Copper Gate used to be a dive bar. The “scary kind,” explains our waitress. “People would walk in and say, ‘I’m not here to buy crack,'” she says. But ever since new owners took over a year ago, things have swung hard in the opposite direction: What was once degenerate drunkenness has been replaced with tastefully considered bawdiness. The bar, a scaled-down facsimile of a Viking longship, flies a sail of nudie pics that are difficult to see in the flock-of-tea-candles lighting scheme, while a 100x-lifesize vagina-shaped alcove near the men’s bathroom registers as bland architectural minimalism instead of a shock. The menu contains an excellent selection, ranging from authentic Scandinavian dishes such as pickled herring and gravlax to plates that sound Scandinavian but probably aren’t, like aquavit-coffee-braised short ribs. Swedish meatballs with lingonberry preserves are matched with a delicate puree of potatoes and celeriac, fish cakes are light yet rich with their creamy tarragon aioli, and pancakes stuffed with berry-flavored whipped cream turn breakfast into dessert. All plates are $3 off during happy hour, 5­-7 p.m. every day. The boat-bar carries a fine cargo of aquavits, including ersatz versions flavored with horseradish and licorice candies, which figure prominently in $5 specialty cocktails like the Stor Agurk, a frosty lemon-fennel libation with a cucumber twist. There’s also a variety of European wines and beers, which are discounted by a buck. If any of Copper Gate’s salty old customers walk in the door and turn right around, as our waitress avows they do, it’s probably because they spotted the 12-ounce Sinebrychoff Porter on the menu—happy hour price: $8. JOHN METCALFE 6301 24th Ave., 706-3292. BALLARD