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It’s a testament to the outrageous pace of summer in Seattle that I’m posting this almost a week into September. But before we turn in our patios and summery beverages for seven straight months of grey, we have this glorious month: the shoulder season between tomatoes and squash, the return to school (and parental freedom), my birthday (go Virgos) and these awesome food and drink events:

Get your Feast on.
Seattle has its fair share of food festivals—Seattle mag even sponsors a pretty great one in February. But Feast  (Sept. 13-16 in Portland) is the event for regional food nerds, with 40+ events ranging from intimate dinners to epic themed events featuring dozens of chefs. Yours truly will be judging Thursday night’s inaugural 80s vs. 90s event—come say hi.

Learn something about Taiwanese food.
Last month, talented local chef Tiffany Ran (White Swan, Kamonegi, Brothers & Co.) launched BaBaLio, or BB6, her pop-up dedicated to the reimagined food of her Taiwanese upbringing. Ran grew up in LA and has found the Taiwanese food scene here… lacking, to say the least. Her next pop-up, featuring a six-course meal or a la carte dishes, will take place Sept. 9. Tickets for the tasting menu are $75 and can be found here.

Splurge on something special.
Copine in Ballard is a truly delightful restaurant by any measure. And chef/owner Shaun McCrain has been inviting his famous chef pals, all former colleagues of Per Se in New York, to come to Seattle and cook with him. The next event will feature chef Tim Hollingsworth of Otium on Sept. 29; after that Matt Louis in November and Paul Roberts in January. The dinners are a collaborative tasting menu—find tickets through the website.

Eat an $18 hot dog.
Or maybe… skip the hot dog (which is, incidentally, a Seattle dog topped with caviar) and just drink in style at Deep Dive, Renee Erickson’s jaw-droppingly beautiful brand new bar below the Amazon Spheres. The bar is open to the public, unlike her other businesses at the Spheres, but only has 30 seats so, you know, expect a crowd. 

Indulge all your senses.
This sounds like it walks the fine line between gimmick and innovative: a monochromatic plant-based dinner that’s part of the Seattle Design Festival. It involves a Dutch chef, some mirrors and blindfolds and chemistry equipment, and is aimed to play into the diner’s senses of smell, sound, sight and taste. Tickets are $100—it’s sure to be the most Instagrammable event of the month. (Watch the video preview here.)