Happy Hour at Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar

Oh how I long for patio weather...back in August, when we were gently lifting the quarantine, we ventured out to Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar. Grateful for the good weather, we managed to easily socially distance on the patio. 

I've always been a fan of Spicy Margaritas ($8) (first discovered at Tacofino) but they didn't have this on the menu. Fortunately, the bartender improvised with fresno chilies since they didn't have jalepeno peppers. This was good and makes me want to make my own chili-infused tequila. Doesn't seem hard, right? We can totally do this!

Well, it IS an oyster bar...so we must have Oysters ($2/ea). These were creamy and sweet. I do like my oysters on the small side, one-bite wonders. How do you eat your oysters? I drain any residual juice from the shell, then give it a squirt of lemon juice and just a bit of the mignonette and a touch of horseradish. I used to add Tobasco sauce all the time but lately, I find that it overwhelms the delicate flavours of the oyster so have been leaving it out. 

These Chicken Wings ($12) were one of the first things I've ever had here and I just had to get them again. The umami comes from the nuoc cham or fish sauce caramel. And no, it's not fishy. It's nice and crunchy with some heat coming from a bit of sambal chili paste.  The sweetness of the coating is mitigated by the pickled veg. Get two orders because it's hard to split three wings amongst two people...

Although not always on the menu, this Lobster Mac and Cheese is worth trying if available as a daily special. I love the gratin topping, it gives the dish a nice crunchy texture which contrasts the creaminess of the mac and cheese. 

There's plenty of lobster here and it's a dish best shared because it can get a bit heavy if you try to eat the whole thing yourself. The flavours were a bit mild and the dish could have probably used a touch more cheese. Nonetheless, it's a good appetizer and a bit more satisfying than just oysters and wings. 

They have $2 oysters during happy hour and 20% off bottles of wine as well. 

RN74 in Seattle - Happy Hour

One of the things I love about the States is the many places that offer a Happy Hour Menu. We were staying close to this restaurant so we decided to pop in and give it a try. I liked the casual decor as well as the fun coasters, plate settings and menus too. The first thing I had was the Black Truffle Popcorn, and the aroma was heavenly. The oil was gently tossed with the popcorn to avoid sogginess in places and barely there flavours in others. These Rosemary Steak Bites were good, quite tender and medium rare. I found them a touch oily though, leaving a not-so-nice stain on my wine glass. And who can say no to Deep Fried Cheese? Actual balls of cheese, battered and deep-fried served with a vat of ketchup. There were really gooey when they arrived, so be sure to eat these first before they become firm balls of semi-hard cheese. 

A few of the items I had here are not on their current menu, but I'm hoping some things will be back.

Take note:

• Get a Shot and a Beer for $5.74.
• Happy Hour is Saturday, 4-6pm.
• Truffle Popcorn is only $3!

Happy Hour at Pink Elephant Thai

Already well known for their $10 lunches, Pink Elephant Thai on Alberni recently launched their Happy Hour menu. Available 4:30-7pm daily, the deals are pretty amazing, with glasses of wine starting at just $4! But although the deals on the bevvies are good, I'm here to tell you about the food that's also on special.
See, can't beat a Singha or a Pale Ale for just $4. Glasses of white or red wine are also available. All great choices to wash down the yummy appies. There were just two of us but we wanted to try something from every price point. 

This isn't on their Happy Hour menu per se, but at just $3 per order, we thought the Roti was worth a try. The inner layers had the perfect texture though, nice and chewy. 

The exterior was crispy, almost too crispy. We informed the staff and he said he would pass our concerns to the chef. I blotted out the oil but ended up peeling the top layer off.

 

Our first appetizer was their Fish Cakes. Five pieces of juicy bouncy fish arrived with a nice cucumber chilli sauce. The fish cakes aren't battered which made them nice and light. The coriander, green onion and galangal helped to build the flavours. The dip is a bit tart, but helps to bring out the freshness of the fish. The order was $5 and I think it was well worth it. 

Our next arrival was the BBQ Short Ribs. I really liked the fact that the ribs were just done to medium, and not an overly dry well-done. Cutting them into manageable pieces was also appreciated. The dipping sauce was thick and spicy and clung to the beef. Take my word for it and just eat these with your hands, finger-licking good. And again, at $5, this was a good deal.

I know this looks like another beef dish, but it's actually their Yum Nuea, a Thai beef salad with greens and a dressing with lime juice, nam pla (fish sauce) and Thai chillies. The grilled New York beef was very tender and made the salad very filling. I didn't like the raw red onions but that's a personal preference. Ask them to omit if you're not a fan like me. This was the most expensive dish of the evening at $8 but well worth it in my books. 

Our last item was the Lettuce Wrap, and you have a choice of chicken of beef, but since we had so much beef already, we opted for chicken Loaded with veggies, tofu and crispy fried vermicelli, this dish is fun and great for sharing. I added our sauce from the BBQ Beef Ribs to the each wrap for an extra kick! The portion was good for just $7. Our 5 appy dishes was just $28, and we were full! With the happy hour running from 4:30-7, it's perfect for an early dinner before a concert or a Canucks game!

Take Note:

• Happy hour daily, even on weekends, 4:30-7pm
• Lots of TVs, great for watching sports
• Private area upstairs perfect for a group gathering

Appy Hour at Joe Fortes

I've always been a fan of Joe Fortes for lunch because they are quick and they're good. The weekday Blue Plate specials (scroll towards the bottom) for $9.95 don't hurt either! But now, they've come up with something fun for after work too! From 4-6 daily and in their bar area only, it's their Happy Hour! And there are some great deals to be had! $5 glasses of wine (Jackson Triggs, I think), Buck a Shuck oysters and half price on all appies! There are a dozen items on the menu with a good mix of raw, cooked and carbs. I've been a few times and have tried quite a few. 

Oysters are a must, and if they are only $1 each, how can you say no? The question should be, How many? So we started off with a dozen. Served with their seafood cocktail sauce and some horseradish, these arrived quickly and were nice and briny. Just a squirt of lemon, mix some tobasco into the cocktail sauce and slurp! 

Another half price appy is their Jumbo Tiger Prawn Cocktail. You get three large prawns (three-biters for me) along with more cocktail sauce and a bit of endive. I wouldn't say these are so massive as to require a knife and fork but at half price, these are well worth it. The last cold appy I tried was their Beef Carpaccio. Thinly shaved beef with a bit of roasted to buttery softness garlic, some grainy mustard and a few greens. There was some grana padano as well, but they were really thickly cut, just a touch too thick for my taste. And yes, some crispy capers sprinkled the dish too. Ask for the bread basket to eat this with and you'll be a happy camper. 

The first "hot" dish we had were the Cheeseburger Sliders. And they were exactly as you would expect, mini patties topped with cheddar, a few thing slivers of pickles and a coleslaw like you would find in a fish taco. This helped to lighten up the dish, so it was appreciated. The bun was soft and very smooshable, a trait I require with sliders.  

So you've seen the Prawn Cocktail earlier, so take a look at the cooked version, their Tempura Prawns. Again, you have three of them, but these are lightly battered and served with a slightly spicy mayo. The crunch from the batter was good, and not too oily. As you can see, the batter is fairly "non-oily", there's nothing on the paper lining the dis. And if you were concerned that the batter was contributing to the size of the the tempura prawn, wonder no longer. Look at the size of the prawn. These babies are addictive!
Fulfilling the tradition of getting cold appies "made hot", we decided to try the Fried Oysters. Battered in something completely different than the Prawn Tempura, this batter was reminiscent of panko crumbs, or something just as airy. These oysters were so juicy on the inside, once you get past the phenomenal crunch of the crush outside. They were served on a bed of tartar sauce so some of the bottoms got a bit soggy, but nothing a simple request of "sauce on the side" wouldn't fix. 
Taking into account the 50% off, none of the dishes see here are over $8, other than the oysters of course. Makes it easy to wash down with those $5 glasses of wine, doesn't it?