BARBACOA

276 Bobwhite Court, Boise, 338-5000

barbacoa-boise.com

Long day and need to unwind? Barbacoa is a fantastic place to get away and have a good time during happy hour.

From 4 to 6 p.m., drinks are two for the price of one, and from 10 p.m. to close they are reduced-price. That doesn’t even take into account the wonderful appetizers available.

Barbacoa’s signature drink is the icetini — a martini served in an ice glass. Huckleberry is the recommended flavor, which is light purple and sweet as candy; there are also local and international wines, beer on tap and other cocktails ready to be made.

The bar at Barbacoa is impressive with bottles stacked high into the air, but that won’t be the first thing to catch your eye. The moment you walk up to the entrance of the terra cotta-colored building, you realize this place is different. The curvy, organically-shaped furniture soothes the eye while the art grabs the mind’s attention. Barbacoa tries — and succeeds — at appealing to more sensations than purely taste.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• Murphy’s Seafood and Steakhouse, 1555 Broadway Ave., Boise, 344-3691, murphysboise.com

• Cafe Ole, 210 N. Milwaukee St., Boise, 322-0222, 404 S. Eighth St., Boise, 344-3222, www.cafeole.com

• Bonefish Grill, 855 W. Broad St., Boise, 433-1234, www.bonefishgrill.com

• Pinnacle Sports Grill, 2902 N. Eagle Road, Meridian, 884-4400, pinnaclesportsgrill.com