great little local eateries and bars to choose from.    And what does that mean??   That means I don’t have to go far to get my food fix.

The newest place to open up in Lo-Burn is this great spot called Roll On Sushi Diner.  This is not your typical diner though it does have a Texas accent.

Pork dumplings

Pork Dumplings

 Roll On serves up your traditional sushi rolls such as the salmon roll, california roll and spicy tuna roll.  But what really makes this place new and exciting are what I like to call their “Texafied” rolls!  Creative little gems like the Cholesta Roll – chicken fried steak wrapped up like a sushi roll and served up with cream gravy (of course), The Beefy Texan – spicy BBQ mayo covered brisket surrounded by rice, avocado and wasabi cole slaw and one of my favorites, The Grouch – grilled chicken with caramelized onions and green chiles.  And let’s not forget that all important course-dessert!  How about The Elvis,  a roll deep fried and filled with banana, bacon and peanut butter, drizzled in chocolate.  Trust me on this, you will not be disappointed with that one!

Yellowtail nigiri

Yellowtail nigiri

All of the plates are set at a fixed price, ranging from $3.95 to $6.95, which makes this diner  affordable at any time.  But they do have happy hour as well, which makes it really affordable.  This week my hubby, Ross,  and I checked out their happy hour, which runs Monday – Friday from 5 to 7 pm.  We feasted on

The LoBurn

The LoBurn Roll

yellowtail nigiri, pork dumplings  ($2.95 for each plate)  and a delicious roll called The LoBurn – shrimp, unagi, jalapeno and green onions tempura fried (also $2.95).  I also enjoyed a nice glass of pinot noir for 5 bucks (glasses of wine $1 off during HH).   Ross and I had a great meal for under $30-not too shabby for sushi I’d say.  We are definitely going to make Roll On Sushi Diner one of our staples!

Roll On Sushi Diner on Urbanspoon

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Who doesn’t love happy hour?

15 Nov

Welcome to Get Happy Austin-a blog dedicated to good eats on the cheap.  Eating out has always been a passion of mine; mostly due to the fact that I really don’t like to cook.  The whole process takes up way too much of my day.   It begins at the grocery store, which in my case entails wandering around with the cart in circles not having a clue what the hell to buy, mainly because I have no idea what I am trying to cook.  The actual cooking is another ordeal, which usually ends with my kitchen looking like a bomb exploded.  Not to mention that the actual meal is not something I would brag about…or want to feed to anyone.  Then there is the clean-up phase which, let’s face it, is not what I want to be spending my precious free time doing on a beautiful evening in this awesome city of ours.

What is the solution to my dilemma?  Going out to eat of course!  Let someone else worry about the groceries, the recipes, the cleaning up.  All I really care about is the eating part.  This town has so many great restaurants with new ones opening up all the time.  But you do have to be careful-eating out can really get pricey.  Believe me, I know.

So I’ve decided to spend my hard-earned dollars more wisely without giving up my passion for great food by taking advantage of happy hour specials at many of the great restaurants around town.  And I will be sharing all these great finds so that you too can eat and drink on the cheap!

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