A family twist at waterfront Ivar's happy hour

Happy Hour |

Once, happy hour was confined to the bar and designated pre-dinner hours. But these days, cutthroat competition and tough times have changed those parameters.

Take Ivar's Acres of Clams along the waterfront, which not only extends happy hour until closing on Friday nights, but also extends the deal to families by offering its happy hour beyond the bar area.

The prices on its list of appetizers, small and big plates, have been reduced up to half off, including on its signature clam chowder ($3) and fish and chips ($6).

Our waiter suggested — insisted really — that we try smoked pork sliders with spicy mango barbecue sauce on house-made brioche. True, those mini-bites were tangy and tasty, but wouldn't you rather venture to the sea in a restaurant whose mantra is fresh fish, caught wild? Try the blackened Alaska cod tacos with lime cilantro crème fraîche, Napa cabbage, avocado and roasted tomato salsa. Or the Alaska cod wrap with chipotle tartar sauce and roasted tomato salsa.

I would pass on the blackened salmon Caesar salad and the crab quesadilla with jack and Cheddar; the seafood, I think, messes up the alchemy of these standard dishes.

Ivar's doesn't advertise the family happy hour, but ask to be seated in the App Bar (appetizer bar) by the entrance to get the happy-hour prices; sit in the dinner area and you'll pay full price. Discounted to $3-$6, Ivar's appetizers are still not as cheap as fast food, but eating Ivar's at these prices is comparable to the cost of family pizza night out.

Ivar's Acres of Clams, 1001 Alaskan Way, Pier 54 on the downtown waterfront, has happy hour 3-7 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays and 3-11 p.m. on Fridays. Appetizers cost $3-$6, with drafts, wells and selected wines $3 (206-624-6852 or www.ivars.net).

NOTE: Other Ivar's locations do not offer the same happy-hour deal.

Tan Vinh: 206-515-5656 or tvinh@seattletimes.com