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Thursday, June 28, 2012

Makin' It With Maren

Makin' It With Maren
June 28th, 2012



Have you ever wanted to be your own at-home bartender? Mixology is hot right now, but if you're a beginner, starting from scratch can be a challenge when in comes to making your favorite drinks.

Makin It' With Maren is fun webseries that will show you the tips, tools and how-tos of shaking up new and classic cocktails. Maren Swanson will share easy, affordable and seasonal drinks that are great for entertaining or self pleasure. 



 

In addition to liquid recipes, Swanson will be covering local events, interviews and simple at-home happy hour secrets. So, pick up your swizzle sticks and stock your freezer with extra ice. This summer is gonna be hot and so will Makin' It With Maren.










Saturday, June 23, 2012

Mercado Introduces Happy Hour


Mercado - Happy Hour
June 21st, 2012



Mercado, a new restaurant addition to the Santa Monica area, has just introduced happy hour. On Mondays - Fridays, 5pm to 7pm and Saturdays and Sundays, 4pm to 6pm, you can enjoy an array of delicious happy hour treats at the Fourth Street retreat. Owner Jesse Gomez describes the flavors as Mexican food with a modern twist; incorporating fresh, local bought ingredients and a Mezcal menu that will knock your socks off.



All of the margaritas are shaken with a house made sour mix and served extra frothy. And for only $4, you can enjoy Dos Equis Amber presented in a chilled glass with complimentary "Mexican" bar nuts for noshing.




The $6 Carnitas Tacos made with fresh guacamole, braised pork and red onion are unbelievable and you can wash them down with a stunning $6 Hibiscus Margarita. Did we mention that all of their tequilas are 100% agave? If you love happy hour, you will love Mercado's.




1416 4th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 526-7121



Mercado on Urbanspoon 




- LA's Premier Happy Hour Search Site Featuring Over 1,000 Happy Hours Within 50 Cities in Los Angeles County
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Thursday, June 21, 2012

Please Vote for Lovehappyhour.com! There are only 9 days left!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Mezze - Happy Hour


Dear Love,




After an unplanned hiatus from one of my happy hour pals and text tagging for months, it was time to reconvene at a nearby hh joint and catch up. We are always trying to find a walking distance location from my place, so we chose to hit up Mezze on La Cienega. Mezze is a modern Mediterranean restaurant that I had been dying to stop in a try for a while. The mustard colored building pops with color, and once you enter, you will notice bulbous glass fixtures along the wall housed with various herbs and dried goodies (hops, perhaps?) Adjacent to the hostess stand is a cozy little bar area lined with dark wood high tops and a bar laced with fresh ingredients and ink droppers. Ok, they must take their mixology seriously.

Once we were seated, I visually panned the airy, olive scented dining room. What an experience; open air seating over-looking the street on one side and a huge view of the kitchen on the other, with executive chef Micah Wexler hard at work on the line. The hostess greeted our table and offered us complimentary still or sparkling water. Nice touch. The happy hour menu was small and unique – not your normal array off hh plates. The drinks were half off (craft beer, wine and specialty cocktails) but most of the food items were basically taken from the regular menu and placed on the hh menu.


We dove right into ordering drinks, beginning with the Inception Pinot Noir for my friend ($6) and I with the “Johnny’s Zombie” ($6) made with light and dark rum, apricot liqueur, pineapple and citrus. My cocktail was served in a handcrafted cup that looked like it came straight off the set ofHawaii Five-O. I sipped my drink from a silver bar spoon/stirrer. The flavors were tropical and slightly tangy. I could have had more, but I decided to pair the hh Chardonnay with the dishes we had ordered.


My friend tried to start with the Kleinfeld Sandwich, but we were told that was no longer available so we opted for the f ($15), brisket shawarma ($8) and the risotto ($14, as recommended by our server from the regular menu). The shawarma was served with braised brisket, pickles and a crunchy slaw type condiment; both sandwiches were housed between the perfect amount of bread and were a great start. Next, we devoured the Flatbread. The dough was light, cripsy and warm. Fresh, thin slices of summer squash along with heaps of ricotta melted in our mouths. Also we experienced a subtle spice, which was a pleasant surprise. The risotto arrived in a wide-rimmed bowl and was sprinkled with sliced almonds and a rustic lemon garnish. Nestled inside I found meaty portions of lamb, onions and a cornucopia of different spices and flavors. I praised our server, and then I savored every single bite of it. It was so good, in fact that I continued to fantasize about that risotto all night.


Mezze's happy hour wasn’t exactly light on our wallets, but the food and drinks made up for it. My only wish is that our server had mentioned it was last call for the hh (I was so busy catching up with my friend that I forgot about the time). I will be back, and now that they offer a late night happy hour, I’m even happier.


XXOO,


Maren




Happy Hour Breakdown:
Everyday, 6pm - 7:30pm; Friday & Saturday (Late Night), 11pm - 1am
1/2 Off Select Craft Beer, Wine & Specialty Cocktails,
Reduced Priced Bar Bites


Mezze
401 North La Cienega Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90048
(310) 657-4103




Lovehappyhour.com - LA's Premiere Happy Hour Search Site Featuring Over 1,000 Happy Hours Within 50 Cities in Los Angeles County

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

LA Wine Fest 2012 - Raleigh Studios



The LA Wine Fest has returned for its seventh showing on June 9th -10th at Melrose's historic Raleigh Studios. Festivites will begin an noon on Saturday with educational classes, gourmet food trucks, live music and most importantly, over 500 wines, spirits and brews available to taste. Proceeds from the event will benefit the City of Hope.




Some of the participating wineries include: Riboli Family Wines, Inception Wines, Mosby, Rosenthal (Malibu), Herzog Wine Cellars and Darms Lane (Napa). Tickets can be purchased for a $75 single admission price or $139 per couple. Attending designated drivers can participate for only $20.



Raleigh Studios