• HOURS: 5-7pm daily
• PRICES: $3 food and drink specials

Like the creamy interior of those private planes that bailout-funded CEOs shuttle around in, the decor at Fonté Cafe and Wine Bar speaks to both luxury and utility. There is a lot of shimmery metal, and it may be the cleanest restaurant in Seattle, but it’s also stylish—I’m in love with the chocolate-brown Fritz Hansen chairs—and even whimsical (note the bright paintings of Buddhist Monks). Still there’s no denying the down-to-business-ness—even at happy hour, it’s the kind of place where whipping out your iPhone and saying “I’ll get you that by COB tomorrow” needn’t fill a person with self-loathing.

Hey, you’re here to work.

But as long as you’re here, why not order up an adorable little sandwich and a glass of Unibroue Ephemere White Ale, truly one of the world’s best beers and just $3 during happy hour? The coriander-laced, heady brew is an excellent washdown for a BLT on gruyere gougere or the juicy lamb sliders—you get two of the latter for $3.

In fact, all of the food and drink specials at Fonté are $3 during the evening happy hour (there’s a breakfast HH in the morning). I’ve never eaten anything here that changed my life, but I’ve had a lot of fun bites for very little money, and you can even go healthy with the romaine spears (a twist on Caesar salad) or the roasted root vegetable bruschetta. The HH red and white wines change daily, but you’re in good hands with GM/sommelier Tysan Dutta.

Not so great thing about Fonté: The table service is friendly but trends toward negligent—you may find yourself walking up to the counter just to get some attention. And don’t expect anyone to anticipate your food or drink needs; you’ll have to be explicit. Generally speaking, the service at Fonté is overly casual for such a classy place. I don’t get it. But hey, let’s not end on a bad note. Let’s think instead about Ephemere, the best thing to come out of Quebec since all those “Don’t” photos in Vice Magazine’s “Dos and Don’ts.”
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Learn more about Fonté by day here.

Have we found your favorite happy hour? Read all the HHs of the week here.