This week's bar: Mario's Osteria

The scene: Osterias are Italy's version of wine bars or England's pubs, for that matter: They focus on drinks and a tight menu of tapas-style food. And Mario's Osteria gives you the choice of whether you'll take your booze and a bite inside or outside at either of their sleek, white bars. Inside for the after-work crowd, outside for the mild evenings and late-night noshes. Either way, you'll get a sense of Mario's modern, sleek decor, from slate and wood floors to exposed white rafters and stylish oversized lamp shade-style lights over the dining room. The picture windows seamlessly tie in the two spaces.

Standout cocktail: The pink lemonade martini ($11.50) packs a punch. Don't let the pink sugar on rim (sugar and grenadine) fool you. The Ketel One Citroen vodka mixes with the fresh-squeezed lemonade (with a splash of Chambord) to make a deceivingly sippable drink.

Other notable drinks: Manager Sande Weinstein won't give up the secret ingredients of Sande's Italian Sangria ($10), but you won't care what's in it. The flavor, which may or may not contain grapefruit juice, is full and rich and finishes with a bite of bitters. The Pink Grapefruit Mojito ($10.50) is your typical minty-sweet mojito with a grapefruit tartness you'll enjoy.

Bar bites: To call the portions on the happy hour appetizer menu generous is to woefully underestimate them. The antipasto plate ($24) has 13 different items, from marinated olives and peppers, to cured meats, fresh cheeses and an arugula salad. But the signature appetizer is the eggplant pancakes ($10), a sort of eggplant Parmigiana stacked like a lasagna. They're flavorful in a San Marzano tomato sauce, and crisp in the most delicious and unexpected way. Finally, the shrimp scampi bruschetta ($18) sits in a shallow dish of citrus-butter sauce that soaks partly into the crusty bread and the mammoth jumbo shrimp.

Deals: It's not just for happy hour, since all drinks and appetizers are half price at the indoor and outdoor bars from 11:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. The outside bar is open to the late-night crowd, with the same half-price specials, one hour before closing time.

Info: 1400 Glades Road, Boca Raton; (561) 239-7000

T H E C O C K T A I L

Pink Lemonade Martini

1 1/2 ounces Ketel One Citroen Vodka

1 ounce lemonade

Dash cranberry juice

Dash agave nectar

Rim the martini glass with pink sugar. To a cocktail shaker, add vodka, lemonade, cranberry juice and agave. Shake and pour.