Apparently Henry’s Hat isn’t the only place that sends out half-price coupons. Luna Park, part of the same family with Henry’s Hat, also partakes in these amazing deals. So the last time Luna Park sent out an offer, we headed out to the Miracle Mile area to check out what Luna Park was all about.

The first thing I noticed on their menu was they had a beer called Skyscraper Bulldozer Honeyweizen. I was so excited to see this, since my favorite beer is Leinenkugel’s Honey Weiss, so I made sure to order this immediately. When I drank it, I was pretty happy. It’s a bit sweeter and thicker than Honey Weiss, but definitely a good choice since I can’t get that beer out here. Unfortunately, this is the only place I’ve ever seen that beer, so hopefully I’ll be able to find it again sometime.

Although my beer came fast, the good service ended pretty abruptly there. After about a year, we were able to put in our orders. I decided to take full advantage of the half off pricing and began with an appetizer of their “Carnival Dogs.” These were corn dogs made with chicken apple sausage and served with assorted mustards. And they were delicious. I’m not sure if they were handmade, but they sure tasted like it. The corn around these sausages were perfectly fried and uneven. Using chicken apple sausages instead of plain hot dogs was a great twist on the typical carnival treat.

For the main course, I ordered the “Tasty Burger.” This was made with a Niman Ranch patty, and came with fries. For an extra buck, I ordered it with some cheese. I asked if it came with lettuce and tomatoes and stuff and the waiter replied yes, so I asked for it without. Apparently the waiter took this literally. So he brought me onion and there was still a pickle on the plate. I didn’t realize I had to get so specific with him. The onion was easy to brush aside, but the juice from the pickle claimed the lives of a few good french fries. Luckily this juice didn’t make its way to the bun.

Although some juice would have been nice for the bun. It tasted like dehydrated cardboard and somehow any juices the burger may have had to moisten the burger were lost somewhere in this black hole of a bun, never to be seen again. I never thought so much about a bun can impact a burger, but I learned at Luna Park. The patty was great, which made things even worse. I knew I couldn’t enjoy this patty to its fullest.

My trip to Luna Park was like a roller coaster ride. It started out great with that discount and the Honeyweizen, but then the service died (which I assume was because using the discount tacked on an automatic 18% gratuity). My corn dogs were awesome, but the “Tasty Burger” was very disappointing. I can forgive bad service sometimes, especially because I’ve heard some great things from people’s past experiences at Luna Park, but putting that bun on that burger was unforgivable.

Every once in a while, Henry’s Hat sends out an email to loyal fans, alerting them that the entire menu, including drinks, will be half price for a night. Luckily, my girlfriend happens to be one of those loyal fans, so we set off for that strange area near Universal City to get some ridiculously cheap food.

Henry’s Hat is really a sports bar with a mostly bar-like menu. As someone with an infatuation with bar food, this was great for me. A lot of the food on the menu looked good and some looked fancier than your average bar food. We started off with an order of Aggies’s Chili Con Queso. This was molten cheese and salsa with tortilla chips. And since we were such big rollers for the night, we decided to “Make it Mud.” In doing so, they added black beans, chorizo and avocado and pico de gallo to the mix. Actually, we got the pico de gallo on the side, since those tomatoes and onions would have ruined the whole thing.

The chips were nice and thick, which was necessary for digging into the thick chili con carne. The chili itself was also pretty good, and not too spicy. In the end, I could have used a couple more chips to scoop out the last of the chili, but this was a minor complaint.

For the main course, I ordered The Mission 24th Street Burger. I have no idea where that name comes from, because it does nothing to explain the fire that lies between its buns. This burger has bacon, pepper jack cheese, jalapenos, grilled onions and avocado. A strange mix to be sure, but vastly improved without onions. I started digging in and was quite happy with what I was eating. The burger was nice and juicy, and the cheese and jalapenos added a nice kick to it. Then I reached the middle of the burger and my mouth was set ablaze. I don’t know if they slipped so habaneros in there by mistake or accidentally laced the jalapenos with death sauce, but I started sweating and gasping for water. I have a huge tolerance for spice, but something about that burger destroyed my spice ego. I couldn’t even finish the last few bites for fear of melting.

To be sure, this was a great burger for people who love spicy food. I thought I loved spicy food, but now I am not so sure. Nonetheless, the meat and bun was good, so I know that other burgers that don’t kill my mouth will be good also. For a half-priced meal, we did pretty awesome and I can safely say that Henry’s Hat would also be worth a visit on a full-price day.