by Lois Lawrence

Created on: March 04, 2009

Your personal finances may be on the skids, but that's not necessarily a reason to cut out simple pleasures like the occasional meal out or after work cocktail.

Restaurants are hurting more than a little and they are working harder than ever to attract your business. The result is a fairyland of dining and drinking bargains such as most of us haven't seen in our lifetimes. Not only are the hours expanding, but so are the days and the range of offerings. Bargains are simply everywhere for the taking. Many restaurants are even doing split shifts with happy hour prices returning in the off-peak hours prior to closing.

Think a healthy and filling California Roll for A$2.50 washed down with a carafe of hot sake for $1 in Scottsdale's RA Sushi. Think $1 sweetwater oysters in San Francisco's Hog Island Oyster Company in San Francisco. Think fifty cent tapas at Masa in Boston.Think $3 glasses of wine and dollar beer almost everywhere you look. With grocery store and package store prices remaining relatively stable by comparison, you can hardly afford not to go out these days.

The deals are not just in big cities, either. Small town restaurants whose loyal but small customer bases are shrinking faster than the economy are jumping on the bandwagon as well.

Food specials during Happy Hour typically consist of small plates, so you may not be leaving your favorite restaurant laden down with doggie bags or redfaced from overindulgence. Nevertheless, you will easily be able to satisfy your appetite for far less than the tab which once included a typical ten dollar appetizer and a tweny five dollar entree. Sometimes tightening your belt just a little financially means you can literally tighten your belt later on and have had hours of satisfying fun in the process.

Thanks to the internet and a beloved and ever-growing army of bloggers, it is easier than ever to find these bargains. There are a plethora of sites devoted specifically to Happy Hours and food deals including FoodMonkey.com; Unthirsty.com and Thrilllist.com where you can type in an area code, choose a geographic radius and start hunting and gathering bargains.

Easier still, just do a Google search that begins "Best Happy Hours in _____" You won't be disappointed. Be sure to follow up with a visit to the website of the places that look the most promising, or give them a quick call just to verify that the promotions are continuing and will be available when you plan to stop by.

Once you have finished your homework, eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we shall dine!

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