There are three kinds of people in this world: those who do Happy Hour, those who don’t do Happy Hour and those who overdo Happy Hour. Me? I do Happy Hour. I never, ever overstay my welcome. Hardly ever.

Happy Hour is that magical time ‘twixt work and home that heals one’s shattered spirit with spirits. If not for Happy Hour, more dogs would get kicked, more kids would get yelled at and more marriages would go down the tubes. Want proof? Just ask my ex. Anyhow, for happy hour to be successful, you need the right kind of place. You need a convivial and diverse group of barflies. You need efficient and pleasant bartenders. You need a good selection of decent beers and liquors. It doesn’t hurt if you have NTN (interactive trivia) either. When you find your perfect watering hole, you tend to stop looking for others.

You can imagine my distress on that sad, sad Saturday in January when I learned my favorite little Mexican cantina was closing. Don Carlos’ had been my home away from home for the last 5 years. Lord knows I’d done my best to help them stay financially afloat, even as I sank slowly deeper into my own personal fiscal abyss. But it seems as though even my excesses weren’t enough. It was time to find another gin joint.

It’s a good thing for me that about 3 years ago, Damon’s opened up their first Ann Arbor (Michigan) area restaurant. It was only 10 minutes from work, and I had already stopped there for lunch on a few occasions. I decided to check them out further and see if they could pass muster as my new Happy Hour home.

About Damon’s

Damon’s is a small chain of 140 or so restaurants, a combination of company owned and franchised. Although they advertise themselves as a casual dining type family restaurant, they actually lean more toward being a sports bar/restaurant, with four large screen and multiple smaller TVs all tuned to sports channels, except for 3 or 4 that are tuned into NTN Trivia. The horseshoe-shaped bar itself is rather large, with about 25 stools, and half dozen small tables alongside. The bar area is the only smoking section in the restaurant, with the two larger dining areas reserved for non-smokers.

Drinks

There are 10 beers on tap at Damon’s—Guinness Stout, Bass Ale, Labatt’s Blue, Sam Adams, 5 not worth mentioning and a rotating selection—currently Oberon, a popular local summer brew. Of course there are many bottled alternatives too, including *sigh* malt “beverages,” and non-alcoholic and low carb choices. Domestic draft will cost you about $3.00 per pint, while imports go for a buck or so more. If you are a fast drinker, or don’t mind your beer getting a tad warm, 23-ounce drafts are also available for a couple of bucks more per drink.

Like most bars today, especially chains, the well liquor is pretty awful stuff. If you want good booze at Damon’s, you best be ordering your poison by name. They do stock a decent call selection. Of course, if you’re into those frou-frou super-sweet flavored overpriced drinks that so many young folks like today, it probably doesn’t really matter.

A bit about the food

Since this review is more about Damon’s as a bar than as a restaurant, I won’t dwell too much on Damon’s dinner menu. Suffice it to say, Damon’s is a chain that markets itself as a rib joint. Try ‘em if you want, but ribs are like Bloody Mary’s—everybody likes them different. If you insist on having them, it will cost you $16.99 for a full rack and $13.99 for a regular. My recommendations for dinner are their Sirloin Gorgonzola ($14.95) served with garlic mashed potatoes and a house salad, or the Homemade Meatloaf ($10.99) also served with garlic mashed potatoes and the veggie of the day. I’ve tried both, and they are very acceptable. Oh, before I forget. Damon’s has a deal where you buy a skewer of jumbo shrimp with any entrée, and it only costs you an additional $5.00 or so. Don’t do it. The “jumbo” shrimp aren’t, and as often happens in Midwestern restaurants, they are usually overcooked.

There is a pretty decent choice of lunch items on the menu, almost all going for about $7.00 to $8.00. The Southern Barbecue (pulled pork), and the burger are my favorites. If you are with one or more people, be sure to order Damon’s Onion Loaf ($6.49) along with your meal. These are onion rings at their finest. Here’s a tip. If you’re dining alone, or just not that hungry, order a side of onion straws. It’s essentially the same thing, but a smaller portion, and a lot cheaper. There are a variety of salads, and they are all good and fresh. If you are looking for vegetarian, you better look over the salads closely. It’s about the only thing you’ll be able to eat at Damon’s.

Usually I don’t order a full dinner, but if I get a bit hungry while playing trivia, I’m apt to have one of Damon’s appetizers. The Chicken & Black Bean Firecrackers ($6.99) or the Chicken wings ($6.99) are usually my appetizers of choice. I like the wings with Damon’s spicy sweet and sour sauce, but the regular Buffalo wing sauce is good too. The wings are huge and cooked just right. They call it an appetizer, but it’s big enough for a meal, or for two to share.

Happy Hour

As Arlo Guthrie might say, ‘Remember Happy Hour? This is a review about Happy Hour.’ Damon’s Happy Hour specials run from 3:00 to 7:00 Monday through Friday. All drinks are $1 off, and all appetizers are half price.

The Happy Hour crowd reflects the diversity of Ann Arbor itself—students and working stiffs, young and old, American and foreign born. Occasionally, we even let in a Canadian or two. Many of them come here to play NTN trivia. By 6:00 it’s unusual not to have at least 20 people playing, and I have seen as many as 50.

Richie and Shiloh are the two mainstays behind the bar, and handle the post-work crowd with ease. I like having a bartender who knows what I want to order, knows when I want to re-order and knows when I’m ready for the check. These guys are both good at it.

Miscellany

Wednesday night is kid’s night at Damon’s. Three of the big screen TVs are tuned into cartoons. A clown wanders the restaurant making balloon hats for all the kiddies, and someone else (I’ve never seen exactly who) provides face-painting.

Watch for Damon’s periodic promotions. There are occasional NTN contests for prizes or gift certificates, and other specials related to specific sporting events. At Christmas time, Santa even brings his reindeer by for the kids to see.

Site visited:

Damon’s Grill
3150 Boardwalk
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
(734) 827-9999


Recommended: Yes