Putting the “happy” in Happy Hour

I think what I like most about Happy Hour (besides 1. a drink after a rough day and 2. good prices) is connecting with my friends. Happy Hour is the perfect forum to do just that. Enjoying those around you and not having to worry about spending a lot to do so.

Last week I ventured out for a little more rare Friday Happy Hour with my good friend from high school Caitlin. At Caitlin's suggestion, we checked out Ravish on Eastlake http://www.ravishoneastlake.com/. Ravish is the quaint little sister restaurant of Ravishing Radish Catering, which allows them to share their foods with the masses. The menu is comprised of small bites/tapas style. During Happy Hour select menu items are discounted (ranging from $3-$7 off the original price). They also have some specially priced libations, on this night there were 3 wines for $5 each, a few beers and then a cocktail on special for $6. We opted for the wine, actually, 3 glasses of wine each! Don’t judge. We selected the Cab blend, and it was great, obviously since we kept drinking it. I have also heard that they make some really great cocktails. But alas, 3 glasses of wine did us in, and we did not sample the cocktail menu.

Now to keep us satisfied, we needed some food. This night I deferred to my partner in crime. As our selection notes, we have a fondness for cheese. We shared the Baked Brie, Mac & Cheese, Bread Pudding and Cappuccino Gelato. The Baked Brie is pretty mammoth. You get a huge hunk of cheese delicately wrapped in a fluffy pastry, then warmed and drizzled with salted caramel. It comes with apples, fresh bread and great rosemary crackers to dip in the cheesy goodness. I’m not a huge caramel fan, but it actually was a nice compliment. The Mac and Cheese is a smaller sized portion, but it is a pretty rich, so you don’t need that much. It is filled with herbs and quite a bit of bread crumbs. Not the best I’ve ever had, but tasty. The Bread Pudding was pretty amazing. It came out warm with a caramel drizzle. Even with the caramel I liked it, this pudding was right up there with my mom’s. The Cappuccino gelato was average, nothing special. It had a nice flavor, but it was icier than the traditional smooth velvety texture that I love about gelato. What’s the damage you wonder?

Baked Brie-HH $8.25, normally $10.50
Mac & Cheese-$11 no HH special
Wine-$5 a glass (and generous pours)
Bread Pudding-$6.50
Cappaccino Gelato-$6.50 (really 2 scoops)

All in all, it was a great night. I would like to come back and sample some more nibbles and their cocktails, but I know it isn’t going to be the outstanding HH prices that many places offer.