All stories about "Seattle"

The NY Times' Frank Bruni has finished his coast-to-coast tour of new restaurants and is reporting back with his findings. Excluding New York, which Bruni doesn't include because it's his regular beat, cities with restaurants that rated include Washington DC, New Orleans, San Francisco, Dallas, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, Boston, Seattle, and Napa, CA. The restaurants are all new (opened at least after January 1, 2006) and, apparently, all delicious. [NY Times]

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Here's a great home video of the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle, more properly known as the Century 21 Exposition. Aerial shots abound, as do long pauses focused on architectural elements, fountains, fairgrounds, and some unforgivable fashions. There are water sports, tightly packed stadiums, and the "Gayway" as well.

Boston
• Brix: A wine shop in the South End featuring $75 wine six-packs and a private tasting room.
• Concepts: Browse limited edition sneakers, skateboards, snowboards, and apparel at this new Cambridge shop, then head downstairs to admire your purchases in a VIP lounge.
• Grezzo: There's 100% organic, raw, vegan food and fine dining atmosphere aplenty in this new North End eatery.

• Café Circa: New restaurant featuring island-inspired fare and live performances opens downtown.
• Cuerno: New midtown restaurant by the owners of neighboring Beleza serves food and drink with a Spanish flair.

Yesterday, thousands of people in cold-weather cities went for painful, annual Polar Bear swims in icy oceans, rivers, and lakes to celebrate the new year. One guy in Trail, British Columbia actually died during his swim, though most other participants just froze their nads off. At the Oregon Zoo, people took literal Polar Bear plunges in the polar bear tanks, and in Rome, dozens of dudes made swan dives in to the Tiber (here's the clip).

Momofuku Noodle Bar, New York.

Atlanta
• Stats Food Play: This new American restaurant, which doubles as a recreation facility and sports bar, is now open downtown.

Chicago
• Me & Ro: New York designer Robin Renzi opens a Midwest outlet to showcase her celebrity-coveted fine jewelry.

London
• Alain Ducasse: This culinary icon opened an eponymous restaurant at the Dorchester hotel yesterday; a refined French menu showcases British ingredients.

Seattle may have been the birthplace of grunge over a decade ago, but not much noise has come out of the city in these quiet aught years. Yet it turns out the musical roots haven't totally died there. Many great music venues, record stores, and dance clubs call the rainy city home, and rabid techno, electronica, and dub-step scenes have taken root over the last dozen or so years. Recently the San Francisco Chronicle interviewed popular Seattle DJ Shawn Kralicek (DJ Struggle) to compile a music lover's guide to Seattle.

Though Seattle is known for rain and fog, summer there is glorious. And all that precipitation produces incredible fruits and vegetables on farms dotted all over Washington State. Seattle's summer markets sell truckloads of produce, plus meats, seafood, jams, and crafts from the throughout the region. Just about every weekend, you have over a dozen markets to choose from (plus the odd weekday market as well). After the jump, a few recommendations on the best market targets in the Emerald City.

We had the pleasure of attending the James Beard Foundation Awards last night which honored the best chefs and restaurants across the country. The highlight for guests was the gala reception, where 30+ current and former rising-star chefs presented their off-the-hook creations -- think cotton candy wrapped around foie gras and peekytoe crab cappuccino with lemon verbena. But the real reason for the ceremony was to give out big gold medals. It's easy to say that everyone deserved to win, especially in food obsessed cities like New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. But in the end, some people deserved to win more than others. There weren't really any upsets except that foodie San Fran won surprisingly few awards. New York really put them away, but then again, the city has an award (Best Chef: New York City) all to itself. Find out all the winners after the jump.

You have to go with this one just for the name and the setup. People's Republic of Koffee is little more than a coffee cart, a couch, a chair, and a small table. In a garage. That's also a tattoo parlor. The PRoK is run by comedian Kevin Hyder, and the austerely simple arrangement apparently hasn't stopped him from brewing excellent coffee. His java has lots of devoted fans in a city known for coffee snobbery. Plus, once the caffeine shakes wear off, you can get some ink done.

People's Republic of Koffee [via Metblog Seattle]

-- Chris Mohney

Seattle, home to countless music movements, a hip art scene, and of course Starbucks, is a strange place. Perhaps it's the endless rain, fresh air, or looming menace of Mount Rainier, but the city sports its fair share of weirdness. As we did with San Francisco, we'd like to offer the curious new visitor a range of choices for exploring the odd, Seattle style. After the jump, enjoy an almost instantaneous explanation for a barista pulling espresso in a French maid's outfit.

Apologies for the yooge image, but it's worth it -- check out this stumbled-upon trove of 1962 architectural drawings depicting Seattle's Space Needle and Century 21 exhibition, as composed for the World's Fair. Many more hi-res scans for the consuming.

Century 21 Exposition [via Boing Boing]

-- Chris Mohney

Seattle paper The Stranger is the first out of the gate with a review of the new Tavolàta restaurant (2323 Second Avenue, (206) 838-8008), and their praise is effusive to say the least. Do we think that Tavolàta is aiming for an Italian vibe? Consider the coyly-parked scooter outside, a counter open to the street, the big ole communal table at the center, and soccer-ball-sized buffalo mozzarella on the menu. And what about hammering the message home with a large Italian flag outside? That said, the no-reservations budget restaurant from the not-very-Latin-sounding Ethan Stowell majors in conviviality within its walls. Apparently, in a previous life, the building was a car warehouse which held regular burlesque shows in the back. That might have been even more alluring than the lemon-infused zepolle (think mini-doughnuts given a Queer Eye makeover). Note that Tavolàta's full menu is served until 1 a.m., seven days a week.

A Better World [The Stranger]

-- Sarah Turner

I collect library cards, so it's no small claim when I say that the Seattle Public Library is the finest I've ever set foot in. An exquisite collection, of course, but the real beauty lies in the architecture. All of Seattle's libraries sport an environmentally friendly design, along with a distinguished eye for visual aesthetics. Stunning is the only word that comes to mind; wrapped in ivy or with green roofs, the various buildings offer a delightful accent to an already beautiful, bright green city. The central library in particular is a veritable shrine, worthy of one of the most literate cities in the world. It houses a remarkable set of art installations keeping with post-modernism's reputation of being "weird for the sake of being weird." Plus I owe them ten bucks.

Seattle Public Library [Official site]

-- Sean Moriva

[Photo: ryanmayeda]

The womb of Seattle's art scene, the Mcleod Residence has also spawned that city's first stab at Gakwer-inspired celebrity stalking/mapping with Seattle Notables. Since Cobain's death, this might seem like an oxymoron but indeed Seattle is home to "celebrities" and they, in general, hang out in some pretty cool places, which is where the map should interest you. For instance, a guy named Stone Gossard hangs out at a super cool cafe called the Hi Spot Cafe while another luminary, this one named Slats who looks like Slash and Joey Ramone frapped together, likes to spend his days and nights Bus Stop bar, a divey but legendary bar. And, Gawker take note, Seattle Notables even has coasters of the most notable notables, including, happily, Slats.

Seattle Notables
Hi Spot Cafe
Bus Stop bar

[Photo: ElMendez/Flickr]
Previously: ORgasm in Victoria, Pulled Out in Seattle, In Vino Volo Veritas, I Am Sam But Not Mentally Retarded and More Sculptural