Regional Specials Across Town, New Happy Hours

SUMMER DAZE?Several different restaurants are embarking on creative specials taking diners all over the world. Susan Spicer's Bayona is going to Szechuan Province and Argentina, Vega Tapas Café is going to the Mediterranean and the menus at A Mano and RioMar are "visiting" all sorts of places this summer. [EaterWire]

HAPPY HOURS?Sebastian Baudin's Magazine Street bistro C'est La Vie is launching a new happy hour. From 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, Stoli martinis, champagne cocktails and glasses of wine are $4. Meanwhile, Vitascope Hall in the Hyatt is starting a daily happy hour many beers, cocktails and wines for half-off and a number of food specials. [EaterWire]

OLD THINGS?Louisiana became a state almost exactly 200 years ago. So how did people drink in 1812? Different ingredients and mixtures, but some constants: "Drinking with friends, being too loud, and taking the party to the streets. That sounds like a New Orleans party. Some things never change." [Offbeat]

The courtyard at Bayona. [Photo: Nikki Mayeux]