This is the start of a new series called “Happy Hour Reviews.” These blogs will showcase some of the good (and cheap) eats around the country during Happy Hour!
This week found us in St. Louis, and after hours spent pining over where to eat we decided on the Drunken Fish, a sushi restaurant downtown on the river overlooking the Arch. It was a slow night to start, but that only meant we got better service. They actually have three happy hours; we hit the one that runs from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., which was a perfect time for an early dinner while getting half off regular prices. So you can really order a lot!
While everything looked great we ended up just ordering off the Happy Hour menu, which had a great selection. We started with the Crispy Roll: Tuna, eel and avocado, tempura battered and topped with eel sauce, masago, sprouts and Japanese mayo. There’s something to that mayo! The roll was crispy and delicious. The variety of textures and flavors all married well together and we fought over the last of those rolls.
Next were the White Tiger Roll and Red Dragon Roll. The White Tiger had calamari and crab, but left us feeling something was lacking. It had a spicy sauce to it combined with the eel sauce, but we didn’t like it nearly as well as the Red Dragon roll. Again with the textures, this roll surprised us with the addition of asparagus in the middle, crunchy tempura crumbs and a spicy chopped tuna mix topping. It wasn’t the prettiest dish of the night but was very tasty!
Our last roll was the Spicy Salmon Roll. As a sucker for salmon, I have to have it as many different ways as possible. This was simple and delicious. The spicy sauce paired really well with the bite of green onions, mayo, sesame seeds and, of course, solid, sweet chunks of salmon in the middle. Top this with a light smear of wasabi and a drizzle of soy sauce and it was a perfect bite.
We ended the evening with some nigiri. The Drunken Fish offers three nigiri, eel, salmon and white tuna, and it was all delicious. These perfectly cut slices of salmon and fish over just the right amount of sushi rice was a nice and clean end to the meal. There was no need for more. These four rolls and several one bite wonders of nigiri made for a great evening. When the bill came, it was pretty easy to stomach as well.
I would certainly head back to the Drunken Fish, especially during Happy Hour. They also feature half price signature martinis, basic sushi rolls, appetizers such as edamame, calamari and chicken yakitori and much more. The best part? Happy Hour is three times a day! 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. to Close. So you should always find time in your day for these cheap eats!
