The Tin Room — Restaurant in Burien

I've been into martinis for quite some time now. But if I think about it, I've only had martinis at famous bars a handful of times — maybe because it's quite an expensive hobby. The money I'd spend on two martinis at a bar would go much further if I made them myself at home.

Still, having a cocktail made by a proper bartender at a reputable bar is a whole different story. Today, I took the day off from work, and after an evening workout, I decided to stop by a local bar that's said to have a good reputation. The bar, called Tin Room, was tended by a female bartender who welcomed me as I took a seat. When I ordered a martini with Tanqueray as the base, she poured the ingredients into a shaker and began shaking it vigorously.

Wait — that's not how it's supposed to be.

A shaken martini tends to strip away the beautiful citrus notes that Tanqueray gin naturally carries. So I asked her to make the exact same martini again — this time stirred, not shaken. She gave me a curious look but proceeded to make the drink as requested. That’s when we started talking about martinis. It became clear to me once again that being a bartender is really a job about connecting with people. When I explained why I preferred a 3:1 ratio of gin to vermouth, she suggested that with good vermouth, a 2:1 ratio could work well too — something I should try next time.

The bar was playing old rock — Queen, Guns N' Roses — the kind of music that brought back memories of my younger days. For a moment, I felt like I was reconnecting with those times. I ordered a shot of Tanqueray Ten, but... wow, the price was brutal. Two martinis and one shot set me back nearly $50. No wonder I usually make drinks at home — it's definitely the more cost-effective option.

Even so, I learned something new from talking with the bartender. Honestly, I can't even remember the last time I had a martini made by someone else. It made me think — this is life in America. But there was something special about sipping a martini at a neighborhood bar, chatting with the bartender. I left thinking that every now and then, I'd probably come back — even if only to have another conversation with her.

Next time, I will probably enjoy their cocktail with...

TLDR: An attempt to have dinner was quashed by unacceptably poor service.

We went in at a little after 6 PM on a Friday. The sign still said "closed". First microaggression: We looked around to make sure it wasn't in a pre-seating phase and the woman behind the bar said, "sit wherever you like," she was clearly irritated that we didn't just sit down. We went into the back diagonally behind the wait station - I attempted to make eye contact with the three women there to convey that we were being seated. Second microaggression: one of them looked up and quickly turned away with a, "ugh, tourists," expression. We sat at the two-seater against the wall and waited. As we waited, one of the three servers passing by us and (third microaggression) assiduously ignoring me as I looked at her . After 10 minutes of no greeting, no water, and no menus a party of three gray-haired women came in and sat directly behind me at the next table - I want to be clear that we were at table 1, the incoming party was at table 2, and a family sat at table 3; there was no space between us. Within 2 minutes one of the servers came by with a bar towel and menus and went to the three women. My wife stood up and said, "Hey we were here first and have been waiting." The server replied with a huff, "I have to wipe down their table." She had three menus in hand, for them. I stood up and proceeded to leave with my wife stating, "it's obvious you don't want our business." Let me clarify that the three women who sat after us were all white and we are a mixed-race couple. I point out that they had gray hair to indicate that they were older and we don't appear to be at first glance. As we left the three servers congregated back at the serving station and talked smack about us and giggled as we went out the door. I'm not going to assess their motivation but driving customers away through hostile neglect is both bad for business and implies maleficence. If you don't like our kind, post a sign and none of us...

I have gone to the Tin Room many times now well I guess I didn't learn my lesson.... I went today on 7/19/16 this my last time and my breaking point. I will not go into all the details I am really keeping this brief but this is the truth and it is worst then what I am posting. We got ignored full on by the bartender said one thing "sit anywhere" well we sat by the window in full view as we sat in the bar area as people came in behind us friends of the bartender I guess...as she severed them along with the people at the bar and the staff no one asked anything we sat with nothing at all not even a single acknowledged moment we were there. I have been there many times the service is the worst!! I won't even go into a time we had a check tossed at us for sitting outside once...,If you go there get a seat at the bar or forget getting anything at all...this is the 5th time I have been treated poorly there so it's not like I didn't give them a chance! I really don't post reviews but I had no choice since I can't speak to a manger there either. I am no stranger to customer service I did it for 20 years there will never be a good reason for this kind dirty customer service I have received...