August 2010
Spotlight: Kate Whoriskey
Intiman's new artistic director and her theatrical family settles into Seattle
In the lobby of the empty Intiman Theatre, an adorable child is in hot pursuit of a ball imprinted with Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Le Petit Prince. It’s an apt plaything for Rory, age 2, who, only a few days before, moved to Seattle from New York City, after a stint in Paris. While Rory is…
Tasting Through Woodinville
An insider’s guide to this booming—and ever-expanding—close-to-home wine region
Although vineyards are scarce, Woodinville is the closest piece of “wine country” we have, long anchored by Chateau Ste. Michelle, DeLille and a few others. But in just the past five years, the number of wineries and tasting rooms in this little town just 30 minutes from downtown Seattle has grown from a dozen or…
Local Authority: Mant Versus Nature
A colony of Seattle artists builds a life-size ant farm for Burning Man
Mant Versus Nature How much difference can one “mant” make? A group of Seattle artists called the Sober Free Society aims to find out at Burning Man (8/30–9/6), the annual festival held on an ancient desert lakebed in Black Rock City, Nevada, where hundreds of Seattleites flock each summer to construct and experience art installations. Burning…
Seattle’s 48 Best Sandwiches
All hail the sandwich!
Is there anything better than a BLT on toast? A Reuben on rye? A grilled cheese on a rainy day? Sandwiches are the Barcaloungers of comfort food—and Seattle has some spectacular specimens. So sit back, relax and salivate at the prospect of enjoying one—or all—of the 48 sandwiches we’re delivering this month. Chips not included….
Bisato is Affordable Brilliance
It seemed out of character when, in January, chef Scott Carsberg closed his revered fine-dining dest
It seemed out of character when, in January, chef Scott Carsberg closed his revered fine-dining destination, Lampreia, after 18 years. Even more of a shocker: He reopened the same corner space just a month later, serving his version of an Italian cicchetti-style (small-plates) menu. Gone (and, if you ask me, not missed) are the hushed…
Restaurant Review: El Pilón
“Homespun” may have become a ubiquitous term, but at Marta Vega’s 5-month-old restaurant, El Pilón,
With the help of son Luis, Marta Vega realized her dream of cooking the Puerto Rican food her neighbors and family have loved for years. In a snug space between Columbia City and Hillman City—with room for just six red vinyl booths—families share Vega’s specialty, mofongo, a soulful, comforting mash of plantains and slow-cooked pork…
Elliott’s Oyster House Pleasantly Surprises
Does Seattle’s premier tourist-friendly seafood restaurant deserve a better reputation?
Every August, our guest room fills up with friends from out of state betting on seeing the Seattle I swear exists: the one that doesn’t require an umbrella. Planning their itinerary, they ask the inevitable: “Where should we go for the best seafood?” And…hmm. For the seafood-focused Best Restaurants issue of Seattle magazine in April,…
Seattle’s 48 Best Sandwiches: The Bucket List
Before you kick it, you simply have to try The 5 Best Sandwiches in Seattle at least once...or twice
Porchetta SalumiDowntownThere is no better place to praise the lard than at Salumi, Seattle’s own temple of pork, where the Batali family prepares overstuffed sandwiches for the patrons snaking out the door of their charcuterie/restaurant. The Porchetta is a behemoth crammed full of juicy chunks of pork shoulder with braised carrots, fennel, celery, onions and…
Hot Button: Checks and Balance
Banks are getting out of the business of forcing overdraft protection on their customers. Will that
Checks and BalanceThanks to a particular high-volume coffee retailer and a piece of plastic that eliminates the need to fumble for cash, the morning latte that Seattle made famous has gone from luxury indulgence to routine convenience. But is that convenient indulgence worth the $35 you could end up paying for it? The “$35 latte”…
Governing: Money For Nothing
As King County contemplates a catastrophic budget shortfall, voters in November may not have to worr
Money For NothingPoliticians like to joke that people want two things from government: fewer taxes and more services. In the coming years, the joke is going to be on the people as that old saw is reversed: Government will tax more and cut back on what it provides. The Great Recession has battered tax revenues,…
Urban Safari: Denny Triangle
Whatever its name, the 'hood is home to a trove of new businesses along Westlake Avenue and a fresh
Denny Triangl The little slice of Seattle wedged between South Lake Union and downtown, anchored by Whole Foods beneath the Pan Pacific Hotel, is sometimes referred to as Denny Triangle, but has also been called the Gateway District. (We hereby declare it the South Lake Union Gateway, or SLUG.) Whatever its name, the ‘hood is…
Shopping Around: August’s 2010 Shopping Finds
This Month's Shopping Finds
AugustHoot SweetNewborns turn parents’ lives upside down, but the birth of daughter Sadie in 2008 also changed Suzy Fairchild’s design aesthetic. An experienced women’s wear designer, Fairchild added kiddie wear to her Phinney Ridge boutique Frock Shop in late 2009, launching Hoot Organic (hootorganic.com), a full line of colorful caps ($18) and sweet dresses made…