I was at the Essen Haus for a meeting during Cinco de Mayo and thought, “Let’s see if they’ll make us a boot with a margarita instead of beer.” And guess what? They did. Cost: $27.
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Margarita Boot
May 6th, 2010Happy Cinco de Mayo
May 5th, 2010While Madison doesn’t seem to be a hotbed of Cinco de Mayo parties, there are some good specials around town. For a list of some suggestions, visit the DRINK page of eatdrinkmadison.com and choose the “Cinco de Mayo” search button.
Some specials that I’m highlighting:
1) Eldorado Grill. From 5-7 p.m., enjoy appetizer specials (e.g. $5 tamales) and drink specials ($5 margaritas, $5 for a shot and Lonestar beer). Also, win two tickets to see Kevin Tubb’s band do their 10th annual tribute to Bob Dylan concert.
2) La Mestiza (downtown and west side). Happy hour is now all day, which means half-price appetizers, $2.50 cervesas and $4 house margaritas. That means you can enjoy the celebration during the work day!
3) Pasqual’s – Hilldale. From 4 p.m. – midnight, Pasqual’s is turning its outdoor patio to a party area. For $24, enjoy two margaritas, a carne asada taco bar and raffle prizes.
Atomic Koi
April 30th, 2010The Atomic Koi Cocktail Lounge opened recently in half the space for the former Kelly’s Grille in Fitchburg, and it seems like a nice addition to the area. Basically, it was a bar with a space-agey feel that’s a nice place to chill (if that makes sense).
Hawk Schenkel (of Hawk’s Bar) did a great job in redesigning the space, though I would have added more booths in place of the shufflepuck area (seems out of character for a lounge). Some relatively more private seating are located in the corners, a nice retreat if you’re with a large group. According to the manager, an outdoor seating area will be built to the side of the building by the end of May.
Atomic Koi has an extensive cocktail menu, ranging from flavored martinis to mojitos to ice cream drinks to champagne drinks. I went on a Thursday night when it wasn’t too crowded, but I suspect on a Friday or Saturday night, it could take a while to get a drink, since each of these specialty cocktails takes more time to make than a standard drink.
The prices were reasonable, by the way. Our tab for seven cocktails was just $37.
Atomic Koi has daily happy hour and free WiFi. While no food is served, you can always grab a slice of pizza at Roman Candle–which took over the other half of the space–on your way out.
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