Friday night we had our usual happy hour gathering at Patton Alley Pub. It was pouring down rain, the parking lot was jammed and the Pub was full by the time we arrived shortly after 5pm. I was getting really cranky so Steve threw me out of the car (not literally) and told me he’d park while I got a table. Well, there were no tables to be found and we needed a place for five of us. Eric, the owner, took pity on me and set up a patio table in the corner by the pool table. We threw a bit of a cog in the waitstaff routine, but everyone had a great attitude and cheap Happy Hour beer flowed freely. After a few libations we all decided to go across the street and sample the new menu at Hickok’s, another Eric property. Eric rules Patton Alley with the Pub, Hickok’s Steakhouse, Bodega Bar and Agrario (contemporary Mediterranean). He’s our next door neighbor and great friend. But I digress. We’d eaten at Hickok’s twice before and it was good, but not outstanding like Agrario or Patton Alley Pub. I always figured it was the steak-heavy menu I didn’t like since I’m not a big steak eater. The new menu featured more sandwiches, smaller cuts of meat and more choices for chicken. We started with the bacon cheese bites which are rich, gooey chunks of cheese with bacon in them that are breaded and fried. Let’s face it: breaded and fried food is just good. This wasn’t greasy either which was nice. Steve and I decided to split the spicy burger and get salads so we might have room for dessert (Steve wanted chocolate cake). The burger was outstanding. Pepperjack cheese, wing sauce and cheddar cheese were the perfect compliment to the top grade ground beef. Half of the burger was plenty. Matt ordered the chicken fried steak which he declared to be “yummy.” Sarah got the spicy burger and also enjoyed it. Greg got the bistro broil and gushed over it. Actually, all of us were gushing over our food. The place wasn’t too packed for a Friday night (which is bad if you’re a restaurant owner and good if you’re the patron) and our waiter was great. Good food, good beer and great friends made for the perfect way to start the weekend.
Pretty Pretty Bang Bang 