Review: El Gaucho Happy Hour

So we’ve been to El Gaucho’s Happy Hour three times, but the last two times I decided to take some pictures since I’d been wanting to write about it! The food below is from those two most recent times.

Just a little info on the Happy Hour before the visuals. HH is from 5pm-7pm Tues-Fri and 5pm-Close Sunday/Monday. Drink specials are okay with Full Sail IPA ($4), a red and a white wine ($5), and select cocktails ($6). The real deal about their happy hour is half off the bar food menu!

The 410 Burger ($9) never disappoints. The past two visits we’ve split the burger, the steamed clams, and the baby back ribs. They always cut the burger in half and split up the homemade taro chips, always a bonus in my book! The quality of the beef is outstanding (duh!), and they cook it perfectly (medium rare by default)! It’s one of the few burgers that I don’t think is better with bacon (Gasp!).

The Steamed Clams ($7) were amazing on both visits, so sweet and juicy! The saffron broth is well seasoned and the fennel in it was delicious! And of course you’ve got to love the crostini/bread for sopping up the broth.

And let’s not forget the Baby Back Ribs ($8). They are fall off the bone tender, and the BBQ sauce is out of this world! I really want to bottle it and take it home with me!

This last time the fiancee and I went, my sister met us before we headed over to The Big Picture to watch Horrible Bosses. So this time, we got to a try a few more items (we have a hard time deviating from the burger/ribs/clams combo)!

The Mixed Greens ($4.50) were good, but it could have used a bit more acidity. The sweetness of the apples and candied almonds overpowered the dijon vinaigrette. But for the price, it’s not a bad deal if you’re looking for a vegetarian or simply lighter option at the bar.

I’d say if you were to go with the Macaroni & Cheese ($6), the Mixed Greens would be a great compliment and a great value ($10 for both). I usually find that even with exceptionally good Mac & Cheese, the pasta used is lackluster. However, with this dish the penne pasta was perfectly al dente and toothsome (in a good way). It stood its own up against the oodles of creamy cheddar (almost a sauce but thicker) and the crunchy panko bread crumbs on top. It’s moved its way into my Top 5 Mac & Cheeses!

After eating at El Gaucho, we had about an hour before the movie so we headed across the street to Black Bottle for a drink. My Happy Hour app said they had happy hour going, but that turned out to not be the case. Since we were there, we ordered a round of drinks and some food. The cocktails my sister and I ordered were excellent, definitely drinks we’d order again! I went with the Rising Sun-rita (sake, blood orange puree, fresh lime), and my sister decided on the Doppelganger (pear vodka, passion fruit rum, OJ, cranberry juice). Both were fairly strong.

For food, we tried the Prosciutto and Potato Wheels, not something I’d recommend. It had a balsamic glaze that really didn’t go well with the prosciutto. The rest of the food menu looks good though, so considering how tasty the cocktails were I’d like to give the food another go!

In summary, I highly recommend El Gaucho (check ’em out on Facebook and Twitter) if you’re looking for some high quality food at a decent price. For some tasty cocktails, I’d check out Black Bottle as well. Either (or both!) are perfect for when you’re going to catch a movie at The Big Picture!

Coming tomorrow or Thursday, Japonessa Happy Hour! And after that, I’ve got at least 2 more updates (Built Burger, Night Kitchen HH, and Dragonfish HH). Then, I’ll be caught up!