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Happy Hour Recommendations

jim07044

By jim07044
in New Jersey: Dining

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jim07044

jim07044

Posted
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Looking for a nice, new-ish, bar for meeting friends for happy hour drinks. If anyone has been to the upstairs bar and lounge of Verona's Giambotta, this is the type of atmosphere I'm looking for. West Orange, Maplewood, Millburn, or Livingston towns only. Any ideas?

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Curlz

Curlz

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I haven't been to Giambotta, but I'm guessing that Martini Bistro in Millburn would fit the bill...

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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John

John

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Martini Bistro would make a great choice. I've been there a few times as my daughter bartends there. Great atmosphere, great martinis, and great food. Currently there is no happy hour, but there will be one within a month or 2. One of the best, if not the best burgers I've ever had. Also a great place to watch a game. A lot of football players from the Jets and Giants stop in as well as other celebrities.

John the hot dog guy

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tommy g

tommy g

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Martini Bistro would make a great choice. I've been there a few times as my daughter bartends there. Great atmosphere, great martinis, and great food. Currently there is no happy hour, but there will be one within a month or 2. One of the best, if not the best burgers I've ever had. Also a great place to watch a game. A lot of football players from the Jets and Giants stop in as well as other celebrities.

really? been there quite often for the past 5-6 yrs and never saw one....saw queen latifah once but :wink:

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John

John

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Martini Bistro would make a great choice. I've been there a few times as my daughter bartends there. Great atmosphere, great martinis, and great food. Currently there is no happy hour, but there will be one within a month or 2. One of the best, if not the best burgers I've ever had. Also a great place to watch a game. A lot of football players from the Jets and Giants stop in as well as other celebrities.

really? been there quite often for the past 5-6 yrs and never saw one....saw queen latifah once but :wink:

I'll have to ask my daughter. I remember her mentioning some celebrities were in recently. I think they were actors that were visiting the Paper Mill Playhouse, which is nearby.

Susan,

Gaffers is a fun place. Haven't been there in awhile. Thanks for reminding me. Good atmosphere, good burgers (I love the cheddar spread), and good beer.

John the hot dog guy

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Curlz

Curlz

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I ended up at the bar at Martini Bistro to watch the game yesterday with a few friends; although we were initially disappointed that there was NO crowd (as in, there were 2 couples at that big bar when we arrived), we had some great drinks, were really pleased with the food, and the Giants fans were quite happy at the end of the night. :cool:

We had:

1/2 doz oysters (Wellfleet-I'm told they were wonderful)

Calamari 'fries'--these were very good; lightly battered strips of calamari (not rings) with some good aioli/remoulade choices

PEI Mussels (also told they were very good)

Trio of Kobe Sliders with 3 sauces (an overpowering mustard, a BBQ, and...probably the same chipotle ? remoulade as the calamari)

A Mixed Green Salad that was HUGE

A side order of fries (requested well done) that were good

I had the sirloin burger with Gruyere, and it was terrific; good bun that held up for the duration of the burger even after I scooped out the lid, cooked exactly as ordered (M-R), and served w/a decent side salad (or fries)

Various martinis

Molten choc cake with gelato

The bartenders were great, making sure we had what we needed without being on top of us, and the prices were reasonable; I think most of the martinis were $10-12, and with the exception of the oysters, the dishes were $8-10. My burger was $10, but I decided to forego the Kobe burger, which was $19.

The last time I was at MB was early fall, and I recall the bar area being packed--with a fairly young (20s) but not rowdy crowd. Last night it definitely skewed older (mid 30s+), but we thought it was a good spot to eat at the bar, have a few drinks, and actually be able to talk to your companion(s). We're not maniacal football fans, so we didn't care that we were watching the game with the restaurant's music for audio, but there's a heads-up for those who are going out primarily to watch the game.

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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jim07044

jim07044

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Posted (edited)
I ended up at the bar at Martini Bistro to watch the game yesterday with a few friends; although we were initially disappointed that there was NO crowd (as in, there were 2 couples at that big bar when we arrived), we had some great drinks, were really pleased with the food, and the Giants fans were quite happy at the end of the night.

I walked past Martini Bistro (and La Campagna) on my way to Restaurant MC that night. MB's main bar was packed, but the secondary room was almost empty (I guess thats the one you were in?). La Campagna was also packed full of diners that night. Read my comments about Restaurant MC.

Whoops ... wrong weekend ... sorry.

Edited by jim07044 (log)
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Curlz

Curlz

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Whoops ... wrong weekend ... sorry.

Shwew! I was going to suggest a trip to the eye doc, Jim! :wink:

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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tommy g

tommy g

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MARTINI bar has died out over the years. fri and sat nights during the winter are usually crowded but i recall for years when you couldnt get in the door b/c it was so crowded.

its probably time for a makeover and rename

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