Last night, Robert and I stopped by Quinn’s, a new pub that opened up a few blocks from our apartment (new restaurants are popping up all around us it seems - I can barely keep track anymore!) My dad, who never cooks but enjoys watching cooking shows and reading food blogs, alerted me to this place. Quinn’s has only been open for business since Thursday night so they are still in their “soft opening” phase. This means that they haven’t actually announced a grand opening yet and instead are letting customers slowly discover the place and trickle in, using this as a time to work out any kinks and get everything organized before the official opening.

Well, the slow trickle idea might not really be working out so well. The place was pretty packed when we arrived. I guess everyone reads the same food blogs as my dad and I do. Still, we were able to snag a table upstairs (Quinn’s has two levels, a lower level with seating and a long bar, and an upstairs with additional seating.) It looks really nice inside, with lots of dark wood and dim lighting and warm hued walls. The 2-story windows are decorated on top with a striking graphic checkerboard of clear and textured glass. Somehow, Quinn’s manages to be open and airy yet cozy at the same time. It seems slightly upscale at first glance, but everyone in the place was dressed very casually. The closely packed tables and seat yourself casualness keep it from being at all snooty.

Prices are at Quinn’s very moderate. Snacks run between $3 and $5 and plates are between $6 and $19 with most coming in somewhere around $11 to $13. Between Smith and now Quinn’s, there seems to be some sort of “re-meatification of Capitol Hill” campaign going on. Duck rillettes, rabbit pate, marrow and oxtails all make an appearance on the menu. There is even an option for “braised farm animal of the week” (as if it won some sort of prize or something. “You, lucky goat, have been selected as this week’s braised animal. Congratulations!”) There are also your standard pub options, like burger and fries and fish & chips, and some delicious sounding sides such as curried lentils and roasted cauliflower with golden raisins. I could easily make a whole meal out of Quinn’s side dishes.

The beer list boasts a wide variety of primarily imported European beers. I tried the Abbey Leffe, a Belgian beer that Robert remembers enjoying when he was vacationing in Paris. It was very floral and spicy, like a really good wine. For my meal, well, I just had to order the fish and chips. I wanted to go with something more creative, but fish and chips is just such good pub food that I couldn’t help myself. Robert was more adventurous; he ordered the wild boar sloppy joe with fried sage leaves.

At one point during the evening, we were presented with a small plate of sliders and another of cheesy gougere (savory choux pastry with cheese.) We hadn’t ordered them but figured it was some sort promotional gift. We later learned, after we had gobbled them down, that they had simply gone to the wrong table. Oops! Our karma remains intact, though, because Robert had shared them with the people sitting at the table next to us (Robert loves sharing food.) In fact, in very anti-Seattle fashion, we ended up chit-chatting with our table neighbors for quite a while as we were waiting for our checks. That’s got to say something good about Quinn’s, right? If it can get strangers in Seattle to actually talk to one another? Hey, and we weren’t even sitting at the now-ubiquitous communal table (yes, Quinn’s has one too.)

Quinn’s is being referred to as a “gastropub” by the media. Gastropub is a British term for a place that specializes in food that is slightly more upscale than the average pub grub. By that definition, most of the pubs in my neighborhood probably qualify as gastropubs so, for me, Quinn’s just seems like a regular neighborhood pub. It is comfortable, casual, friendly and a great place to settle in for a beer and some snacks. This will be a perfect spot for Robert and I to engage in one of our favorite weekend activities: spending the afternoon at the pub reading our books and savoring a couple of pints.