April 2015

The Winners of our 2015 Best Restaurants Readers' Choice Poll

The Winners of our 2015 Best Restaurants Readers’ Choice Poll

We asked. You voted. Here are your favorites

In our April 2015 issue, our food and dining editor Allison Scheff presented her picks for the 10 Best New Restaurants in town. But we always know our readers have a thing or two to say, too. Behold, your selections in our annual Best Restaurants Readers’ poll. Best Neighborhood RestaurantBrimmer & HeeltapBallardbrimmerandheeltap.com Best Eastside RestaurantCafé…

9 New Restaurant Trends We Love

9 New Restaurant Trends We Love

From growler-filling stations galore to house-churned butter, these are the trends on our radar

1. Fishy Fish Less flake, more flavor. Little silver fish—anchovies, smelt, sardines—and oilier fish, such as mackerel and herring, are all over menus these days. It’s a groundswell, with chefs seeking sustainable seafood. At West Seattle’s Mashiko (sushiwhore.com), the entire menu is built on sustainably sourced seafood, but the saba (mackerel) is a standout: It’s…

The 10 Best New Restaurants In and Around Seattle

The 10 Best New Restaurants In and Around Seattle

Our list of 10 knockout restaurants you absolutely cannot miss starts right here

Poor us. We spent the year eating delicious things at new restaurants, and there were more than a few. We encountered a wealth of barbecue, green juices and kale, mammoth sandwiches, wood smoke and Middle Eastern spices. And now, more than ever, we found that the buzziest restaurants do double duty as some of the…

Chophouse Row to Debut with Eats Aplenty

Chophouse Row to Debut with Eats Aplenty

Capitol Hill’s second gourmet food market delivers platefuls of new tastes

With Chophouse Row’s debut (opening May 1 on 11th Avenue between Pike and Union streets), Capitol Hill will be home to two destination food halls; the first, of course, being the west end’s marvelous Melrose Market (at Melrose and Pine streets). At Chophouse, we will find fine viennoiseries (Viennese-style pastries) from Amandine, the long-awaited bakeshop…

New Book Traces the Evolution of Pot Legalization in Washington and Colorado

New Book Traces the Evolution of Pot Legalization in Washington and Colorado

A local writer explores the unchartered world of legal weed

Back in 2012, environmental journalist Bruce Barcott was considering voting no on Initiative 502, due to a general distaste for cannabis culture and a vague fear that legalizing marijuana might make it too available to his kids. But after a bit of browbeating by a pro-legalization friend, the author (The Last Flight of the Scarlet…

A New Less-Than-Expected Gastrointestinal Treatment

A New Less-Than-Expected Gastrointestinal Treatment

A revolutionary new gastrointestinal treatment takes guts

In 2009, a Seattle-area property manager, Michael (who asked that we not use his last name), developed a minor case of diverticulitis, a not uncommon digestive disease. His doctor prescribed strong antibiotics, but he didn’t get better. Instead, Michael came down with another gut infection, caused by a type of bacteria called Clostridium difficile, or…

A New, Unexpected Gastrointestinal Treatment

A New, Unexpected Gastrointestinal Treatment

A revolutionary new gastrointestinal treatment takes guts

In 2009, a Seattle-area property manager, Michael (who asked that we not use his last name), developed a minor case of diverticulitis, a not uncommon digestive disease. His doctor prescribed strong antibiotics, but he didn’t get better. Instead, Michael came down with another gut infection, caused by a type of bacteria called Clostridium difficile, or…

Bamboo Gets a Bad Rap, but it Shouldn't

Bamboo Gets a Bad Rap, but it Shouldn’t

A local nursery owner enjoys being bamboozled

Bamboo gets a bad rap. And Seattle native Stan Andreasen, aka “Stan the Bamboo Man,” understands why. “It’s a terrible plant—I mean you have to really, really watch it,” he warns. Which means he must be hypervigilant at his Greenwood abode, home to his small bamboo nursery, Beauty and the Bamboo. Previously a massage therapist,…

6 Spring Looks to Wear Now

6 Spring Looks to Wear Now

Embrace the zigs and zags, the floral and the animal. It's time to go wild with pattern

More is more when it comes to dressing this spring: geometric patterns, animal prints and bold flora. Layer it on and don’t be afraid to match it—or clash it. 1. Crewneck printed sweater, $250, with coordinating Kerrington satchel, $295, Tory Burch (Bellevue, The Bravern; 425.454.2255; thebravern.com). Tiger Lily pencil skirt in lemon, $250, from J.Crew…

Drink Up! The Hottest Local Beers, Wine & Spirits

Drink Up! The Hottest Local Beers, Wine & Spirits

Our experts pick the best new drinks and what to nosh on while you imbibe

Seattle magazine’s trio of beverage experts—cocktail columnist A.J. Rathbun, wine writer Paul Zitarelli and beer guru Kendall Jones—cherry-pick the hottest new locally made spirits, wines and beers, along with perfectly paired bites. Best New Brews What’s trending: super-hopped session alesBeer lovers around the Pacific Northwest continue to crave India pale ale (IPA) above all other…

Road Trip to Goldendale Observatory for Total Lunar Eclipse

Road Trip to Goldendale Observatory for Total Lunar Eclipse

Head south to get starry-eyed at the cosmos

Where: Goldendale, Washington, in Klickitat County. WHY: To bask in the vastness of the universe at the Goldendale Observatory (1602 Observatory Drive, Goldendale; 509.773.3141; free admission). WHAT: One of 20 global “dark sky parks” (public land that remains largely unaffected by light pollution and has an exceptional number of starry skies), perched on a hilltop…

Rhody Fever at the Arboretum

Rhody Fever at the Arboretum

The Washington Park Arboretum beckons with big blooms

It’s one of Seattle’s most sparkling gems—which many of us forget about unless we’re looking for cool places to take out-of-towners. But the Washington Park Arboretum offers an oasis of calm amid our high-tech, crane-laden, traffic-choked city, and this time of year serves as a spectacular display of blooming rhododendrons, azaleas and other spring stunners. For…