Tin Room

Lest you go on thinking Burien is . . . well, actually, what do you think of Burien? Do you think of it at all? Do you assume it’s a dull, white-bread, one-horse suburb? The main drag—152nd Street from First Avenue South toward the water—is anything but commonplace; check the Salvadorian pupusería and the Danish bakery for evidence. (The latter makes a great dark rye, by the way.) Over in Old Burien (or, alternately, Olde Burien; either way, it’s the three or four blocks west of Ambaum Boulevard), you’ll find the Tin Room, the town’s top pub. You’ll be glad to know the cozy-yet-industrial atmosphere is authentic; it used to be the Hi-Line Tin Shop, and that’s the former owner’s sheet metal roller above the bar. (Those baskets of citrus and the hand-pulled squeezer are the bartender’s, though.) The setting may make you thirsty for a beer, but go for a cocktail instead. Order the Olde Burien meatloaf (with mushroom-and-bourbon gravy and a pile of garlic mashed potatoes) because, you know, when in Rome. . . . Make sure you get the iceberg salad (two halves of a head of lettuce sprinkled with blue cheese and olive oil and accented with bright red tomato wedges) beforehand, though, because it’s as pretty as it is good. If you need any more advice, ask a friendly face in the crowd—because there will be a crowd, even on a Wednesday night. These folks come here all the time, with good reason. 923 S.W. 152nd St., 206-242-8040. www.tinroom.com. BURIEN