Smart order at Bullion: For $42, true luxury on a budget

As if we needed an excuse to knock off work early, Bullion’s elegant version of a happy hour, weekdays from 4 to 6:30 p.m., is just about irresistible. Called L’Apero (the aperitif) and served in the restaurant’s luxe bar and lounge, it offers a menu of small bites for $9 or less, along with cocktails and good wines by the glass for $8.

We nibbled our way through most of it and put together the ideal order: six chilled Whaleback oysters from Maine with Champagne mignonette ($2 each), creamy deviled eggs with smoked ocean trout and pink trout roe ($6) and a regular-menu upgrade of warm, crunchy pommes frites with fresh tarragon dijonnaise ($8).

The bar will generously pour a single wine by the glass into two glasses, so start with Domaine des Trois Versants 2016 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie, a subtly mineral white from the Loire Valley that’s classic with oysters. Then move on to a shared glass of Chateau d’Oupia 2017 Les Hérétiques, a lively, refreshing red made from 100 percent carignan in the Languedoc. You might even invite the boss.