Restaurant

Ballard's Tigertail Bar & Restaurant sits on the same obscure, partially residential strip of Northwest 65th Street that's home to the Tin Hat and Molly Maguire's, and it felt like home from the minute I walked in the door. It may be appointed in Asian swank -- teakwood barstools, purple curtains, a bamboo-finish bar top, soft golden lighting -- but it's a Seattleite through and through. Old-school punk, surf and garage plays on the PA, but at a volume that permits conversation. The crowd is nouveau Ballard rockabilly mixed with crusty old-timers. And the first thing your eyes alight on as you walk through the door -- indeed, the focal point of the entire joint -- is a glass-doored refrigerator filled with exotic beers.

You can get your $2 PBRs and $4 local draughts at Tigertail, but I strongly recommend that you first investigate the possibilities that fridge has to offer. Sure, you could get a Singha (the Budweiser of Bangkok), a Kirin or a Tsing Tao, or you could venture into less familiar territory by sampling the Signature Rogue Ales brewed by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. Or you could order up a Hitachino Nest Beer from Kiuchi Brewery, each one a limited-run work of art.

The beers pair neatly with the kitchen's selection of small plates, created by chef Stacie Pike. So far, I've tried the delicata squash potstickers, the green-tea-and-citrus chicken satay with sticky rice, and the braised beef short rib potsickers, and everything was thoroughly delectable. On future visits, I hope to try the Chinese braised pork belly, the green salad with blood oranges, the sake-steamed Manila clams and the "sweet, spicy and salty mixed nuts."