Smith Hour

"Smith Hour" brings $5 beers, rail drinks and wines by the glass and $6 appetizers from 5 to 7 p.m. during the week and 3 to 7 p.m. on weekends. That it's offered al fresco is a treat — there are enough places that insist happy-hour deals apply only at the bar. A friend and I stopped in last week for crab cake sliders (two good examples, topped with green tomatoes) and angus beef skewers, plus a couple of drinks. House white wine was fruity and nothing to shout about. The happy-hour mixed drinks are made with brands you've heard of. And the draft selection includes refreshing beers if you have the table in the sun (Ommegang Witte, Bell's Oberon) and stronger brews if you're in the shade (Stone Arrogant Bastard, Flying Dog's Raging Bitch).

As with Standard, timing is everything. Show up on a Thursday night and it will be bustling, there will be no seats and you and your friends will be standing awkwardly between tables and trying not to be in the way. Stop by on Monday or Tuesday night, and you can even have the run of the place at 6 p.m. If you have the kind of friends who say, "Oh, I don't go out during the week," this could be an easy way to change their outlook.

-- Fritz Hahn (June 17, 2011)