Happy Hour Report: House of Blues

A pal and I have recently decided to start scoping out the various tremendous happy hour deals around Cleveland. At first, this wasn't going to be a Cleveland Bachelor thing, but as I looked around the room and chatted with one of the folks in charge of the happy hour program at the first place we went, I realized just how many folks out there probably want to hear about interesting things going on at that time (especially with the crazy deals you can get).

So, I decided to get a little more systematic. From now on, when this pal and I go out to check the various happy hour deals out, I'll report back, giving you the details and the CB endorsement (or anti-endorsement). If you have suggestions or, better yet, if you are a business owner/employee that has what you think is a pretty special happy hour offer, send me a note and we'll see about putting you on our calendar. Unless, of course, you are located in the Warehouse District. In that case, I've forbidden myself from setting foot inside your establishment. Sorry, but we have to draw lines in the sand somewhere.

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For the inaugural happy hour investigation, we stayed downtown and hit up the House of Blues on East 4th. I'm not much of an East 4th person, at all really. This isn't for philosophical reasons, like the aforementioned Warehouse District ban, but rather just the way things have seemed to work out. The random times I do find myself on East 4th, it is usually to kill time before a show I want to see at the House of Blues venue.

Despite being a chain, House of Blues is one of my favorite places to grab a drink and bite in town, even though I don't find myself getting in there very often. They have a world-class collection of outsider art, better than any gallery or museum I've ever been to, actually, and for a commercial kitchen, they push out some pretty great modern southern fare. I mean, this isn't Henry's at the Barn, but nor are the prices comparable.

And when it comes to happy hour, price is a major point, the primary one, really. Fortunately, the House of Blues got that memo and has structured a RIDICULOUS deal, ridiculous in its awesomeness, that is.

They call it the 1-2-3 happy hour, because domestic bottles are $1, imports are $2, and mixed drinks (well only, I believe) are $3. Better yet, the appetizer dishes, which are awesome, are all half off. In other words, bring in $10 and you can drink a few beers and split a couple of their appetizers with a friend. Among appetizers, you can't really go wrong with any of them, but I particularly dig the voodoo shrimp (which comes with a slice of their AWESOME rosemary cornbread) and the calimari, but their wings aren't half bad and their catfish nuggets (especially the zesty dipping sauce) are worth a shot.

So, while this is only the first joint we've hit on our new venture, I can tell you that you will definitely get your money's worth here and that it sets a high standard for the next few places we plan to visit.