CHARLIE’S ON BROADWAY If clowns went to bars, they’d go to a joint like Charlie’s. All dark, smoky, and Cheers-styley, with lots of wood and brass, Charlie’s also recalls Grandma’s basement, with a relic from every decade: a working Ms. Pac-Man table; an ’80s and ’90s megahits soundtrack; a time-warpish glass case with psychedelic peace signs and smiley faces; wooden sleds and other odd knickknacks hanging from the rafters; an ancient, operable, popcorn machine; and a circuslike, stained-glass awning over the bar all contribute to Charlie’s funhouse feel. The food’s appropriately cheap, with a yummy cheeseburger only $3.25 and potato skins with all the fixins only $3.95 from 3:30-7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.-1 a.m. daily. And, with $2.25 drafts, $2.75 microbrews, and $3.50 daily special cocktails, a circus salary’ll go a long way. 217 Broadway E., 206-323-2535. CAPITOL HILL

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