Gold Dust Meridian

One of my favorite Hawthorne area bars is Gold Dust Meridian. I brought a visiting friend there last night to enjoy the relatively late happy hour (until 8pm, mostly food oriented) and fancy cocktails.

They feature a variety of champagne concoctions that range from foofy (fresh strawberry) to bitter and complex. Their “mixology” – aka deliciously bougie – cocktails are also pretty impressive. I enjoyed a berry bourbon hot toddy last night that was quite subtle, and I’ve had a killer fancy mojito there in the past. Of course they also have their fair share of totally made-up and intriguing creations.

The happy hour food menu is also pretty decent, although the full price one isn’t much bang for your buck. Favorites include the bar olives (that come with fruits and nuts), artisan cheese plate, “trio” (sandwich/soup/salad), garlic artichoke dip… Standard northwest barestaurant fare.