Happy Hour: Salu

Happy hour is a truly magical time of the day. Any pressure from the morning’s hope of productivity is wearing off, your evening plans have not yet made themselves clear, and all the drinks are suddenly a lot cheaper. And that’s not even taking into account the appetizer specials many places in New Orleans insist on putting out along with their drink menus.

Yes, next to brunch, happy hour is probably my favorite meal of the day.

One happy hour that I’ve been patronizing with special vigilance this week is that of Salú on Magazine Street. Their specials, which run from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., offer half off all drinks as well as off their pretty impressive selection of flatbreads and mussels.

Sold. This is a great one to enjoy in the company of friends, as the specials also extend to their pitchers of sangria and mojitos. Plus their patio seating is great if you can snag a table.

I usually end up sticking to their cocktail menu when it comes to drinks. I was a big fan of the Harmony Street Hibiscus, but the one I got was the last one in the bar. So I switched to their Strawberry French 75 and sampled the Salu Champagne Cocktail, both of which were refreshing and enjoyable. On my most recent visit, my bartender made me some evolution of a Pimm’s Cup involving Pimm’s new Blackberry and Elderflower liquer and fresh muddled fruit. That was a winner as well.

Harmony Street Hibiscus

Strawberry French 75

Their flatbreads are a pretty good bet if you are looking for something casual to munch on, though the structural integrity of the crusts towards the center gets a little dicey; I started eating my pieces calzone-style. The portions are larger than I expected, too—they’re pretty much pizza size. I couldn’t finish my Margherita on my own.

Mushroom & Goat Cheese Flatbread

Margherita Flatbread

And if you like a good bowl of mussels once in a while, as I do, you can find a niche here as well. A friend and I split the Fra Diavolo mussels, steamed in some tomato-basil concoction. They were quite tasty, but I think I prefer a more traditional white wine/lemon broth. They have that there, too. I’ll have to get on that.

Fra Diavolo Mussels

Salad is good for you, too.

I’d definitely recommend stopping by this generous happy hour if you are Uptown and have a few minutes (hours?) to kill. There’s a decent chance I’ll be there, too.