With the advent of Advent, the holiday season is officially upon us. With that comes the opportunity to meet up with old friends and do a little catching up over a beverage. That also means that it’s a great time to seek out a good happy hour, and two restaurants have announced some great new food and drink specials just in time for a little socializing.
The first comes from Black Tap Burgers and Bar, the popular new beefeteria downtown at 140 Third Ave. N. Monday through Thursday from 4 until 7 p.m., patrons can find some real bargains. On the drinks side, all beer is $5, wine by the glass is $6, and well cocktails are just $8. They’re also offering two chilly specials, with a frozen cosmo for $8 and a boozy bushwacker for $12.
Bargain bar snacks include chili nachos with queso, pico and avocado crema for $8, fried hot chicken skins for the same price, and a cheesy chopped prime beef sandwich for $12. On some nights, Black Tap will feature live music on the stage during happy hour, and discounted parking for 90 minutes at the 210 Commerce Garage.
Up in Germantown, Henrietta Red takes the term “happy hour” a little more literally, with specials from 5 until 6 p.m. every day except Monday, when they are closed all day. Early-bird doorbusters in the bar room will benefit from $2 “chef’s select” oysters, $7 cava and rosé, $6 draft beer specials, and a menu of $10 cocktails including Vespers, Margaritas, Old Fashioneds, Gold Rushes and Daiquiris.
Henrietta Red has also revived the bar snacks program, with specials on fish and chips, fried sweet potatoes, shrimp cocktails and smoked fish rillettes. So get there early and enjoy some fantastic drinks and snacks.
Finally, chef Arnold Myint is back for round two of his Khan Toke Supper Club series at International Market on Sunday, Dec. 10, sponsored by Pellegrino. Khan Toke is a regional cuisine of northern Thailand, where specialty dishes are served family style, and Myint is replicating the experience so you won’t even have to choose from the menu at this $110 feast. (Drinks and gratuity not included.)
Most of the menu is not commonly seen on American Thai menus, or even at native restaurants outside of the northern region. So it’s probably best that Myint has set the menu for you, and because of the family-style format, you won’t be able to make substitutions. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Among the planned dishes are first courses of Burmese tomato dip, prawn crackers with pork rinds and sticky rice, and nam prik narok, a crumble of chilli, shallots and fish sauce. The second salvo will include salmon crudo, Thai toast and pork sausage. The third course is an interesting one, a dish named Kaeng Jeud Tofu, or “bland soup.” I’m sure Myint will find a way to zhuzh it up a little bit and do something spectacular with daikon, napa cabbage and preserved cabbage in a ginger broth.
Meats take center stage for course four, with a smoked duck dish and “three taste trout” accompanied by a peanut stew with kabocha squash, heirloom potatoes and makrut lime as well as Chinese broccoli with soybean paste and pickled garlic. The final sweet course features poached bananas with cardamom coconut cream and coconut sorbet accompanied by a lotus blossom cookie.
If this sounds like the sort of experience that excites you, make your reservation for a specific seating between 5 and 8:30 p.m. on Sunday at the event website. Save me a seat!
