With its tranquil room, excellent service, and elegant Pacific Northwest/Vietnamese cuisine, Monsoon has been quietly delicious on Capitol Hillโ€™s 19th Avenue East since 1999. It can be spendy, but look: Happy hour to the rescue! Every damn day from 3 to 5 p.m., and again from 9 p.m. to close (call ahead), a menu of not-too-small platesโ€”including papaya salad with grilled prawns, flank steak lร  lแป‘t, and kabocha squash dumplingsโ€”go for $5 to $7 each, with wine and cocktail specials to match. Also note: Sister-restaurants Monsoon East and Ba Bar have great happy hours, too. (Monsoon, 615 19th Ave Eโ€จ, 325-2111, 3โ€“5 pm and 9 pmโ€“close)