October 2012

Best Seasonal Beers for Fall

Best Seasonal Beers for Fall

Seattle beer expert Kendall Jones offers a few of his fave, locally-brewed fall beers.

Autumn is a season of unmistakable change, as the days grow shorter and the sun moves south. It’s time to set aside the refreshing, playful beers of summer and explore more contemplative beers with greater character and substance. Our local brewers provide plenty of options to help you prepare for the longer nights and colder…

Washington Wine's New Guard

Washington Wine’s New Guard

Shannon Borg visits a few of the most innovative members of the new guard in Washington vineyards.

The Washington wine story is just beginning to be told. After 30 years of experimentation and steady growth, the last decade has brought growth that has been nothing short of exponential. Wineries now number more than 740, up from 101 in 1997. But where do all those wineries get their grapes? In past months, we’ve…

Vessel: Class Without Pretension

Vessel: Class Without Pretension

The reopening of beloved bar Vessel downtown makes this writer so happy he could sing.

O happy day (sing it with me, Seattle cocktail lovers), O happy day, when Vessel came back.…It’s rare that the opening of a bar inspires spontaneous singing, but the reopened Vessel, now on the corner of Seventh and Olive, is causing the cocktail choir to come out. Elegantly WelcomingLike the original, which closed in December…

Grinders Sauball Sandwich is a Submarine Dream

Grinders Sauball Sandwich is a Submarine Dream

This Shoreline-made beauty packs over a pound of comfort.

We love Seattle, but the East Coast has its advantages, such as hearty grinder sandwiches, long as a baseball mitt and wider than the average mouth. What’s that? You can get them here? Owner Mitch Gilbert doesn’t even make you choose between favorite fillings, offering his GRINDERS HOT SANDS’ SAUBALL GRINDER, stuffed with both hefty…

Make Soup from Sweet Kabocha Squash

Make Soup from Sweet Kabocha Squash

Ward off the fall chill with Lorna Yee’s kabocha squash soup

What it is: Also commonly known as Japanese pumpkin, kabocha squash average about 2–3 pounds in weight. Kabocha have an edible, dark green rind and sweet, pale orange flesh that tastes sweet and has a dense, almost sweet-potato-like texture. How I discovered it: I grew up eating kabocha squash in homey, long-simmered Asian stews. The…

Fermented Produce from Firefly Kitchens

Fermented Produce from Firefly Kitchens

Add zing to dishes with fresh kimchi from

Ballard-based business partners Julie O’Brien and Richard Climenhage have come up with a healthy new way to spice up meals: fermented produce. They started Firefly Kitchens (fireflykitchens.com) two and half years ago to introduce the nourishing benefits of fermented produce to the masses. The pair uses local organic vegetables to create meal toppers, which range…

Four Tasty Ginger Treats

Four Tasty Ginger Treats

Peppery yet citrusy, fresh ginger root is calling to us from all parts of the menu.

ARABICA LOUNGEOwner Jojo Corväiá’s original, gluten-free GINGER CAKE WITH BLACK PEPPER LIME GLAZE is something to savor: The warm, aromatic cake is made with 8 ounces of fresh ginger, while the house-blend Dolce Chai, black peppercorn, cardamom and lime in the glaze awaken your taste buds. $5. Capitol Hill, 1550 E Olive Way; 206.347.6093; arabicalounge.com…

Toasty Tush: Heated Long Underwear

Toasty Tush: Heated Long Underwear

Challenge the chill with your own built-in heater.

Challenge the chill with your own built-in heater, courtesy of West Seattle–based Toast’s heated long underwear tops and pants. Created by outdoor sports enthusiast Julia Aiken and her hubby, Andy, the moisture-wicking Polartec garments warm up frosty types with hidden air-activated heat packets in core areas, including the lower back, neck and waistband. $75–$95 at…

Kippy Ding Ding: Heels on Wheels

Kippy Ding Ding: Heels on Wheels

Two local fashionistas have transformed an old trailer into a roving shopping destination.

We’ve grown accustomed to meals on wheels, but now Amanda Linton and Allison Norris are transporting the concept to fashion for their new mobile vintage boutique, The Kippy Ding Ding. The duo first brainstormed up the idea after meeting last year at a coffee shop. Linton, a seasoned wardrobe stylist, had spotted similar boutiques-on-the-go in…

Tina Witherspoon Recyles with Style

Tina Witherspoon Recyles with Style

The local designer is evolving to a new form of fashion rehab.

Tina Witherspoon didn’t intend to become a clothing designer; she just wanted to organize her closet. Looking for a creative outlet back in 2006 (she had dabbled in acting, costume design and rocking out in bands), Witherspoon pulled her sewing machine out of mothballs and started fixing garments that didn’t fit right. “I was hooked,…

Women's Work on Display at Photo Center Northwest

Women’s Work on Display at Photo Center Northwest

The First Hill gallery showcases women photographers from Iran, India and Afghanistan.

Many of us experienced a thrill when the first Mars photos from the Curiosity rover began rolling in last summer. Something about finally seeing that arid ground up close and panoramic brought all our previous pondering about the red planet into extreme focus. A similar shift in perspective may occur with Photo Center Northwest’s new…

Wade Madsen's Local Legacy

Wade Madsen’s Local Legacy

The Seattle choreographer brings a rich dance history to the local Men in Dance Festival.

All the city’s a stage for local choreographer Wade Madsen, who sees dance in commonplace movement everywhere—from the near collision of pedestrians in a crosswalk to the careful waltz of coffee-bearing baristas. His conversational style evokes choreography, too, as his hands swoop, glide and occasionally smack into objects in their quest to express. Such ordinary…