Sometimes happy hour is happy enough with a beverage, and other times food is a must.
On a recent night when I couldn't bear the thought of booze hitting the bottom of my empty stomach, I stopped by Culinary Dropout for a nosh with a friend who'd never been there before, and a friend who was curious to see if it was any different than when it first opened.
We decided on provolone fondue, if only because it was unusual and seemed like it would fill us up.
The fondue arrived with a bit of a skin on top, as if it had cooled too much, although underneath the surface it was still rather warm. The consistency was as creamy as Velveeta, and dare I say, the flavor reminded me of Velveeta, too. My friends both agreed, we didn't get a whiff of provolone here.
But the soft pretzels were just fun to bite into. As much as I really hoped the fondue would've lived up to its name, I still dunked pretzels into it for the full experience. As a way to ward off hunger, if not satisfy a provolone craving, this dish served its purpose.
There were housemade "wine coolers" on the happy hour menu, too, and I tried a red version out of curiosity. Now this was actually better than expected -- refreshing and light, like sangria without the booze-soaked fruit.
