SAMPAN - Center City Philadelphia

A Happy Hour on a Saturday in the city is hard to come by.
So when we found this gem, we were all over it.

Sampan 
124 S 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-732-3501
Sampan

Starting at 4 PM and going until 7.  Nice!

The ambiance is great.
The bar is a bit small and snug, but the drinks and food are worth the minor inconvenience.
 We asked our more than helpful bar-maid what was good.
She pointed out her fav small bites, and suggested the HH mixed drink, which was a concoction of Vanilla vodka, Cinnamon vodka, grapefruit juice, citrus juice on the rocks. Not a fan of either vanilla or cinnamon, but decided to give it a try.  For $4 how could we go wrong.

From the menu we chose a short list of aps.

 
We sampled the Edamame Dumplings, which were good, but uneventful.

Also had the Kobe Hot Dog, probably for no other reason than it sounded so weird. It was OK, but I'd get the slider the next time.

Kobe Hot Dog

The Pork Bao Bun was awesome. Two per order. Tender, moist and delicious. I could have eaten these all night.

Pork Bao Bun

 
As sides,  we got the Crispy Brussel Sprouts, the Roasted Broccoli, and the Kim Chee Rice.
All delicious, but the large bowl of rice was the decided winner, followed cloosely by the charred sprouts.

Kim Chee Rice

This place was jumping. A good vibe, and a definite return trip. Could be a 'go-to' place on a Saturday in the city.

WINNIE Q - Clementon, NJ

OK, so it's not a Happy Hour, but the food and price is so right that you'll be happy all day. AND it's a BYOB!!   Winnie Q is a great new place for ALL YOU CAN EAT SUSHI that is both affordable and delicious. If you like Sushi Kingdom in Marlton, NJ, then you're going to LOVE Winnie Q. The quaint and nicely decorated restaurant is located in a strip store on Blackwood Clementon Rd. Because it's one of the few tenants in a largely unpopulated group of stores, it may go un-noticed, but if you make the effort to find it, you'll be well rewarded.

the sushi bar is awesome, and other tables are cozy and well appointed. The whole atmosphere is very zen.

If you opt for the ALL YOU CAN EAT menu, the choices are from soups, salads, appetizers, rolls, nigiri, katzus, teriyaki preps, tempuras, and of course desserts. It is quite an extensive list to choose from, and all of the items are notable. On this outing, we chose a selection of appetizers. The age tofu was exceptionally silky and smooth. It melts in your mouth. The kani (crab meat) salad is out of this world, and a hands down favorite. Perfectly seasoned and spicy, with panko topping to add just the right amount of crunch. I don't think you'll be able to eat just one!

Age tofu, negamaki beef gyoza, and spring rolls.

crab meat salad

We also ordered a series of SPECIAL ROLLS. All of the food is made to order, so while it's still wonderful service, orders may take a little time to arrive at your table. Everything is prepared and presented just right.
The first to arrive --- the Crunchy Roll.

Tempura shrimp and avocado inside, with crab meat and eel sauce on top. Delicious!!!

Crunchy roll

Next was the HOUSE SPECIAL ROLL.  Just a wonderful combination of flavors, textures, warm and cold. A must have roll.

House Special Roll

Lastly, we had (from left to right) TIGER ROLL, AVOCADO and MANGO ROLL, and PINK LADY
A picture says a thousand words, and this sushi tastes as good and better than it looks. .

Tiger roll, Avocado and Mango roll, Pink Lady

At less than $20 pp for an all you can eat QUALITY sushi, this place ROCKS! The food is fab, the place is clean, the ambiance is nice and the staff is friendly and polite. If you don't go, you'll never know what you are missing. Tell Winnie we sent you.  Arigato!


UPDATE - this place is CLOSED and no longer exists 

Benihana's, Pennsauken, NJ

In a not-so-terrific area, and not much to look at, Benihana's has been around for forever. Upon entry into the cramped lobby, tepenyaki "show" is to the right, and the bar area to the left. HH is in the smallish bar area only.









Wonderful extension on the typical 4-6 or 5-7 HH, this baby goes from 5 PM - 8 PM M-Th. As you can see, the extension on four days means there is none on Friday. But if you can get there on the days they do have it, it seems to be worth the effort.

Drinks were very reasonable at $4.75 and $5.75

the Beni-Tini

Sauxa Agave Tequila with OJ and lime

While the sushi seemed to be made by some not-so-authentic chefs, nonetheless it wasn't too bad.

We started with Bar Bites.
The Beef Gyoza, while pedestrian, were flavorful and tender, not rubbery and dried out.
The Crispy Spicy Tuna was a nice spin on tuna tartare. The rice ball base was nice and crispy, with a black sesame seed crust. The tuna was mounted high with an accent of thinly sliced jalapeno.
The Tuna Sashimi with Spicy Sauce was delectable, the sauce adding a wonderful kick.

Beef negamaki gyoza

crispy tuna spicy

Tuna sashimi

The specialty rolls were not too bad, and reasonable at HH prices of about $5
The Shrimp Crunchy roll was just OK. Nothing extraordinary.
The Las Vegas roll was very tasty, smooth and lushious from the cream cheese.
The Chili Shrimp roll was excellent. A single "chilied" shrimp atop each piece of sushi. Nice combination and different from anything else I've seen. While very tasty, I think the shrimp were too overcooked, and therefore too hard. A softer shrimp would have made this one a homerun.
The Gotham Roll was not only delicious to eat, but appealing to look at. Cradled in a wonderfully rich sauce, each section was topped of with a wafer thin, lotus root crisp--an exotic potato chip. Very good.

Top to bottom - shrimp crunchy roll, Las Vegas roll, chili shrimp roll, Gotham roll

And what better way to cap it all off than with a Mai Tai.
A classic summer tropic cocktail at a reasonable HH price of only $5.75

Brio - Cherry Hill, NJ

Somewhat upscale, chain restaurant. Stumbled upon a happy hour.
M-F 4-6 pm.
Seated on the outside patio. Balmy night, but a mild breeze. It's a nice area, but the fact that it's right next to the busy parking lot is somewhat of a detraction. They would soo benefit from a line of inexpensive potted arborvitaes to make it more secluded.



BUT......
the drink prices and bar menu made up for the flaws. This could be my new favorite place, based on the menu.
$5 cocktails, and cosmos.................lots to choose from. The black raspberry cosmo was good, as was the vodka martini with bleu cheese stuffed olives, and the Manhattan was good.



The food was not only ultra affordable at only $3.98 per, but really very good too.

Crispy Shrimp Piccante, Beef Carpacchio, Four Cheese Pizzetta, and Spicy Shrimp and Eggplant. YUMMMM

Bahama Breeze - Cherry Hill, NJ

OK, so it's kind of "processed" but it ain't bad.
Happy hour M-F from 4 - 6 PM Parking in the Mall parking lot can be a little challenging.
Decent drinks for a song--check out these $3 (that's right, $3) Bourbon and Ginger, and Vodka and Cranberry. Nice



And the Happy Aps were surprisingly good. Check out the Cheese Burger Sliders, and the Chicken Fried Sliders. Not haute cuisine, but not to bad at $5 each. They were tasty.

Scaturro's

Rte 73, between Evesham Rd and Kresson Rd. Remodeled farmhouse. Original older and newer additions. Happy hours from 4:30 til 6:30 pm Monday - Friday. Nice bar maids, friendly atmosphere. Slightly older crowd. Many regulars. $6 bar food, $5 Stoli mixed drinks. The HUGE plate of mussels are exceptional, in either red or white (try having them make the red a little spicy---fra diavolo style). Yummy. The pizzas (either vegetable or margarita) are tasty and crisp.


UPDATE - this placed is CLOSED and no longer exists

NoChe - Philadelphia

what a great place. Bright, inviting, loft setting with friendly staff, great drinks and good food.
5:30 start to Happy Hour. $3 beers, $5 cocktails and half priced brick oven pizzas.
The drinks were perfect. The pizzas, at only $5 each we not only reasonably priced, but wonderfully tasty. How can you go wrong.
19th and Chestnut
Philadelphia


UPDATE - this place is no longer