Like Paris Hilton to sister Nikki and Jessica Simpson to sister Ashlee, the apple has always outshined the pear. The pear's less popular status is probably due to the fact that it is more fragile than its rose-family sibling. However, pears - with their many varieties - deserve a second look. more ›

Fresh Hop 2009 (7.5%) pours a clear abyss of deep amber that produces a strong initial foamy head which rests on top before receding, leaving behind a cobweb lace inside the glass. As it is runs underneath the nose, a waft of floral sweetness meshes well with grapefruit and subtle pine. Sipping this, you pick up mild earthiness (almost grass-like), along with strong grapefruit citrus before the caramel is detected mid-way. It finishes with additional--but mild--hop bitterness. Overall, this beer isn't heavy on the tongue and would kill with a hearty BLT or even some beer-battered fish and chips. more ›

Seattle's own enfant terrible, Gabriel Claycamp (well, not exactly terrible but kinda naughty nonetheless, what with serving wine at his Culinary Communion cooking classes without the proper licenses) finally seems to have his shit together. That would be his pigshit, just so you know. Yes, the long-awaited Swinery, Temple of Porcine Love, is now open in West Seattle. Our friend Jacqueline Pruner sends a few pix that show what seems to be a shack, but inside there's a lovingly stocked meat case. more ›

Proving that there's a hamburger (and a pizza, and a Chinese dumpling) and related experience to suit everyone's taste, the recent writeup of Lunchbox Laboratory reminded this Seattlest of a less-satisfactory visit to Scott Simpson's place earlier this same year. more ›

We’re not trying to dissuade you from meeting Dan Aykroyd! We just suggest you focus on what’s truly and awesomely bizarre about him: his UFO obsession. more ›

It's that time of the year again to cram your body into fine stitched fabric, consume large amounts of pickled cabbage, and slur your speech all in honor of a prince. If you think that we're talking about that 'Fest in Seattle you're mistaken. Far from Bavaria in the South Park neighborhood, Baron has been producing lagers since 2003. On tap at their Greenwood neighborhood taproom the Pillagers Pub is their fall lager, Oktoberfest. more ›

While some have expressed envy over our recent Hawaiian getaway, the jealousy should be directed at locally produced shellfish. It turns out that many Washington clams and oysters receive a tropical vacation all their own. During the winter, Shelton-based Taylor Shellfish sends larval mollusks to NELHA (Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority) in Kona, Hawaii. more ›

The nights on the farm were restless, especially in such a tiny tent, but we wouldn’t have slept any better indoors. We’re never at ease sleeping away from home. Nevertheless, waking at five in the morning was effortless. Maybe it was the anticipation of all the new experiences that each day brought or maybe it was because we hadn’t been stuck breaking down our station so late the night before. As we walked from our tent to the school, we said good morning to the ducks for the last time. In a half an hour we would return with the rest of the class to butcher several of them. more ›

Up the street from the old Redhook along Leary, and long since relocated from its old stomping grounds (Kirkland and Colville), is Hale's Ales. Featured within its fully operational brewery is a restaurant and a warehouse that has played host to both performers and the winter beer fest. Hale's is open for breakfast and runs on into the night with a wide range of beers, including the Harvest Ale. more ›

First thing you should learn about taking pictures (though many, many never do) is that it's all about the light. Even before holding the camera steady and getting your subject in focus, nothing you do is as important, especially if you're taking pictures of food. A digital camera makes it both too easy and impossible, since the everything looks bright on the tiny screen but the in-your-face flash washes out all the details. Oh, what to do? What to do? more ›

These burgers exist on a plane no other burgers could ever wish to achieve--because they're so far away they don't even know this magical, tasty level exists. If Redmill, Burgermaster, and Fatburger joined forces to create a burger love child...it would be unseemly far from even coming close. Seriously, seriously, SERIOUSLY. more ›

Toronto-born corporate chef Bruce Pinkerton came to Seattle some 20 years ago to help open a hotel, since bulldozed. He stayed on, though, and launched the concept of Designed Dinners, a food preparation center and take-out kitchen. The meal-assembly "industry" continues to grow nationally; Pinkerton's business expanded to several locations, most recently at 2nd and Denny in Belltown, and he added Urban Wine Cafe earlier this year. more ›

She's Zofia Smardz, deputy travel editor of the Washington Post, whosearticle on indifferent meals in Paris was featured in Sunday's Seattle Times. He's Michael Steinberger, wine columnist for Slate, whose recent book, Au Revoir to All That, argues that French gastronomy is in fatal decline. Between them, you'd think France was knee-deep in crummy croissants and plastic cheese. more ›

Special to Seattlest by Paul Orch, craft beer advocate and writer. more ›

Belltown's buffet is nothing if not cosmopolitan; just look at the stains on Seattlest's napkin this week! more ›