August 2011

Edge Meets Value at Bellevue's Black Bottle Postern

Edge Meets Value at Bellevue’s Black Bottle Postern

Industrial and unfussy, the Eastside's outpost of the Belltown original is worth a visit.

With soaring 30-foot ceilings and booths that sit along an expanse of windows, Black Bottle Postern wouldn’t seem half as edgy if it weren’t for its locale: smack dab in shiny new Bellevue. The crowd here is also a bit of a departure for the city; sure, you’ve got your besuited tall, dark and handsomes…

Brave Horse Tavern, a Fun and Noisy Pub

Brave Horse Tavern, a Fun and Noisy Pub

Tom Douglas's rowdy beer hall, where the food's better than it needs to be.

South Lake Union is a neighborhood that barely existed five years ago, and so we’ve watched as the essentials have been checked off steadily over the years. Good coffee at Vivace. Check! Cozy lunch spots: Nollie’s, Yellow Dot, Row House Cafe. Check! And now, thanks to Tom Douglas, we can check rowdy college pub (for…

Uneeda Burger is Addictive

Uneeda Burger is Addictive

Burgers and more with an eye on every detail.

I’ve been waiting since deep, dark winter, when Uneeda Burger opened, to plant myself on its sunset-facing patio on a warm summer night. With a burger made from local meat topped with, say, roasted chile relish, pepper jack cheese and cilantro (that’s the Sonora, $8) and a pint of Odin’s ruby ale, it’d be tough…

March to Marché with Greg Atkinson; Momiji Brings Sushi to the Corridor

March to Marché with Greg Atkinson; Momiji Brings Sushi to the Corridor

March to MarchéWhen the news broke last fall that Greg Atkinson, the former Canlis chef and Seattle Culinary Academy instructor and current cookbook author, would be heading back into a restaurant kitchen at Kailash, local foodies were abuzz. But while that concept died, another idea was brewing. Atkinson will open Restaurant Marché, a bistro focusing…

Road Trip to Winthrop

Road Trip to Winthrop

Winthrop welcomes all comers—from fiddlers to insect wranglers.

WHERE: Winthrop, Washington, in the Methow Valley. WHY: For the BIG NORTH CASCADES OLDTIME FIDDLERS CONTEST (8/27. $15; kids younger than 12 are free. Spring Creek Ranch, 22 Belsby Road; 509.996.2111; winthropfiddle.org), where you’ll celebrate American folk music via hardcore fiddling competitions for all age divisions, from Pee-Wee to Senior. BRING: Your own insect or…

The Local Renaissance Faire Gets a Makeover

The Local Renaissance Faire Gets a Makeover

Regal knights, saucy wenches and eye-pacthed pirates.

The Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire cometh—now with pirates! This year, in addition to ye olde lineup of regal knights, saucy wenches and creepy jesters, organizers have added eye-patched, “arrrg”-spewing mateys to the mix. We suspect it’s a blatant attempt to widen the crowd appeal, and we’ve got a few ideas of our own for how…

Seattle's Third Wave of Fro-Yo

Seattle’s Third Wave of Fro-Yo

Frozen yogurt is back, and this time, every ounce counts.

You may remember Seattle’s last frozen yogurt explosion back in 2008, when national chains like Pinkberry and Red Mango hit town and spawned countless imitators. Way back then, it was all about the flavor—frozen yogurt that actually tasted tart, like yogurt (as opposed to previous ice cream imitators a la TCBY). Now fro-yo is back…

So You Want to Own a Boat?

So You Want to Own a Boat?

A look at the hidden costs of owning your dream boat.

Thinking about taking the plunge? Here’s a look at what kind of cash you’ll sink into boat ownership—first the purchase price, then the combined annual expenses of insurance, maintenance and moorage.   Illustrations by Vidhya Nagarajan Intex Excursion 5 Boat: $450 + $0/year 16-foot Bayliner 160 OB Bowrider: $13,000 + $3,800/year 35-foot Tiara 3500 Sovran LE:…

Paddleboard Yoga Offers a New Core Curriculum

Paddleboard Yoga Offers a New Core Curriculum

Master your lunge (else you take a plunge).

In the beginning, there was yoga. Next, hot yoga caught fire. But for Seattleites, even that wasn’t enough of a mind-body challenge. Now, behold WASUP: Washington Stand-Up Paddleboard Yoga. At last we can execute warrior poses while balancing atop a paddleboard in the middle of Shilshole Bay. Part of the Washington Surf Academy (wasurfacademy.com), which…

Scoop: Full-Court Press

Scoop: Full-Court Press

The School of Visual Concepts takes letterpress to the streets.

Keep your fingers and toes (and children) close—for the 10th year in a row, the talented kooks at the School of Visual Concepts (SVC) are putting on a letterpress wayzgoose, and that means the 2-ton steamroller will be back in action. A letterpress tradition since the 17th century, a wayzgoose was originally a feast to…

Summer Guide 2011: the Water Issue

Summer Guide 2011: the Water Issue

Like the mountains that frame our city, water gives Seattle its identity. Life here is a life aquati

From the briny smell of Elliott Bay wafting over downtown to the sight of sunlight sparkling on Lake Washington during a summer morning commute; from the lapping sound of waves against docks and kayaks to the taste of our drinking water—some of the purest in the world. And—we’ll say it—the feeling of warm rain splattering…

Eat from the Sea

Eat from the Sea

Professional forager Langdon Cook shows us how to snag tuna, clams, squid and more from the ocean.

Dig It! We’ve got so many clams, you could say it’s an embarrassment of bivalves. Manila clams, in particular, are easy to dig and nearly foolproof in the pot. They live right below the surface on gravelly or muddy beaches around Puget Sound; use a three-pronged garden cultivator to scratch them out of their lairs….