Vida Southwest Happy Hour Review

Vida Southwest Grill is located inside Double Tree South Hotel on 3650 S 72^nd Street in Omaha, NE. Happy Hour is every day from 4:00PM-6:00PM. Happy Hour consist of 30% off Appetizers, $4 Wells, and discounted Draft Beers.

Upon arrival to Vida I was amazed of the beautiful décor. It automatically gave me a warm and comforting vibe that most hotel lounges provides. I did like that my guest and I had the option to choose our own table. It was also a plus that Happy Hour is anywhere in the lounge, not just secluded to the bar like most places. I first ordered a Cranberry, Pineapple, and Vodka Cocktail ($4). I simply adore the combination of tart cranberry with sweet pineapple, but not with this drink. My drink was absolutely watered down and taste like bland kool-aid with just a splash of Vodka.

For appetizers I tried the poppers (grilled jalapeno, bacon, tricolor peppers cream cheese). I had high expectations of this dish since the waitress said this dish is popular. Well…my taste buds didn’t think it deserved popularity. The poppers came out luke warm and didn’t taste grilled at all. The bacon didn’t have any flavor to it neither did the cream cheese. Just a blah piece of pepper.

Next I had the boneless wings and I chose the honey chipotle flavor. These wings was okay. The ranch that was provided was bland and runny. Along with the wings we also sampled the Guacamole. Guacamole is a hit or miss. Sometimes if you miss all you need to do is add an ingredient. Unfortunately they missed a couple of ingredients. This guac was in DESPERATE need of salt and maybe a pinch of cumin. Just a complete fail.

Overall I give Vida 2 smiles. Customer service was great, but the food and drinks was just bland. Bland doesn’t work well with my happy taste buds. If you go to Vida please let me know what you think! Happy Eats! 

LeadBelly Happy Hour Review

 LeadBelly is Midtown Crossing new restaurant located at 3201 Farman Street in Omaha, NE.  Happy Hour is everyday starting Monday through Thursday from 3:00PM-6:00PM, Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30PM-12:00AM, and Sunday Funday 11:00AM-5:00PM. Happy Hour seating is throughout the whole restaurant, so you won’t have to worry about limited seating. Happy Hour consist of $1 off Apps, wells, wine and Draft Beers. $2 off Scotch, Irish & American Whiskeys. All Taller Boys $2. $3 Shot O’ Day, Fireball, Goldschlager, Jagermeister, Rumple Mintze, $4 Guinness, Jameson, and $5 Martinis, Craft Cocktails, Sparklings, and $5 off bottles of wine.

LeadBelly had me hooked from their customer service. Upon entering the establishment I was greeted with a hello, and had the pleasure of sitting anywhere where I wanted. Once seated the waiter greeted me as well, and asked what I wanted to drink. I first started with a water and I was amazed that they used an old fashion jar, I’m a sucker for mason jars! For libations I had the Caucasian cocktail (Smirnoff 21, Kahlua, and Cream). I believe the Caucasian is my new favorite drink ladies and gentlemen. Imagine finishing off a caramel sundae and you have the liquid at the bottom that is what this drink remind me off. It was smooth, sweet, delicious, and a little bit strong.

For appetizer I started with Canada’s famous dish Poutine (waffle fries, red wine gravy, aged white cheddar cheese curd, smoked candied bacon). FYI this dish is big enough to feed two maybe three people! The star of this dish was the candied bacon! Sweet and salty bacon on waffle fries is literally everything and I also enjoyed the red wine gravy even though I couldn’t really taste the wine. For my true foodies out here you would love this dish. For my people that needs carbs to get them over a drunken night, you would love this dish!

Next I had their tacos!! If you’re a taco lover like myself LeadBelly won’t disappoint! I first started with the Ahi Taco (marinated raw tuna, romaine, fresh jalapeno, avocado, cilantro and lime) The Ahi is marinated to perfection and adding the romaine lettuce instead of a slaw was the perfect combo. FYI this taco does have a kick but it is not too spicy. The other taco I had was the Jerk Shrimp Taco (citrus slaw, red onion, fresh jalapeno, white cheddar, and lime). This taco was my favorite! The jerk flavor of the shrimp with the sweet slaw was absolutely delicious!

LeadBelly is that place where you can come relax, be with friends and just enjoy good food and libations! Because of the customer service and of course the food I give LeadBelly 5 Smiles!! 

Firebirds Happy Hour Review

Firebirds Wood Fire Grill is located in Omaha’s Village Point on 1745 Chicago Street. Firebirds Happy Hour is Monday-Friday from 4:00pm-6:30 pm. Happy Hour includes bar bites and drink specials in the FIREBAR and on the patio.

Firebirds is a chain restaurant with local and cozy charm. The amazing customer service that you get right away gives its charm and the big fireplace makes it cozy. The first item that I started with was the Mango Mojito (Mt. Gay Eclipse Rum, fresh mango, lime, mint and splash of soda). This concoction was simply delish and well garnished with visual appeal. The bartender did not skimp out on the liquor which I highly appreciated. Overall it was worth my $6

Next was the Shrimp Tacos ($7). You can choose to have them grilled or crispy. I chose to have mine grilled. With these tacos they are bit spicy. If spicy isn’t your forte you can ask to have the spicy sauce put to the side. Firebirds version of Shrimp Tacos are garnished with avocado and pineapple salsa which cools down the spicy sauce. It’s absolutely delicious and full of flavor. Just one bite would make you want to dance.

I also devoured their Crispy Hand Spun Chicken Tenders ($7). Nothing really too fancy with this dish. The tenders are tossed in a buffalo sauce paired with blue cheese dip. The flavor was good to be expected.

Next, is the Smoked Salmon Dip ($5). The dip is paired with seasoned toast. You can really taste the smoke from the salmon. The dip overall was good first and second bites. After the third bite I was kind of over it. The dip did smell a bit fishy and gave that annoying aftertaste. 

Overall, Firebirds was amazing. The customer service alone was top notch and I appreciated that the fact the General Manager came to our table to ask how our experience was.  I do see myself coming back Firebirds more often! Firebirds Wood Fire Grill gets 5 Smiles. 

Jams American Grill Happy Hour

Jams an American Grill has two locations in Omaha. One in the Old Market (1101 Harney Street) and in Midtown. Jams Happy Hour is Monday through Friday from 3:30PM to 6:30PM. Happy Hour consist of $2 Off Craft, $1 off Glasses of Wine and discounted Tap. Unfortunately at the Old Market location Jams does not offer discounted small plates. Rumor has it that the Midtown location does however.

Upon entering Jams, I automatically fell in love with the atmosphere. Jams took over the old Rock Bottom Brewery location and from sight you couldn’t tell. Jams gives you the laid back, just want to drink a beer and watch soccer type feel which I enjoyed. I was very excited to try food and drinks, but was disappointed to find out that their happy hour only consisted of drinks. So I started off with a Texas Style Mules made with Tito’s Vodka. Tasty, smooth, with a kick at the end which I liked.

Because I’m not a recreational drinker, I decided to try an entrée instead of another drink. I ordered the Korean Short Rib Sandwich $13 (Provolone, sautéed onions, roasted peppers, and spicy fermented Red Soybean Paste). To be honest I wish I ordered another drink instead. Let’s just say that I had high expectations of this sandwich. This sandwich tasted like a bland cheesesteak. The meat itself was bland, and I really couldn’t taste the soybean paste. The only thing I really could taste was the cilantro that was piled high. With the sandwich I ordered the French fries and they tasted like they came from King Kong.

Overall, I give Jams 2 smiles. Amazing atmosphere and customer service. But the food lacked flavor and texture. I really wish that they offered discounted small plates...I mean food also makes a grand Happy Hour!