Oyster night is Thursday at Cliff's Edge

Designer extraordinaire Dana Hollister has built a marble-topped oyster bar in a shady nook of the already lovely back patio at her Silver Lake restaurant, Cliff's Edge. Right now it comes alive only on Thursday nights when the restaurant begins shucking mollusks at 6 p.m. and doesn't stop until they're all gone. 

Get there early, though, because happy hour lasts until 7 p.m. and during that time all oysters go for $1. After that a half-dozen costs $12 and a dozen costs $20. A 19th century French Empire chandelier hangs over the oyster bar and behind it a mirror serves as a menu for Champagne and white wine by the glass as well as whatever oyster-related cocktail the bar has dreamed up.

Cliff's Edge has been busier than ever since chef Ben Bailly took over the kitchen, and oyster night already has a great draw. Eventually Hollister would like to offer oysters at least four nights a week and maybe even put some stools at the bar, which would seat diners on a first-come, first-served basis.

Cliff's Edge, 3626 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A. (323) 666-6116; www.cliffsedgecafe.com.

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Photo: Jessica Gelt / Los Angeles Times

 

 

Wednesday special: Spare Room's newest $7 cocktail

The Spare Room, the swank bar-meets-vintage-bowling-alley at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, has a new Wednesday special for the spring: Get beverage director Naomi Schimek's Barbarossa cocktail for $7 and a crispy falafel sandwich for $5, from 8 to 10 p.m. That's along with $3 beer and half-price bowling too.

The Barbarossa? It's black-tea-infused Beefeater gin with tarragon-Meyer lemon shrub and a little Cabernet topped with a splash of soda and garnished with a sprig of tarragon and a pickled Peppadew pepper. How's that for hump day?

7100 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 769-7296, www.thompsonhotels.com.

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Happy hour deals at the Charleston, Drago Centro and more

Every now and then we take it upon ourselves to ferret out the best happy-hour deals at worthy restaurants and bars across the city. Although it's a task that's ill-suited to our bookworm-ish temperament, and it takes up way too much time after work, we persevere.

This week's round-up features daring mark-downs on food and drink at Iron Chef Jet Tila's new 1930s-era boite, the Charleston, as well as substantial savings at Drago Centro, the Prince and Urbano Pizza Bar.

Click here to get in on the happy hour action.

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-- Jessica Gelt

Photo credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

 

Delphine clandestinely nails happy hour with booze and a raw bar

The perfect happy hour is a tussle between impulses. If you drink too much, well, then you've just gotten drunk at 6 p.m. and are down for the count for the night. If you eat too much, then you've thrown off your circadian dinner rhythms and will wind up half-asleep at 1 a.m. trying to make a peanut-butter burrito. But if you hold back on either, then why go to happy hour at all?

Delphine at the W Hollywood hotel has a Solomonic wisdom about handling this conundrum. By day and night, it plies a low-key California spin on straightforward French brasserie fare in envrions so sleekly opulent that Newt Gingrich might want a line of credit there.

But between 5 and 7 p.m. every day it unexpectedly transforms into an exceptional raw bar value. The selection is kind of absurd for a posh bar in a high-end hotel: $1 "East Coast" oysters, clams and New Zealand mussels; larger, $2 "West Coast" oysters; a $3 melange of olives doused in rosemary and sun-dried tomatoes that you can almost make a meal of (excellent for non-seafood-eaters); and a $5 spread of roasted-garlic hummus, fattoush and pita round out the food highlights alongside staples of ceviche and shrimp cocktail.

I've interviewed several rappers at the adjoining hotel for music features, and the genre's current drink of choice, sparkling rose, clocks in at $5 a glass, alongside a pinot grigio and a fruity house vodka cocktail. There's even a decadence to the cognitive dissonance of drinking a $4 PBR out of a classy pilsner glass. Everything's at the exact flashpoint of an inexpensive indulgence that won't derail your night if you have to be productive later. And if you don't have that expectation, there's Frolic Room right across the street.

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Photo: Raw beauty. Credit: Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times

Fig restaurant has a new happy hour, and dinner is the deal

Fig at the Fairmont Miramar is launching a new happy hour today, where Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 6 p.m. diners will receive 50% off all dinnertime dishes.

That's a pretty sweet deal for folks on the Westside. Do you know of any other post-work scores on the East end of town? What are some of your favorite happy hour meal deals?

Leave us your insider tips below.

-- Krista Simmons

Follow me on Twitter @kristasimmons

Photo: Duck magret at Fig. Credit: Ann Johansson / For The Times

Small Bites: Street's new seasonal menu, Kitchen 24's new cupcakes, Agura's new happy hour

Word on the Street: This Friday, Susan Feniger's Street officially debuts its new seasonal dinner menu, featuring: Argentinian/Italian ricotta dumplings simmered in brown butter and lemon with celery root puree; black-eyed pea fritters; lamb kafta meatballs; Moscow-style eggplant; toasted amaranth, chicken and spoon bread dumplings; beef tenderloin schnitzel; honey-glazed Peking quail; barbecued Hawaiian pork wrapped in banana leaves and slow-cooked over a marinade of sugar cane, pineapple and soy; and more. The new lunch menu, which debuts on Saturday, also has several additions: mini Kobe beef chili dogs; crispy lamb taquitos; Vietnamese pulled pork sandwiches; Andouille sausage and shrimp gumbo; Moroccan spiced winter squash with roasted chestnuts; Burmese lettuce wraps with lentils, toasted coconut, peanuts, fried onions and sesame ginger dressing; Hawaiian ono sashimi in spicy sesame mayo; and more. 742 N. Highland Ave., L.A. (323) 203-0500, www.eatatstreet.com.

Cocktails and cupcakes: Kitchen 24's pastry chef, Daisy Roman, recently launched a featured daily cupcake at the 24-hour Cahuenga corridor diner. Flavors include: chocolate (Monday), carrot (Tuesday), vanilla (Wednesday), pumpkin (Thursday), winter mint chocolate (Friday), buttered pecan (Saturday) and red velvet (Sunday). Kitchen 24 also debuted four seasonal cocktails, including the Sweet-Tartini with muddled cranberries, Tanqueray, elderflower liqueur, cranberry juice and lime juice; and the Hot Spiced Cider with unfiltered apple juice, Jim Beam, orange liqueur and a secret spice syrup. 1608 N. Cahuenga Blvd., L.A. (323) 465-2424, www.kitchen24.info.

C'mon, get happy: Sushi and Japanese fusion restaurant Agura, the latest addition to La Cienega's restaurant row, recently launched a happy hour that features 50% off drinks and $3 to $5 small plates of salmon nachos, fried popcorn shrimp, spicy tuna and yellowtail rolls, shrimp-wrapped spring rolls, unagi avocado rolls, takoyaki and more. (10 p.m. to midnight Monday to Saturday and 6 p.m. to midnight Sunday). 514 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood. (310) 289-1940, www.aguradining.com.

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: The interior of Kitchen 24 in Hollywood. Credit: From Kitchen 24.

Small Bites: Gobi Mongolian BBQ drops prices and Samba Brazilian Steakhouse opens

Discounted Mongolian barbecue: Gobi Mongolian BBQ in Silver Lake has launched a deal that's good Mondays through Thursdays until Dec. 31, dropping the price of its lunch to $8.95 and dinner to $11.95. Happy Hour (Mon.- Fri, 4-7 p.m.) also features $3 select beers, $4 wines by the glass, $4 cocktails and $1 off artisanal ales. 2827 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A. 213-989-0711, www.gobimongolianbbq.com.

A dash of Brazil: Featuring Brazilian churrascaria, a dedicated Caipirinha cocktail bar and free nightly entertainment like Samba dancers and Brazilian bands, Samba Brazilian Steakhouse & Lounge opens this Thursday at Universal CityWalk. 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City. www.citywalkhollywood.com.

--Elina Shatkin

Photo: A dancer makes a big impression at Samba Brazilian Steakhouse & Bar in Redondo Beach. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times.

Jones Hollywood, 'a cross between the Rainbow and Dan Tana's,' celebrates 15 years

Jones Hollywood, the bar at Santa Monica Boulevard and Formosa Street where you've probably spent at least a few (or maybe hundreds of) blurry nights, celebrates its 15th anniversary today. 

From noon to 2 a.m., Jack Daniels, Herradura and Finlandia cocktails are $5; select beers and wines by the glass are $2 and $4, respectively; and 15 menu items such as pepperoni pizza and spaghetti and meatballs are $5. 

Jones opened when owner Sean MacPherson was still operating the erstwhile Olive and "was kind of meant to be a cross between the Rainbow and Dan Tana's," he says. "Kind of a rock 'n' roll pizza joint, sort of an homage to 'real Hollywood,' not the movie star Hollywood but people living in Hollywood and living that rock 'n' roll life."

There are the black-and-white photos from the '70s and '80s collected by MacPherson (such as Janis Joplin drinking JD), the not-a-bad-seat-in-the-house booths, the big sound system, the quasi-Italian food (the current menu was created by John DeLucie of the Waverly Inn). 

The key to its long-lived success? "It's a comfortable place, a fun place, a lively place," says MacPherson, who also is behind Small's, Swingers, Good Luck Bar, Bar Marmont, El Carmen, Bar Lubitsch and the Roger Room. (An aside: MacPherson now has plans to take over Orso restaurant on 3rd Street. "The running name is Ortho, in homage to nearby Cedars-Sinai, but it probably won't be that," he says. "I hope it will have exceedingly good food and be somewhere I'd like to eat most nights when I'm in L.A. I don't have that right now.")    

Jones "very much caters to the community, is really a part of Hollywood [in a larger sense because it's actually in the city of West Hollywood] ... It was designed to last. Fundamentally, it's the same place it was when it opened." 

Jones Hollywood, 7205 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, (323) 850-1726.

-- Betty Hallock

Photo: Jones Hollywood

Small Bites: Weeklong Mexican Independence Day at Rosa Mexicano; Monday night football at Riva

Viva Mexico: To celebrate Mexican Independence Day (Wednesday) Rosa Mexicano at L.A. Live is offering $37 three-course prix-fixe dinner menus all week long (Monday to Sunday). The menu will feature traditional dishes such as chiles en nogada, which are poblano chiles stuffed with pork picadillo and topped with walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds (a dish that's red, white and green, like the colors of the Mexican flag). See the full menu after the jump. Part of the proceeds will benefit Feeding America, a hunger-relief charity. L.A. Live, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 746-0001, www.rosamexicano.com.

"Football for Foodies": Riva kicks off football season by offering happy hour all night long on Mondays. Watch the game, eat and drink from the bar menu, which instead of Buffalo wings features lamb ribs, a trio of crudo, squash blossoms with feta, and warm cerignola and gaeta olives marinated with orange zest and garlic. Cocktails are $4 and draft beers (Scrimshaw, Allagash, Stone Smoked Porter and Paulaner) are $3. 312 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 451-7482, www.rivarestaurantla.com.

Small Bites: Happy Hour deals at the Beachcomber, Mirabelle & Le Merigot

5-5-5 Happy Hour Deals: The Beachcomber, known for hoisting its martini flag complete with a bugle call everyday at 5 p.m., is offering a new happy hour deal: Choose from five cocktails and five appetizers for $5 (Monday - Friday, 5 - 7 p.m.). Cocktails include the Citronage Margarita, the Pier Club Colada; the Strawberry Fields (rum, strawberries, bananas and cream), the Wizard of Ahhs (gin, lime juice and mint) and the Watermelon Jolly Rancher Martini (vodka, watermelon schnapps and pineapple juice). Food choices are calamari fries; cheese pizzettes; hummus and crisps; spicy chicken sliders; and a cheeseburger. The Beachcomber at Malibu Pier and Malibu Pier Club Bar: 23000 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. (310) 456-9800, www.thebeachcombercafe.com.

Extended Happy Hour at Mirabelle: Every Monday and Tuesday, Happy Hour at Mirabelle (normally 4 to 7 p.m.) lasts until midnight. That means all house wines are $3.50-$5 per glass, while martinis are $5. Food includes the Greek-influenced meze plate ($7), rock shrimp with honey wasabi sauce ($7), short rib cubes and more ($5.50). Mirabelle, which opened in 1971, also extended its $19.71 three-course meal through the rest of 2009. It includes a salad or crab bisque for the first course; pasta, chicken Dijon or hangar steak for the main course and ice cream for dessert. Mirabelle: 8768 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. (310) 659-6022, www.mirabelleonsunset.com.

Late Night Happy Hour at Le Merigot: Because you're still busy working when everyone else heads to happy hour at 5 p.m., Le Troquet, the open-air bar at Le Merigot, now offers a happy hour Monday through Friday from 8 to 10 p.m. Well drinks are 50% off while appetizers and small plates like crab quesadillas, steak au poivre and tuna tartar are 30% off. Le Troquet at Le Merigot: 1740 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica. (310) 395-9700, www.lemerigothotel.com.

--Elina Shatkin

Photo: Revelers raise the martini flag circa 1950s at the Beachcomber. Courtesy of the Crystal Cove Alliance.