Happy Hour of the Week: Sullivan’s Steakhouse
At the bar in Sullivan’s Steakhouse, you kind of can’t help but get comfortable.
Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Sep 24, 2010 at 01:47PM
4 Comments
It’s happy hour at the lounge inside Sullivan’s Steakhouse, and I feel like I’ve teleported to Chicago. The long bar is all shiny wood and mirrors; it’s packed with people smiling at each other, talking more loudly than Seattleites usually do. The women have blonde highlights and rosy cheeks and they’re wearing muted-tone separates from Banana Republic. Any gaps in conversation are caulked with the jaunty jazz standards someone is playing on a baby grand, and perky servers come bearing dense wines served in glass fishbowls balanced on skinny stems.
Sullivan’s is a chain restaurant—it shares a parent company with Del Frisco’s, a well-known fleet of steakhouses that spans the country—but it doesn’t have the Truman Show quality that its downtown chain brethren tend to have. The service is friendly but not creepily so, the food does the trick, and the booths are cozy. It’s fun to drink there. Sullivan’s is like some dude your college-age cousin brings to the family reunion, a guy who looks kind of fratty but turns out to be hilarious and winningly attentive towards the old folks. You punch this guy lightly on the shoulder after a few beers, the words “You’re all right, Sully” implied in the gesture of mock truculence. This pleases your young cousin.
But warm fuzzy feelings aside, remembering Sullivan’s happy hour specials is dang near impossible. That’s because they change every day of the week. Only one thing remains consistent: if it’s happy hour, then two items from the bar menu—blue cheese chips and blue cheese meatballs—are $5. Below I attempt to explain the rest.
The late-night happy hour happens every day from 10pm to 2am. In addition to the chips and the meatballs, the following things are $5: draft beers, well drinks, and select sushi rolls.
The early HH runs from 3pm to 7pm on weekdays. Do I need to say again that blue cheese chips and meatballs are $5? They are. On Mondays well drinks are also $5, on Tuesday it’s $6 for select wine, champagne, and champagne cocktails. On Wednesday draft beers are $5, and on Friday specialty martinis are $5.
But Thursday is the day to go, because there’s live music and HH runs all night. Most of the items on the bar menu—including the hamburger—are $5, as are specialty martinis and house wines. This too pleases your young cousin.
Tags: Happy Hour, Downtown, Happy Hour of the Week
I was not expecting such thoughtful writing in a piece about happy hour at a chain steakhouse. Do they still serve that pineapple infused vodka thing? That gave me one memorable hangover back in my Chicago days.
You’re too kind, Allecia. And yes, I believe the drink you write of is called a knockout. On Thursdays knockouts are $5 during happy hour; on Fridays they are $7. I don’t need to tell you that they should be consumed with caution.
Your write-up made me homesick for Chicago… nice work :)
I’ve heard so many great things about Sullivan’s and your review just put the fire under my butt! I’m soooo there!