Happy Hour: Dinette for the outdoor-dining set

HAPPY HOUR |

Lots of cocktail tables and metal chairs plopped along the sidewalks in recent weeks, thanks to the city's easing of its sidewalk-cafe policy.

Maybe you noticed them along Northwest Market Street in Ballard. Or you've seen a couple bars around Belltown with patio chairs that weren't there a few weeks ago. You definitely can't miss them in Capitol Hill; they're everywhere there.

Dinette on E. Olive Way is among the latest to introduce outdoor seating. No fancy patio furniture, no gourmet fare, but the folks get it just about right.

A few benches, two cocktail tables and a ledge to rest your pint or small plates. It's a low-key, Spartan setup that blends in with, rather than obstructs, the neighborhood street scene.

It's mostly finger food. Some Spanish tapas and European bites that don't take up much table space.

Some crostinis topped with chicken-liver mousse and pickled pepper, crunchy and pleasantly sweet and sour. A meaty halibut cake without fillers. Some addictive goat-cheese-stuffed dates to share.

Simple, two-or-three ingredient snacks like they serve in Europe. It's a welcome change from the usual salty, deep-fried bar food.

Dinette, 1514 E. Olive Way, offers happy hour 4-6:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and again Fridays and Saturdays from 9-11 p.m. with $3-$6.50 drink specials and food for $3-$7. The happy-hour menu varies daily (206-328-2282 or www.dinetteseattle.com).

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