A Review: Chevys Happy Hour

There is a special time of day when one can relax, let loose, and just enjoy. Escaping the headache hassles of work and school, this time of day unearths the best versions of ourselves. It is the happiest time of day, and for that reason, we know it as happy hour.

This weekend I explored happy hour in all of its glory at Chevys. Now, I know what you're thinking, "shame on me" for going to a cookie cutter national chain like Chevys, a place that squeezes every ounce of originality out of the Tex Mex cuisine and serves it at a discounted rate. But hey, these are tough times. And with an economy that is down in the dumps and a 40,000-dollar yearly tuition to pay, I can't regularly afford to be inspired by the many affluent restaurants that San Francisco has to offer. Rather, I seek refuge in the reliable and the affordable that Chevys always delivers.

El happy hour at Chevys is simple, three-dollar drinks and three-dollar appetizers. The drinks include, original frozen margaritas, domestic draft beers, house wines, and well drinks. The appetizers include, a tamale sample (any two), crispy flautas, nachos grande, original fajitas nachos, and spicy wings. Offered from 4:00pm to 7:00pm Monday through Friday.

My four friends and I went to the Chevys at the Embarcadero Center (one of the four locations in San Francisco) on Friday where we found the fiesta to be in full swing as young professionals from the Financial District came ready to blow off steam and relish in the start to the weekend. With a full house, Chevys atmosphere during happy hour is lively and exciting. The standard decor is reminiscent of a laid-back Mexican cantina that you'd wander into on the streets of Puerto Vallarta - vibrant, eclectic, and fun. The wait staff mimics the crowd with a fun and inviting attitude.

Chevys happy hour offers more than an agreeable ambiance as the food and drink satisfies your hunger and thirst. When other happy hour specials water down their overly sweet and pathetically weak margaritas, Chevys margaritas are made with the top shelf tequila, Don Julio, making them strong enough to num the worries of the day. The appetizers are equally impressive as the portion of one appetizer is large enough to split between two people. The food is good, but not great, simple in its approach and execution. The beauty with Chevys is that they don't try to be something they are not. They don't over extend or reach to unknown culinary creations, they stay safe with food that is filling, fun, and most of all consistent. 

Filling, fun, and consistent was reason enough for me to go to Chevys happy hour, but the price will keep me coming back. As a college student living in an expensive city during a recession it isn't always easy to feel good about eating out as your mind gets boggled down with guilt for spending money, but with Chevys happy hour you can truly enjoy your dinning experience. So head over to Chevys for the happiest hour of all!

Conan Comes to SF

Would you be herded like sheep into a caged claustrophobic line for at least five hours on bustling Market Street? Would you be forced into a chaotic stampede within the famous walls of the elegant Orpheum Theatre? And would you do all of this for a lanky redheaded man who enjoys horny manatees? I would- And I did. But this wasn’t for any man-it was for Conan O’Brien.

For one week only Conan O’Brien moved his famous string controlled hips out west to San Francisco to tape his show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien. The NBC show, which airs from 12:35am to 1:30am, attracted 3,000people (who emailed for the free tickets months in advanced) a day to the Orpheum Theatre to see celebrity guests, which ranged from the raunchy Robin Williams and Snoop Dogg to the creative genius of George Lucas. I was lucky enough to attend Monday’s show, which featured actor Dana Carvey, comedian Jasper Redd, and musical guest the Arctic Monkeys.

When the Emmy award winning O’Brien made his way to the set, which featured an elaborate replica of the Golden Gate Bridge, he easily joked, “we had a replica of the bay bridge but it collapsed,” the audience erupted into a roaring frenzy. “I can’t explain the energy that was going through the room,” said 2nd row fan, Jason Palone. “I lost my voice by the end.” The ecstatic cheers reached deafening levels for a video short of O’Brien sightseeing in China Town, pretending to be a tour guide at the “penis tower (Coit Tower),” and loudest of all, was when O’Brien went to the Full House house in Alamo Square and was greeted by Danny Tanner himself (Bob Saget).

The rowdy and reactive crowd was so loud that O’Brien was quoted later that night by NBC11 saying, “tomorrow we are going to encourage the crowd to start drinking two hours before, so by the time they get here they are in nap mode.” But the cheers could not be subsided even with O’Brien’s signature “simmer down my babies,” when O’Brien and Marin County resident and Saturday Night Live Alum, Dana Carvey, who wasn’t promoting any project, burst into the songs “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)” by Scott McKenzie and “Lights” by Journey.

A Transgender Transamerica Building driving a Trans Am, the endorsement of Sam Wong’s restaurant in China Town, traffic insights on “Late Night Talk,” and trips to the winery bliss of Napa County, made Late Night with Conan O’Brien an unforgettable San Francisco treat. The tailor-made San Francisco pokes and jokes could only be heard on the shows during April 30th to May 4th but it’s never to late for insomniacs, night owls, and camera happy tourists visiting the Big Apple (where O’Brien is based), to catch the charismatic Conan for some late night laughs.