We were out recently in the Dr. Phillips area and happened upon a restaurant we had never heard of.  It was called Vines Grille & Wine Bar.  It looked nice.  There were no parking spots available, so we ended up checking our car with the free valet service.

We got to the door, perused the menu and did not expect what we saw – very expensive entrees, and everything was served a la carte.  We didn’t want to get our car out of valet so quickly, so we went inside thinking we’d get an appetizer in the lounge and afterward find a more reasonable restaurant. 🙂

When we were seated the server told us it was Happy Hour and all appetizers were 1/2 off.  Hmm.  Interesting. The aromas coming from the kitchen were enticing, and we were hungry.  The appetizers sounded great – kobe beef sliders, margarita flatbread, shish kabobs and for Tom – oysters on the half shell.  They even served crisp fried bacon. which looked amazing. We ended up thoroughly enjoying our evening.  The atmosphere was definitely high end, yet all in all we only spent about $25.  And we were full!  Not to mention the live music – this night the entertainment was in the style of Frank Sinatra – very romantic!

Fast forward to a few days ago when we were introduced to a new smart phone application called “Happy Hours.”

We’re not ones to advocate bar hopping by any means, but many fine restaurants offer nice tables in the bar side of their restaurant that feel no different than the restaurant side.  When Happy Hour is being offered customers aren’t required to order alcoholic beverages and the specials are quite reasonable.  The app even lets you sort by the type of food served.

The Happy Hours app is certainly worth checking out;  It’s free and available in most major cities across America.  In this economy going out to dinner can be the first thing omitted from a couple’s budget.  Happy Hours may help you reconsider your options.

Cheers!