Magazine St

Sake Cafe

2830 Magazine St.

Happy Hour: 3:00 – 6:00 P.M. Daily

When one thinks of New Orleans cuisine, sushi isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind. When the mood strikes, it’s good to know there’s a place to satisfy this particular craving. Located on Magazine street near Washington, the Sake Cafe instantly wins points by providing ample free parking on either side of the restaurant. With the plethora of restaurants and bars lining the street, the convenience of easy parking cannot be overstated.

Full disclosure: We have been here many times, and we arrived armed with our patience, as it does sometimes take a while to get served. We were seated immediately by a friendly and cordial hostess. Within minutes, we met Robert, who introduced himself as our server for the evening. As far as ambience goes, the lighting always tends to be on the pleasingly dim side. Musically, it’s usually a miss with techno, dance sort of pop music that is often too loud. We were surprisingly pleased this time with the understated jazz. There is plenty of seating with an open floor plan, huge sushi bar, and clean, modern decor.

DSCN0605

Interior – looking into the bar area.

As always, we begin with beverages. The special is two for one drinks. Listed on the menu are twelve specialty cocktails,  six draft beer options, three house wine selections, hot or cold sake, and two frozen drinks. We landed on the specialty cocktails, even though we were somewhat reluctant, as the menu did not specify what vodka was being used. We were impressed with the creative mixers and fresh ingredients. We  both enjoyed the Lemon Drop (Citron Vodka, Cointreau, and fresh lemon in a sugar-rimmed glass). Sweet, sour, and boozy for $3.00 – amazing.

DSCN0576

Partially-consumed Lemon Drop.

Food options include the standard Asian small plates, such as edamame and gyoza for $3.00 each, and chicken spring rolls for $4.00. There are eight varieties of sushi or sashimi for $3.50 per order (two pieces per order), and seven selections of rolls for $3.50 as well.

We ordered one each of avocado, California, snow crab, and crawfish rolls, as well as one order of tuna sushi. Robert was professional as we rushed our order to beat the 6:00 P.M. deadline for happy hour. There were five sushi chefs on at the time, so our food arrived relatively fast. It was fresh, delicious, and presented beautifully. We were especially impressed with the crawfish roll – a local take on a Japanese specialty. It was spicy, creamy, and unique.

DSCN0580

Dinner for two.

DSCN0581

Tuna and crawfish roll with wasabi and ginger.

As we started our meal, Robert was attentive in reminding us that we had a free drink coming. The timing was perfect.

DSCN0589

Soy sauce remnants.

Another happy hour score. A complete meal for happy hour prices: four drinks, four rolls, and two pieces of sushi for just over 30 dollars. Sake Cafe is our go-to restaurant for those late afternoon sushi cravings.

DSCN0601

A bargain by anyone’s standards.

DSCN0607

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arana Taqueria y Cantina

3242 Magazine St.

Happy Hour:  3:00 – 7:00 P.M.  Monday through Friday.

We’ve always been fond of Mexican food; it’s filling, comforting, and of course, cheap. We have frequented this establishment many times prior to starting this blog. We were thrilled to learn that Kitty, one of our favorite New Orleans bartenders, now works here, although she was not on staff the night we were there for this review. If you are fortunate enough to stop by while she is working, she will make the experience even more enjoyable. It’s obvious by now how important customer service is to us, and she always goes above and beyond.

Nestled amongst many beautiful restaurants and bars on Magazine Street, we were drawn in by the chalkboard sign outside that advertised half price tacos and all drinks. Once inside, we immediately shuttered at the loud salsa music, but stayed for the decor and intoxicating smells of Mexican food. The giant spider with the Day of the Dead mask on the wall certainly added to the authenticity. Tin star lights hanging from the ceiling set a dark, yet comfortable tone.

DSCN0554

Looking out on Magazine St.

Drinks: You go to a Mexican restaurant, there’s a good chance you’ll get a Margarita. The options range from house, to seasonal, as well as their original creations. The seasonal drinks are made with the house made agua fresca, such as Strawberry Cucumber and Spicy Watermelon. Original creations are the Champagne Margarita and the Jalapeno Pineapple Cilantro Margarita. Other drink options include specialty drinks, such as a Mexican Mojito and the Bloody Maria. Tequila Flights are available to try three 1 ounce samples of different tequila, ranging from 18 to 50 dollars. As for those of us (Jay in particular) who lean more toward the pedestrian, the beer selection on tap limited to two standards. The bottled selection is much more extensive, including locals as well as Mexican. Nancy enjoyed the Deconstructed Margarita, which was lime juice, agave nectar and Sauza. Light and refreshing, but lacking the necessary kick in the pants, so her second drink was the house Margarita, which rendered her docile and giggly. Jay had the Negra Modela on draft. When in Rome…sort of. No complaints.

DSCN0556

House Margarita

The menu consists of appetizers, soups, salads, sides, and traditional entrees. Many looked interesting, specifically the fried oyster tostada and ceviche, but we skipped right to the tacos. There are fourteen taco options, including tongue, duck, pork belly, beef, chicken, fish, and vegetarian. Jay consumed two Fried Chicken on flour tortillas, and two El Gringos with sour cream. Nancy had one Chicken Tinga, one Chipotle Shrimp, and one Carne Asada. Obviously, our tastes are considerably different. Jay always enjoys the El Gringo with seasoned ground beef, and was excited to see the fried chicken available. He was slightly underwhelmed, as it was essentially a chicken wrap in a tortilla. Nancy was impressed with hers, loving the pickled vegetables and cilantro. The Carne Asada was marinaded perfectly with an abundance of flavor. The only drawback is the soggy corn tortillas, easily amended with finishing the dinner with a fork and knife.

DSCN0543

Jay’s plate.

DSCN0547

Nancy’s plate.

DSCN0551

Clean plate. Done.

DSCN0560

No need to go elsewhere.

Ultimately, this is a Happy Hour Hor win. We were able to get four drinks and seven tacos at a great price. This was dinner. (This was also the place we went to after Delmonico.)

DSCN0566