However, once in a while we find a location that delivers on the promise of all three sides at once.  The Vault Bar and Grill in Pasadena delivers the  social trifecta!  Weekdays between the hours of 4pm and 7pm The Vault opens a magical portal called “Happy Hour” and through this portal, the triangle is complete!

The first side of the triangle, “Ambiance”.  The Vault is beautiful.  The visual centerpiece of The Vault is definitely the bar.   As with the higher end bars in Los Angeles, The Vault has a gorgeous backlit bar.  High end alcohol lines the soft, orange, glowing shelves, which illuminate 40 feet of bar space.  The backlit bar makes drinks appetizing and attractive, but more importantly, it does the same for the people sitting at the bar.  The soft glow is actually of strategic benefit socially due to the fact that the diffused glow is very helpful to enhances ones appearance.  The rest of the restaurant features luxuries such as plush 7 foot couches, trendy glass table tops, and candle lit secluded booth areas.  If you wish to dine outside, they even have a fun patio area with huge eight foot torches that seem to stand guard and form the boundaries of the patio.

The second side of the triangle, “Quality”.  The food and service at the Vault are excellent.   The pizzas there are light on the stomach and yet impressively flavorful.  The mussels are amazing!  Open shelled mussels covered in an incredible blue cheese sauce!  We tried three plates of mussels and not one of the shells were closed.  This may seem like a small nuance to you until you find your date struggling to open a saucy mussel shell without slinging the sauce on her dress.  Sometimes the little things make or break a date.  The food at The Vault matches the quality of the ambiance perfectly.

The third side of the triangle is the delightful surprise, “Value”.  During happy hour, the prices on the appetizers are cut in half.  Believe me, they don’t cut down on any of the quality, they only cut the price.  For instance, the fabulous mussels we spoke of are normally $8.95 at full price.  Now $8.95 for open shell mussels bathed in blue cheese sauce is a value even at full price, but during happy hour, they cut that price in half!  Four dollars and some change is all you pay for an appetizer that would cost you up to $20 at some other restaurants of equal quality.  The food prices are an extreme value during happy hour.

But what puts the “Happy” in “Happy Hour”?  The drinks!  Remember that beautiful bar we spoke of, well that bar turns out martinis for a mere three dollars!  This is an amazing value!  They have a variety of popular flavors to choose from including, watermelon, sour apple, and classic.  The Vault is the perfect choice if you want to leave a good impression without hurting your wallet.

Let’s add up your date.  Two people, with two drink each, and you share a plate of mussels and some buffalo wings.  The four drinks will cost you a total of $12, and the two appetizers will cost about $8.50 combined.  You spent a total of $20.50 on four drinks and two great appetizers in a location that rivals the expensive bars and restaurants in Los Angeles.  It is rare indeed when you can enjoy a date for the price of the gas it took to drive yourself there and back.

Happy hour at The Vault delivers on that rarest of all phenomenons, one marvelous location that delivers on all three points of the restaurant triangle.

The Vault Bar And Grill
2675 E Colorado Blvd. (At San Gabriel)
Pasadena, CA  91107
626-683-3344
TheVaultBarAndGrill.com

You can take that to the bank, or, The Vault.