By: Irene Sachs
 
 
 

Autumn in Tampa brings a change to the air; the sunlight slants a new angle in the day, and it gets darker earlier.  More importantly, the days are getting shorter which painfully cuts into valuable daylight, after-work hours.  Prior planning for personal “debriefing” will save time, money and energy.   From a single girl's perspective, multi-tasking is the key to time management.  Use the time to squeeze in time with gal pals you’ve promised to catch up with.   Get more happy out of that hour for $20 at these three great Tampa nightlife spots. Wednesday Night Happy Hour at Grille One Sixteen - From 5 to 9 p.m., pay $20 ($25 for men) and get unlimited wine and hors d'oeuvres at Grille One Sixteen.   The service is superb and it’s the “Che’vere” place to be.  This upscale restaurant creates a soothing ambience with dark ceilings, high back white leather booths, and long draping linen curtains.  The leisure living room setting, complete with white modular couches accented black marbled top coffee tables, completes the zen-like atmosphere.   This  A great place to wind down and be seen wearing something cute.  This is the ideal happy hour place for a little black dress look to mingle with a refined conservative crowd. As for Grille One Sixteen's $20 Happy Hour, the restaurant gets a very high rating.  The wine selection is good; the pours are long, unlimited and delicious.  This happy hour is well worth the price for the drinking, but don’t expect a full dinner.  The appetizers, though delicious, are a bit sparse, but tasty when served.  The abundance of wine makes up for that.  After 8 p.m. the crowd level builds up with locals wrapping up a business day and the young crowd (of men and women) warming up before their nights at the club. Thursday Happy Hour at The Vine - Same Price, Same Deal - $20 for unlimited wine and appetizers.  Their service staff are very attentive; always there when you need them.   This Pub’s design provides indoor and outdoor seating to enhance the enjoyment of live jazz music playing inside.  The outdoor seating has a tropical feel, a perfect perk for a relaxing happy hour break. The Vine’s $20 Happy Hour gets high ratings as well.  Applause goes to the chef’s “teaser” appetizer selections such as sushi and tasty beefy morsels.  For $20, this is a great food and wine happy hour deal.   Aside from the fact that they pour a short glass of choice wine, the appetizers are long on quantity!  It is unlikely you will leave hungry as the appetizer rounds are plentiful. Tuesday - Thursday Supper Club at Cheap - Tuesday through Thursday, from 7 to 9 p.m., enjoy unlimited food and drink at Cheap for $20.   Choose from a wide assortment of food including sushi rolls, tapas, pizzas, burgers, salads, and more.  The drink selection includes beers like Coors, Coors Light, and Miller Light as well as wine, and cocktails. Daylight savings is upon us, so combining social gatherings, dinner, minus the grocery shopping is multi-tasking at its best.  Check these places out.  I'm off to find other weekly specials to gab about!