Happy Hour | Bargains in the lounge at top-dollar Palisade

Happy Hour |

We might as well start by talking about Palisade's indoor saltwater pond, with the bridge leading to the sweeping dining room, because everyone else does.

But that grand spectacle — and the fact that's what we all talk about — may explain why most folks overlook the lounge at Palisade, which is off to the side. Palisade's lounge serves the same pan-Asian and Hawaiian appetizers that are featured in the main dining room, where a dinner for two can exceed $250. The difference is the appetizers at the bar are half price during happy hour.

Palisade's happy-hour food is as good as any in the city. The slow-roasted shredded pork, inside the light and crispy spring-roll shell, was moist and juicy. The $7.50 lobster-and-crab dip was blended with just enough Laura Chenel's chevre to bind the ingredients rather than drowning them.

And the plate of Peking duck confit, served with steamed buns, was just as the restaurant vowed, "fall-of-the-bone tender." The crispy five-spice duck skin was even better.

The same couldn't be said of the cocktails featured during happy hour, which were either too sweet (guava margarita) or poorly conceived and executed (cranberry mojito). Stick to a drink that the bartender can pour from a bottle or tap.

Palisade, 2601 Marina Place, in Magnolia, offers happy hour daily from 3 to 6 p.m., plus 9-11 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 9 p.m.-midnight Fridays and Saturdays and 9-10 p.m. Sundays, when all bar food is half price ($4.50 to $8) and draft beers, selected wines and cocktails are $4 (206-285-1000 or www.palisaderestaurant.com).

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