Two dollar sushi rolls automatically make me suspicious. It makes me think of gas station sushi. Sushi is not like a cheap burrito. It takes skill to make.

I paid a visit to Sushi Island, a new South Hill sushi restaurant that opened last week, not knowing that menu prices were as cheap as the dollar store. But there it was: prices for maki rolls in the $1-$3 range. The rolls were four pieces, not the typical six to eight. Even with fewer pieces, it still was bargain sushi.

A deal is not necessarily something I want from sushi- specifically maki rolls.

=> Read more!

I took another detour into happy land last week with a visit to a waterfront restaurant that a few TNT Diner readers recommended – Woody’s on the Water. (For my recent Happy Hour blog posts, see this story here, here and here.)

Happy hour is 3 p.m-6 p.m. daily at Woody’s, with bar eats half off during that time. TNT Diner reader gmaglenda raved about the coconut prawns ($5 during happy hour) at Woody’s, and I can see why – the flavors were a complicated meld of spicy, sour and sweet.

=> Read more!

Pacific Grill's happy hour menu includes grilled oysters with pancetta, left, meat candy, top, and cheeseburger sliders with garlic fries. Photo by Janet Jensen/The News Tribune.

Let's end our week a little more happy, shall we?

Earlier this week, I took you on a tour of El Gaucho's happy hour. Yesterday, I wrote about Merende. Today, I offer you a report of happy hours at three more Tacoma restaurants that serve noshable eats at bargain bar prices: Pacific Grill, Stanley & Seafort's and Duke's on Ruston.

Don’t think of happy hour as a time to swill the drink of your choice. Think of it as a time to graze. Cheaply.

Here, then, a look at happy houring on the cheap...

=> Read more!

Here's another dose of happy hour. Today, my happy hour stop is Merende. Yesterday, I toured El Gaucho's happy hour menu. Tomorrow, come back for thoughts on happy hours at Pacific Grill, Stanley & Seafort's and Duke's.

Now for today's offering....

Il Trattoria di Merende

Where: 813 Pacific Ave., Tacoma; 253-722-1993; merenderestaurant.com

Happy hour: 2 p.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; 9 p.m-close Fridays-Saturdays and 4 p.m.-9 p.m. Sundays. Tapas plates are $5 each on the happy hour menu.

Five dollars makes me happy at Merende. It’s all I need – five bucks – to enjoy a plate of hummus with pita, or a helping of mushroom risotto, from the "everything five bucks" happy hour menu at Merende. I appreciate a menu full of $5 options. Here’s what I ate:

=> Read more!

It’s happy hour week at the TNT Diner blog. Why? Because we can all use a dose of happy. I’ll have reports of five happy hours around town this week. Today, read about El Gaucho. Tomorrow, you'll hear about Merende. Friday, you can read about Pacific Grill, Stanley & Seafort’s and Duke’s.

Now for today’s offering….

El Gaucho

Where: 2119 Pacific Ave., Tacoma; 253-882-0009; www.elgaucho.com

Happy hour:

4 p.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and 10 p.m.-close; 10 p.m.-close Saturday and 4:30 p.m. to close Sunday. Bar eats are half off during happy hour.

El Gaucho’s happy hour usually makes me happy as a clam. Or at least that was the case before I sampled El Gaucho's clams. I’ve given them my designation as “Tacoma’s grittiest.” But the sand-laden clams at El Gaucho were just one of a few problems with their happy hour eats. Mostly happy hour there is a guaranteed good deal, and well executed - and the snazzy appeal of the deeply sunken dining room, a handsome room, tuxedoed servers and live piano music makes it a must-stop for any late night wooing you might need to do. Happy hour bar eats are half off during designated hours. A taste of what I sampled during two happy hour visits:

=> Read more!

I headed to Freighthouse Square today in search of lunch on the cheap. In the last month, three new restaurants have opened at Freighthouse and signs indicate two more restaurants will open soon. Freighthouse always seems a revolving door of restaurants. Sometimes disappointing, sometimes hidden gems – what you get at Freighthouse always is a mixed bag.

My dining partner and I stopped in at the newly opened Cyber Pasta, located just off the main food court at the mall. It's an order-at-the-counter place with a pasta concept merged with coffee (serving Pura Vida free trade coffee) and free wifi. The restaurant offers mix-and-match pasta and sauces. Diners can pair penne, spaghetti, fettuccine, tortellini or linguine with seven sauces that range from marina to alfredo to a sesame ginger. Any pairing is $4.99.

=> Read more!

The Spaghetti Factory offers bargain prices through May to celebrate its 40th year in business. The family-friendly downscale spaghetti restaurant is offering select menu items at lunch and dinner at 40 percent off.

The discounted meals include any spaghetti diner with a choice of sauces, a salad and dessert. Prices run from $4.79-$6.59.

Want to find more bargains around town? Read more here.

A search for parking turned me on to a really cheap $3 lunch today. I was intending to eat at Vien Dong, home to tasty, inexpensive Vietnamese soup. I turned right off 38th, looking for parking and found a surprise – a second Cafe La Vie tucked into a refurbished house in a residential street. It's an outpost of the other Cafe La Vie on 38th.

The second Cafe La Vie has been open for about seven months and, like its sister restaurant around the corner, the menu is micro focused on Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches and Vietnamese coffee. The second location, however, is far more clean and spacious than its original counterpart.

=> Read more!

The economy bites. Many of us are looking to cut back. Our dining dollars are in jeopardy. Or at least mine are. I still want to dine well, but I have to spend wisely. Now, more than ever, I’m looking for a good bargain at good places to eat.

So today I launch a new thread called “Steals, Deals and Discounts.” Here, you’ll find continuing updates on dining bargains or discounts at all kinds of restaurants – from kid-friendly brewpubs to upscale restaurants. Click “read more” to see the running list.

You can contribute, too. Restaurant folks and diners: Post your comments about deals or discounts spotted about town, or e-mail them to me at tntdiner@thenewstribune.com

=> Read more!