We’ve been watching the price of Cascadia’s happy hour hamburgers climb steadily. They were the best bargain at a buck each, but then doubled to two and are now, what, like ten bucks each? (Sadness obscures sanity.)

Walk the other way from Pike Place Market, and if you can deal with a chain restaurant, you’ll find bigger burgers at McCormick and Schmick’s for just under two bucks each. And they come with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and ketchup. (Cascadia charges for at least one of those fixin’s.) Oh—and a pickle and fries. This burger is truly a bargain!

There’s more on the menu to make you happy. We recently had quesadillas and fried clams for just a few dollars each. Not bad, but not as good as the burger. In fact, the only thing that looked like a better possibility was a massive, deep-fried fish collar that we haven’t seen on the menu since who-knows-when.

True.…there’s a one drink minimum, but you’ll need something to wash it all down, anyway. We saw some people drinking iced tea, unashamedly asking for free refills. Get to McCormick and Schmick's early if you want a table, as seats fill fast. Or you can hang out at the bar. And when the bill comes, you can smile as you see the dinner crowd coming in for their full-priced meals.