High-end happy hours
Houston's best cheap dates: Places to impress without breaking the bank
Happy Hour can be more sophisticated — and date friendly — than you think.
The bar at III ForksPhoto by Julie Soefer
V Lounge at Eddie V's on West AvenuePhoto by Daniel Ortiz
RDG + Bar AnniePhoto by Debora Smail
Want to impress a date with your success and good taste, but can't afford to max out your credit cards in the process? Well, don't rent that blood-orange Lambo (everyone knows it's a rental) — take her or him to these swanky establishments with criminally good happy hour specials instead.
RDG + Bar Annie (4 to 7 p.m.)
$6 Hors d'oeuvres including fried chicken mignonettes with blue cheese dipping sauce, deep fried rainbow trout skewers, smoked chile meatballs, smoked gulf shrimp spread on toast, bacon and smoked cheddar dip and spicy avocado dip.
$3 Stella Artois and Blue Moons
$6 featured cocktails including The Infinite Summer (vodka, Contreau, grapefruit, cranberry, lime and soda), the Paloma (tequila, lime, grapefruit salt and soda), Berry Berry Mojito (rum, crushed berries, mint and soda), Paco's Sangria (pinot noir, brandy and fresh fruit) and, though it's off-menu, we definitely recommend offering a lady of discerning taste the Carajillo, a Spanish drink of espresso and rum.
Eddie V's (4 to 7 p.m.)
$5 to $8 appetizers including a to-die lump crab cake, calamari, lobster and shrimp bisque, curry oysters, pot stickers and more.
$2 off all drinks
$5 wine by the glass
$5 cocktails including Svedka or Bombay gin martinis, Lemon Drops, Cosmos, Bacardi Mojitos and El Jimador margaritas.
Mockingbird Bistro (5 to 7 p.m.)
$5 appetizers including wild mushroom risotto; veal sweetbreads; roasted onion pizza; hummus, Tuscan white bean and caponata dip; and warm spinach salad.
$5 premium well cocktails
$5 wine by the glass
$5 for two on local brews including Saint Arnold, Real Ale, Independence, Southern Star and Shiner
III Forks(4 to 7 p.m.)
$5 chips topped with sautéed onions and blue cheese or blue cheese beef croustades, $3.75 kobe beef sliders.
$5 martinis
$5 sommelier's pick of the cellar
Flemings (5 to 7 p.m.)
$6 appetizers including tenderloin carpaccio, sweet chile calamari, seared cajun barbecue shrimp, seared ahi tuna and a jumbo shrimp cocktail.
$6 prime bacon cheese burgers
$6 cocktails including vintage vodka martinis, cosmos, Smirnoff pomtinis, tropical coconut martinis and Stoli Vanil vodka bombshells
$6 for two Blue Moons
$6 wine by the glass
Voice at Hotel Icon (4 to 7 p.m., Wednesdays)
$1 martinis
Monarch at Hotel ZaZa (5 p.m. to close, Thursdays)
$5 select appetizers
$5 beers
$5 wine by the glass
$5 well drinks
Complimentary live music
