Fried bar food at happy hour is so ... 2008. Just because the economy's gone south doesn't mean we have to settle for the lowest common denominator of cheap and filling when we're seeking affordable pupu. While the government's handing over Cash for Clunkers these Honolulu pau hana places will give you a touch of gourmet in exchange for your fried mozzarella sticks, and at prices that are thoroughly palatable.

FREE BUFFET

We make our first stop at Indigo in Chinatown. First bit of advice: Get there early, or the free food runs out. (Yes, we did say free!) From 4 to 8 p.m. every Tuesday through Friday, Indigo lays out a gorgeous buffet with not a french fry in sight. It's mostly vegetables in various marinades, bright and tangy to clear away workday blues. (The $4 martinis help, too.)

Although free food is certainly a draw, the red cabbage slaw that's almost hot pink and beets with pickled mango (just a shade darker than the slaw) are sides that we'd gladly fork over cash for. But since we don't have to, we'll just order another lychee martini.

If we can't spend a year in Provence, then a happy hour (or two) in Brasserie du Vin's cozy courtyard will do. During happy hour (4 to 6 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays), select appetizers are half off, and the moules frites ($7.50) are a favorite of the menu. Yes, those are fries on top. But here, they're not a vehicle for grease; they're used to sop up the slightly briny white wine and garlic broth that bathes the mussels. And when we run out of fries, we move on to the bottomless basket of warm, crusty French bread. With glasses of wine and good food at du Vin, joie de vivre replaces workday stress.

BAR CHIPS

We figured happy hour (from 4 to 6:30 p.m. daily) would be the only time we could afford to go to Wolfgang's Steakhouse, where a porterhouse for two, without any sides, will cost you $100. So when confronted with the happy-hour pupu menu, where appetizers formerly in the $12 to $20 range cost just $5, we went a little nuts. We ordered them all.

The bartender starts us off with free bar chips, substantial slices of fried potatoes, served warm in a basket. Potato chips have never been so luxurious. If all fried bar food were this good, we wouldn't have to turn our backs on it.

BURGER SLIDERS

You could go to Jack in the Box for mini sirloin burgers, or for roughly the same price, you could go to Wolfgang's for $5 sliders. There's a time and place for the former, but for happy hour, the place is Wolfgang's. Three thick and juicy beef patties topped with pickles and "secret sauce" pack incredible flavor. And Wolfgang's once again shows off its potato-frying prowess with a heap of shoestring fries.

STEAK SLIDERS

Of course the steak in these steak sliders (also $5) is tender and perfectly cooked to a rosy medium-rare, as requested. This is a steakhouse, after all. We smear some of Wolfgang's steak sauce on the onion bun and open wide for a soft, meaty bite.

TARTARE

No need to be squeamish about raw meat when it's this high-quality. The tartare ($5), with chopped prime tenderloin on toasted slices of bread, is accompanied by mustard, cornichons, onions and tomatoes, which provide tartness and bite to the richness of the meat.

TUNA TARTARE

The crostini of 'ahi mixed with ginger vinaigrette ($5) can't live up to the standards set by the meat pupu. Maybe it just needs a little more salt, or maybe we should just stick to the beef. And speaking of which, we find out that during happy hour, Wolfgang's offers a New York steak dinner, including a slice of cheesecake, for $35. Sometimes, it's the thought of happy hour deals like these that get us through the day.

TROPICAL SHRIMP

Pearl's food is as pampering as its cushy satin pillows and warm, red ambience. During happy hour, $5 pupu includes coconut-crusted shrimp, crunchy in a spicy, sweet and sour sauce. With four pieces, it's hard to fill up, but they do make for delicious nibbling. Happy hour runs from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and 7-9 p.m. Saturdays.

MINI KOBE BURGERS

"Kobe beef" may be an overused and abused phrase, but it's hard to spend time quibbling over definitions when these sliders ($5) from Pearl are so rich and flavorful. The little log cabin made out of steak fries is pretty tasty, too.

OYSTER SHOOTER

We let go of our frugal selves at Oceans 808, because this nightclub/happy hour spot offers an extensive half-off pupu menu from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. So we order willy-nilly, ignoring some warning signs. We start off with the oyster shooter ($1.50), even though the server tells us the oyster comes from a can. The cocktail sauce can't hide the taste of old oyster ... oh well, at least it was cheap.

POKE SHOOTER

Oceans 808's poke shooter ($1.50) is much better, with well-seasoned chunks of 'ahi. You can't shoot it, but that's OK — it gives us more time to savor it.

CALAMARI

Remember how we said fried food was passe? Well, we couldn't help ourselves when we saw fried calamari ($6.25) on the Oceans menu. One bite, and we remembered why we should stick to our guns. The calamari was fried well, but the cajun spices advertised were nonexistent.

PULEHU STEAK

We're thinking the Pulehu Steak ($6) might be the best deal at Oceans. It's a generous portion of perfectly cooked steak, a scoop of rice, fried onion rings and a fluffy heap of shredded carrots. What the red-wine sauce lacks in flavor is easily made up with a Shark Bite Bloody Mary from the bar.