Happy Hour

Raise your glasses. Prohibition era regulations that have caused Marylanders to pay more for wine and liquor have finally been dumped down the drain for good. The settlement of the lawsuit brought by Beltway Fine Wine & Spirits — agreed to Wednesday by the Board of Public Works — will ensure a measure of competition to the retail alcohol business. Mom-and-pop liquor stores can't be too pleased with the outcome, of course. It means that big box companies like Beltway can negotiate volume discounts from wholesalers and pass along those savings to their customers.

Those of us in the 200-Pound Drinking Men's Club of Maryland would like to thank House Judiciary Committee Chairman Joseph F. Vallario Jr. for protecting our right to slam down six margaritas in an hour without having to fear being told to install some high-tech gadget on our cars to keep us from driving drunk again. Under legislation that passed the Maryland Senate under prodding by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, we 200-pounders would have been told by the Nanny State that we couldn't drink more than a measly three of our favorite tequila drinks in 60 minutes without the risk of being saddled with an ignition interlock device for six months.

Meridian 54 is the new restaurant in that crossroads building where Red Fish used to be. A succession of owners never could set Red Fish right after the departure of Ted Stelzenmuller, its founding chef, now executive chef and co-owner of Jack's Bistro. Part of the problem might have been that the posh azure-and-snow decor of Red Fish almost demanded a menu with culinary ambition, even when there wasn't a new chef around to refresh or maintain it, or maybe even an audience looking for it. In its relatively short run, Meridian 54 has also lost its original chef, Russell Braitsch, who moved on to open Diablita Cantina.

Send a tweet to @baltimoresun to add your specials to the list. Restaurants and bars • Bad Decisions 1928 Fleet St. Baltimore 21231 410-979-5161 Hot Drink Menu: Hot Gin Lemonade, $6; Hot Spiced Cider, $6; Hot Buttered Rum, $6; Glug (Scandinavian mulled wine), $5; Hot Mead, $7; Homemade Hot Chocolate, $5; add liquor Castries Peanut Rum or Rumple Minze, $7 Champagne Bar for Saturday: Choice of either Italian Spumante or French Brut; Traditional Champagne Cocktail, $6; Big Easy Champagne Cocktail, $6; Bellini, $7; Limoncello & Champagne, $7; Champagne and Berries, (strawberries or raspberries)

In spite of a few jokes about walkers and such that you had to expect, there was a good discussion on a post on my blog Dining@Large (baltimoresun.com/diningatlarge) about what 35-and-overs want in a happy hour. One of the main things, after meeting other 35-and-overs, was the chance to talk without being drowned out by loud music or TVs. The following is my list of places, in alphabetical order, with a little bit of information to let you know what's available there. (Specials are offered weeknights only, unless otherwise noted.

Mark Yost was sick and tired of going to the same old gay bars. Grand Central and the Hippo were old hat. Yost wanted to try out some new places he'd never been before, but worried that as a gay man, he and his friends might not feel comfortable in some neighborhood pubs. So Yost and his friend Byron Macfarlane decided to start the Baltimore branch of Guerrilla Gay Bar, a monthly happy hour designed to bring together gay people in bars they normally don't frequent. The first Baltimore Guerrilla Gay Bar was last month at Claddagh Irish Pub in Canton, and the next one is tomorrow.

Who said there's no such thing as dinner - or at least snacks - on the house? Several area bars set out complimentary spreads for patrons on a regular basis. Usually, the buffets are laid on tables by the bar. So if you want first dibs, the best place to sit is at a bar stool adjacent to the dining area. You'll want to get there early, too - before other patrons gobble up the good stuff. Here are five free happy hour buffets - and one that's nearly free. The Bay Cafe 2809 Boston St.; 410-522-3377 On Fridays between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., the chef brings out simple dishes such as roast beef, chicken or pasta, depending on what's available.

Famous Footwear will open at the Centre at Glen Burnie, 6711 Ritchie Highway, at 10 a.m. tomorrow. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Tech Council seeks award nominees The Anne Arundel Tech Council is now accepting nominations from companies for TechAwards 07. The categories for nominations are Innovator of the Year, the Good Chip Award, Tech Company of the Year and Tech Services Award. The deadline for nominations is Thursday. The top three nominees will be announced by Oct. 8. Winners will be announced at TechAwards 07, which will be held at 6 p.m., Nov. 6 at Loews Annapolis Hotel.

The Greene Turtle, Towson The classic Maryland sports bar staple with a little Towson twist: The food and furnishings remain the same, but the nightlife can be slightly younger than you'd find at the franchise's other area installments. Where -- 408 York Road, Towson Call -- 410-825-3980 Web site -- greeneturtle.com/towson Notable -- With $1.99 domestics and rail drinks and tasty half-price appetizers such as pub fries, crab dip and cheeseburger sliders, the Turtle is a great place to meet some friends for happy hour after a long day at work.

My neighborhood used to have regular Friday night happy hours whenever the weather permitted. The only requirements for hosting one were to provide the backyard, trash cans and access to the restroom. Everyone who wanted to show up would just bring a liter of soda and a bag of chips. We used to announce the happy hours with a brief note in residents' mailboxes. But soon we realized that that is against the law, unless you invite the mail carrier, who likes hot pizza dip; and it is simpler to activate the second-family network.