Midtown Lunch

If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so every week our Happy Hour Correspondent “Mamacita” will post about a different bar in Midtown that fits the Midtown Lunch mentality: unhealthy food, not lame (unless it’s lame in a cool way), and most importantly… cheap.

NYC’s own prognosticating groundhog, Staten Island Chuck, might have predicted we’re in for an early spring, but the cacophony of clanking from my radiators say otherwise. In any case, I hope he’s right because tornados, blizzards, and howling winds have had me dreaming of sipping a wheat lager as I brown in the sun at my favorite watering hole as opposed to seeking cover in the winterized bunker I call my apartment at the end of day. So this installment of ML Happy Hour is a bit more PSA then AA, with a look at Irish Exit and some booze news for spring.

Wondering what’s the status on a ML’s darling Rudy’s and their back deck? They took their sweet-ass time, but the complete renovation of their back yard is almost as ready as we are for spring. Included is some bran spanking new urinals, oh yeah, check out that porcelain!

I reviewed Stag’s Head recently and their excellent craft beers are perfect for sharing a pitcher. The back patio will open probably for St Paddy’s day, like last year, but if the weather warms up before then you can count of having some suds with your sun.

And now for a look at Irish Exit.

Irish Exit is on the Eastside bar strip that includes Manchester Pub, Opal, Cornerstone, Muldoons plus many more. On the evening I visited the crowd was bleakly sparse, most likely on account the foul weather, but there are some happy hour specials that are worth making this a second stop. In particular, Tuesdays are taco night and though we are only talking about crunchy shells filled with ground beef the price is right at 2 of these beer ballasts free with purchase of a drink.

Bad luck seems to be in my cards, because I also missed Irish Exit’s Thursday and Friday $5 burger special at happy hour. I want this. I want this bad! My carnivorous cravings must be satisfied and I’ll be wrapping my lips around this meat on my next trip. Friday’s happy hour also features ½ off all drinks if you pay a door fee of $5. A full report will follow, but until then this is a good option for those of you on the Eastside that remembered to pack your umbrellas today.

Irish Exit, 978 2nd Ave., at 52nd St.