Oceanaire Seafood Room

Visiting the Oceanaire is sort of like boarding a luxury liner on dry docks. Seasick much? Here's your chance to see what you're missing without going green in the face—and if you go during happy hour, your wallet gets a break, too. Monday through Friday, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., you can enjoy oysters and shrimp cocktail at half the normal price. Northwest purists might get a little fussy about the fact that the restaurant (which, yes, is part of a chain—based in Minneapolis, no less) flies a lot of its seafood in from Maine and beyond, but it's no dummy. You'll find a fair share of pickings from the Puget Sound and surrounding waters as well. Tangy cocktail condiments, horseradish dipping sauce, and other accoutrements accompany the oysters and the shrimp. It's too bad there are no drink specials to wash these babies back with, but the service is impeccable, and provided you enjoy piped-in big-band standards and high, classy booths, the atmosphere is grand. 1700 Seventh Ave., 206-267-2277. DOWNTOWN