The Arrogant Butcher: Happy Hour Report Card

​The Spot: The Arrogant Butcher, Cityscape, 2 E. Jefferson #150, Phoenix, 602-324-8502
The Hours: 3 - 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Bar only.

The Details: The Arrogant Butcher is another one of Sam Fox's "concept" restaurant. The idea behind this particular concept is "urban grill meets updated comfort food." While the name butcher touts a meat heavy menu, we were surprised to find many vegetarian friendly options. The happy menu has a choice of five appetizers $8 and under and a variety of discounted drinks and cocktails, including a few shot and beer combos for $6.

See if the Arrogant Butcher gets humbled after the jump.

​The Interior: According to his website, Sam Fox describes the interior space of The Arrogant Butcher "feels as if it has been a part of the downtown community for years." Perhaps it is the exposed vent system in the ceiling, and the mix of old school chairs raised to be barstools that makes him try to pass this place of as "vintage." Try as he might, it feels more like a brand new space trying to pass itself off as a tried and true butcher turned pub like you may find in New York or Boston in a building that really is old. While the interior is comfortable and open, with its mix of hard and soft and neutral colors, it feels forced and a bit fake. After all, it is a concept -- like Disneyland.

The Cost: Two hungry cousins at Happy Hour after a long day at work racked up quite a bill, but for the amount we ate and drank, we thought it was a good deal. Our food bill for Pretzels, Toasts, Antipasti, and two orders of Chips was $29. Our booze bill, which included a Mule and a Maid and two beer/shot combos, came to $20. Yes, we spent over $50 after tax and tip, but had full bellies and were adequately buzzed when we left.

​The Conclusion: The House Soft Pretzels with Provolone Fondue ($5) were too bready and soft and the cheese was gooey. The Antipasti Plate ($8) was a bit boring yet decent, with a generous serving of prosciutto style American ham, assorted olives, toast, and two wee jars of mustard and jam. The Housemade Chips, on the other hand, were fantastic. The dip, was creamy and well flavored with a hint of onion, but not overboard. It was luxurious and put all other onion dips to shame. At $4, we had two helpings of those babies. Another standout was the bruschetta style Toasts. Choose two pieces for $4. The balsamic/strawberry with arugula was super tasty, as was the boursin cheese and roasted peppers.

​For cocktails we tried the Mule and the Maid. The Mule is an update of the classic cocktail, The Moscow Mule, without the copper cup (although details like that may help make the concept here more believable). The Maid is a mix of tequila, cucumber, mint, and lime (not quite sure what the name of this drink is hinting at). While the flavors of the cocktails were good and the pour was generous, the ice was spare and melted by the time it hit our table. These two cocktails plus a rum based one named The Fix are priced at $4 during Happy Hour. We finished our adventure at the Butcher with a $6 Shot and Beer Special called The Silver Cerveza, which pairs a shot of Suaza Silver with a can of Modelo Especial. Other choices included the Livin the High Life (a shot of Jager paired with Miller High Life) or the Bud Beamer (whiskey and Budweiser, of course). We thought the shot and beer combo were a nice touch.

​As far as service, we felt as if the arrogance was too strong in the room for the waiter to spend too much time at our table. He would flash by with a grin, but our drinks came out slow and usually brought by a confused looked waiter from another section. Our water glasses stayed half empty, and dirty dishes began to pile on our table. The Butcher needs to step up a bit to earn that Arrogance.

Overall Grade: B-

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