Courtesy photo

This is Logan, the fuzzy little mascot for East End Brasserie's new happy hour special.

In France, no one bats an eye when a Parisian brings her favorite pooch to the table. Not quite the case in the States. While the South Florida dining culture certainly is lax in many ways, it can still be a bit of a challenge for dog lovers to find canine-friendly hangouts that also happen to serve cheap booze. Leave it to a French bistro to help address this issue.

Starting today, East End Brasserie, located in the Atlantic Hotel, will introduce "Monday Mutts and Martinis." The happy hour is 5 to 9 p.m. with $5 glasses of house wine and signature martinis. Your pooch will score a "gourmet" treat. The happy hour will be held outside on the oceanfront terrace, and free valet parking is available.

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Oceans 234 is giving free drinks to the tax man (or woman).

Tax day is tomorrow, April 17, and whether we owe money or are getting a refund, most of us can agree that the tax accountant, relentlessly figuring out tax rules and punching numbers on a calculator, usually gets no love... until now.

Oceans 234 in Deerfield Beach has heard the plight of the tax professional and is giving these brave men and women their due.

Tax professionals who bring in five or more guests tonight will receive a complimentary $50 bar tab -- which is probably enough for a round of drinks! The cofounder and director of operations for Oceans 234, Danielle Williams, is happy to pick up the tab for tax professionals. "Tax season is a stressful time of year for everyone, particularly in this challenging economy," Williams says. "If you're a tax professional, it's especially challenging."
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Happy hour at Grateful Palate now means $5 glasses of wine and $6 bites.

When The Grateful Palate in Fort Lauderdale -- which recently made the Clean Plate Charlie list of "South Florida's best places to sip wine" -- welcomed sommelier David Hults in mid-February, the wine expert came with some ideas on a revamped happy hour to replace the restaurant's existing after-work deal.

The newly extended hours of happiness are 5 to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Previously, happy hour was unavailable on Saturday nights. In addition, "buy one, get one" has been replaced with five wines (two reds, two whites, and a rose) offered at $5 a glass.

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Uncle Julio's on Facebook

Clock watchers need their margarita fix.

​Happy hour is never more than a few moments from the average clock-puncher's mind, and when we catch wind of a chance to guzzle margaritas (and beer, wine, whatever) at a lower price, our ears perk up.

Uncle Julio's Fine Mexican Food in Mizner Park -- you know; that place at the north end of the park with the blasting music, open doors, and tasty guacamole -- has launched a new happy hour this week with a pretty straight-forward concept.

The 3-to-7 menu means a range of drinks are priced at $3 to $7 from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

In the $3 bracket, you'll find domestics like Bud Light and Miller Lite, or "imports" like Corona and Tecate. House wines are $4. The Texas-based chain's signature swirl margaritas are $5. For those who haven't yet indulged in the cocktail, it's a frozen blend of margarita and sangria.
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La Scaletta

La Scaletta's lemon basil martini is making us thirsty.

​There's something about a martini that we adore. Maybe it's the sophistication of the glass or the ritual of watching the bartender shake the cocktail and pour the ice-cold libation, possibly leaving the shaker at the bar with a few precious additional drops of the delicious libation we are about to enjoy.More >>

Photo: Misha Grosvenor

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Navigating the happy hour scene on Fort Lauderdale beach is no easy task.  The choices of where to go are endless however the scene once you get there is the same -- salacious meat markets, skeevy (but kind of wonderful) dive bars, and South Beach bar wannabes commingle on the weather-beaten A1A strip.  If you've grown weary of being surrounded by leathery barflies, ostentatious executives, and glittery gold diggers, East End Brasserie's happy hour may be more your speed.



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Kabuki

Kabuki has two happy hours fit for a samurai.

​What does the new kid on the block have to do to make friends? How about offering not one, but two happy hours?

Kabuki, the recently opened sushi and tapas restaurant on Clematis Street, is offering a happy hour deal worth checking into.

From 3 -7 p.m. daily (including weekends), Kabuki is offering half priced sushi and drinks, as well as a large selection of $5 rolls and appetizers. 

Rolls offered at five bucks include California, JB, spicy tuna, spicy krab, shrimp tempura, and lava drop (krab, cream cheese, mayo, and eel sauce in a flash fried roll).

Five dollar tapas selections include crispy tofu,
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Photo by Jatinder Channa

​Situated steps away from the sand, SAIA at the B Ocean Hotel is the sophisticated sushi spot you've probably never been to. Opened less than a year ago, it's taken some time to convince Fort Lauderdale's socialites that the old Holiday Inn building has been redesigned with a sushi restaurant worth the drive.

Walking through the hip entrance hallway
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​My friends, aware of my mission to find the best happy hours in Broward County, are always recommending their favorite spots. Sometime in the past week an acquaintance mentioned the name of a place in Plantation. She said it was the bar to drink at when all you have is a couple of bucks and some change in your car (if all you have is a couple bucks and change in your car, you probably shouldn't be drinking). Always up for cheap drinks and discounted food, I emptied my piggy bank and headed to happy hour.

Landlubber's, on Pine Island and Sunrise, doesn't radiate beauty at first glance. Actually, it doesn't do it on the second glance either; it's in a shopping plaza in between State Farm and a Blood Bank (nothing like updating your insurance and donating a bag of blood to work up an appetite). But there are plenty of pretty things coming out of

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​Weston's JG McGuinness opened in March in the location that Swig, a martini bar for moms, used to call home. The decor, reminiscent of every other high-end Irish pub, still looks new and well-maintained. But one look at the crowd and it's obvious: these roots might be growing from a different kind of tree. (Maybe a flower?)

This is more of a place that soccer moms

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