The munchies served during happy hour these days have gone far beyond the ubiquitous dishes of pretzels and peanuts dotting the bar.

Think blue crab cake with roasted red peppers, ciabatta bread sandwiches filled with sliced prime filet mignon or duck empanadas topped with a spicy chocolate mole sauce.

These delectables are among the tasty bites you'll find at upscale dining spots all over Downtown. Many of these happy hour dishes -- made with fresh ingredients by acclaimed chefs -- are from regular dinner menus but are offered for half-price or less.

These places make a great stop for folks heading to the ball game, concerts and the theater, or a great spot to gather with friends after work.

Palomino

At Palomino in Four Gateway Center, for example, there are 15 appetizers from $4 to $7 and eight gourmet pizzas, all $5. Drinks for $3 include draft beer, house wine (a very generous 7 ounces!), margarita or mojito. In addition to comfortable stools at the long bar, there are tables and chairs in the large lounge area.

Sara Flasher of Robinson works at Two Gateway Center. She likes to try different spots for happy hour but keeps returning to Palomino for the ambience and food, she says. It's a great place to unwind with her friends after a long day at the office.

My happy hour meal at Palomino was both delicious and healthy. I ordered Blue Crab Cake ($5), a juicy croquette of crab served with roasted red peppers and a small mound of baby greens. With that I had Grilled Wild Mushrooms, ($5.75). which were sitting atop a plate of greens tossed with roasted walnuts and crumbled Gorgonzola. With a $3 glass of wine, my dinner bill was $13.75. My companion had an amazing pizza with rotisserie chicken, roasted red peppers, onions, mozzarella and parmesan cheese ($5) and a draft Miller Light beer ($3).

Palomino, Four Gateway Center, Suite 100, 412-642-7711.

Happy hour: 5-7 p.m. daily.

Morton's The Steakhouse

If you have avoided Morton's The Steakhouse on Liberty Avenue because you thought its walnut-paneled walls and deep carpets and prime beef meant it was out of your price range, think again.

Morton's recently introduced the "Power Hour," when it offers most Bar Bites for $4 each.

My favorite bite is three miniature cheeseburgers lined up on a long, skinny white plate. Not much larger than a silver dollar, each plump patty is fashioned from prime beef. The meat is topped with cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato and sandwiched into an egg-enriched bun. Combine that with a plate of piping hot french fries topped with melted blue cheese, and you have an $8 meal.

Other bar bites are four little sandwiches made from ciabatta bread filled with sliced prime filet mignon. The jumbo lump crab dip with spinach and artichokes is served with toasted French bread. It is rich and filling, making it ideal to share with friends. The large serving of Crispy Battered and Fried Chicken Strips served with mustard aioli is also perfect for sharing. Raw oysters on the half shell are $1.50 each during the Power Hour.

Unfortunately, the bargain you'll find with the food doesn't carry over to Morton's drinks, which aren't discounted during Power Hour. The restaurant's list of wines by the glass has what I believe are the highest markups in our city. For example, the least expensive, 6-ounce glass of red wine is $8.75 for a modest B.V. Coastal Estates Sonoma Cabernet, 2005. What is shocking is that the 25-ounce bottle of the same wine at the state store sells for $8.99 retail. Restaurants buy it for 10 percent less than that. And that markup pales in comparison to the $15.95 glass of Kendall Jackson VR Chardonnay. A bottle of the same wine sells for $8.79. Even beer is higher: a Corona beer that sells for $5 at most Downtown locations is $7.50 at Morton's.

Morton's The Steakhouse, 625 Liberty Ave., 412-261-7141, valet parking available.

Power Hour: 5-6:30 p.m. and 9:30-11 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Trilogy

This handsome and spacious restaurant across Liberty Avenue from Morton's does discount its wine during happy hour by $2 and offers draft beers for $2.50. But the real attraction is the bar menu of appetizers, each $5.

Don't miss the Duck Empanadas, one of the staples on the happy hour menu that changes frequently. Two crescents of flaky pastry enclose a filling of flavorful duck and are presented on a rectangular white plate and sauced with a spicy chocolate mole sauce that raises this dish to new gastronomic heights. A dusting of micro cilantro adds just the right amount of Latin seasoning. Another staple, Margherita Pizza, is a small pie with a thin crust covered with roasted tomatoes, fresh basil and buffalo mozzarella. Flank Steak Tostada is three small sandwiches made from tiny round tortillas that are filled with sliced flank steak and spiced with chipotle aioli. Mango and Chayote Slaw with Black Beans complete the plate.

Ahi Tuna nachos is an original creation. Small cubes of sashimi tuna are sprinkled on a bed of crisp lotus chips and finished with a salad of edamame beans and miso, dressed in wasabi aioli.

There are special happy hour drinks that are also $5. Among these are Blueberry Bourbon Lemonade and Kumquat Mojito.

"One of my friends met her husband at Trilogy's Happy Hour," said Michael Hunter of Point Breeze, who loves the diverse group of people who gather there. "They recently celebrated their first anniversary with a party there."

It also has patio seating in nice weather.

Trilogy, 620 Liberty Ave., 412-697-2800.

Happy Hour: 4:30-6:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Somona Grill

Now a smoke-free restaurant and bar, Sonoma Grille has offered an extensive menu of happy hour appetizers since in opened in December 2004.

The bar food is a gourmet feast. I think I have sampled every item, and they are all excellent. And they are served with an assortment of MediTerra Bakehouse's great breads. Sesame Fried Calamari ($4.50) is served with a spicy roasted tomato and jalapeno remoulade that adds a bit of fire to these crispy rings. Curried Shrimp Pot ($5) is a hot dish of shrimp, mushrooms and fresh asparagus in green curry sauce made with coconut cream. Minted Crabcake ($5) is a complete meal for small appetites. It is served with Mango beurre blanc, several grilled asparagus spears and a mound of baby-frisee salad. Wild Mushroom Flatbread ($4.50) is a great combination of oven-roasted tomato and chevre cheese with the mushrooms. I can never leave without an order of Serrano Wrapped Diver Scallops ($9). The sweet mollusks are wrapped with salty Spanish ham and served on wilted baby spinach, topped with a sauce of papaya and sherry. This artful combination of tastes and textures is a tribute to fine ingredients and skilled culinary arts.

Top off these dishes with a glass of wine from the extensive wines by the glass list, which includes more than 100 bottles. In addition to seats at the long bar, Sonoma Grille offers high-top tables and chairs and upholstered lounge furniture for happy hour patrons.

Sonoma Grille, 947 Penn Ave., 412-697-1336.

Happy hour: 5-7 p.m., Monday-Friday.

Palate

The new French bistro on Sixth Avenue, Palate, offers its own array of $5 appetizers that are first-rate. And if you have a party of 10 or more ordering drinks at the bar, appetizers are free.

The chef selects two each day for the happy hour menu. This might be Beef or Tuna Tartare or a Crab Galette served with green lentils. Happy hour beverage prices are $3 for draft beer, $4 for bottled beer and $5 for martinis. In addition to seats at the bar, there is a lounge area with upholstered furniture.

Palate, 212 Sixth St., 412-434-1422.

Happy hour: 4-7 p.m. and 10 p.m.-1 a.m., Monday-Saturday.