Happy Hour | List specializes in gourmet small plates

Happy Hour |

Competitors must peek into Barolo's bar and feel a tinge of envy, if not awe. How does Barolo do it — filling its bar area week after week despite charging more during happy hour than what some others charge at regular price for bar food?

Whatever mojo Barolo owner Leo Varchetta possesses in creating this happy-hour hot spot in downtown Seattle, he's banking for a repeat with List, his new Belltown bistro.

List features a list of gourmet small plates such as roasted duck leg ($6), seared ahi tuna ($6.50) and grilled sea bass ($7) — all fine fares, nicely executed. The duck skin was crispy and the meat juicy; the strip of sea bass was buttery. But these and several other dishes share a common denominator: side servings of kale and lentils. After the third or fourth plate, patrons start nudging the kale and lentils to the side with their forks.

The best of the lot: sweet, juicy shrimp, married nicely with the salty, crisp bacon they were wrapped in (and yes, sides were kale and lentils).

The pricey happy hour will be off-putting to some. But in channeling Barolo, List aims at a foodie crowd, those willing to shell out a bit more for gourmet.

List, 2226 First Ave., Belltown, offers happy hour 4-6:30 p.m. daily and 10 p.m.-midnight Sundays-Thursdays, with all food half off ($3-$7); selected wine bottles, $14; wine by the glass, $3.75; and beer, $2.95 (206-441-1000).

Tan Vinh: 206-515-5656 or tvinh@seattletimes.com