A couple of weeks ago, well-known Seattle p.r. maven Lori Randall (Randall Public Relations) and I met up for some female networking at Troiani Ristorante Italiano.

I hadn’t been there in years; located in  Seattle’s Financial District, at the corner of Third Avenue and Marion Street, it’s one of those places that lies just a little outside my normal flight path.

It’s frequented by stockbrokers and lawyers, as attested to by one of Lori’s recent press releases which says, “For those working on East Coast time, Troiani continues to offer its Broker’s Happy Hour from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. along with its West Coast Happy Hour from 3 p.m. to close.”

My loss for passing this by until now, for Troiani pumps out plentiful plates at plenty reasonable prices.

As we bellied up to the bar, we sampled through the following four plates, moving from upper left to right. Porchetta Sliders (three for $4.50) consisted of shaved, roasted pork; sweet-and-sour peppers; and garlic aïoli. Pancetta-Wrapped Prawns ($3.00 each/four for $10) were giant charcoal-grilled, pancetta-wrapped prawns with golden-raisin/scallion pesto sauce. Caprese Skewers (two for $2) were simply bocconcini (miniature mozzarella balls) interlaced with grape tomatoes and served over a bed of lightly dressed arugula and basil. Calamari Strangolanti ($7) was a portion large enough for an entrée–the tender calamari circles and tentacles sauced with olives, tomato, capers, garlic, chili, lemon and served with grilled ciabatta.

Wines by the glass are reasonably priced and thoughtfully chosen; pours are generous, which makes Troiani Ristorante Italiano an excellent choice for a sip and an app.