The Gin’s the Thing Sitting on a stool at the long wooden bar—and I strongly suggest it—is a singular experience. While sipping, you can gaze through a glass wall into the backroom distillery and see the 200-year-old Scottish still that Sun Liquor’s Hedge Trimmer gin is made in. When creating Hedge Trimmer gin, distiller and…

“The choreography is tricky,” says Michael McCafferty, and his position at Seattle Art Museum is indeed a dance of sorts. As director of exhibition design, he works with SAM curators to figure out which artworks and artifacts go where for every show. The new Gauguin exhibit (which opens 2/9) is particularly complicated, since the pieces…

What it is: Fenugreek is a plant widely cultivated in Asia (predominantly in India) and Europe. Both its leaves and seeds are used in cooking, commonly in curries. How I discovered it: My first encounter with fenugreek was years ago when I dined at Vij’s back in my hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia. To this…

When Dorcas Young moved from rural Botswana to Whidbey Island in 1996, one of her greatest challenges was finding the foods she had eaten as a child growing up on her family’s 500-acre produce and livestock farm. After searching high and low, she decided to grow her own. But the Kalahari Desert is a far…

Café Presse Presse’s croque monsieur is baked in a convection oven, guaranteeing that the sandwich is browned on all sides. A pallone white bread from Grand Central Bakery encloses Madrange ham, Comté cheese and mustard. $6. Capitol Hill, 1117 12th Ave.; 206.709.7674; cafepresseseattle.com Belle Epicurean Inspired by the classic French style, Belle’s croque monsieur features…

The title song from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1943 musical Oklahoma! conjures up images of cowboy hats, chaps and ruffled prairie skirts sweeping down the plain. That’s because, over time and countless community theater productions, the classic musical comedy has warped into a caricature of itself, with broad characters and hokey sets. But for its new…

So you say you brew your own beer. Big whoop. Do you brew your own kombucha? Embraced by Seattleites for its purported health properties (eliminating toxins, increasing energy), the fermented tea beverage known as kombucha has long been sold prebottled in local stores. But in 2010, Seattle company Goldfinch Kombucha (goldfinchkombucha.com) seized hold of our…

Christopher Boffoli won’t stop playing with his food, and we couldn’t be happier about it. The West Seattle-based photographer and writer has gained acclaim for his “Disparity” photo series, which comically pairs teeny human figurines with real-life foods in extreme close-up. Now he’s bringing the photo series to greeting cards, pairing his macro food photography…

Seattle keyboardist, composer and experimental jazz fixture Wayne Horvitz has never shied away from mixing things up—and now he’s bringing a fresh idea to the local music scene. Partnering with restaurateurs Steve Freeborn and Tia Matthies (owners of OK Hotel and Rendezvous, among others) he’s created The Royal Room, a new music venue, restaurant, bar…

Our city’s growing hip-hop scene gained more national attention last summer, when Sub Pop Records picked up local duo THEESatisfaction (Catherine Harris-White and Stasia Irons). The playful twosome has been wowing Seattle crowds with self-released EPs and infectious live shows since 2008, and at press time were about to release their first full-length album. To…

Carnivorous locavores, rejoice! Seattle has a new source for premium, local beef, pork, lamb, goat, poultry and game, courtesy of William von Schneidau, formerly of Bill the Butcher Organic Meats. His latest endeavor, BB Ranch, opened in Pike Place Market in November, selling meats sourced locally from Lopez Island Farm, Quilceda Farm, Dog Mountain Farm…