Every neighborhood needs a place to call its own. And the Ship Canal Grill is out to stake its claim in the Eastlake neighborhood.

Longtime Eastlake residents Wes and Daphne Larson opened the restaurant nestled on the east side of Lake Union, just before you cross into the U District, in November, and have been winning the locals over since.

"Our motto is 'Celebrating Eastlake,' " manager Dominic Wood said.

The menu: Think bar food on steroids. Kobe-beef burgers and pizza are mixed with kabobs and baby back ribs. And though the prices are reasonable, they drop dramatically during two happy hours (3-6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.-close daily).

I managed to get in on the happy-hour specials. The Overboard Lamb Sliders ($6) are two miniburgers made of a beef and lamb mixture served with grilled onions, aioli, spiced ketchup and a side of French fries.

Among the personal-sized pizzas is the vegetarian pizza ($6), a 7-inch crust loaded with bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, roasted fennel and tomato slices.

What to write home about: Freddie's Philly ($8) sandwich was named after one of the restaurant's chefs. A cross between a traditional Philly and a French dip, it's marinated roast beef with grilled onions, peppers and cheese served with au jus for dipping.

The setting: Keeping with the neighborhood theme, the walls are lined with historic photos of the area, acquired from the Museum of History & Industry. Most photos show off the history of the houseboats around Lake Union.

Summing up: An order of lamb sliders, Freddie's Philly, vegetarian pizza and berry cobbler ($6) was $29.45 on the happy-hour menu and was enough to feed three people.