Back in the day, there was a narrow bar-cum-restaurant on First and Virginia called The Virginia Inn. This bar sold good drinks and delicious yet minimal food, and turned up the house beats and fuzzed-up guitars just enough to pump a little extra life into the after-work situation called happy hour. Then they closed for remodeling, and the new Virginia Inn that emerged was just like its neighbors: a classy restaurant with an above-average bar. The Diller Room brings that old-school Virginia Inn vibe to the block at First and SAM. Pair up their bacon and gorgonzola salad with a glass of Bombay and a plate of salami to share (all $5 from 4:30-7, M-F), and you’ve got the finest newcomer the Seattle happy hour scene has seen in years. If meat and gin aren’t your speed, the Grey Goose martinis and Beecher’s cheese plate (again, both $5) are where you live. CHRIS KORNELIS
