Around Town

How to find happiness at 6 Charlotte bars

By Kathleen Purvis

First, let’s get this out of the way: At the end of the day, there is no happiness in Charlotte bars.

Thanks to a wrinkle in the regulations, bars here can’t offer happy-hour drink specials. If they have a drink special, they have to offer it all day. But they can offer food specials for happy hour, and food is what we’re here to discuss. What you drink with it is up to you.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s get happy. Between the hours of 4 and 7 p.m., you can eat well without flashing too much cash.

The Wooden Vine: This may be the longest happy hour on the block, with a small-bites menu from 1 p.m. until closing. And while it does have pricier selections, such as the $12 cheese board, it also a great bar nosh for only $4: Duck fat popcorn. (Wait, we’ll say it again: Duck. Fat. Popcorn.) Popcorn with the faint flavor of duck cracklings, sprinkled with the Middle Eastern spice blend ras el hanout. Pair it with a $5 glass of sparkling wine and watch the busy people rush by outside.

Need a new restaurant idea in Charlotte?! Check out The Wooden Vine for an amazing $5 happy hour – five (big) samples of wine. This black garlic shrimp is delicious! #clt #uptown #charlotteeats #charlottefood #foodie #wine #qc #charlotte #thewoodenvine #instagood #love #delish #foodporn #charlottedining #garlic

A photo posted by Becca (@hungrytotravel) on Oct 14, 2014 at 2:30pm PDT

Wooden Vine, 231 N. Tryon St., thewoodenvine.com. Small bites menu starts at 1 p.m., price range from $4 to $12; three wines for $5 each. Crave Dessert Bar: Who says you can’t have dessert first? They have a sweet list of savory things, but two $5 dessert deals are the best: The S’Mores Platter is $12 later in the night and is big enough to share. But real grown-ups want the ice cream sandwich – two chocolate chip cookies, vanilla ice cream, a soft center of caramel bourbon sauce and a coating candied-bacon chips, served in a pool of chocolate sauce.

Crave Dessert Bar, 500 W. 5th St., cravedessertbar.com. $5 menu from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday-Friday.

McCormick & Schmick’s: It’s known for the daily happy-hour list in the bar, including a generous bowl of mussels in garlic butter sauce ($4.99). But go on Thursdays for the real deal: $1 shrimp and oysters. Get six fat, sweet shrimp for $6 and you’ve re-created the shrimp cocktail that costs $15.99 at dinner. Nice.

McCormick & Schmick’s, 200 S. Tryon St. and 4335 Barclay Downs Drive, SouthPark, www.mccormickandschmicks.com. Happy hour 4-7 p.m., price ranges from $2.99 to $5.99. Georges Brasserie: Like Mickey Schmick’s, you can get several seafood deals, such as $1 oysters on Fridays. But we found two other picks here: The $7 Croque Madame (a fancy grilled cheese with ham) is topped with a fried egg and served with arugula salad. And there’s a great $3 bar snack: A big bowl of Crispy Brussels Sprout Leaves. Crunchy, warm and drizzled with balsamic vinegar, so they’re salty and sweet.

Georges Brasserie, 4620 Piedmont Row Drive, SouthPark, georgesbrasserie.com. 3-7 p.m. Monday-Friday; $3 to $7.

Firebirds: On a chilly afternoon, the Firebar is the place you want to be, sitting right next to the fire. “Hand-spun chicken tenders” – meaning dipped in thin batter and breaded – are $6 for four moist, crispy chicken strips as long as your hand, Buffalo or plain. Definitely filling.

Beautiful back bar! #nofilter #bottlesonbottles

A photo posted by Curt Herzog (@curtys03) on Jan 20, 2015 at 4:04pm PST

Firebirds, 3920 Sharon Road (also Northlake Mall and Ballantyne),www.firebirdsrestaurants.com. 4-6:30 p.m.; $5 to $7. Brio Tuscan Grille: OK, here’s a burger deal: For $4.95, you can get a full 8-ounce burger with provolone, roasted tomato mayonnaise and house chips. Throw in a basket of crispy eggplant fries with warm marinara and aioli for $3.95 and you’re set for the night.

Brio Tuscany Grill, 4720 Piedmont Road Drive., www.brioitalian.com. 3:30-6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close, Monday-Friday; $3.95-$5.95.

Photo: Charlotte Observer

This story was originally published March 22, 2015 at 3:37 PM with the headline "How to find happiness at 6 Charlotte bars."

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