Don’t wait. Put HaVen Gastro Lounge at 1237 Lincoln Road on your list for a super cool happy hour from 6 to 8 p.m daily. As the saying goes, it’s not your father’s happy hour like one of the traditional spots. Nor is it pseudo hip SoBe. Everything about it is inventive. HaVen combines a high style digital decor — walls project ever changing images of scenery and photos, the lounge changes color, and the ceiling grid has 1000 color changing frosted replicas of ice cubes used by their mixologists. The music is loungey, at happy hour the noise level meets the criterion of this blog (i.e. being able to talk) and though there are some small tables, it’s most fun to sit at the bar — and what a bar — 21 feet long, backlit onyx. The creative, talented, and delightful Chef Todd Erickson who was formerly sous chef at Zuma, serves up highly original (without being precious) , delicious bar food (lives up to its name “gastro” as in gastronomy, the art or science of good eating). Plus, it’s a good deal: a good selection of $6 drinks and $5 roll and $5 slider of the day. We had our usual martini — a generous pour, a welcome change from the trend and a Pop Drop molecular cocktail with vodka, watermelon puree and kiwi vodka pop . Though the specials sounded good, we ordered off the menu which features sliders, rolls, crudo, crisps (their tater tots with bleu cheese are a top seller), skewers and sweets.
We had the grilled cheese skewer — haloumi cheese, buttered brioche, grape tomato accompanied by a tequila shot glass of tomato bisque that you pour over the skewer. Next up was the maki peru — tempura shrimp roll with avocado, bell pepper, all topped with pieces of ceviche and the crackle pop — spicy tuna, rice crispies and daikon, and yuzu shichimi aioli. Particularly interesting are the sliders, others including a falafel with cucumber, mint, tahini and honey and the duck burger with quail egg and foie gras butter. Next time I plan to order the Chesapeake skewer with diver scallop, corn, lardon and Peruvian potato. In all, tough to choose. The chef said plans are to take the concept global. Not surprising. They have a real winner here.
