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Hey, Blogtown! I know you’ve probably missed me (I mean, who wouldn’t, right?), but I haven’t gone far. In fact I’ve been kicking it with the Mercury Arts crew over at our TBA Blog where we're having all sorts of pretentious high-minded fun as PICA’s Time Based Art Festival continues to chug along.

I just thought I’d stop by and let you know about some awesome foodie/boozy goodness that’ll be happening at The Works tonight at 9:30 pm: It’s the Distillery Row happy hour, and If you’re more into alcohol and pork belly than art, then this is the one TBA event you’ll want to attend.

Everything You Need To Know For A Drunken Night of Tapas and Half Naked Dancers! After the Jump!

The Works is a pretty great space, and within that great space is an even better space: The Distillery Row lounge. It’s dark, there’s a great view of the city, and there are tons of little nooks and cubbies (full of arty things!) for you to explore. Better than that, the bar is packed with local-made booze from Deco Rum, Highball Distillery, House Spirits, Integrity Spirits, New Deal, and Stone Barn Brandyworks. It’s likely you haven’t heard of the first and last distillery on that list, and that’s because they’re brand new (read Lush Life in the upcoming issue of the Mercury to get to know them better), but that hasn’t kept them from producing some killer hooch.

Tonight the folks from the Row will be mixing up some signature cocktails for this special happy hour using only local alcohol. I’d recommend ordering an off-menu Dapper Apple featuring Stone Barn's extraordinary apple brandy. It's delicious, and perfectly evocative of this weird seasonal fulcrum we're perched upon, between summer and fall. (Sorry, that's TBA speak for "goddamn delicious.")

To go along with those cocktails, Chef Jeremy Larter of Holocene will be cooking up some Tapas-style delights for $3 a plate. Let me just say a couple words about the Pork Belly tacos Larter has been serving up at The Works: “HOLY FUCK!”

This is a fine edible: The pork belly is just fatty enough, a tad smokey, and has convinced me belly is best eaten in a tortilla. Top this dangerous fat bomb with one of two killer homemade salsas and you're in taco heaven.

Considering how good his tacos are (the smoked pork and chicken are also amazing), I’m particularly excited to see what he’ll do with Tapas.

Afterward, if you’re so inclined, stay for Woolly Mammoth Comes to Dinner performing She is Ourselves, a weirdly sexual excerpt of which made me quite uncomfortable during this year's Ten Tiny Dances.

Anyway, ten bucks gets you admission into the whole shebang. Stop by the Works and say “hello.” I’ll be the fellow in the pants. God, I miss you guys!