Linda Falkenstein
The Mezzarita may start a shopping frenzy.
The idea of a happy hour at a bar inside a grocery store requires some attitude adjustment. Why, you may ask yourself, am I drinking in a supermarket? Has my life come to this? Maybe it has! Jan. 20 approacheth!
Stopping for a drink at the Mezz, the mezzanine bar/eat-in area of Festival Foods, 810 E. Washington Ave., may make grocery shopping more palatable — though you can’t roam the aisles with your Moscow Mule or chardonnay.
Happy hour, 3-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri., means a $4 or $5 drink special (and Sundays, it’s $4 bloodys and mimosas all day).
The happy hour might work better if the self-serve checkouts at the deli were operational (they’re being replaced) so you could grab hors d’oeuvre-y stuff from the hot bar and head right upstairs to order a glass or half glass of wine, a pint of craft beer or even a “Mezzarita,” one of a handful of cocktails available. Instead, a detour to the liquor store checkout is needed.
Even so, the bright, IKEA-influenced bar is a nice place to ground yourself while searching for healthy recipes on your phone and scribbling a shopping list.
You won’t find rarities among the eight taps, but there are solid local picks like Glacial Trail from Central Waters or Lady Luck from Karben4. And that Mezzarita? The classic margarita, made with Sauza Hornitos Reposado Tequila, might inspire you to grab the ingredients for grilled shrimp tacos or some cheese quesadillas.
