The Diller Room

Basics: $5 Grey Goose, Bacardi, or Bombay drinks; $5 select wine and beer; $5 small plates; $8 specialty drinks. Daily specials run 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (As with any new bar, specials subject to change.)


If, say, Clark Gable and George Clooney were to open a bar together, The Diller Room might very well be the outcome. There’s a dual air of rustic, old-world charm with heavy doses of no-nonsense, modern-day sensibility that mingle together very nicely: much like the decent-pour gin and tonics I ordered.

The decor takes a cue from this everything-old-is-new-again theme: beveled mirrors and plush wingchairs adorn a sunken bar with exposed brick and piping. Traditional round barstools are placed near Victorian chairs upholstered with unraveling tapestry. Sleek, low mahogany leather sofas dimly reflect light from a chandelier and sconces covered in crystal beads. The contradictory furniture pairings work very much in The Diller Room’s favor, gilded letters and all.

Though the interior comes off especially pleasing, I’m giving the newly opened bar the benefit of the doubt when it comes to drinks. Staff members are still finding their footing, so I can’t completely write them off during these formative weeks. Beverages were so-so as far as toxicity levels, though a clink of the glass to the owners for offering middle-to-top-shelf booze at bottom-shelf prices. The food was hit more than miss -- the BLT sliders garnered raves from Brett and pans from Troy. The Salumi platter had little complaint, nor should it: five bucks for some of the finest locally cured meats Seattle has to offer is an outstanding price.

Anyone choosing to venture into the specialty drink menu should sample the Sapphire Fizz: gin, Chambord, limes, egg white and powdered sugar, shaken and served up. The layered, complex taste of the savory gin with sweet raspberry overtones made for a frothy, delicious drink steeped in booze that kicks hard to the gullet.

(Side note: Worst. Men’s room. I’ve ever seen. And this coming from a guy who frequents many a gay bar, which says something. A deep-sink worthy of high school janitors paired with a non-functioning hot water faucet? Really? Health codes aside, it’s as if Clark and George allowed Pauly Shore to couch surf for a week. And, honestly, who would pay to see that movie?)

The Diller Room. 1224 First Ave (First and Union), Seattle’s Downtown. Daily, 5:00-7:00 p.m. Specials subject to change.

Jasmine

Basics: $5 well drinks, $4 sake and wine, $5-7 sushi rolls, $1.50-6 small plates. Weekday specials run 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.


Asian. Alcohol. Adequate.

(Brevity is so underused nowadays. As are alliterations.)

Jasmine. 1100 Fourth Ave (Fourth and Spring), Seattle’s Downtown. Weekdays 4:00-6:00 p.m.