Satiate for about eight dollars at Plate 38

At the corner of Sierra Madre and Colorado Boulevards is Plate 38, a fire and renovation survivor, the bistro burger, sports bar, and breakfast joint favorite that is hip, comfortable, has decent parking and is PCC close.

The Confit Chicken Hot Wings from the Social Hour menu at Plate 38. Plate 38 serves breakast, lunch, and dinner, with Happy Hour daily from 4-6. (Nagisa Mihara/Courier)

With the first wave being timely for that magic hour just after class and just in time for the televised game in their bar area, daily Happy Hour at Plate 38 is twice from 4 to 6 p.m. and from 9 p.m. to close, with occasional entertainment during the dinner hours.

Budget-conscious students and sport watching enthusiasts alike can take advantage of the specials twice daily, featuring small bite items that are $5 and under and drink specials on par as well while enjoying the latest game.

In a sampling of plates, top on the list is the a crisp and creamy Tuna Taco for $3.50, with is filled with chopped sashimi-grade fresh tuna, avocado, cilantro crème, sprigs of watercress and dressed with a dipping of spicy Sriracha.

The Lobster Po’Boy at $3.50 a slider is topped with a lobster and crayfish mix and sweet pickle chips on a Brioche bun, which lightly resembles a sweet Hawaiian roll that is featured with their burgers and sliders.

For $3, their Petite French Dip is filled with thinly sliced beef and sautéed onions that physically resemble the Japanese gyudon (beef bowl). The fat-laced, ribboned beef is sweeter than the latter and glistens in a very thick au jus that is more of a gravy reduction. All of this is topped on their brioche with a rather mild horseradish aioli mayonnaise.

Lobster Po'Boy from the social hour menu at Plate 38. Plate 38 serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and has happy hour daily from 4-6. (Nagisa Mihara/Courier) — Lobster Po’Boy from the social hour menu at Plate 38. Plate 38 serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and has happy hour daily from 4-6. (Nagisa Mihara/Courier)

Also at $3, the Confit Chicken Hot Wings are tangy and resemble most any other hot wing in flavor but are dressed with a butter smooth Blue Cheese mousse for dipping. This particular batch was melt-off-the-bone tender and was served with a tricolor slaw of julienned carrots, purple cabbage and sweet yellow peppers. Although very mild and lacking in seasoning, the slaw is complimentary to the wings that pack some moderate to serious heat.

A good compliment to all is the generous portion of crispy Gingered Sweet Potato fries served with two dippings of tomato ketchup and ranch dressings each. At $5 it is a very sharable item.

To wash it all down, an off-menu mocktail Virgin Mojito (sans rum)—a mix of muddled mint, lime and seltzer—works as a very refreshing, moderately sweet, perfect summer drink at $6, which is a dollar less than the rum version during Happy Hour.

However, a Purple Rain, which resembles the taste of a Kir Royale, is made with an essence of violet liquor, rum, seltzer, and a raspberry liquor, which is so overpowered by the latter that the flower essence cannot be fully detected.

Plate 38’s Happy Hour drink specials vary from traditional to unique recipes of the mixologist and include a variety of beers, wine, ciders and seltzers to refresh and take the edge off a hot summer day.