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Maxwell's Speakeasy

Happy hour pricing just the ticket

Maxwell’s is back open with happy hour pricing for exceptional food. Photo credit: Dutch Randall

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If you have expensive taste when it comes to food, it can be a little tough on your pocketbook. But don't fret, after being closed for several months due to flood damage, Maxwell's in Tacoma has reopened and once again is offering happy hour each afternoon from 4-6 p.m.  This is a great place to enjoy the dark mahogany and architecture, listen to some old-timey jazz, and enjoy top quality at a budget price.

If you're going to be in the bar anyway, you would be foolish to avoid the cocktails everyone is talking about, including well-known drinks like a Sidecar or Manhattan, to Maxwell's signature Ginger Pear Lemon Drop or my favorite, the Hemmingway.  Their Hemmingway is a simple concoction of honey whiskey and dry vanilla soda, but what makes it so refreshing is the cucumber slice that garnishes the glass.  I also like that the well drinks are kept cold with a single large cube of ice so as not to water your drink down.

And if you've made your way to Maxwell's, now is your chance to step away from the standard bar fare.  Happy hour offerings include a simple salad with an almond-cranberry crumble and Dijon vinaigrette or a marinated olive and spiced nut plate that is perfect for sharing.  However, some of the more popular choices are the house made parmesan fries with blue cheese, the unique Wagyu sliders of succulent gourmet beef with onion spread and rich cheddar cheese.  And the very best part is that each of the happy hour offerings is priced between $5-$7.

A few other happy hour options that don't get the attention they deserve are the Maxwell's hot wings and the meat plate.  The hot wings are a perfect single serving of six juicy, deep fried wings tossed in wing sauce, each one flawlessly cooked.  The meat plate is definitely designed to be shared - served on a planked cutting board, the name is misleading as in addition to mild salami and bruschetta, there are also fresh greens, olives, gherkins, warm bread and brie.  But the stars of the plate are the dipping sauces that garnish the dish; a jalapeno jelly, Dijon sauce, and a very unique tomato jam that I'm convinced you'll find no place else other than Maxwell's Speakeasy.

MAXWELL'S SPEAKEASY, 454 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.683.4115

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