Banjo
08-17-2011, 05:35 PM
Happy Hour: Deals aren't new, advertising them is...
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20110817-ENTERTAIN-108170302
By Rachel Forrest
August 17, 2011 2:00 AM
Restaurant and bar happy hours are banned in Boston (and the rest of Massachusetts) and until very recently an establishment in New Hampshire couldn't advertise their happy hour specials outside said establishment or in a news publication or magazine.
Oh Facebook, sure, but our newspaper? No! Of course, the N.H. Liquor Stores could. So not fair. But all of that has changed. Happy Hour specials can now be shouted out loud and clear.
Happy Hour has been around for quite some time in people's homes of course. At my mom's house, it starts at about 5 p.m. when my step-dad, Jim, has either a glass of white wine or a good scotch along with cheese and crackers. That goes for their camp on an island off the coast of Brunswick, Maine, as well, where we all sit out on the deck and watch the osprey fly by and the lobstermen come in from their long day. Then my mom makes dinner or we go out, but until then, it's time for heavy gazing and that cocktail.
The name "Happy Hour" might have come about in the '20s in the U.S. Navy and then it was a term used for a time when they had boxing matches on the ship to relieve stress. The whole drinking thing came about during Prohibition when the "happy hour" became the clandestine drinking time in homes and speakeasies before going out to restaurants where they absolutely couldn't get a drink. You have to get primed before a few hours of dryness. Later, the cocktail lounge sprang up and folks gathered there before dinner and the "happy hour" name stuck.
The whole free bar snack thing came about in the '80s when restaurants wanted to be a bit safer and make sure their patrons had something to eat with their alcohol and now, it's safer still with laws that either prohibit the happy hour or curtail the promotion of it. It's illegal in Ireland, for example as well as Glasgow and became illegal in 1984 in Massachusetts. In countries like the Netherlands, you can't buy a half-priced drink (of course you can buy pot in Amsterdam. Hmm.), but to get around it you can get twice as much to drink.
In the United States, and around the Seacoast in general, we have many restaurants and bars that offer half price or discounted drinks and include half priced appetizers or even free bar food, all usually during weekdays when business might be slower. It draws folks in especially when times are tough. Sometimes even if I have plans to go somewhere else for dinner, I might wind up staying right where I started for Happy Hour out of sheer laziness and/or comfort.
Also on the Seacoast is a newly launched Seacoast Happy Hour Web site (www.seacoasthappyhour.com) where you can enter in a time and day and the result is a list of many restaurants and bars with listings of what their happy hours are right then. For example, It's Wednesday, Aug. 17, the day before my birthday, BTW, and I can go to Mombo and get half-price wine by the glass, check out the Green Monkey for a glass of wine and an order of dumplings for $10 and drift over to the new Drift Away for half off my first drink just because I'm a lady! Well, female at least. I know from the site that 106 Kitchen and Bar has $5 burgers tonight too. But of course, I'll actually be at their first Happy Hour celebrating the new Web site and service beginning at 4 p.m. on Aug. 17 at the Portsmouth Gas light Deck! They'll have delicious food as well as drinks from Debauchery wine and Bacardi among others. Go to their event page on Facebook.
Now, not all happy hours are listed. I like the happy hour at Rudi's (where I'll be later on tonight for that beer vs. wine dinner). On Wednesdays you get half-priced wine and apps plus music from Dimitri and on Monday it's half-priced apps and $3 draft beers and they have an awesome craft beer on tap selection. The Portsmouth Brewery does bar snacks at 5 on weekdays.
And a note on etiquette. You are paying half price in many cases, but you'll notice that your bartender or server is doing the same amount of work as if you were paying full price. Tip on the full price! Everyone should be happy at happy hour.
The Dish
The Balsams resort is closing for a year's worth of renovations Sept. 14, but not before they throw a great wine dinner. Executive Chef Josh Berry Prepares a Nine Course Summer Extravaganza paired with special wines presented by Hermit Woods Winery of Sanbornton on Sunday, Aug. 28. The evening starts at 5 p.m. with a sparkling aperitif followed by a meet the wine makers cocktail reception in the famed Balsams Hale Room. Diners will then make their way to the grand dining room where Chef Berry and his team will serve an amuse bouche of chilled and marinated shrimp, a Hermit Woods Three Honey wine will be paired with a special escargot dish, followed by a petite greens and fresh herb salad that will help prepare taste buds for the following course. Then pan-seared scallops with an apple "ver jus" complemented by the Hermit Woods Apple Wine and a light Peach Rosehip Sorbet prepared with the winery's own Peach Rosehip Wine. The main course of roasted breast of duck and foie gras with celery root fondue, caramelized ginger and cinnamon glaçage will be perfectly complemented by a unique Hermit Woods Crabapple Wine, combining a host of local flavors from plate to glass. The Hermit Woods Spiced Honey Mead will then be paired with ciabatta topped with house made raisins, toasted walnuts and chestnut infused honey. Finally, what could be more "summer" than a blueberry inspired dessert and accompanying wine? The delightful dessert selection includes Blueberry Prosecco Pavlova, a wild Maine blueberry cannoli, and a blueberry-lemon mousse cake with white chocolate powder and a maple-blueberry jus, paired of course with a Hermit Wood Blueberry Dessert Wine. Finally the evening will be topped off with a selection of homemade chocolates created by the team of Executive Pastry Chef Matthew Holland.
Only 50 seats to this incredible meal are available, so gourmands and wine lovers alike should make their reservations now. Guest rates start at $259 per person, per night (based on double occ.) and tickets to the dinner are only $30 for Balsams guests. ($85 for non-guests). Guest rates include full use of all Balsams facilities including unlimited golf on the Donald Ross-designed Top 100 ranked course. For information or to make reservations call (800) 255-0600 or e-mail reservations@thebalsams.com.
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20110817-ENTERTAIN-108170302
By Rachel Forrest
August 17, 2011 2:00 AM
Restaurant and bar happy hours are banned in Boston (and the rest of Massachusetts) and until very recently an establishment in New Hampshire couldn't advertise their happy hour specials outside said establishment or in a news publication or magazine.
Oh Facebook, sure, but our newspaper? No! Of course, the N.H. Liquor Stores could. So not fair. But all of that has changed. Happy Hour specials can now be shouted out loud and clear.
Happy Hour has been around for quite some time in people's homes of course. At my mom's house, it starts at about 5 p.m. when my step-dad, Jim, has either a glass of white wine or a good scotch along with cheese and crackers. That goes for their camp on an island off the coast of Brunswick, Maine, as well, where we all sit out on the deck and watch the osprey fly by and the lobstermen come in from their long day. Then my mom makes dinner or we go out, but until then, it's time for heavy gazing and that cocktail.
The name "Happy Hour" might have come about in the '20s in the U.S. Navy and then it was a term used for a time when they had boxing matches on the ship to relieve stress. The whole drinking thing came about during Prohibition when the "happy hour" became the clandestine drinking time in homes and speakeasies before going out to restaurants where they absolutely couldn't get a drink. You have to get primed before a few hours of dryness. Later, the cocktail lounge sprang up and folks gathered there before dinner and the "happy hour" name stuck.
The whole free bar snack thing came about in the '80s when restaurants wanted to be a bit safer and make sure their patrons had something to eat with their alcohol and now, it's safer still with laws that either prohibit the happy hour or curtail the promotion of it. It's illegal in Ireland, for example as well as Glasgow and became illegal in 1984 in Massachusetts. In countries like the Netherlands, you can't buy a half-priced drink (of course you can buy pot in Amsterdam. Hmm.), but to get around it you can get twice as much to drink.
In the United States, and around the Seacoast in general, we have many restaurants and bars that offer half price or discounted drinks and include half priced appetizers or even free bar food, all usually during weekdays when business might be slower. It draws folks in especially when times are tough. Sometimes even if I have plans to go somewhere else for dinner, I might wind up staying right where I started for Happy Hour out of sheer laziness and/or comfort.
Also on the Seacoast is a newly launched Seacoast Happy Hour Web site (www.seacoasthappyhour.com) where you can enter in a time and day and the result is a list of many restaurants and bars with listings of what their happy hours are right then. For example, It's Wednesday, Aug. 17, the day before my birthday, BTW, and I can go to Mombo and get half-price wine by the glass, check out the Green Monkey for a glass of wine and an order of dumplings for $10 and drift over to the new Drift Away for half off my first drink just because I'm a lady! Well, female at least. I know from the site that 106 Kitchen and Bar has $5 burgers tonight too. But of course, I'll actually be at their first Happy Hour celebrating the new Web site and service beginning at 4 p.m. on Aug. 17 at the Portsmouth Gas light Deck! They'll have delicious food as well as drinks from Debauchery wine and Bacardi among others. Go to their event page on Facebook.
Now, not all happy hours are listed. I like the happy hour at Rudi's (where I'll be later on tonight for that beer vs. wine dinner). On Wednesdays you get half-priced wine and apps plus music from Dimitri and on Monday it's half-priced apps and $3 draft beers and they have an awesome craft beer on tap selection. The Portsmouth Brewery does bar snacks at 5 on weekdays.
And a note on etiquette. You are paying half price in many cases, but you'll notice that your bartender or server is doing the same amount of work as if you were paying full price. Tip on the full price! Everyone should be happy at happy hour.
The Dish
The Balsams resort is closing for a year's worth of renovations Sept. 14, but not before they throw a great wine dinner. Executive Chef Josh Berry Prepares a Nine Course Summer Extravaganza paired with special wines presented by Hermit Woods Winery of Sanbornton on Sunday, Aug. 28. The evening starts at 5 p.m. with a sparkling aperitif followed by a meet the wine makers cocktail reception in the famed Balsams Hale Room. Diners will then make their way to the grand dining room where Chef Berry and his team will serve an amuse bouche of chilled and marinated shrimp, a Hermit Woods Three Honey wine will be paired with a special escargot dish, followed by a petite greens and fresh herb salad that will help prepare taste buds for the following course. Then pan-seared scallops with an apple "ver jus" complemented by the Hermit Woods Apple Wine and a light Peach Rosehip Sorbet prepared with the winery's own Peach Rosehip Wine. The main course of roasted breast of duck and foie gras with celery root fondue, caramelized ginger and cinnamon glaçage will be perfectly complemented by a unique Hermit Woods Crabapple Wine, combining a host of local flavors from plate to glass. The Hermit Woods Spiced Honey Mead will then be paired with ciabatta topped with house made raisins, toasted walnuts and chestnut infused honey. Finally, what could be more "summer" than a blueberry inspired dessert and accompanying wine? The delightful dessert selection includes Blueberry Prosecco Pavlova, a wild Maine blueberry cannoli, and a blueberry-lemon mousse cake with white chocolate powder and a maple-blueberry jus, paired of course with a Hermit Wood Blueberry Dessert Wine. Finally the evening will be topped off with a selection of homemade chocolates created by the team of Executive Pastry Chef Matthew Holland.
Only 50 seats to this incredible meal are available, so gourmands and wine lovers alike should make their reservations now. Guest rates start at $259 per person, per night (based on double occ.) and tickets to the dinner are only $30 for Balsams guests. ($85 for non-guests). Guest rates include full use of all Balsams facilities including unlimited golf on the Donald Ross-designed Top 100 ranked course. For information or to make reservations call (800) 255-0600 or e-mail reservations@thebalsams.com.