Credo: A happy hour bust

I have passed Credo on Pine Street numerous times and was really looking forward to sampling their happy hour. I made a reservation online for a table and was happy to get one at short notice. Once I got to the restaurants, I realized why OpenTable was completely open--there was only about 5 customers in the restaurant. We sat at our table.....and sat.....after about 10 minutes we got up and moved over to the bar. The hostess came up to me and said in a snarky manner, "Was there something wrong with your table." I replied that there wasn't but we want happy hour and it seemed that you weren't serving the tables during happy hour. To that response, she scoffed off without responding.

We sat at the bar for another 5 minutes as the bartender finished up making a cocktail for another customer. Once he directed his attention to us, we asked to see a happy hour menu, since we hadn't seen one yet. Much to our surprise, happy hour was over in just a few minutes, at 6pm. The website states 6:30pm, so we had assumed we would have plenty of time to order a drink and a few snacks. Another surprise about their in-person happy hour menu is that about 1/3 of what is advertised online is actually offered. We opted for a cheese plate of 5 different cheeses. It looked great; however, the five large slices of cheese came with 4, yes only 4 mini slices of crostini. Straight away I asked for more bread and was told it would be $1-2 for more crostinis. Fine. The food runner came back with 4 small crostinis which cost us $.50 each. I just don't understand how a restaurant can charge you for bread on a cheese plate. Four slices of tiny crostini is not nearly enough for 5 large slabs of cheese. Until they fix this problem, I would avoid the cheese plate, unless you don't mind spending an additional $10 on bread to eat with your cheese.

I must say, I was thoroughly disappointed in Credo. Although, I only sampled their happy hour, I was not impressed and a bit frustrated when I left. Happy hour should be fun....Don't nickle and time your customers and then not offer the advertised happy hour.

Ti Piacera: Killer happy hour on Polk

Ti Piacera has been my go-to happy hour for quite a while now for many reasons. For starters, it's on Polk, so it's generally accessible for friends to meet there coming from all directions after work. Second, the happy hour is super cheap. Wine is $3 a glass and pretty good. You get a choice of Sangiovese, Merlot or Chardonnay. It's not the best of the barrel but it's pretty darn good for $3 a glass. They also have $3 draft beers for the non-wine drinkers (gasp!). And the main reason I go there......they have the best carpaccio. It is absolutely melt in your mouth delicious. The carpaccio is thinly sliced and topped off with capers, sliced red onion, arugula, parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. It's so good that when my friend Amy and I go there, we get our own. Neither of us want to share with each other.

I haven't sat down for dinner at Ti Piacera but I can definitely recommend their happy hour as one of the best in the Polk area.

B Restaurant and Bar's Killer Happy Hour

Last Friday we ventured to B Restaurant and Bar for Happy Hour and it was a fantastic find. B restaurant is a not-so-hidden gem atop Yerba Buena Gardens in SOMA. B Restaurant is a contemporary bar and restaurant offering delicious cocktails and food with killer views. The restaurant sits at the top of Yerba Buena Gardens overlooking the gardens and waterfalls as well as offering panoramic views of the city. The best part is B Restaurant has a spacious terrace opening off the main dining room with plenty of room to relax and take in the sunshine after work.

B Restaurant's Happy Hour specials are amazing. Happy Hour begins at 4pm and ends at 7:30pm Tuesday through Friday, providing plenty of time for you to sample their specialty cocktail list and appetizers.  Happy Hour drink specials include a "Ginger Ricky", a concoction of gin, fresh lime and house made ginger ale; $5 well drinks; $4 Trumer Pilsner and $5 red wine sangria. In addition to individual drinks, you can also get a table side pitcher of red, white or sparkling sangria for $40. The table side sangria presentation is sure to please everyone at the table (and get them a bit tipsy). Happy Hour food specials are just as tempting as the drinks and include dollar oysters and your choice of small $5 plates such as truffle fries, confit honey-mint chicken wings, marinated olives, baby gem ceasar and salmon rillette.

B Restaurant is a great Happy Hour for locals as well as out of town guests. The stunning views and relaxed atmosphere are a great way to decompress after a hard day of work or shopping.