Happy Hour: The Terrace at the Fairmont

A doorman will greet you and welcome you up the escalator. What awaits is a high ceiling with Roman pillars. Italian Renaissance architecture done in gold motif. This here is The Terrace in downtown, a happy hour with a dress code.

We got fancy this week, on account a few readers complained that too many happy-hour places seemed too loud, too fratlike, with too many drunks downing $3 pints with chicken-wing sauce smeared on their lips.

They don't do that at The Terrace, inside the historic Fairmont Olympic Hotel, because, well, it's the Fairmont, where rooms run up to $399 a night.

Don't worry, you're not crashing their party. The lounge is in the lobby, under chandeliers, making it a quaint happy-hour spot to take your boss, in-laws or a date. Or just as a pit stop during your Christmas shopping marathon downtown.

Two bar-food items for $9 is a good happy-hour deal. Choose the bowl of salty, crunchy popcorn shrimp with basil aioli, and the buttery Dungeness crab-cake sandwich with truffle fries.

Some to skip: the dried — and flavorless — smoked rib-eye truffle-melt sliders is one; the bland tuna tartar with a cheddarlike scone is another.

But ambience is what you come for, and ambience you shall get. Fresh-cut orchids. Meticulous service. And even a piano player if you time your happy hour close to 6 p.m. Thursdays.

The discounted martini, though, is a pricey $9, because this might be happy hour, but it's still the Fairmont.

The Terrace at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, 411 University St., offers happy hour Sundays-Thursdays 3:30-6 p.m., when bar food is half off.

Best deal is two bar-food menu items for $9. Bottled beers, $2 off. All signature martinis, $9 Sundays-Wednesdays, and on Thursdays, $2 off on wines by the glass. Dress code: smart casual. Check the Web for daily discounts. 206-621-1700 or www.fairmont.com/seattle/GuestServices/Restaurants

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