And then, just when you think it's unsafe to continue, an entrée of braised pork shank arrives. Deliverance! No more underdone or undersalted ingredients; the saucier's apprentice has conjured up a refined, balanced dish, the heavenly meat, topped with crispy shallots, lying atop a soft blanket of rosemary-scented polenta. more ›

We have yet to hit up Barrio for dinner, and their happy hour has been on our to-do list ever since Jay first mentioned their churro, but just like everyone else lately, we did make it there to try their new weekend brunch (Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.). We sat near the windows along 12th Ave and were surprised that even at 11 a.m., the ginormous wall of candles was in full effect. more ›

Mackay Restaurants has closed its Tacoma seafood operation, known as Sea Grill. It was the sister restaurant to Seattle's Waterfront Seafood Grill on Pier 70. A polite press release thanks Sea Grill's guests for their support and for "allowing us to help celebrate the pivotal moments and chapters of their lives." But memories don't pay the bills, and large, downtown restaurants like Sea Grill are particularly vulnerable to the current downturn. (Mackay's new El Gaucho Bellevue is hurting, too, but will do fine once Microsoft moves into the building.) A well-run chain like Mackay pays attention to every detail, from the cost of a napkin to the knot on the servers' bow ties; you can bet they know down to the penny how much they're making (or losing) on a daily basis, and they're unsentimental when it comes time to pull the plug. more ›

Friends, it's time we put aside our differences and came together in the name of an hour that is happy. This "happy hour" will consist of finely mixed beverages and tasty snackers from the good people at the Zig Zag. We shall brave the cold and the rain and the hellfire just to reach the fun. This month's happy hour also serves as our quasi-4th birthday pseudo-celebration, so join us from 5-8 p.m. Oh yes, there is also a prize pack to give away (including a $10 gift certificate to Barrio, t-shirt, beer mug, shot glass, and bottle opener), courtesy of the app-happy people at GoTime. Drop us an RSVP on teh Facebook, and head on down to the Zig Zag tonight. more ›

Another month has come and gone, and here it is almost Seattlest happy hour time again. Next Monday (the 16th), we're venturing all the way downtown to the Zig Zag, because (to quote Katelyn), "the Zig Zag is, like, famous." True. This month's happy hour also serves as a belated 4th birthday celebration of sorts, so join us next week from 5-8 p.m. for Zig Zag's legendary cocktails, happy hour food and drink specials, and a prize pack giveaway (including a $10 gift certificate to Barrio, t-shirt, beer mug, shot glass, and bottle opener), courtesy of the nightlife-friendly people at GoTime, who invented that cool Happy Hour iPhone app. Please RSVP to our Facebook invite, so we can give the good folks at Zig Zag an approximate headcount. See you then! more ›

Sit at Barrio's kitchen counter, and while you may eat lots of great food (we did, with tacos, chilaquiles, and braised short ribs among the highlights), you'll likely be craving one final dish: churros. more ›

Donte is taking advantage of cheap post-holiday travel by heading down to SFist territory to see Lindstrom's only west coast date on this mini-tour, since Where You Go I Go Too was one of last year's best releases. more ›

A while back, we mentioned that Trace Lofts on 12th Ave would soon be home to the unfortunately named "Mexican-inspired" restaurant Barrio. Well, don't worry Eastside, you're getting a ghetto too! Purple Cafe and Wine Bar owners Larry and Tabitha Kurofsky have announced that they'll be opening a second Barrio in downtown Bellevue sometime next year. more ›

Listening to KEXP the past few mornings, we heard an ad for 12th Ave's Trace Lofts that caught our attention, and not in a good way. Apparently, one of the establishments going into the condos' Trace North building is a Mexican restaurant. Named Barrio. Take it away, press release: more ›