Midtown Happy Hour: The Mean Fiddler is a Great Place to Avoid Times Sq. Tourists
There are few things worse then stepping out of the N train stop at 49th Street and getting bombarded by lumbering tourists and fast talking theater sales men in Times Square. It was enough to turn my usually patient, well-tempered friend into a cranky malcontent within the short block from TGI Fridays to Olive Garden. However, with a quick turn onto W 47th Street the hellacious chaos turned down a notch and we ducked for cover at the Mean Fiddler.
The Mean Fiddler is a restaurant and pub with a late night dance club in its lower level- but this isn’t a night club review so let’s stick the brass tacks. Zach had tipped me off on this place and despite its typical Irish bar façade it had one deal that caught both our eyes. Happy hour is 12pm to 7pm with 4 sliders for $4 dollars. Given that sliders are usually $10 on the regular menu this was quite a deal. But wait there’s more!
It’s not everyday you see a bar having its own competing happy hour deals, but the Fiddler does. On the weekday I found myself there, a whole other happy hour special was in full effect. Something called the Big 4. All bottles and drafts were $4, with $4 shots and cocktails till 8pm. The shot special only included Kamikazes and Red Headed Sluts. [Insert your own $4 red headed slut joke here]
Nevertheless, the slider special was still on the table. They came in beef, buffalo chicken or vegetarian. Additional appetizers were on the special, but I didn’t want to mess around. Those sliders had my name written all over them. One of the inebriated guys at the bar slurringly (yes, I know that’s not a word) insisted I also order the buffalo chicken version too and who am I to argue with drunken wisdom like that? Hell, I practically slipped him my number.
What came out of the kitchen were two solid plates of mini-burgers, four per order. The beef sliders came with cheddar cheese, the chicken version came breaded and coated in a vinegary Louisiana hot sauce with a blue cheese dipping sauce. Both came with pickles and lettuce on the side. The chicken was moist and tender, though the crispiness of the batter was lost in all the sauce. The beef sliders were the hit of the show, providing great booze ballast to all the beer and cocktails.
Speaking of cocktails we ordered a few Guinness drafts and a couple mojitos. All $4 dollars, but something was not quite right. In an interesting bit of chicanery our Guinnesses (Guninessi?) came in what at first glance appeared to be an imperial pint glass (which would of course make the $4 beer special even better), but upon closer inspection it was revealed that the glasses were no larger than usual. Now don’t get me wrong. At no point did they advertise imperial pints, but a girl can dream can’t she?
THE +
- Big 4 happy hour, plus a early bird happy hour suitable for lunch boozing
- There 4 for $4 sliders are probably the best deal considering the proximity to the tourist trap known as Times Square
- Ample seating, friendly waitresses, and late night Dj’s
- A bar you can actually take your vegetarian friends too -veggie sliders are on the menu
THE –
- Faux imperial pints and a confusing happy hour. Is it till 7pm or 8pm? Is the Big 4 everyday on top of your other happy hour listing?
- Aside from the happy hour food specials the menu leans towards 10+ items. My friend had the chicken wrap for $10!
- Red headed sluts should be less than $4 bucks, just sayin’
The Mean Fiddler, 266 W 47th St (btw. 7+8th), 212-354-2950
Posted by Zach Brooks at 3:00 pm, July 10th, 2009 under Midtown Happy Hour.
11 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
Guinness in a smithwicks glass…….
Nice Buns tho Mama.
And the Burgers look good too.