Two drinks: Dirty Mary's

The inviting dance floor at Dirty Mary's will fill up in the later hours. (Credit: Mark Byron | Special to Metromix)

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A few sips into my second drink at Dirty Mary's, I looked over at my friend. I couldn't believe it. I think he was surprised, too. There we were, both experienced drinkers, both heavily buzzed after a single $5 margarita.

Ergo, our tagline from the evening, courtesy of his depraved mind (which, let's face it, is an asset at a place that serves a drink called the Fuzzy Teabag): "It's a good place to go to get a stiff one."

OK, let's get down to business.

The crowd: For the confused, Dirty Mary's is the bar/nightclub side of Hamburger Mary's, which used to be called Universal Grill and is now under new ownership. The change has been a good one - the oval-shaped bar shines, the wood floor gleams, and the whole place has a warmth it seemed to lack before.

Construction isn't quite finished at Dirty Mary's, our bartender told us, pointing out a cluster of couches in the corner that didn't quite make sense, but that didn't really matter. Even on a Monday night, a steady stream of people wandered in for drinks and burgers at the bar.

The two drinks: We ordered up a pair of margaritas ($5 at happy hour), his mango and mine raspberry. They were crisp and fruity and loaded with the good stuff. Next up were a pair of $7 martinis off the bar menu - a French Kiss for me, which adds a splash of champagne to the traditional French martini, and a Hoochie Coochie for him, because why not. It was a concoction of grape vodka and raspberry liqueur that went down with alarming ease.

Keep an eye on your intake - the drinks here are so delicious that you might not realize what you're doing to yourself. (P.S. Mary's Fruit Punch, with three flavors of vodka, tastes like a Jolly Rancher but kicks like a donkey.)

The grub: We didn't eat, but plenty of people around us did. You can choose from a menu of appetizers, sandwiches and, of course, Mary's famous burgers.

The verdict: Here's a welcoming bar with a talented drink slinger and great happy hour deals. I'll be back, but for the sake of the morning after, I'll avoid the fruit punch.

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