This summer I’ve been pursuing different ways to dig into our restaurant scene, to enjoy the richness of it during the season when showing up matters more for local businesses. I’m also keen to find good deals, because things are tough all over.
That’s how I landed on the idea of happy hour hopping and the two-course happy hour. This simply pairs happy hour deals at two or more restaurants, visited in quick succession, for an outing that adds up to more fun and less money spent (if you pace yourself at least).
Happy hour hopping means small bites and quick sips here and there, and it can turn an early meal out into a different kind of low-key social activity with a gaggle of friends.
For these to work, the restaurants must have an appealing happy hour deal; and be close enough to make this double dip doable in the same time frame.
Once I started looking, I found potential all over the place. Uptown, start with a cheese board at St. James Cheese Co. and then tapas at the bar at Costera, where the beef shank bombas and boquerones are a natural fit with the fizzy Spanish wine. Easy, and delicious.
In Mid-City, get your smoked wings and daiquiris at Blue Oak BBQ and then a bowl of cracklin’ and cocktails at the modern Cajun mecca Toups’ Meatery and maybe a sno-ball at Pandora’s to make it three courses, of sorts.
Downtown, there’s a raw bar deal at Maria’s Oyster and Wine Bar and then, one long block up Tchoupitoulas Street, a robust bar menu for happy hour at La Boca, the Argentine steakhosue.
And while we’re downtown, there’s a heavyweight edition of the two-course happy hour at Saint John and Desi Vega’s Steakhouse right across the street from each other. It was crudo and muffuletta bruschetta at Saint John, then meatballs and martinis at Desi Vegas. Delicious. I even ended this happy hour with leftovers.
This is the season when it can feel time slows down in New Orleans. Sometimes, maybe the answer is to getting through is to measure some of that time in happy hours.
