Good Eats

What’s the DEAL with Happy Hour? You can be happy, but only for ninety minutes? After 5:30pm they’re like “Okay, time’s up, back to full prices and regular sadness!” But I walked into Bourbon Highway and ordered chicken wings at $7, beef sliders at $7, two street tacos — a “Lost Highway” and an “any beer will do” — COCKTAILS at $7 — and walked out having spent thirty-five bucks feeling like I just beat the SYSTEM! Except I didn’t beat the system — THEY designed the system! But I FEEL like I won, and isn’t that what matters?! Here’s what I love about this place: shareables AND cocktails at seven dollars each. SEVEN DOLLARS! That’s not even a price point, that’s a PHILOSOPHY! “We’re gonna share this.” No you’re not! You’re gonna eat three of them yourself, have two cocktails, and feel like a champion! They got the whole Happy Hour menu posted so you can plan your attack. Every day from 4 to 5:30pm. That’s it! Ninety minutes of happiness, then it’s back to reality!

Details

• 1677 N. Main St., Walnut Creek, CA 94596
• (925) 979-1678
• Tue-Thu 4pm-12am, Fri-Sat 4pm-1am, Sun 4-9pm
• Happy Hour: Every day 4-5:30pm
• Shareables & Cocktails: $7 each!
• “Any beer will do” — a life philosophy!

Visit Bourbon Highway

Prime rib dinner for TWO people with a bottle of wine — seventy dollars! You know what that would cost in Manhattan? Your APARTMENT! You’d have to MOVE! The wine alone would repo your furniture! But here’s what kills me — they tell you to “take a break from shopping and wrapping.” THE WRAPPING! You already bought the presents, you already SPENT the money, now they’re acting like wrapping is this exhausting ordeal! Wrapping takes eight MINUTES! The shopping took your whole WEEKEND! But sure, you “deserve” prime rib because you put some paper on a box. And THEN — then they want you to “finish strong” with a flambé dessert for TWO for seventeen bucks. Why does dessert need to be on FIRE?! When did we decide regular cake wasn’t exciting enough? “Here’s your dessert.” “Is it burning?” “No, it’s just—” “BRING ME THE ONE THAT’S BURNING!” Although I’ll admit, watching the server light it on fire IS pretty cool. Makes the whole table feel like we’re at a show!

Details

• 144 Oak St, Brentwood, CA 94513
• (925) 634-1025
• Sun-Thu 4-9pm, Fri-Sat 4-10pm
• Prime Rib Dinner for Two: $70 (includes bottle of wine!)
• Flambé Dessert for Two: $17
• Sunday dinners — take a break from “wrapping”!

Visit Cap’s Oak Room

Crab enchiladas with REAL crab. REAL crab! As opposed to what — FAKE crab?! Were we doing fake crab enchiladas? Was there an EPIDEMIC of imitation crab enchiladas that I didn’t know about? “Oh, I’ll have the crab enchiladas.” “Would you like the real crab or the CONVINCING crab?” But you know what? Crab lovers KNOW the difference. They can tell! It’s like when you order a Coke and they bring you Pepsi — you KNOW! Same thing with crab. You bite into it and you’re like “Wait a minute, this is REAL!” At $24.60 with sour cream and onions, this is the good stuff. No shortcuts. No imitation. Just actual crab wrapped up in a tortilla like it’s supposed to be. And I appreciate that they tell you about the sour cream and onions UP FRONT. They’re not trying to surprise you. They’re not gonna bring it out and you’re like “WHAT’S THIS WHITE STUFF?!” They told you! That’s transparency in the enchilada business, and I respect that!

Details

• 523 W. 10th St, Antioch, CA 94509
• (925) 754-1355
• Sun-Thu 11am-9pm; Fri & Sat 11am-10pm
• Crab Enchiladas: $24.60 (with REAL crab!)
• Sour cream & onions included — no surprises!

Visit Celia’s

Wine Wednesday — 50% off bottles of selected wines! Not all wines… selected wines! They’re managing expectations! “It’s not gonna change your life, but it’s GOOD.” I respect that kind of honesty! But here’s the real genius: Smith’s will make your entire Christmas Eve AND New Year’s Eve dinner. Turkey with all the sides, prime rib, cioppino for the seafood people. You order it, you pick it up, you heat it up, you serve it at home. Your guests are like “Oh my god, you MADE cioppino?” You’re like “Yeah, I’m very talented.” You’re not talented! You made a PHONE CALL! You drove to Smith’s Landing! That’s the extent of your culinary achievement! But you know what? That’s BRILLIANT! Because cooking for the holidays is stressful. You’re trying to time everything, the turkey’s dry, the prime rib’s cold, someone doesn’t eat meat, someone’s allergic to shellfish — meanwhile Smith’s is like “We got you. We’ll make ALL of it. You just… be there.” That’s the dream! Check out their full holiday meals menu and let THEM do the work!

Details

• 1 Marina Plaza, Antioch, CA 94509
• (925) 775-4862
• Mon-Thu 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 11am-8pm
• Wine Wednesday: 50% off bottles of selected wines
• Christmas Eve & New Year’s Eve Meals To-Go
• Turkey, Prime Rib, Cioppino — mix & match!

Visit Smith’s Landing
🎄 Order Holiday Meals

The Morgan Wallen Experience with Mama Foxxy, Friday the 19th. First fifty people get tickets for fifteen bucks. Then it goes to twenty. Then twenty-five at the door. So there’s a THREE-TIER pricing structure based on… how much you CARE?! “I care SO MUCH I’ll show up early” — fifteen dollars. “I care a moderate amount” — twenty dollars. “I forgot this was happening” — twenty-five dollars! It’s like an AUCTION for your commitment level! And what IS a “Morgan Wallen Experience?” Is it different from just… Morgan Wallen? Is there an EXPERIENCE component? Do they hand you a cowboy hat? Do you have to complete an obstacle course? I don’t know, but I’m intrigued! Then Saturday they’ve got Reggaeton night, which — okay, I’ll admit, I don’t know what that is, but I assume it involves music and possibly dancing, and that’s enough for me to know I’m probably too old!

Details

• 2045 Mount Diablo St, Concord, CA 94520
• (925) 685-9515
• Everyday 11am-2am
• Morgan Wallen Experience w/ Mama Foxxy: Fri 12/19
• Tickets: $15 (first 50), $20 (advance), $25 (door)
• Reggaeton Saturday — music, dancing, and vibes!

Visit Vinnie’s

“Nothing beats the thrill of hitting on a river card.” NOTHING beats it?! NOTHING?! Not your kid’s graduation? Not your wedding day? Not the birth of your first child? HITTING ON A RIVER CARD beats all of that?! “Honey, I’ll never forget the day our daughter was born.” “Yeah, but remember that river card at the 19th Hole? THAT was a DAY!” Although I will say, there’s something very honest about a five-dollar blackjack table. They’re not pretending you’re a high roller. They’re not giving you a velvet rope and champagne. They’re like “You got five bucks? Great. Sit down. Let’s see what happens.” And sometimes, that’s EXACTLY the energy you need! No pressure. No judgment. Just you, your five dollars, and the hope that THIS is the hand that changes everything. Spoiler alert: it’s probably not. But HOPE! That’s what keeps us coming back!

Details

• 2746 W. Tregallas Rd, Antioch, CA 94509
• (925) 757-6545
• Mon-Thu 11am-2am, Sat-Sun 10am-2am
• $5 Blackjack & Three Card Poker daily
• Poker tournaments available — check for schedule
• Please gamble responsibly!

Visit 19th Hole

What’s the Deal with Good Eats?!

So that’s Happy Hour. Ninety minutes of joy, then back to regular prices and existential dread. But you know what? These restaurants figured something out — give people good food at fair prices and they’ll keep coming back. Revolutionary concept!

From Bourbon Highway’s $7 shareables to Smith’s Landing’s “we’ll cook, you take credit” holiday meals to the 19th Hole’s five-dollar blackjack tables — Contra Costa’s got options! And honestly? That’s all we really want. OPTIONS!

So get out there, eat something good, and try not to overthink it!

– Billy Ray Val (doing his best Jerry) 🎤

🗳️ WHO SHOULD BILLY RAY DO NEXT? 🗳️

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