Here are just a few starter ideas to stretch out your fun while also stretching your funds, whether you use them this weekend for Sweetest Day, which falls on Saturday, Oct. 16 this year, or anytime.
- A beginning tip
Go out on weeknights. That’s when restaurant and bar business tends to be slower, and many establishments offer specials to keep business steady until the weekend rolls around.
- New couple?
For those early dates when impressing your romantic interest is all-important, try a little class
Suggested location: Hit up The Wine Gallery & Café (5 W. Monument Ave. at the corner of Main and Monument) for their bargain nights. Each Tuesday and Thursday, all day long, a wide selection of red wines, white wines, and craft beers are available from a special list for $2-3 per glass. Please don't think this is how the Gallery burns off its least popular bottles. The list is changed every few weeks. Management hand picks each wine and beer, and there are always wonderful surprises.
- Bringing your crew?
If anything, group dates have become the norm among young adults, and if the whole gang is going out with you and that person you've had your eye on, there are good places to go.Suggested location: Head to the Trolley Stop (530 E. Fifth St. in the Oregon District) on a Monday or Thursday night, when they offer Miller Lite and Michelob AmberBock for $1 a pint and $4 a pitcher, making it a popular destination for college-age groups. When you work up the nerve to take your date and split off from the group, the second floor holds a pool table surrounded by cozy booths.
- Don't get out much?
If kids or hectic daily lives make your date nights few and far between, get a sitter for one evening and put your work on hold and head out for a nice dinner.
Suggested location: Brio Tuscan Grille (4459 Cedar Park Drive at The Greene). Each weeknight, the upscale and atmospheric Italian restaurant offers a selection of full-portion meals for $2.95. This bargain menu, available only in the bar area of the establishment, regularly features between eight and 10 items ranging from the Brio Burger and flatbread pizzas to things like Ravioli Caprese and bruschetta with sliced steak, fresh cheese and charred tomatoes and Tuscan dressing. Bonus: Each Monday night, the bar hosts live jazz played by the John Taylor Trio, featuring three of the region's most respected jazz musicians.
- Bringing the kids?
Sometimes you would rather make it a family night.
Suggested location: Regional chain LaRosa's Pizzeria has a Spaghetti Night special each Monday and Tuesday. From 4-9 p.m. in the dining rooms, $4.99 gets all-you-can-eat spaghetti plus a garden salad and bread, and kids 10 and younger get spaghetti and a drink for just 99 cents. Round up the little ones, get out for the evening, and let someone else handle the cleanup.
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