Smith & Kings has a cool, unpretentious atmosphere. The decor in the darkly lit room at the corner of Smith and King streets is minimal. The space is filled with 10 tall black tables laid out across a cold concrete floor, and about a dozen more black stools line the bar. Besides the six TVs — three behind the bar and three on the opposite wall — the only focal points are the bar and the huge blackboard behind it that lists some of the libations and dishes. Speaking of reading, a light would be helpful when perusing the restaurant’s menu. Luckily, most people carry cellphones, which provide help in reading the small print. 

The stark room, with its gourmet menu, lends a feeling of seriousness to its food and drinks. There are no gimmicky frills here, which isn’t a bad thing. 

The experience 

We couldn’t find any street parking on a Tuesday night, so we parked in the Marin Tower, 60 N. Nimitz Highway, with its entrance off of Smith Street. (Parking rates, 5 p.m. to midnight Monday to Friday, are 50 cents per half-hour with a $3 maximum.) The walk to the bar is close since it’s on the same block. 

We arrived around 6 p.m., and the bar was a little less than half full with several men sitting at the bar watching baseball, and a couple of after-work groups and others at the tables. 

There was only one waitress on hand, so the service was a little slow, but it picked up as people left. By 7 p.m., although there were still people at the bar, we were the only ones sitting at a table, and our waitress, with most of the crowd gone, was more relaxed and chatted with us about our food and drinks. 

About 10 minutes later a new wave of people started coming in, and soon more than half of the tables were taken again. Luckily, a couple of other waitresses had started their shifts by then. 

The food 

There are no happy hour food deals, but the bar does have daily specials. We were there on Taco Tuesdays, so I had to try a taco. The $4 fish taco had one piece of deep-fried basa that didn’t fill the tortilla, but the two bites were very tasty. 

We tried ordering the Steak Frites ($17) but were told they were out of steak, so we opted for the Fish & Chips ($14), which came with two nice-size pieces of basa and fries that were cooked twice, according to our server. The basa was perfectly cooked and delicious, but I would have preferred our fries being cooked only once. They seemed overdone. 

We also ordered the Foie Gras Burger ($14) because our server said it was popular. The burger was big and juicy, but, unfortunately, we added cheese to our order and lost the taste of the foie gras. It also came with the twice-cooked fries. Next time, we’ll try the Charcuterie or Fromage platter ($12 each) and the fresh Washington State clams ($12). 

There are also a variety of flatbreads ($8-$11), salads ($9-$10) and poutine ($7-$12) that would be easy to share. 

The drinks 

There are six cocktails available with happy hour prices. I tried the Lychee Refresher ($5) and Guava Mint Collins ($7). I preferred the Lychee Refresher, which played to my sweet tooth and fondness for lychee. If I make it back to Smith & Kings, I want to go with someone who loves Bloody Marys because the Bacon Bloody Mary ($12) sounds interesting with its Sriracha and garnish of candied bacon. 

The verdict 

There are many dishes I want to try at Smith & Kings, but none has happy hour prices, so this isn’t the first place I would think of going to for happy hour. If you’re already in town looking for a mellow place to hang out, Smith & Kings is pretty cool. The beers start at $4, and there are glasses of wine that start at $7.75, so the drink prices aren’t unreasonable. It would be a good destination if you’re going solo or with a group.