It’s embarrassing how long it actually took me to make it to Cooks County’s happy hour, I admit. One thing after another kept coming up but I finally headed there about a week ago to see there happy hour was legit. Cooks County is located on Beverly Boulevard and you’re greeted with a spunky painted color combo of orange and blue when you arrive. There is a small patio and once your inside, you’ll notice the interior is very quaint and sort or rustic.
Happy hour is offered at their small bar, so make sure to get there early if you want to snag a seat. I immediately loved the atmosphere inside; a sort or romantic aura emanated throughout the dining environment, creating a natural “happy hour” feeling, you might say. Cooks County reminded me of a rustic restaurant I would stop into after a day of wine tasting in some charm-steeped town. My kind of place!
Happy Hour at Cooks County runs Sunday through Thursday, 6pm – 7:30pm and according to the chalkboard above the open concept kitchen facing the bar, is now offered all night on Wednesday evenings. The sign also mentions a “Fried Chicken Monday” that’s sounds pretty scrumptious. All wines by the glass are half price and the Steigl beer is available for $4.50 (regularly $9). There is also a small happy hour menu available at the bar ranging from $2 - $9.
As usual I had dinner plans for post happy hour so my date and I only ordered a couple of dishes, but I’ll get to that in a moment. Let’s start with the spectacular wines offered at half price for happy hour. For one, they don’t pour a cheap red or white wine at happy hour; you are allowed to choose from any one of the regular glasses offered on the wine list. So you can imagine I was pretty stoked to order a glass of Miraval rosé wine for only $6 a glass. I know, pretty amazing, right? They also offered another rosé, for $.50 less a glass, but I definitely dug the Miraval more. The wine was served in a proper bulbous Riedel wine glass and I was just instantly happy.
My date’s Steigl Gold Lager beer tasted great and was also served in an actual Steigl logo glass that was an admirable size.
For snacks, I started with the happy hour marinated olives for only $2. The olives were served is a small dish, filled with different varieties and accompanied by a small ramekin for the pits. I’ll be back all the time for those $2 olives and some great wine – let me tell you. Next, I opted for the priciest happy hour dish, the clams and mussels, which were served in a bowl with spring onions, tomato leeks, garlic and chili. This particular dish could be a meal in itself and had me grinning with delight. At that point I was ready to switch to red wine and the bartender was very accommodating with letting me try a couple of samples before deciding on the 2011 Jaffurs Grenache ($6.50/glass - reg. $13/glass). Other happy hour menu items include market radishes, cauliflower, yams, chicken liver crostini and a black kale salad (recommended by the bartender).
Cooks County focuses on farm-to-table style food and they source most of their ingredients from local farmers or ranches. Even though chefs Daniel Mattern and Roxana Jullapat have apparently left the restaurant, business still seemed to be thriving there on a weekday evening. The fact that they don’t offer any craft cocktails on their happy hour menu is no biggie to me considering the happy hour wine options. Yes, this was only round one of happy hour at Cook’s County but I can guarantee I will be back for many more.
XXOO,
Maren
(323) 653-8009
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