Fridays are Always Happy at B-Dubs

OK, so if you know what B-Dubs is, then you're familiar with Buffalo Wild Wings. B-W-W - hence the shortened version of B-Dubs that we all prefer to say so we save ourselves a few syllables. While most restaurants would never think of having any Happy Hour on a Friday night, I'm glad to see that BWW thinks otherwise. They don't over think their "special" times, they just do it and it works.

Have you ever thought that a place had Happy Hour only to arrive and realize that you misinterpreted the Monday thru Thursday but not Friday night, however Sunday is good and so forth. You get what I'm talking about. BWW is straightforward: Monday-Friday: 2-7 PM and 10 PM - 6 AM. Period. Plus, on all of the weekdays, the 10 PM hour is traditionally an awkward one where most Happy Hours haven't started yet and you don't dare enter an establishment that's about to close because the kitchen staff will want to punch you for making them whip out their pots and pans again. (You know it's true!)

Besides the traditional Wing Tuesday special of 50 cent wings and Boneless Thursdays with 60 cent boneless wings, Happy Hour gives you enough food and drink items that they know you'll probably order something off of the main menu anyways.

The pricing is simple, everything I'm about to list is $3.

Drinks: 
Tall Domestic Drafts
Jack Daniels
Captain Morgan
Absolut Vodka Drinks

Food:

Mozzarella Sticks - I've had these once before. I always like to tell any place to make them well done so that the cheese is ensured to be melted and gooey. Who ever wants to eat fried cheese that's like a block?

Chili con Queso Dip - Once again, as the ultimate fan of being served food that is piping temperature hot (hey, it just tastes that much better!), I, once again, request any dips to be bubbly. This is a really good dip! It's mainly a cheese based dip that has chili in it. It's served with tortilla chips that if served right, should also be warm. 

Mini Corn Dogs - I've never had these here. Why? Corn dogs bring me back to childhood when I was puzzled at the school lunch line when all of my friends would be darting for these hot dogs wrapped in a cake like fried batter and to fit in, I started eating these things. So, in my lifetime, I've kind of had enough corn dogs. But not to say that these aren't good here by any means. I just can't give you a first hand account.

Garlic Roasted Mushrooms - It says "roasted" but it's a garlic flavored crusted mushroom that is fried. These are pretty good. I've had them at least once before. However, my dining partner isn't a big mushroom fan so I tend to not get to eat these too often. 

Chips & Salsa - This is what you would expect. I do like their tortilla chips here because they are light and crispy and no the super thick ones. 

Every B-Dubs has the same feel with a little bit of a different layout. The servers at my local B-Dubs are great but I can't attest to the other wait staff valley wide. So, you may have to show up and see but in any sense, you've got a wide range of hours including Friday for some economic eats!

Yard House Happy Hour

When you can combine Happy Hour pricing with real dishes, you've got a win-win situation. I'm not saying that chicken fingers and wings aren't real dishes, but having a variety of items to choose from beyond the typical fried items is always a welcomed sight.

Enter: Yard House. With over 180 drafts on hand, it will satisfy the most serious of beer drinkers while dishing up great complements to the beverages. Just the sight of the kegs is quite impressive. There are two locations in Las Vegas. One is at Town Square on South Las Vegas Boulevard (just down the street from Mandalay Bay Casino). The other one is situated inside the Red Rock Casino in Summerlin (westside Las Vegas).

Yard House's Happy Hour is Mon-Fri 3-6:00 PM and Sun-Wed 10 PM-Close. Their late night Happy Hour especially appeases me because the 10-11 PM hour is an oddball time slot where most places haven't yet started their Happy Hour which makes Yard House right on with their timing!

Most of their appetizers are half-off and here's a run down of the choices:

Chicken Lettuce Wraps: Stir fried chicken with pine nuts, green onions, tofu with three dipping sauces (one of them being peanut sauce).

I order this dish about 90% of the time because it's tasty, interactive (you have to make your own wraps of course) and it's not an item that is typically on other Happy Hour menus. They give you a generous portion of  lettuce and it's not iceberg, I believe it's butter or bibb lettuce. Or - are they kind of the same lettuce?!?!? Who knows. Anyways, it's a flexible leaf that doesn't break in half on you so it works well. As an obvious Asian (Chinese to be exact), I give this one two thumbs up!

Seared Ahi Sashimi: Seared rare, lightly blackened served with soy vinaigrette.

So you have to be a sushi or rare fish eater to appreciate this one, but it's very very good. It's a light appetizer so if you order this one, you'll most likely need to order or share one more dish with someone. It has a very refreshing taste and I've always had it come out just right. I recommend this one for sure.

Spinach Cheese Dip: Just like you know and served with flatbread crisps for dipping. 

This is also a good dish but as in any restaurant that I order a spinach cheese dip, I request that it comes out extra bubbly hot because it always tastes better that way. Their dip has a good taste to it.

Chicken Nachos: This is what you would expect. It's the typical nachos layered with beans, cheeses, guacamole and sour cream. 

It's hard to mess this one up. If you are in the mood for nachos, it's quite a large size so you won't be disappointed with that. It's a consistent dish that will satisfy your taste buds.

Garlic Noodles: Tossed with butter and topped with Parmesan cheese.

This is a smaller dish and it's great as a side to complement the other appetizers. It's got a really nice unique flavor with the garlic and cheeses on it. This isn't a saucy noodle dish. It's more of a dry noodle dish but has a nice burst of flavor.

Onion Ring Tower: Beer battered dusted with Parmesan and served with chipotle and ranch dipping sauces. 

I've had this either once or twice and it's not because it wasn't good. It's just so darn big. It really is stacked like a tower and it's definitely meant to be shared with a few people. You really only want to eat one or two and to try other dishes, otherwise you can get onion-ed out and really full from it.

Pizzas: BBQ Chicken, Spicy Thai Chicken, Margherita, Four Cheese, Pepperoni and Mushroom, Ham and Pineapple round pizzas. 

It's a decent sized pizza that you can either share or eat as your entree. Of all the pizzas, my favorite is the Spicy Thai Chicken one because it's a unique item and it's got the peanut sauce on it. It's definitely not a traditional item but it's not one that you'll find in other places.

More appetizers that are half-price are: Wings, Moo Shu Egg Rolls, Fried Calamari, Fried Chicken Strips, Blue Crab Cakes, Tuna Roll and California Roll.

They also have sliders on the menu for $6.95 and they all come with fries. They offer the Classic, Bearnaise, Pastrami, Turkey or Gardein (TM). You really can't go wrong with their sliders. They are all good. I especially like the Classic, Pastrami or Turkey sliders. Another option for $9.95 is their Ahi sliders. I haven't tried these yet.

There are drink specials, of course. They start at $2.25 and up. Domestics are $3.50 and Well Drinks are $4.25-4.75. Specialty Drinks and Wine by the Glass are $2.00 off.

What's also great about their Happy Hour is that it extends throughout the entire restaurant. Every seat is a Happy Hour seat so you don't have to cram yourself into the bar area. Sit comfortably at a table or a booth and still enjoy the specials.



rooms

On the Border Part II: Happy Hour

This is On the Border Part II (OTB) as promised in the last post. As a restaurant in the suburbs of Vegas, specials are a must and having an affordable Happy Hour is definitely a must employ strategy. While I do wish that OTB stayed open at least an hour later, perhaps their numbers don't warrant it.

Monday-Friday, OTB has Happy Hour in the bar and patio from 3-7 PM and late night Happy Hour from 9 PM-Close which is a short time frame since last call for food is around 9:30. The restaurant actually closes at 10 so drinks are still available until that time.

Happy Hour consists of both food and drinks specials. It's half off select appetizers and I have tasted most of them. Now, OTB isn't for the dieter or for those that want a moderately healthy meal....on Happy Hour that's next to impossible. So, for half the cost, for a snack, take OTB for what it's worth.

I have always liked their Chips and Salsa which are served free to everyone. I like their salsa because it comes out cold and has a loose consistency with a little kick to it. They give you salsa in the small little blue dishes but I typically request a bowl because I use a lot of it. The chips - when done right - come out nice and hot. If they come out kind of cold and stale, don't hesitate to ask for a new batch. It's your money, get what you want and you deserve it.

Some of the items on the Happy Hour menu:

Empanadas:
Fried dough pastry shell (like a mini-pie) stuffed with meat (chicken or beef). You get five of these and they come with cheese (queso) dip. I think these are quite tasty, however, you definitely want to share this plate with two other people. If you eat five of these by yourself, you are going to feel like a greaseball mess and your stomach is going ask you why you just did that. Eat one or two at the most and consume some other items.

Firecracker Stuffed Jalapenos:
Again, this is a dish to share with others. Don't eat the whole thing by yourself or you will feel like a greaseball mess. Just have one or two and share with others. This is a typical stuffed Jalapeno where it's filled with cheese and then fried. It's hard to mess this one up.

Texas Wings:
These are kind of bready, but not bad. One bartender suggested that we dip them in some queso dip and it was a nice complement to the wings.

Fajita Nachos:
Now, these are not like the nachos that you are accustomed to because it's not a pile of tortilla chips with meat and cheeses and toppings sprinkled all over. Each chip actually is topped on its own and then baked so the cheese is melted on it. I personally wasn't a fan of these and maybe it's because I was expecting one thing and got another. Plus, the chip gets soggy the way it's made. Fair warning to you if you want to get them.

Queso Dip:
This is your typical cheese dip and it's always best when you request it "piping hot" so it's bubbling when you get it. Otherwise, it's just not the same.

Chicken Flautas:
These are like your typical flautas except I like them better without the sauce they drizzle on top of it because it gets the flauta shell soggy. This is a sharing dish, once again, because you don't feel good if you eat the whole thing by yourself.

Drinks specials are about $3-4 and include Dos Equis and Margaritas.

In a nutshell, OTB is good for a mini group gathering where you can sample a few items on the Happy Hour menu. I don't often go for their Happy Hour actually. I typically go for Taco Tuesdays where tacos are on a special price at 99 cents. I also like their Chips and Salsa. So, I go for a lighter meal and not for the all out Appetizer spree. Either way, with the apps being half-price, at least go check it out.