Last Friday, I hit up Stir Market to try their new “re-stocking” happy hour. I hadn’t been back to that particular Beverly Boulevard location since Buddha’s Belly, and I was curious about the newer concept in town…and their new happy hour. I wasn’t sure what to expect since I hadn’t heard too much about the place, but the minute I stepped inside, I knew I already liked Stir Market. Essentially, it is a market and it’s filled with gourmet goods and made-to-order treats. If you want spot to grab a bottle of wine and construct a delicious picnic on the go, then I would suggest stopping here first.
My guy and I arrived at Stir Market around 5:45 p.m., giving us a solid 45 minutes to try out their happy hour. I decided to sit at the bar area because that’s where we noticed all of the re-stocked goods for happy hour were spread out – very inviting. Laid out before us was a long baguette sandwich with all sorts of ingredients popping out of its breaded limbs. There were also some big wedges of assorted artisanal cheeses and meats on the counter.
Before we ordered food, we started with some of their $6 wines by the glass including the Lechuza Rosé of Grenache (Spain) and the Sarapo Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast). Both wines were great, and I loved that we were able to order some wines with personality on the happy hour and not some cheap house wine reserved for the happy hour crowd. I was a little bummed however that they only offered one beer for $5, a Hefeweizen Weihenstephaner.
We had dinner plans later so we only ordered two dishes, the Porchetta Chili Cheese Fries and the Raclette Flatbread. Seriously, if you ever make it to Stir Market happy hour, make sure you order the Porchetta Chili Cheese Fries – they are insane. The hearty Belgian frites are topped with porchetta, cannellini beans, crispy skin and they are topped with melted cheese. Mouth-gasm. Ya hear me? Go get them now. Okay, moving on...
The Raclette Flatbread had a unique selection of ingredients including Raclette cheese, smokey bacon and cornichons. I don’t think I’ve ever had cornichons on flatbread, but hey, that’s the fun of flatbreads, right? They’re like pizza, the sky’s the limit when it comes to creativity of toppings. The bubbly wood-fired crust on the flatbread was cooked just the way I like it and keep in mind that the Raclette cheese is packed with a punch. My mouth and mind had to contemplate the collection of flavors for a moment before I finally could continue chewing. I like when food makes me curious. Most of the happy hours I frequent can be pretty predictable when it comes to food options.
I ended up enjoying Stir Market’s re-stocking happy hour style. Our bartender was super friendly (the very chatty type) and allowed me to try a sample of one of the other wines before we ordered. The Stolpman Sangiovese I tried is actually from a winery we had just visited up in Los Olivos, so that was neat. Next time I’ll probably head outside to the patio (weather permitting) and soak up the L.A. sunshine while I try their tasty looking bar sandwich ($5) and the happy hour Market Cheese and Charcuterie plate ($9). One thing I’ll never forget about their happy hour, though, are those darn good fries. Porchetta, melted cheese and frites: a match made in happy hour heaven.
XXOO,
Maren
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