Friday, March 27, 2015

Dining and drinking review: Pacific Grill happy hour

Review and photos by Ted Broussard

Pacific Grill is located at 1502 Pacific Avenue

The Happiest Hour In Town
I’ve been putting off writing about Pacific Grill because I thought everyone who lives in The Esplanade has probably been there by now. Even if that’s true, it still needs to be mentioned as being one of the most consistent, high-quality and best value happy hour deals in town. 

Located in the beautifully restored, historic Waddell Building in the heart of downtown, Pacific Grill can be anything you want it to be -- romantic dinner for two, a special occasion place to celebrate, a business lunch or dinner for a group, or my personal favorite, the best happy hour in town. 

The term “Happy Hour” is somewhat misleading at Pacific Grill because every hour is happy there. If you can manage to find a seat either at the bistro tables in the front of the restaurant near the windows, or at the bar and the tall tables right across from the bar, you will hit the jackpot with a huge menu of choices all at half price -- any time, any day. While they do offer their regular menu as well, there are so many excellent choices to be had, that I can’t really justify paying the full price menu unless I’m going for a special occasion. 

House red and white wine is $5, well drinks $5.25 and Seasonal Draft Beers $1 off. Cocktails are regular price at all times and our new favorite cocktail there is the Pacific Grill Margarita. At $12.50, I think it’s on the spendy side but it is delicious and clearly a premium cocktail. 

The food takes center stage at this beautiful restaurant. With a year and a half of fairly regular visits there under our belts, we have not yet found anything on the menu that did not live up to our highest standards of being delicious. Our current favorites are any of the flatbreads of the day (think thin crust pizza with interesting cheeses and toppings), tacos of the day (to include things you never in the world would have thought to put in a taco, e.g. shepherd’s pie) and just in case Seahawks' fans need a reason, "Hawk Wings," described on the menu as “crispy tailgating wings, beast-mode sauce, blue + green slaw.” We love the cheeseburger sliders and the garlic herb fries with sprigs of rosemary and cloves of garlic thrown right in the fryer with the potatoes. The menu is extensive and includes several delicious choices for spreads and dips, salads, sandwiches, and soups. Desserts are excellent as well, and you haven’t lived until you try "Julia Child’s Warm Brownie Sundae" or "Rock & Roka Blondie Sundae." One note of caution as you make plans to order everything on the menu: most of the desserts and the section called “Supper” are not discounted at the half-off price. Still, worth every penny in deliciousness.

The Pacific Grill also owns Smoke & Cedar at the Allenmore Golf Course and if you choose to become a regular like us, you can join their rewards program and earn points at either restaurant. It’s great fun to get my $10 reward check in the mail every few months. Service is equally as impressive as the food, and my other favorite part of being a regular is being known by face or by name by the servers. For such a busy, bustling place, everyone who works there seems genuinely sincere in being glad we joined them that night. It’s not quite “Cheers,” but it’s close enough.

I can’t think of any good reason to not love Pacific Grill's happy hour. It’s right down the street, it’s a beautiful environment, and it’s reliably excellent. My only hesitation in writing this review, is that now there may be even more competition for the bistro/bar section when we visit there. I would hate to cause a scene if one of our neighbors is the reason we aren't able to get in. 

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