May 2013

Fishing with Duke

Fishing with Duke

Extreme sourcing with the man behind Duke's Chowder House

As the wheels touch down in Cordova, a little fishing town on Prince William Sound in southcentral Alaska, Duke Moscrip already has his coat on and his finger on the latch of his seat belt. Outside, dozens of black 10-by-10-foot crates filled with freshly caught, flash-frozen Copper River salmon—what many consider to be the tastiest…

The Map of the End of the World

The Map of the End of the World

A local artist maps a postapocalyptic Seattle

According to the Seattle Doomsday Map, not even the apocalypse will change local priorities. But in this dystopian future, you have to brave the Belltown black market to get a decent espresso, and the only organic garden grows on a heavily guarded SLU rooftop. For his meticulously detailed map (24 by 36 inches) local artist…

How-To Guru: Macy's Executive Chef Toni Keene

How-To Guru: Macy’s Executive Chef Toni Keene

A local chef has been demonstrating the art of demonstration for 24 years

For Toni Keene, every Thursday is pressure cooker day. But that doesn’t stress out the Macy’s executive chef, who says her job is more play than work. The spritely 68-year-old has been recommending cookware and demonstrating new kitchen products on the sixth floor of the downtown store (and its predecessor, The Bon Marché) for 24…

Grab a Drink at Two New Georgetown Bars

Grab a Drink at Two New Georgetown Bars

A.J. Rathbun cozies up to a pair of new Georgetown watering holes

Just off airport way and nearly beneath Interstate 5, Georgetown’s Ground Control (6105 13th Ave. S; 206.397.3821; groundcontrolseattle.com) is perhaps the smallest bar in Seattle, with only a few two-top tables, a lazy-U-shaped wooden bar, shelves of model airplanes mirroring nearby Boeing Field, and rotating art shows. But the former coffee shop is filled with…

Foraging for Porcini Mushrooms

Foraging for Porcini Mushrooms

Hunting for porcini mushrooms on the eastern slope

The Italians call them porcini—little pigs—now the accepted term of commerce for a group of meaty, sought-after mushrooms in the bolete family. It’s an exotic word that spruces up any restaurant menu, evoking thoughts of deep forests and rich, earthy flavors. Here in Washington, we’re fortunate to have both a spring season and a fall…

Does Shanik Live up to the Hype?

Does Shanik Live up to the Hype?

With Shanik now open in SLU, is the legendary Vij's still worth the trip?

The anticipation began a year ago when word leaked that Meeru Dhalwala had plans to open a sibling restaurant in South Lake Union, to be called Shanik, named for the couple’s daughter. Dhalwala is chef and co-owner with Vikram Vij of Vancouver’s acclaimed Indian mecca, Vij’s, and its more casual restaurant/takeout spot next door, Rangoli….

Editor's Note: Blinded by the Sun

Editor’s Note: Blinded by the Sun

When my husband and I first moved here in August 1997, we knew of the seductive powers of the golden month’s glorious glow and warm temperatures. We had been to Seattle before—in the throes of a rainy February, natch—but in relation to the Midwest and East Coast arctic winters from which we came, Seattle winter…

Gas Works Park Selected for National Register of Historic Places

Gas Works Park Selected for National Register of Historic Places

Gas Works Park gets national recongition for its revolutionary eco-conscious design

Among the nearly 89,000 sites selected for the National Register of Historic Places, fewer than 2,500 are classified as landscape architecture—evidence that America preserves her old buildings much more often than her parks or other built environments. But, this year, to Seattle’s pride, Gas Works Park made the cut for the prestigious list. Designed by…

Shop Local Fashion Favorites at Belltown's Sassafras

Shop Local Fashion Favorites at Belltown’s Sassafras

The best way to support local fashion is to buy it and wear it, and Amy Tipton, proprietress of Belltown’s Sassafras, makes that easy to do. She has filled her airy, urban space, which opened last December, with “everyday wear and comfy things that are pretty” from local and regional favorites, such as Seattle’s Lekkerlife,…

Sewing Studios: The New It Spot for Crafters

Sewing Studios: The New It Spot for Crafters

First it was stitch-and-bitch knitting sessions—now, sewing circles are the rage among domestic artists. To accommodate Seattle’s social seamstresses, many local fabric shops are opening sewing studios, replete with high-end machines and notions, as hubs of support and creative camaraderie. Savvy crafters looking for hip fabrics already head to Drygoods Design, Keli Faw’s hidden Ballard…

Road Trip! Wenatchee's Pybus Public Market Grand Opening

Road Trip! Wenatchee’s Pybus Public Market Grand Opening

WHERE: Wenatchee, Washington. WHY: For the grand opening of Pybus Public Market (Open daily starting 5/11. 7 N Worthen St.). WHAT: The former E.T. Pybus steel fabrication plant, located on a 25,000-square-foot waterfront lot next to the Columbia River, has been transformed into a lively locus of Northwest commerce and culture. Meander through the huge,…

Ezra Dickinson to Perform a Series of Short Solos

Ezra Dickinson to Perform a Series of Short Solos

A local dancer creates a moving gift for his troubled mother.

Seattle dancer Ezra Dickinson has been working on his Mother’s Day gift for the last seven years—a public performance of several short solos called Mother For You I Made This—but it’s unlikely that his mother will see it. A diagnosed schizophrenic, she lives at Western State Hospital. Formerly a ballet teacher, Dickinson’s mother enrolled him…