Food & Drink
Where to Get the Best Clam Chowder in Seattle
Clam chowder, particularly outside its native New England, can be easily overlooked—too thick, too chewy, too frequently relegated to a bread bowl. But done right, it is the stuff of legend. At Duke’s Chowder House, it’s precisely that—a family recipe (using a bacon roux and unique combination of herbs) on which a local empire with…
Vegetable Dishes are the Stars at Many Seattle Restaurants
Once relegated to side-dish status, plant-based foods are now unapologetically the main show
As a restaurant critic, I hope my reviews don’t sound like broken records—that I’m not recommending the same dishes at different restaurants. But, over the past year, I can’t remember eating a meal where I wasn’t totally impressed with the veggies. In fact, the best dishes—the most inventive, boldest and yummiest—have been veggie-based, with grains…
Washington Wines to Drink this Summer
Paul Zitarelli recommends the best bottles for summer
“The most disagreeable time I have experienced.” That’s how William Clark (of the Lewis and Clark expedition) described his first winter in the Pacific Northwest. Many of us who are still shaking off memories of the rainiest winter on record know exactly how he felt. This, more than any summer in recent memory, is going…
Look for Toi Borthwick’s Thai Grilling Sauces at Williams-Sonoma
This former Belltown restaurant's sauces are all bottled up
In its prime in 2001, Toi, a Thai restaurant in Belltown, garnered accolades for its authentic curry sauces (including a 2002 story on braised short ribs in Bon Appétit). On weekends, the restaurant employed a bouncer, who managed throngs of people waiting in line for chef Toi Borthwick’s red, green and panang curries. Borthwick, who…
Whole Foods to Open 365 Concept Store in Bellevue
Whole Foods' new concept offers convenience and lower prices for on-the-go shoppers
These days, it requires more—or perhaps less—to get a person to grocery shop. Whole Foods is another of the grocery chains aiming to compete with the success of millennial-minded markets like Trader Joe’s or Aldi. To do so, the company is introducing its organic, health food grocery shopping experience in a new way. Coming to…
Saltstone Ceramics to Offer Kids’ Clay Camps
Seattle pottery studio passes the art to the next generation
After a 15-year hiatus, Sarah Steininger was ready to return to her passion. Last July, the Seattle-based ceramicist started her own studio, Saltstone Ceramics, which she says has been “the best decision [she has] ever made.” Aside from being an artist, Steininger is a teacher. She teaches clay classes that focus on beginner techniques in…
Power Hour: How to Take Advantage of Your Lunch Break
Make a lunch date with these fun activities
Put down your fork and step away from that sad desk salad. According to a study by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, more than 60 percent of us are dining “al desko” on a regular basis. Seattleites, we are here to tell you there’s a better way. Grab that container of last night’s leftovers…
Places in Seattle with Kid-Friendly Happy Hours
At these spots, both you and the kids win during that predinner hour
It’s a joke among parents that the day’s happiest hour is that brief window of solitude—preferably with a glass of wine and a favorite series from Netflix—between when the kids go to bed and adult heads hit the pillow. And while that may be the norm, parents also need to have a social opportunity that…
Recipe for Rhubarb Shrub
Whip up this delicious drink now
Rhubarb Shrub 10 ounces fresh, in-season rhubarb, sliced and diced 3.5 ounces red wine vinegar 3.5 ounces apple cider vinegar 1 ounce (2:1 sugar to water) simple syrup Let all ingredients marry for 24 hours, then strain and store in the fridge. Read the full article on Naka’s refreshing twist on the classic Gin &…
Refreshing Gin & Tonic Hits Capitol Hill
Naka’s new slant on the hot-weather classic
The Cocktail: GiNakaTonic #3 A truly legendary combo, the gin and tonic traces its roots to the 1700s when the Brits were colonizing India, where malaria was a problem. Gin, sugar, water and lime made the curative quinine more palatable. Since then, the G&T has become a spring and summer standard throughout the world. Beyond…
Food We Love: Pabellon Arepa at Arepa Venezuelan Kitchen
A flavorful, swoon-worthy sandwich with Venezuelan flair
First, it was Paseo’s. Then, Un Bien’s. Now, a third and totally original Caribbean sandwich has stolen my heart: the pabellon arepa ($6.85) at Arepa Venezuelan Kitchen, a casual Venezuelan café. Arepas—soft, pita-like sandwiches—are handmade from white corn flour, then grilled or deep-fried and stuffed with, in the case of the pabellon, black beans, sweet…
Seafood Dishes We Love
We could try to name our city’s best seafood restaurant.
We could try to name our city’s best seafood restaurant. But it’s an almost impossible task with so many solid seafood dishes served by so many restaurants in our city. These dishes are stand outs. Catch them when they’re in season. Fish sandwichesPan-fried cornmeal-crusted catfishMatt’s in the Market> Shredded lettuce and the most addictive sambal…
Our Favorite Sushi Spots
Where to score the best sushi in town
With the opening of a few buzzed-about sushi restaurants in the past six months on top of our already stellar lineup, Seattle’s foodies are spending a lot of time talking about raw fish. And why not? We’re positioned ideally to enjoy imports such as tuna and mackerel, as well as locally fished salmon, spot prawns,…
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