(0 out of 5 hot dogs)

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Top o’ the Mornin’!  Still no plan’s for St. Pattie’s Day?  Better than a pot of gold is NYC Daily Deals’ list of the cheapest places to drink Guinness and Jameson and green beer!

(3 out of 5 hot dogs)

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Stumble Inn
1454 2^nd Ave (at 76^th)
Time: All the Time
Price: Drink Specials

I was heading home, minding my own business, when I tripped on an uneven piece of sidewalk, and ended up at the Stumble Inn.  But this was no ordinary piece of cement; it was a magical sidewalk that transported me to a bizarre Twilight Zone where I was trapped in a straight-to-DVD National Lampoon’s movie and couldn’t get out.  There were greasy nachos, $1 beers, and a party playlist to rival the frattiest frat house.  I went to use the restroom in the basement, and the Women’s Room door was propped open, and I saw two girls without their tops on, adjusting each other’s bras for maximum cleavage.  In the Men’s Room someone had spilled chili all over the floor and toilet seat.  At least I hope it was chili… Back upstairs, my friends were challenged at beer pong by a wicked cheating French team.  But in the end, the good guys won, and I can only imagine that the pompous pair was so ashamed that they took the next flight back to Charles De Gaulle.  Upon exiting, the outside world was drab and drizzly in comparison, and I went into a deep depression.  If one dark night you go walking on 76^th Street, and you stumble on a slanted sidewalk, you too might be lucky enough to visit this Brigadoon of the Upper East Side.

Monday- $1 Domestic drafts, $8 pitchers
Tuesday- $4 You-Call-It,  drinks, beers and shots
Wednesday- $3 Soco lime and lemon drop shots
Thursday- $12 buckets of beer, ½ off bombs
*Happy Hour: Monday through Saturday- ½ off whole bar. 11:30-7

(1 out of 5 hot dogs)

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Wicker Park
1469 3^rd Ave (at 83^rd)
Time: Wednesday 5-10
Price: Two courses and “bottomless” wine, $25

I have had a few crushing disappointments in my life; once a friend pulled the tag off Humprey, my camel Beanie Baby, making it virtuously worthless, and another time Marissa Cooper got in a car accident and died on The O.C., only to return once or twice in ghost/flashback-form.  My experience at Wicker Park is right up there with those horrible defeats.  After hearing about Wicker’s all-you-can-drink dinner, I was fully expecting to have a great hump day, dish out four or five hotdogs, and share an amazing special with my loyal readers.  However, things were rocky from the beginning.  The menu was very limited and the waitress refused to make any substitutions for me and my vegetarian date (even refusing to replace a steak with a side salad…)  On top of that, service was slow, we had to wait over twenty minutes in between wine refills.  In AYCD situations, I’m not picky about mediocre food, lack of ambience, or the abundance of fratty douchebags.  I’m there to drink as much as possible in the allotted time and fully capitalize on my $25.   But after three of four glasses (we hadn’t even finished our entrees yet), our server told us that we had been there too long, and wouldn’t give us any more wine.  The NERVE.   It occurred to me that this restaurant shares its’ name with that God-awful Josh Hartnett movie.  In both cases, I would forego Wicker Park, stay in with a bottle of Trader Joe’s wine and watch 40 Days and 40 Nights.

(0 out of 5 hot dogs)

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West Third Common
1 W 3rd (Broadway and Mercer)
Time: Until March 31st
Price: Free garlic fries and glass of wine or pint of beer

A new pub just opened up in Noho, and to promote themselves, they are giving away fries and a drink, if you mention the code word “Wheaten Terrier.”  They also have a happy hour everyday from 4-8: $3 pints, $4 Well drinks, $5 Cosmos and Appletinis.  Stop by before March passes you by!

(4 out of 5 hot dogs)

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Yum Yum Too
622 9^th Ave (at 45^th)
Time: Monday-Friday, 11-4
Price: Noodle dish and two sides, $6.95

9^th Avenue has about six Thai restaurants, all in a row, all called Yum Yum (I suppose a better name than Yuck Yuck).  I saw a lunch special advertised outside (!), so a friend I went in and were seated by the hostess. A couple minutes later, she came back and said, “You no eat heel go other Yum Yum same food!”   And with that, we were shooed outside and into another restaurant with the same lunch special and slightly different décor.  It was empty, except for an angry theatre-producer type who was complaining that his meal was undercooked and he was NOT going to pay (Pre-Tony jitters?) I ordered some sort of noodle dish with vegetables (luckily not undercooked), and had dumplings and a Thai iced tea for my sides.  Other side options included soup, salad and spring rolls.  It was a good value, and everything tasted fine, although if I were in the restaurant naming business, I probably would have just called it Yum, not sure if it deserves the second Yum.

Note: As there are approximately six Yum Yums on 9^th Avenue called Yum Yum, I was unable to figure out which Yum Yum I ate at (Yum Yum Too seemed a solid guess) but since they all apparently have the same menu, I’d recommend going to whichever one doesn’t kick you out.

(3 out of 5 hot dogs)

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Hill Country
30 W 26^th (6^th and Broadway)
Time: 3PM-6PM, 10PM-1AM
Price: $5 Well Drinks, $2 Well Shots, $6 Margs, $4 for 2 PBRs

Mothers, lock up your children, the cougars are on the loose!  When I entered the underground bar at Hill Country, little did I know I was walking into a den of lascivious ladies 40+, bedazzled in beads and boas, and rocking out to a live-band playing their favorite 90’s classics.   We listened to Counting Crows covers and picklebacked all night.  Get your mind out of the gutter; a pickleback is the shot of Jameson followed by a shot of pickle juice…zing!  The perfect thing to get your old lady in the mood…

The restaurant at Hill Country also has a Man vs Food-esque Challenge, where one has to consume 3 pounds of meat (including moist brisket, lean brisket, beef shoulder, prime rib), a medium hot side, a medium cold side, a 32 oz. drink and a cupcake, all in less than an hour.  If you finish, you get it for free and your picture on the wall, and if not you have to pay $85.  A ReBlog is definitely in order if I can find an Olympic meat-eater who wants to go for the beef.  Volunteers?

(3 out of 5 hot dogs)

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Brother Jimmy’s
1644 3^rd Ave (92^nd)
1485 2^nd Ave (77^th and 78^th)
428 Amsterdam (80^th and 81^st)
Grand Central, 89 E 42^nd (At Madison)
191 Lexington (at 31^st)
Time: Everyday, 4-7
Price: ½ Apps (Only at the Bar), $2 Buds, $2 Frozen Margaritas, $3 Well-Drinks

Remember when “Snow Day” used to mean- hot cocoa, sledding and snow-ball fights? Now that we’re all growed up we know the real meaning- start drinking earlier.  Last week’s blizzard was the perfect chance to hit up happy hours that normally you’d “flake” out on. I had the margarita, knowing well that the tequila would keep me toasty in the wet/bitter/cold that was last Wednesday.  It was great for $2, although a little sickeningly sweet by the bottom.  The appetizers were deep-fried delights; I tried the frickles (fried pickles with horseradish sauce) and onion straws (pictured above), which were both about $4 at the half-off bar price.  Brother Jimmy’s also has a load of other deals, including all-you-can-eat bbq, ladies night, and Southern ID discounts depending on which night you saddle up!  Hit it up today, or wait for the next snow day (tomorrow?)

(0 out of 5 hot dogs)

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For all of those who thought you missed out on Restaurant Week, think again!  190 restaurants have extended their $35 prix fixe  dinners and $24.07 lunches through February 28- Check it out here, and make your ressies before it’s too late!

(3 out of 5 hot dogs)

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Iggy’s Keltic Lounge
132 Ludlow (Rivington and Stanton)
Time: Everyday
Price: Sweet drink specials

One of ITJS’s New Year’s resolutions was to get some Lower East Side action up on the ol’ blog in 2010, so here’s another one for the books.  I popped into Iggy’s for a night cap, because of an alluring chalkboard outside with Midwest-low prices scribbled upon it.  The bar definitely put the ‘deep end’ in dive, and had some really great drink specials. After a car-bomb or three, I subtlety tried to ask the bartender about the different nightly drink specials (didn’t want to blow my cover as the celebrity blogger that I am, and tarnish the objectivity of this post) and he took the time to write them all down on post-it notes for me, which was nice.  And THEN he gave us shots of Jameson on the house (could he…have recognized me?)  I transcribe the post-its below:

Happy Hour
Monday- Friday 2-9 (8 on Friday)
$2 PBR, $3 Draft, $4 well drinks, $5 PBR and shot
Saturday and Sunday 2-8
$2 PBR, $4 Draft and Well, $7 Jumbo Bloody

Daily Drink Specials
Monday- $10 for 2 car-bombs, $2 PBR, $5 PBR and shot
Tuesday- $3 Sauza/ Cuervo shot, $7 Corona and shot
Wednesday- $3 Jack
Thursday-Saturday- $3 PBR, $3 Shot special, $4 Draft
Sunday- $2 PBR, $3 Coors, $4 Draft special

(0 out of 5 hot dogs)

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Do you like Big (chicken) Breasts and Jiggly Jugs (of egg nog)?  And no, I’m not talking about Giada in a bikini…  Tastespotting is filled with images that are sure to make your taste-buds go Sh-WINGGG! It’s a gallery updated daily with pictures from across the blogosphere: mostly recipes and the occasional restaurant review, but either way you will be salivating all over your laptop, so get some kleenex handy!