October 2010
Restaurant Insider: October 2010
Scott Staples's latest project and a new bagel shop
Staples Center I’ve been waiting for someone to create a Seattle-style Shake Shack, the fanatically obsessed-over chain of New York City burger shacks opened by Danny Meyer. Now it looks as if Scott Staples, chef/owner of Quinn’s and Restaurant Zoë, is doing just that. Staples’ yet-unnamed venture will feature classic $6 burgers made with a…
Seattle Magazine’s Ultimate Coffee Guide
A celebration of Seattle's caffeinated culture
For many of us, it’s the first word we croak in the morning: Coffee. Not a question, nor a command (though sometimes a plea), but most often a statement—a fact of daily life, especially in Seattle, where, as you may have heard, we drink a lot of coffee. Lately, our beloved local ritual of going…
Health: An Expert’s Advice on Mammograms
A year after a federal task force issued a controversial advisory on mammographies for women in thei
Dr. David C. Grossman, senior investigator at Seattle’s Group Health Research Institute, has served nearly three years of a four-year term as one of 16 members on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which last year was at the center of a controversy arising from its new recommendations on mammography screenings. News reports have indicated…
Tasting Notes: Seattle’s New Pour Houses
An urban influx gives wine lovers a city rich in pour houses
The wine buzz around the Puget Sound area has been all about the explosive growth of wineries and tasting rooms in eastern Washington and Woodinville. But urban wineries are blossoming, too, bringing closer to home the opportunity to taste—and buy—an impressive array of Washington wines. “We thought about looking in Woodinville, but it’s pretty saturated,”…
Reviews: Flying Fish, Marjorie & Fatty’s Corner
Allison Austin Scheff reviews what's new in Seattle dining scene
Flying Fish Owner/chef Christine Keff’s Flying Fish, which opened in Belltown way back in 1995, built a reputation on great seafood but, boy, did the interior need an update. Instead of spiffing up the old girl, Keff moved her to South Lake Union in May to start over in a neighborhood with new life (and…
Key Ingredient: Alum Powder
How-to get your fried foods even crispier
ALUM POWDER In the quest for a crisp finish to her Chinese doughnuts, Lorna Yee relies on an old culinary standby WHAT IT IS: Alum powder (crystallized potassium aluminum sulfate) is an astringent white substance commonly used in pickling recipes to retain crispness. You can find it in the spice aisle of grocery stores. It’s also…
Food We Love: Double Chocolate Figs at Fran’s
Our latest chocolate obsession
FIG HEAVEN On a whim, I stopped into the Fran’s Chocolates Bellevue store (10036 Main St.; 425.453.1698; franschocolates.com), figuring I’d treat myself to a truffle and be on with my day. But there under a glass dome—beside neat rows of the single-malt-whiskey dark chocolate truffles, the milk chocolate caramel truffles and President Obama’s beloved smoked…
Cravings: Seattle pear dishes
Nothing tastes quite like a ripe, in-season pear on a crisp fall day.
PAIR The pancetta-wrapped pears at Pair (no pun intended) constitute a decadent pre-entrée bite. Served in a wine and ginger reduction and topped with a sprig of parsley, this savory/sweet combination celebrates the pear in all its glory. $6. Ravenna/Montlake, 5501 30th Ave. NE; 206.526.7655; pairseattle.comCITIZENThe melt-in-your-mouth caramel pear brûlée crêpe starts with a…
The Foodies Calendar: Oyster Fest
October 3, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. OysterFest Mason County Fairgrounds, 751 W Fairgrounds Road, Shelton; 360.426.2021; oysterfest.org ? Ahoy, seafood fanatics! Set sail for Shelton on the Olympic Peninsula and catch OysterFest, the 29th annual West Coast Oyster Shucking Championship and Washington State Seafood Festival. The event offers a taste of Washington’s best oceanic hors d’oeuvres,…
Meet the Producer: Proper British Bacon and Meats
Got the fever? Proper British Bacon & Meats has the cure
Last year, when a Scottish friend of Robin Halbert’s began spreading word around the Microsoft campus that Robin and his wife, Calli, were creating British-style bacon, the orders started pouring in. The couple began making regular deliveries to Redmond, and the word kept spreading. In February, the Halberts created a website: properbritishbacon.com. In April, they…
Style: Parisian Flair with Carolin Meesier
Restaurateur Carolin Messier adds dramatic European finesse to her locally gathered vintage wardrobe
WHY WE LOVE IT: From her bright red lipstick to the ever-present pearls, north Capitol Hill resident Carolin Messier would have looked perfectly at ease in a 1940s French film noir, sipping café coffee in a sassy, tailored suit and Mary Jane heels. The spirited sometime pastry chef and full-time owner of the Harvest Vine…
Spotlight Shorts: City Arts Fest, 100 Ways & more
Local art that matters
ARTS FESTS Two new arts events erupt all over town this monthJust when you thought it was time to crawl into your winter cave, gloomy October is proving itself to be quite the festive month for artsy goings-on in Seattle. The first City Arts Fest (10/20–10/23; times, prices and venues vary; cityartsfest.com), helmed by Michael…