*Happy Hour Burger and Old Fashioned at Rye*

Rye is a handsome restaurant with a pressed tin ceiling and lots of dark wood. The centerpiece of this stately space is a beautiful antique oak and mahogany bar, and that's where you'll park yourself if you happen to be free for happy hour this Thursday evening.

From opening until 7:00pm, Monday-Friday, Rye boasts one of the better happy hour deals in town: A $5 cheeseburger paired with a $5 old fashioned. The "burger" is really one slider awkwardly balanced atop another, both draped in American cheese. It is a serviceable few bites, but not much beyond that. Still, it's definitely worth the bread you spent, especially when eaten as an appetizer to Rye's signature meat loaf sandwich, made with a delicious blend of duck, pork, rib eye and ground veal. Split the sandwich with a companion and you'll have a solid, if protein heavy, supper.

The old fashioned is near perfect, which means you will want another. But at just under $25 for two great drinks, a burger and half an enormous sandwich, you won't need to think twice about swirling your finger around at the bartender and pointing to your empty glass.

STOP 2: FULL CIRCLE BAR

After dinner, head around the corner for a few rounds of skee-ball at Full Circle Bar, a laid back dive dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the antiquated boardwalk amusement.

Serving 40 varieties of canned beer and drafts from a short, but sufficient, tap list, Full Circle Bar also features free skee-ball all night long on Thursdays and Sundays. Upon entering, you'll see a lone lane to the left of the bar, but ascend the stairs in the back to a snug space with three additional ramps where you can roll to your heart's content.

On most weekday evenings, Full Circle hosts highly competitive "Brewskee Ball" league nights. But, the free Thursday night skee-ball sessions tend to draw a more easy going group. Rolling on a recent evening was a pair of young women, right out of college, practicing for the competition they just signed up for. Playing on the next lane over, a married thirty-something, newborn at home with mom, there with a buddy to sneak a game he rarely plays since his wife insisted he quit the team.

Most everyone you encounter will be friendly and warm; just offer a quick compliment on a player's score or form and you'll quickly have your own cheering section.

RECAP:

Rye: A handsome bar and restaurant serving a $5 cheeseburger and old fashioned during happy hour.
Full Circle Bar: A laid back dive featuring cheap beer and four skee-ball lanes with free play every Thursday and Sunday.

ESSENTIAL INFO:

-Total Cost: About $40 per person for Dinner and drinks during happy hour at Rye and beverages at Full Circle Bar. Tax and tip included.

-Full Circle Bar has happy hour with $5 wells and $1 off drafts and frozen drinks from 5:00-8:00pm on weeknights. Free hot dog with the purchase of a drink.

NEARBY:

-If you're still looking to hang after Full Circle, head across the street to St. Mazie, an atmospheric cocktail bar and supper club with nightly live music.