St. Louis City Neighborhoods: The Hill
Lorenzo's Trattoria
1933 Edwards Street; 314-773-2223 or click here for more info and a map
Happy Hour: 5 to 7:30 p.m. daily; half-price glasses of wine with any food purchase
Spindly breadsticks accent every other table like bare tree branches, and the interior's inviting Tuscan influence is bathed in soft light. Lorenzo's on the Hill is simply elegant, and its happy hour — which offers half-price glasses of wine with any food purchase — is simply indulgent. The thoughtful wine list includes reds and whites from Italy and California, as well as Prosecco, and customers can take advantage of the happy-hour prices whether they've pulled a chair up to the bar, taken a seat in the dining room or dine al fresco on the patio. Most by-the-glass selections are priced in the $7 range even without the happy-hour special, so it's not just the wine that'll give you that warm, fuzzy feeling at Lorenzo's. The check will, too. (KM)
Modesto Tapas Bar & Restaurant
5257 Shaw Avenue; 314-772-8272 or click here for more info and a map
Happy Hour: Weekdays 5 to 7 p.m., with all-night happy hour on Tuesday; single-bite tapas for 25 cents to $2, $2.50 to $3 bottle and draft beers, $5 daily cocktail specials, $6 sangria del día, $16 pitchers of sangria roja
Wrapped in the rich oranges and fiery reds associated with Spain, Modesto Tapas Bar & Restaurant has a robust, romantic atmosphere. With its itty-bitty pintxos (a.k.a. little bites) menu, which give you one sampling of a tapa, you can literally try everything on the menu for less than ten dollars or sample just a few if you're just peckish. As far as libations go, Modesto offers dependable sangria, whether it's the sangria del día or the always-available sangria roja, as well as a variety of authentic cocktails. Modesto's bar area nails every important component of happy hour: good prices, tasty drinks and food, and a distinctive atmosphere. (KK)
