DID SOMEONE SAY HAPPY HOUR? SUMMER FUN AT THE YARD HOUSE

Disclosure: The Yard House provided LatinoFoodie with a gift card and compensation to experience the restaurant; however, all opinions expressed are our own. We thank you for supporting the establishments that support our blog.

What do you like best about happy hour? Is it the discounted prices on food and drinks? Or, do you feel a little naughty inside because it is almost like day drinking? Or, is it the informal camaraderie with co-workers and friends after a long work week? Whatever the case, the Yard House restaurant features a great selection of appetizers, American and craft beers, wine by the glass, specialty cocktails and more.

Since Yard House recently invited us to escape the heat and experience the restaurant, I realized I love happy hours for ALL of the reasons mentioned above, and the Yard House delivered on every front. First, the vibe is cool, open spaced, and wait staff super friendly. Second, the selection of beers (about 120 in total at the Pasadena Yard House) makes it hard to get bored or not find a beer to your liking. We enjoyed the selection of dishes from standard bar food of chicken wings and nachos to other interesting choices like Poke stacks and Korean BBQ Short Rib Tacos.

With classic rock and roll playing in the background, we sat down in a roomy booth by a window and had a chance to talk with General Manager Drew Emralino. Drew has been with the Pasadena restaurant since it first opened up for business 12 years ago in the outdoor upscale shopping center of Paseo Colorado.

“People come to the Yard House for a great experience. We see a lot of business people, families, and friends coming here to try the more than 121 different beers we have on tap,” Drew said.

Our attentive waitress, Jessica, shared they stopped serving the signature “Yard” glass of beer as it became troublesome when people would topple them over. Now they have half-yard sized glasses, which I still managed to clumsily knock over with my menu. OOPS!! Poor Art had beer running down his leg, and our camera bag smelled like it was laundered in hops from a brewery. PARTY FOUL!

Once we cleaned up the mess, we decided it was time to get some food into our stomachs. Some of the more popular dishes include a Carnitas Stack with a fried egg over the top and melted cheddar cheese as well as the creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Grilled Korean Beef Short Rib with spicy green papaya, green onion, sriracha aioli and chili threads – tender, sweetness of the Korean marinade, all married beautifully together. I wanted more. Also pictured below is the battered fish taco and the Korean Pork Belly taco.

Vampire Taco – cheese crusted tortilla, carnitas, bacon chorizo, chipotle, cumin crema, guacamole, roasted garlic and cilantro. Good concept but the execution could’ve been a bit better.

Blackened Chicken Torta with pepper jack, cheddar, crushed avocado, chipotle mayo, cumin crema.

Art went for the flight of refreshing summer beers: New Belgium Heavy Melon (ale with hints of watermelon and lime), Avery Perzik Saison (like sniffing a basketful of peaches), Allagash Hive 56 Brett Sour (dark sour with oak & honey), Great Divide 22nd Anniversary (black cherries),Uinta Flamingose (ripe pineapples) and Modern Times Fruitland PFG (GUAVAS! My new favorite.) and then of course there was the half yard of light beer to round out the meal.

I opted for the Southern Belle cocktail: a pretty Jeremiah Weed sweet tea vodka, lemonade, fresh strawberry and pineapple. It’s strong like a Long Island, sweet, and refreshing. Give me two more of those and I would have been knocking over more “yards” for sure!

Sure, the Yard House is a chain, but they definitely know their business and do it right. The food was delicious, atmosphere fun, and service impeccable. We are definitely heading back this summer.