Celia's Mexican Restaurant San Rafael- December 3rd

Celia's Mexican Restaurant
1 Vivian St.
San Rafael, CA
Happy Hour 4 to 6 everyday

Behind the big wood door lies a very cool little bar…venture in cuz it’s worth it. The room is adorned with cheesy black velvet paintings of Amazon women and cowboys.  Celia’s bar offers up great Happy Hour fare and a good drinking establishment atmosphere.  No one can see you from the street so you are safe to indulge your wilder side!

Free quesadillas or cheese & bean nachos are offered to each HH patron. Along with $1 off margaritas and $1 off beer it can’t get much better.  They have a full Mexican menu for other appetizers but the freebees were large enough for HH that no one else ordered a thing.

Service was great-our server was super attentive and able to handle the multiple request without a blink.

This is a must go back- we gave it a 9.5 out of 10

P.F. Chang's- Friday November 19th

P.F. Chang's Bistro
Town Center
301 Corte Madera Town Center Space A
Corte Madera, CA 94925
(415) 413-9890
Happy Hour everyday from 3 to 6 pm



P.F Chang's has a welcoming, clean, sophisticated, somewhat warm, sexy- but in a masculine way, feel (if that even make sense or is possible).  
Happy hour drinks range from $3 import drafts to the $6 Asian pear mojito, yum!
Happy hour Dim Sum and Street fare offerings range from $3.25 to $6.
Choices are abundant for HH food and drink offerings, so if you like lots of choices you'll be in heaven.
We tried Chang's chicken lettuce wraps, $6, their signature appetizer, which was great and we could see why it is their "signature".  We loved their Crispy Green Beans, $4, with spicy creamy sauce, they might be more addictive than potato chips.  The Kogi Asian Tacos, $4.95, got high praise too with four choices of protein: traditional beef- marinated and slow-braised, spicy shrimp, red-cooked pork, and battered mahi-mahi.
Unfortunately, appetizers that were order never showed up:(.  A couple of people in our "club" didn't get what they ordered, and by the time the server was aware of the mistake, well it was to late to do much but apologize since we were basically done.  Service was good other than that thou, friendly, young, handsome.....
P.F. Chang's is worth going to, lots of choices, reasonable prices, fun atmosphere.


Over all group rating 8 out of 10 

Pier 15- Friday October 22nd

Pier 15
15 Harbor St.
San Rafael, CA 94901
Happy hour 3 to 7- Monday through Friday


If  you are the type to judge a book by it's cover you might want to skip this happy hour destination. However, if typical bar food done well, drinks, affordable prices, and quick service are what matter most to you when picking a happy hour destination, then Pier 15 will color you happy.
Tap beer $2
All Apps $5
Even thou only three of us "happy hour club members" showed, we came with the appetites of grizzly bears who just woke up from hibernation.  We loved the Beer Battered Onion Rings (light as air) with homemade ranch dressing and the Heirloom Tomatoes with fresh basil and melted mozzarella!  The Potato skins, Bruschetta, Beef Nachos, and the Pier 15 Famous Chicken Wings were also yummy, and at the price point of $5 an appetizer we just keep ordering.  Pier 15 is not your "typical" Marin bar, and we liked it!  It under promises and over delivers, better than the other way around..........right?

Over all group rating 8.25 out of 10

Finnegan's in Novato - Friday October 8th

Finnegan's Bar and Restaurant
877 Grant Ave.
Novato, CA 94945
Happy Hour Everyday 3pm to 7pm

A neighborhood gem- cloaked like an Irish bar but really more like a Sports/family restaurant/Pub GrubSpot for locals & non-locals alike.

The Happy Hour Menu starts @ 3pm & runs until 6pm, 7 days a week. It is a changing menu with drink specials, wine & beer and many enticing appetizers at reduced prices- all very affordable. This week’s appetizer offerings were a corned beef slider or beef slider for $3/each. The Brie plate came with tomato chutney, roasted garlic cloves & French bread for $4. Mussels with smoked jalapeños & onions in a light wine broth served with crusty bread slices for dipping or a pesto flatbread pizza or marinated shrimp skewer for $5/each.

Wine selections are usually Kenwood Yulupa series Merlot or Chardonnay @ $5/each & Black & Tans @ $4.

The bartenders are accommodating & friendly. Finnegan’s has a very nice staff that welcomes you every time your there.  There is a back patio for nice days and evenings.  They have live music Saturday nights, and other activities including karaoke, open mike and trivia nights, as well. Open 365 days a year; this place is a keeper.

On another note: The noise level here is very high and if there is a particularly important game can be deafening. The bar is narrow & long so you tend to be familiar with the other patrons willing or not sometimes.

Overall Group Rating: 9.0 out of 10, pretty good stuff!

Saylor's Restaurant and Bar in Sausalito -Friday October 1st-

Saylor's Restaurant and Bar
2009 Bridgeway
Sausalito, CA
Happy Hour Monday -Friday 4:30 to 6:30


Saylor's has a "good old bar".  The bar is clean, lot's of wood, a little bit of natural light but not to much, and some very tall cocktail tables....it's a "good old bar".  It might have seemed smaller than it actually is since we "rolled" 17 deep and quickly took over all the tables.  The staff was awesome thou!  Sometimes when so many people come in at the same time it can slow things down but the service was prompt and friendly:)!
Happy hour drink offerings differ from night to night, but happy hour Margarita's are always $4, and happy hour taco's are always $1.  That's right only a BUCK!!!!!!  Did I mention they are delicious too!  The shredded beef with a hard shell is the best, but you have the choice of soft shell along with chicken or veggie.  Even though the only HH food offering is the $1 taco, you won't be disappointed.  Seriously, you can't afford not to go:)!

Over all group rating 8.2 out of 10

Wild Fox in Novato - Friday September 17th-

Wild Fox Restaurant
225 Alameda Del Prado
Novato, CA 94949
Happy hour Monday - Friday 3 to 6 pm


We had waited all summer for a beautiful evening like this so we sat outside on the terrace, their word not ours.  It was a beautiful "terrace" thou, with weather to match:).
Well drinks $4
Draft beers $3
House wine $4
Lot's of Choices on the HALF price Appetizer menu!  12 nibbles to pick from between $3.50 to $6 bucks.
We munched on the Tempura style Calamari, Wild Fox Nachos, Rock Shrimp Fritters, and the Filet Mignon & Truffle Pizza......all good, yet nothing that will stay in anyone's memory much past next week.  The atmosphere promised something special, yet the food and service felt and taste like a chain, sorry to say.

Over all group rating 7.75 out of 10

The Seafood Peddler in San Rafael -Friday September 10th

The Sea Food Peddler
100 Yacht Club Drive
San Rafael, CA 94967
Happy hour Monday through Friday 4 to 7

The Peddler is a cool spot on the canal in San Rafael. You can hang inside at the bar area or outside on the patio where the  Happy Hour is
served to all. The hours are later than most establishments in Marin (from 4-7 pm) making this a pretty solid HH destination.
Sometimes they have live music as well. The place is open and in the winter has a big fireplace in the bar to make it feel cozy.
We had a great server- -patient and helpful- -Thanks Alyssa!

$5.50 for their HH Specialit drinks-
Margaritas, Mai Tais, Manhattans & Cosmos
Well drinks $ 3.95, house wines by Stone Cellars- Chardonnay, Cabernet $3.85 or Bud Light for $ 3.50


Turn ons:
Known for their fresh seafood and take-out seafood market- they offer three kinds of oysters on the HH menu.
Hood canal, Blue Point & Miyagi -each for $1.79
Your choice of raw or cooked  Rockefeller style, Meyer Lemon & garlic or barbequed. They even had jumbo prawns - peel & eat

Super fat and delicious Homemade Lobster Bisque & New England Style Clam Chowders- YUM

Turn off's :
Pizza-  lots of options- all NOT good. Dry and bland - and not on the HH menu ($10.99 to $12.99 for indie sizes)

A few of our crew were not too happy that smoking and Happy Hour went together on the patio...

Overall rating from the group 7.37 out of 10

Sabor of Spain in San Rafael - Friday September 3rd

Sabor of Spain
1301 4th St.
San Rafael CA, 94901
Happy hour at Sabor of Spain 5 to 6:30 Tuesday - Friday


The hard wood floors, dark red and brown accent walls , granite bar with tea candles set a sexy ambiance, with a touch of metropolitan, which includes sidewalk seating:).  Sabor of Spain offers Spanish style tapas and wines, without leaving the comforts of Marin, and the hassles of the airport.
House red or white wine $3 a glass
Sangria $3 a glass (red only)
Tapas two for the price of one ( tapas range from $6 to $15)
With the price point of $3 a glass wine for happy hour, we couldn't afford not to drink. The house white was Raymond Sauvignon Blanc from Napa, and the house red was Filus Malbec from Argentina, both ok, but at only $3 a glass, we moved their rating up to good... yep we were swayed by the cheap booze.  They have a fantastic Sangria, full bodied, lots of pieces of fruit, refreshing, well balanced, and again the great happy hour price of $3 a glass!
The tapas were very Spanish style, LARGE portions. Our favorites were the Empanadas, Spanish pastry stuffed with chicken, mushrooms, spinach and peppers, and the Pinchos de Calamar, grilled calamari with a garlic aioli. The flavors were ordinary, which was sad cuz with Spanish style food you are expecting a little or a big POP, but the pop never happened:(.

Over all rating from the group 7.75 out of 10, we'd go back, but we're in no hurry 

Piatti in Mill Valley - Friday August the 27th

Piatti
625 Redwood Highway
Mill Valley, CA 94941
415-380-2525
Happy hour at Piatti's Daily 4 - 6:30 pm

There is only one thing to say, Piatti has a great happy hour, and apparently everybody knows cause it was already packed when we got there at 5:30! We were able to grab a little corner of the bar, and eventually were able to expand. Even though the bar was packed (they only serve happy hour in the bar area) we were able to get great service, which is always appreciated and noticed.  Having the bartender come out from behind the bar to serve us our food was a welcome surprise...nice touch!  
All offerings were under $5, Bella (beautiful)!

Tap Beer $3, House Wine $4, Well cocktails $5
All Food on the happy hour menu $5

Piatti's carries their own private label wines and has them on special for the Happy Hour, $4.  In addition they carry some rare finds by the glass off the regular menu, 2008 A. Rafanelli Zin, Dry Creek, no kidding!
The food was simple but spectacular, it was like an Italian affair to remember! Our favorite offerings were the Ostriche, a Fried Local Oyster Po' Boy "sliders", and the Polpettini, tomato Braised pork & Ricotta Meatball "sliders". Both the "sliders" were served on Artisan buns that were like little soft pillows of goodness from heaven. We also loved the Pizza Margherita, with fresh house made mozzarella, crushed tomato sauce, and fresh torn basil, yummy and huge for an " happy hour size" pizza!

Over all rating from the group 9 out of 10, Lo Amavamo (we loved it)

The Tavern at Lark Creek in Larkspur - Friday August the 20th

The Tavern at Lark Creek
234 Magnolia Avenue 
Larkspur, CA 94939-2099
(415) 924-7766
Happy Hour at The Tavern: 5:00 to 6:30 M-F.


We went here on a lark, since we had been in Larkspur the week before and thought, oh why not... at least they have free valet parking! What can we say about this place... free popcorn and a sustainable food philosophy are always appreciated. That being said, a little seasoning of the food would have also been appreciated. Spices are natural, no?
Tap beer $3, sangria $4, tap wine and well drinks $5
"Nibbles and bites" $3.95-$5.95

The $4 sangria or should we say "san-disa-gria", was a bit unbalanced with too much citrus and  not enough sweetness. Our favorite offering was the seasonal heirloom tomatoes with blue cheese, yum. We also tried their famous mini mac and cheese croquettes which was ok along with the tavern fresh ricotta, lemon and oregano, again ok.
We really liked the tavern atmosphere and casual nature. Best piece of art was the chalkboard baring the quote, "I don't have a drinking problem except when I can't get a drink" by Tom Waits, which reminded us of another favorite lyric of his, "She got me harder than Chinese checkers" ;-)

Overall Rating from the group: 7.5 out of 10... which speaks for itself, sigh

Left Bank in Larkspur - Friday August the 13th

Left Bank Brasserie

507 Magnolia Avenue
Larkspur, CA 94939-1328
(415) 927-3331
Happy Hour at Left Bank: 4:30 to 6:30 and then it starts up again at 9 to closing M-F.

Well, it may have been Friday the 13th, yet this place was anything but scary and instead it was a nice surprise. Collectively, the group has been to hundreds, maybe thousands of happy hours and still Left Bank managed to elicit high praise for its great selections of food and drink, all for under $6, no kidding!

Glass of wine, well drinks, etc: $5
Gourmet small plates with LARGE portions: $5-$6
Our favorite offerings were the petite burger, fig & prosciutto tartlet, and steak tartar.
Service was great. House wine selection was decent. The only bummer... seating outside was not available for groups (or maybe it was just us?). Typical French atmosphere with the highlight of the Moulin Rouge topless/bottomless dancer portrait in the corner to satisfy the eight year old boys in the crowd.

Overall Rating from the group: 9.25 out of 10... in other words we liked it A LOT