Hangar 17

Hangar 17 Happy Hour Menu
Food Only – NO DRINK SPECIALS
Calamari: $4.95
Beef Skewers: $3.95
Pork Sliders: $3.95
Wedge Salad: $2.95
Margherita Pizza: $4.95
Pepperoni Pizza: $4.95

Hangar 17 Happy Hour Hours: 4:00-6:00 PM (Monday-Friday)

Location: 1630 S Street

My Happy Hour experience:
I had seen on numerous sites that this place had the “longest happy hour in downtown” hours ranging anywhere from 2-7 PM… so I was a little surprised to find that the happy hour was only from 4-6 PM. When I asked the waitress when they decided to change their hours of happiness, she said it had been 4-6 for the two years that she had worked there. At 5:30 we ordered a Coors Light ($3.50) and an Absolut & tonic ($5.50).

Not much as far as drink specials…Hangar 17 boasts a nice selection of Happy Hour appetizers. We tried the beef skewers which were tasty, and the pork sliders. The pizzas did not disappoint and are big enough for two people to snack on.

We just happened to visit on a Tuesday and Thursday, where they had some sort of drink promotion.

$2 Tuesdays during the month of July feature a new beer every Tuesday. Buy the featured beer and logo glass for $4 and refills are only $2 until the keg in the outdoor area is finished. This was a little awkward because you had to go outside to get a beer refill, but for $2, I’m not complaining. The feature when I was there: Mendocino White Ale.
September was “Sierra Nevada September” where pints were $3 and it was $6 for Draught Sierra Nevada and a T-shirt. Hopefully there’s another promotion in October.

Thirsty Thursday was less exciting and actually a bit of a ripoff in my opinion. On Thursdays, all custom Smirnoff cocktails are “only” $4. Isn’t that how much they’re supposed to be? Anyways, you have your choice of the type of flavored vodka (all 20 Smirnoff flavors are available), then proceed to choose what type of drink you want (kamikaze, cosmo, lemon drop etc) and how you want it served (martini, shooter, on the rocks). The four of us decided to get four different fruity concoctions, and they all pretty much tasted the same…ROBITUSSIN. Although the drinks were filled with sugar, they did pack quite a punch. Overall, too fake tasting for my palate.

Recommendation
I think Hangar 17 is a great place to watch sporting events. There are 6 TV’s, and an outdoor pool table under the patio overhang. The staff is very friendly and non pretentious. The only minor complaint I have is that the food took a while to come from the kitchen.

Parlare Euro Lounge

Parlare Happy Hour Menu

About 6 items in the $4-$6 range

$1 off beer - $3.50 for domestic and $4.50 for imported (usually $4.50 and $5.50)

House wine (red or white) - $4 (usually $8)

Parlare Happy Hour Hours: 4-6:30 PM (Monday-Friday)

Location: Near the corner of 10^th and J streets

My Happy Hour experience:

There is a special happy hour menu which encompasses about 6 dishes. I tried the tasty hummus, olives, and crackers platter which was $4, with glass of the house Red (also $4). I also had a beer, and was a little bit disappointed to learn that they only had a bottled selection (no draft).

The ambiance and 2-story setup of Parlare Euro Lounge gives a wonderful San Francisco feel. The trendy art and decorations are classy and the indoor waterfall is a tranquil addition. On the weekends, this place has a nice crowd, and sometimes even live music.

Weekdays are a different story. When I visited for happy hour on a Wednesday, there were probably six people in the whole place. The food/drink specials were attractive and the service was good…the only thing missing were the people.

I don’t get it…I’ve heard plenty of complaints about how there is nowhere to go in Sacramento, and how dead downtown is on weeknights. Here’s a place that offers us young urbanites a place to hang out and grab a drink or watch the game, and yet no one shows up!

I read in the Bee, that the owners (who didn’t receive much help from the city), are having a difficult time since opening due to lack of foot traffic in the downtown corridor. Hopefully business will pick up once all of the surrounding buildings are completed, but until then, I encourage everyone to try and check it out on a weeknight.

Recommendation

I would recommend Parlare, not just because it’s the first step in changing the mindset and image of downtown, but because it’s a trendy place to chillax. Once you step through the door, it feels like you’ve stepped outside of Sacramento and into a “real” urban city. That is what we all want… right?

Why?!

Try googling Sacramento happy hour…Go ahead…….Exactly.

It’s almost impossible to figure out where to go for a bargain brew and bite after work in the Sacramento area. If you accidentally stumble upon someone’s online recommendation, there’s a good chance there’s no mention of price or even operational hours of happiness. Instead, you’ll muddle through opinions of how the person loved the “toasted bread with some type of tomato mixture on it.” My goal in this blog is to post specific prices, and times of the best and worst happy hour spots in Downtown Sacramento, and its surrounding areas. I’ll try to be as objective possible, unless of course, the place warrants excessive criticism.

I will try to be open to any issues, comments or suggestions you may have and look forward to questions about specific restaurants that would require additional “research,” on my part. I plan to visit the following restaurants for happy hour in the near future:

Pyramid Alehouse, 4^th Street Grille, Dive Bar, Pizza Rock, Shady Lady, Ella, Fox and Goose, Parlare Lounge, Il Fornaio, Streets of London, Fanny Ann’s Saloon, Rubicon Brewery, Bulls, Centro Cocina Mexicana, L Wine Lounge, McCormick and Schmick’s, The Broiler, Brew it Up, Mikuni, Bistro 33, Chanterelle, Ernesto’s, The Waterboy, Blue Prynt, Zocalo… I’m sure I’m missing a bunch so I’ll need some suggestions.

A little about me: I’m a Sacramento native who just moved back from the bay area. I graduated from UC Davis in 2006, worked in Oakland from November 2006-November 2007, and am now currently working on I Street. Being away from the Sacramento area made me realize how much I enjoy it here. I plan on moving to downtown in the near future and am convinced that, aside from the current market slump, Sacramento is going to see great expansion in the future and is poised to become a world class city. As far as my hobbies go, aside for sports, I just started brewing my own beer, and have a passion for making exotic cocktails.

I have always taken pleasure in going to restaurants for happy hour, but this love was solidified when I stumbled upon Horatio’s on the Oakland Marina.

It was mere luck, the day my brother came to visit for a Warrior game. I had been taken out on a corporate lunch the week prior to Horatio’s and really enjoyed their appetizer sampler (teriyaki tenderloin, coconut shrimp, and crab & artichoke bisque). Since the company taking us out wanted to impress us, the owner ordered three at a price of $23.95 each, for the six of us (yes as a lunch APPETIZER)… Anyways, back to my brother’s visit. I wanted to impress him, and decided we’d sit on the outdoor deck at Horatio’s and order some beers as well as the appetizer sampler. Of course one Anchor Steam ($4.50) quickly turned into three, and when the bill came I was expecting to pay around $60 with tip. Little did I know that Horatio’s had one of the best happy hour menus in the world…or at least Northern California. Our bill came out to $27.05 ($10 for the sampler and $2.50 for the beer). This single experience is probably where my infatuation with happy hours stems from.

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