Happy Hour at Oya

There's something so sexy about Oya: Low lighting, flickering flames shooting out of gas "fireplaces," the white alligator skin bar, the long nooks full of lounge seating. If you're not dressed for a night on the town, you may feel, well, underdressed. The happy hour is a little pricier than some of its Penn Quarter neighbors, but that's made up for in quality. The freshness of the fish pops from the sushi ($7-$8 for eight-piece rolls, $6 for four pieces of sashimi or three pieces of nigiri) and a short list of appetizers. To sip, house wines are $6 per glass and specialty cocktails range from $7 to $8, including the very tasty Lychee Gimlet made with organic gin. The only downside is that there's not a ton of space at the bar and lounge, so you may have to wait. But specials run from 5 until 8 p.m., and in this case, the late bird usually gets the worm.

-- Fritz Hahn (April 22, 2011)