Let’s be honest: if you’ve ever strolled past Jake’s Old City Grill in Old Town Saginaw, you might have caught yourself thinking, “This is where people meet to talk about stock options and order pan-fried, reverse-seared escargot with a Merlot reduction served on gold-encrusted scallion bones.”
I made that up, but it did sound fancy, right?
But what if I told you Jake’s just pulled off a little magic trick, turning itself into a laid-back and affordable after-work hangout?
Everyone deserves a little class after work, and Jake’s owner Paul Barrera started a new happy hour experience he hopes is welcoming to everyone.
Barrera calls it the “4 at 5 till 6!”.
The breakdown: Choose from four appetizers and/or four drinks, all at $5 a piece until 6 p.m.
Five bucks? At Jake’s? Maybe I heard that wrong.
The investigative journalist in me decided to go deep undercover to find the truth. With my younger brother tagging along, we both entered the restaurant in full disguise.
I was wearing regular people clothes: sweater and jeans. My brother was still clad in his work uniform.
Upon entrance, Barrera greets me, “Hey OneWord,” a moniker he picked up from my Facebook page.
Crap! My cover was blown!
After a little small talk and learning Barrera opened his doors in 2006, we got to business.
I expected the $5 menu to be cheap bar food and premade low-quality drinks. But as always, my assumption was wrong.
The have the Five Nekkid Wings, which are crispy fried wing dings served with Buffalo, barbecue or sweet chili sauce.
The Teter Tots, house-made crispy tater tots. Order the Jake’s sauce with them. I can’t share the secret recipe for the sauce, but I’ll tell you it includes blueberry vodka.
Want seafood? Then the classic shrimp cocktail is for you. Five jumbo succulent shrimp with cocktail sauce.
And then there is my favorite – Meatball Mania. All beef meatballs served with marinara sauce and smooth melty mozzarella cheese.
I ordered the Sassy Sangria, which is made with white or red wine, Bacardi Silver Rum, triple sec and garnished with fruit.
There is also the Bahama Blue, Classic Cosmo and Big Sombrero. Each are $5.
Jake’s also offers non-alcoholic drinks, including gin, tequila, bourbon and beer – all alcohol-free.
Happy Hour runs from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday at the bar area only. A drink purchase is required.
Jake’s is proving that luxury doesn’t always have to come with a high price tag.
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Address: 100 S. Hamilton Street in Old Town Saginaw
Hours: 3:30 – 9 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Happy Hour: 4-6 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday.