GetOut Magazine

Happy hour is chic affair at upscale Barcelona
By KELLY WILSON
Get Out
May 22, 2003

The spot: Barcelona Restaurant, 900 N. 54th St., Chandler

The vibe: Money, money, money. Beamers, Mercedes and Jaguars line the parking lot of this upscale restaurant. You're more likely to encounter thirty- to sixtysomething professionals chatting about the stock market or their weekend getaways than college kids doing body shots here.

Happy hour: 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday

The deal: Complimentary beef and chicken skewers (Wednesday through Friday), a vegetable tray and Barcelona dip; half-off all appetizers, well drinks, wine and drafts.

Spotlight eats: We tasted the vegetable tray, which was comprised of fresh celery, carrots, tomatoes and mushrooms. We also tried the melt-in- your-mouth beef skewers and spicy crab cake (a half-off item), which my dining partner described as the best crab cake in the entire world. The large crab cake is served with a parsnip puree and creamy yellow bell pepper sauce.

Best-kept secret: Barcelona hosts a reverse happy hour from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday with $2 premium drafts and Jaeger shots, $3 bottled beer and well drinks and $5 Stoli martinis.

Info: ; Barcelona has a second location at 15440 N. Greenway Hayden Loop, Scottsdale, .

Happy Hunting spotlights a different East Valley happy hour each week. If you have a suggestion, e-mail it to Kelly Wilson at .