It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere - Time For Happy Hour

What do you do when friends want to go out for a drink…and they want to go out really early? In other words, happy hour. Well, in our case, we try to seek out a place where the food is good (and sometimes cheap), the drinks are good (and sometimes cheap) and that also doesn't feel like the happy hours I might have attended when I was, ahem, in college and 25¢ shots were all the rage.

There is no shortage of happy hours here in NYC, rest assured. But what about a happy hour that is hosted by one of the city's finest restaurateurs? Yep - I'm talking about the guy that has brought us such great places as Union Square Café, Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park and even Shake Shack - Mr. Danny Meyer.

And one of the places I'm specifically referring to is Meyer's ode to Roman cuisine, Maialino. Maialino has been open for well over a year, and Significant Eater and I have dined there quite a few times. But just last week Maialino started a summer happy hour; weekdays from 5 - 7 P.M. they're offering a number of beers for $5, a shandy (essentially a beer cocktail - also $5) and a bunch of $2 bar snacks, to go along with their already fab cicchetti menu. And if it so happens that you're really hungry and sitting at the bar, well the whole menu is available there too...

Start with the deviled eggs (we did). Topped with pickled sardines and some crunch, they make a nice bite...

Rabbit meatballs studded with black olives were a standout, while the balls of beef and scallion weren’t bad either...

Mini pizze were good – the one topped with thin slices of eggplant was a friend’s favorite, while I wanted more of the potato and ricotta...

But what really flew off the bar was the cotiche fritte…that’s pork cracklings, y’all. Dipped into the spicy vinegar they were served with, these little morsels literally melted in the mouth...

Somehow, we also ended up with a gift from the kitchen; a duo of pastas. Malfatti (badly cut pasta) al Maialino was as good as always – and I’ve had it a number of times in the past. And garganelli with braised rabbit proved that rabbit doesn’t have to be dry and stringy. I need to take a lesson, because the last time I made rabbit at home (in a paella), it was nowhere near as good as in these 2 preps. But I’ll keep trying.

I know happy hour isn't everyone’s cup of tea. But Maialino sure makes it fun. Go – have a shandy and a snack…I’m pretty sure you’ll be happy you did.