Happy Deals

Happy Hour has become a “thing,” and why not? It’s a great way to sample a lot of things to eat and drink. We don’t drink, but we do eat, and we usually order the entire Happy Hour menu.

Lately, I have discovered the downside to this program. An awful lot of things on a Happy Hour menu are fried. A disproportionate amount. It may be a coincidence, but the last two places we went to Happy Hour were offering an assortment of fried things.

The Blue Crab in Part 1 of this piece was all fried things except the chargrilled oysters. And we followed that with a trip to Boucherie, where all but a burger and a salad were fried.

I was surprised about this at Boucherie, which serves more complex and upscale things. It started as a smokehouse, and that continues to influence a lot of what they do. They were among the first if not the first to put lettuce on a grill. And their charred Caesar remains my favorite of this lot. It has a terrific Caesar dressing and copious amounts of shaved Parmesan cheese to offset their delicious croutons. A small version of this salad wrapped like a French crepe was the only thing on the Happy Hour menu besides the burger that did not emerge from hot oil.

The fries, which have always been a trademark at Boucherie and are excellent, also emerged from hot oil but a very long time before they were placed before us. This was a heartbreaker. The Boucherie housecut fries have always been among the best in town, but these were limp and cold and had clearly been fried long before delivery. 

I almost didn’t get the Brussels sprouts just because I am so sick of fried Brussels sprouts everywhere. But the prices here are so cheap it was unfair to leave them out. I’m glad I didn’t because these were among the best out there. The flavor was really good. There were sliced jalapēnos and sprigs of cilantro on top. I just had to put the cooking method out of my mind. 

The boudin balls may be the biggest disappointment of all., and that is on me, not them. Boucherie is aptly named. It is a smokehouse and meat processor. What was wrong with these boudin balls for me was the intensity of the meat flavor, which would (and has) won them prizes in that world. These taste like pork, a little too much for me. And they were also deep fried, as boudin balls always are. But it was the third item of four to be cooked that way.

The last thing available on the Happy Hour menu was $12, and a bargain at that. The house burger was a good one. The patty had a nice flavor all by itself. It sat high in its little brioche bun made by Don Phoung, with housemade pickles, lettuce, and tomato. I added cheese for a dollar and enjoyed this serious burger made by serious meat people.

There were a lot of regulars in the house the day we went. They obviously do well with their Happy Hour, as they should. At $5 and $6 for a full-sized portion app, it’s a heckuva deal.

In the first part of this Happy Hour review, I briefly mentioned Keith Young’s on the northshore. But it deserves more serious attention. The new bar area at Keith Young’s should not be missed. It is just beautiful, and it absolutely rocks all the time. And the Happy Hour is a great deal. This isn’t one of those everything half-off deals. Keith’s has a specific Happy Hour menu where the items are not available at any other time. They average $10 apiece.

Nobody does housecut chips like Keith. An enormous portion of these perfect chips surrounds a ramekin of his luscious Bleu Cheese Dip replete with chunks of Bleu cheese. Irresistible!

There are slider duos of beef and chicken. These sliders are large enough to be considered full-sized sandwiches. We have had both and love them equally. The burger is much smaller than the excellent regular burger, and it has its own slider qualities: thinness of patty, grilled onions, as well as a shiny bun. The chicken sliders are white meat breast pieces perfectly fried, with their own accompaniments.

There is a tuna dish here that is available in the restaurant. Tom had it once and loved it. Keith also has a good meatball and red sauce, and meatballs are part of this menu. His meatballs are larger and they come in threes.

Crispy almond-crusted fried shrimp round out this great menu. These are served with an Asian dipping sauce.

On Friday the Happy Hour menu is available at lunch.

The Bower has a nice Happy Hour menu, but it doesn’t follow either rule of special menu or half-off regular menu items. The Bower offers full portions from menu items reduced by a few dollars. In the case of Cacio e Pepe, it is almost half off. The Cacio e Pepe is not “authentic,” but it is very good. This one is a little too elaborate for my taste but who can go wrong with Parmesan cheese, olive oil, pepper, and spaghetti? Let’s call all the very good but “inauthentic” versions of the dish “American.” Any chef who isn't Roman has to cheat.

The whipped feta, another dish I am seeing everywhere, is served with a Bellegarde baguette, which automatically elevates the whole dish. Veggies are available as a sub, as pictured here.

Ruth’s Chris has a terrific Happy Hour. The menu is also quite large, and I just love the vibe in the bar in Metairie. Downtown is nice too, but very different. The bar in Metiaire is cozy, and filled with people, making it fun. It is so small that seating can be an issue. I never sit on barstools except here.

I loved the burger at Ruth’s until they started spreading garlic butter on the bun. It changes the whole dynamic, but is an easy fix. This burger comes with housecut fries which are also excellent.

But what I love even more there is the shrimp dish. Set on an elongated dish, two separate piles of spicy shrimp tossed in sriracha cream sauce are plated with the most delectable cucumber salad in between.

There are other great dishes on the menu, like a goat cheese and artichoke dip with crostini, a steak sandwich,  and a grilled chicken sandwich, both of which come with the housecut fries. A plate of zucchini fries is also another menu option.

Ralph’s on The Park has always had a great Happy Hour. It features a few apps from the lunch menu at the regular price. Their signature Shrimp Skully is there, along with a Creole Shrimp dish, Truffle fries, as well as a small version of their Wagyu Smashburger. A charcuterie plate is also offered. These are not reduced prices. It’s just a special menu.

Creole Cuisine is pretty good at this game too. A Tavola has half-price pizza and some apps at great prices each weekday. And Boulevard has a nice menu as well.

We don’t fully participate in the delights of Happy Hour because we don't drink. But we still love Happy Hour, and I’m sure the hours are even happier for those that do. Especially at these prices.