Have we talked about how much I love happy hour?  If not, I really appreciate a good happy hour.  What better way to unwind from a crazy work day.  For me, a good happy hour consists of a few things depending on what mood I’m in.  Today, I was in the mood for great cocktails, delicious food and something within walking distance.  Enter, Cured at Pearl.

First of all, this restaurant is just amazing any time of the day.  I’ve had the chance to visit for lunch, happy hour, dinner and brunch- and I’ve never been disappointed.  If you don’t know any thing about Cured, the best way for me to explain it is that they are all about the meat.  When you walk in, you’re greeted immediately by a case of hanging cured meats.  The restaurant resides in the former administration building of the Pearl Brewery and you can see where they have maintained some of the original building with the exposed brick and the old vault turned into a storage and walk in cooler space.  It also sits right in the middle of the Pearl Campus with a green patch of grass out front that attracts families, acro-yogi’s and others just looking for a good cup of coffee from Local Coffee.

I also finally learned about the XXX symbol that I’ve been seeing all over campus including inside Cured.  It dates back to European royalty where a courier would sample beer at inns along the way.  Inns serving average beer would get marked with a single X while  Inns with good beer would get marked with two X’s.  Three X’s signifies excellent beer.  Thus, the XXX symbol everywhere.

Quail legs- $0.50 a piece during happy hour.

Ok, back to the happy hour thing.  This place rocks for happy hour.  It’s a great way to try out some of their food and drinks at more affordable prices.  You can choose from the blue ribbon burger, an awesome gumbo, and fried quail legs in addition to some other rotating options.  For drinks, the signature cocktails, wines by the glass, and select beers are 1/2 off.

Are you into beer and want to try something new?  Ask for Forrest.  He’s the house Ciccerone.  A Ciccerone is like a Sommelier but for beer.

The Single Blue Ribbon Burger and fries- Bacon and beef blend burger, onion jam, and American cheese.

If happy hour isn’t your thing, that’s ok.  Still make sure you come back for lunch, dinner or brunch. 
The Starter Kit- vodka, grapefruit, jalapeño, lime, and salt.  Yum. It’s like a salty dog but with tequila and spicy. 

Pro-tip #1:  If you’re coming to happy hour, get here early and sit at the bar.  You get a front row to the charcuterie show.  Chances are, you’ll end up ordering a board for yourself because they look that good.  Happy hour runs daily from 3pm to 6pm- yes I said daily which means you can come here on Saturday for happy hour.  Can you say “day drinking”?

Pro-tip #2: Meat, meat, meat.  Seriously, get adventurous and order a charcuterie plate.  Ask for recommendations if you have no idea what you’re looking at.  And as a side note- If you’re not into meat, I’ve heard that Cured has an AMAZING vegetarian option on the menu daily that changes from day to day.

Find them on Facebook and at https://curedatpearl.com/

-CL

PS. I don’t quite know why these pictures are so big but I’m still figuring all this blog stuff out.