Palomino

Located on the top floor of City Center, this stylish restaurant attracts droves of 20- and 30-somethings, especially at the end of a workday. It serves standard midscale American fare (pasta, seafood, steak), decent but forgettable. However, the happy hour (4–6 p.m. and 9 p.m.–close, daily) is an absolute steal, ideal for a girls' night out or a pre-movie dinner date. Specialty cocktails ($4) include candied apple drops, cranberry mojitos, and pomegranate martinis. Highlights on the appetizer menu ($7 and under) are the calamari, the crab-artichoke dip, and gourmet pizzas loaded with prosciutto, rotisserie chicken, and mushrooms. The evening will feel far more lavish than your check indicates. Better still, your server will validate your parking, so you can enjoy a downtown romp to work off that buzz.