The Sitting Room

Published 7:00 am Monday, October 9, 2006

This chic Lower Queen Anne refuge is modeled on the cafe/bars of Europe, where light bulbs must be in very short supply. How else to explain how dark it is? And how dark is it, you ask? So dark that your date might accidentally jam his elbow in your eye socket and then, later, spill candle wax all over your favorite raincoat. But it won’t really matter because between 5 and 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, you can sip a salubrious well drink or draft beer for $3 to $3.50, or a glass of the house wine for $4, while you nibble on tasty finger food like tapenade and croccantini crackers ($3) or a European cheese board ($5). (If you’re too hungry for snacks, try the $5 smoked salmon plate, with its layers of velvety lox.) The crowd at the Sitting Room is grown-up: well-dressed groups of gal pals and couples who need not be carded. And in this light, they all look good. 108 W. Roy St., 206-285-2830, www.the-sitting-room.com. LOWER QUEEN ANNE