Monday: Happy Hour Oysters and Spaghetti for a Song
/
Hill & dale
STOP 1: HILL & DALE
Dinner is going to be on the late side tonight, so you will want a place for a pre-supper snack. Hill & Dale has you covered.
Recently featured as a stop along a Saturday Oyster Crawl, Hill & Dale is also worth checking out on Monday evenings, when happy hour goes all night. With a rotating selection of dollar oysters and plenty of drink specials, it's a nice place to spend an hour or two.
The cavernous space has several seating options, so grab a stool at the bar or get comfortable on one of the chesterfield sofas and stay a while.
STOP 2: OSTERIA MORINI
dining room at osteria morini
Monday night is Industry Night at Michael White's casual Italian restaurant, Osteria Morini, when every pasta on the menu is just $10 after 9:00pm. For only $28 more, you can choose from several bottles of Lambrusco, also available at $7 a glass.
torcia pasta at osteria morini
The menu features cuisine from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, including an sizable selection of salumi, formaggi and some tasty antipasti dishes. However, the move on Monday is to order several pastas and share them, being sure to include the torcia, a squid ink pasta served with a superb seafood bolognese of shrimp and sepia.
Service is swift, and even with a perpetually packed house, the pasta comes out so quickly you barely have enough time to carb up on the complimentary focaccia.
STOP 3: BABY GRAND
If you're not quite ready to turn in, head down the street to Baby Grand, a tiny karaoke bar where you can sing a few numbers in front of an audience. There are no private rooms here, just a small stage at one end of the narrow space, which, because of its small size, is always full.
Baby Grand is not the place for the claustrophobic. But, if you're ready to rub elbows with strangers who, after a tipple and a tune, may become fast friends, drop by for a post-supper song.
RECAP:
- Hill & Dale: A large bar with all night happy hour on Mondays, including dollar oysters and drink specials.
- Osteria Morini: A rustic Italian restaurant from Michael White serving exceptional pastas for $10 a plate after 9:00pm on Mondays.
- Baby Grand: A tiny karaoke bar with a small stage and big fun.
ESSENTIAL INFO:
-Hill & Dale is located at 115 Allen Street. Osteria Morini is located at 218 Lafayette Street. Baby Grand is located at 161 Lafayette Street.
-Total Cost: About $65 per person for oysters and drinks at Hill & Dale, pasta and wine at Osteria Morini and karaoke and drinks at Baby Grand.
-Hill & Dale has an inconsistent policy regarding the oyster special. One menu limits oysters to a dozen per person with the purchase of a drink, while another menu puts the cap at two dozen. Whatever the policy is, it's loosely, if ever, enforced.
-Industry Night is, not surprisingly, a popular night to eat at Osteria Morini. The restaurant accepts reservations, but the closer to 9:00pm you want to eat, the further in advance you should book. Tables around 10:00pm and later are usually available a night or two in advance. Walk-ins also welcome.
