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| - My buddy and gave Hanny's a try before last night's Suns game -- it was hit and miss for this establishment. I expected more from the same guy who brought us the venerable AZ88.
What I liked:
$5 martinis and a robust wine list made for a nice pre-game watering hole for non-beer drinkers like myself. The glasses are smaller than those at AZ88, but just as filled to the brim and at less than half the price.
The food was OK. I ordered the chopped salad, but was surprised to discover that it wasn't really "chopped." Large chunks of red-leaf lettuce accompanied by cherry tomatoes, chopped onions, and a few other ingredients. It could have been larger and more complex.
The prices are fantastic. Brad ordered the roast beef sandwich for around $9, which came on fresh focaccia bread and was stacked with bacon and a fried egg. He said that it was OK, but could have benefited by some more flavor -- perhaps a nice sauce. My chopped salad was around $8, so also a healthy bargain.
What I did not like:
The service. Our server admitted to forgetting to place our appetizer order (the bruschetta), so our entrees arrived first. When she realized her mistake, she apologized and said that the bruschetta will "be right out." However, she still charged us for it. Not good.
The atmosphere. Sterile and cold, with a monochromatic color scheme and too many clean lines. It reminded me of a hotel bar in Manhattan, with minimalist intentions taken to the extreme. There was nothing warm or inviting about Hanny's, and it's not the type of place I would have stopped in had I been simply walking through the neighborhood.
All in all a nice option for a pre-game drink or snack, but not the type of place I'd make my destination on a Saturday night. A decent addition to the downtown neighborhood, but lacking the vibrance of a place where someone would be happy to call his or herself a regular.
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