text: Coming to Sardine for happy hour and their deliciously inexpensive bar menu has become a sporadic date night favorite of my boyfriend and I.  We have been in for a nice sit-down dinner before, but are somehow not has happily satisfied by our experience as we are sitting at the stainless steel bar being served by their talented bartenders.  \n\nFirst, the happy hour is from 4-6pm Tuesday through Friday.  $3 Stellas and house wine cannot be beat.  The oysters are also half price. For only about $1-2 per shot, it's a great deal.   If you miss happy hour, they still offer their house wine for a meager $20 a bottle (red or white) and it's decent for the price. \n\nThere are several dishes we tend to order on a regular basis.  Though the full menu is available at the bar, we always stick to the bar menu.   First, I must mention the mussels. The appetizer portion of this dish is enough, with the frites, to feed two mildly hungry adults.  They are served in a very hot cream sauce, infused with steamed fennel, tomato, and sprigs of thyme.  The frites are equally delicious.   I am a bit ashamed to admit this, but when the mussels have been eaten, and only the creamy broth remains, I dump the rest of the frites into the bowl and indulge in a little french fry soup.  Embrace the unhealthiness, it is totally worth it.\n\nThe Sardine burger is not to be missed (only offered on the bar menu).  Although a bit unusual, the toppings of onion jam, figs, and gorgonzola compliment the fatty beef patty perfectly.   As with all of their sandwiches, it comes with a large side salad and frites.  Again, just this plate of food and perhaps a small appetizer are more than enough to feed my boyfriend and I.  \n\nBottom line- stick to eating at the bar and ordering wisely.  The portions are huge on the bar menu, and the price is right for this otherwise fairly expensive Madison favorite.