If I were to tell you, "Hey, grab my growler and go get me a $5 fill of Stone's Levitation from the 7-11 down the street", you'd think I was joking. And I would be, but I wouldn't be too far off. No hoax: convenience stores are popping up all around town, and they're not just selling Slim Jims and Slurpees anymore. They're selling beer.
Well Kept Secret: Seattle's Convience Store Beer Bars
Get Grilling: Recipes and Tips for America's Birthday Party
What're you bringing to the table tomorrow? Oh, you don't know? Don't worry--Seattlest's finest foodies have put their heads together and come up for some tips, tricks and recipes to make your dish the quickest to go.
In Focus: Washington State BBQ Championship
Beautiful weather and big crowds came down to the market to see some of the area's best dish up BBQ in a cook-off competition!
Order Up a Mess of Pulled Pork at Gert's BBQ
We were standing at the corner of 15th and East Pine the other night when we sniffed barbecue. We remembered suddenly that CHS had mentioned something about Gert's BBQ moving into the neighborhood--and there they were, in the parking lot across from Anchovies & Olives.
Gert's BBQ Officially Opens This Evening
Fans of yum will be descending on Columbia City this evening for the official opening of Gert's BBQ's mobile location. They'll be open tonight from 3-10 in the Columbia Plaza parking lot at 4801 Rainier Ave S.
All Up On Our Grill: Uli's Sausage
The connoisseurs' way to cook sausage is to brown, then steam it, but it's summer, and we want to be outside. So we grilled some of Uli's sausage creations, which you can purchase at his stand at Pike Place Market, get delivered, or buy at select local markets.
Can't Miss It: Tuesday
FIND OUT ABOUT FOUND: We've been big fans of the magazine FOUND for a couple years now, so when we heard that main Found(ers) Davy and Peter Rothbart were coming back again this year on tour, we were pretty damn excited. Touring to help celebrate the release of their brand new book, Requiem for a Paper Bag, the Rothbart brothers will be featuring the latest found stories that have made their way into the FOUND headquarters mailbox, along with found stories from celeb contributors to the book such as Seth Rogen, Chuck D., Sarah Vowell, and David Simon--who we're extra curious to see if his found business is anything Wire-like or not. Peter will also be on-hand to sing "breathtaking" (their words not ours) songs from the latest FOUND notes, and they hint at possible surprise guests.
8 p.m. // The Crocodile, 2200 2nd Avenue // Tickets: $5 at the door, 21+
Can't Miss It: Tuesday
URGENT ASSESSMENT: Tonight at Town Hall, author and Canadian David Suzuki will offer what his blurb calls "an urgent assessment" of environmental issues. We're picturing him lecturing in double-time; after all, the environment might collapse before he finishes with even one of the topics he's planning on urgently assessing. No time to lose. Anyway, the lecture sounds promising, if you can bear to leave the park tonight.
Good Eatin' in Spite of Right Wing Condiments
Ro Ro's BBQ inhabits a small shack that used to house the Stoneway Cafe in Wallingford for years. Generally replacing a neighborhood mainstay isn't easy shoe-filling but Ro Ro's has taken to the new location--3620 Stone Way N, between 36th and 38th--with authority.
Neighborhood News and Local Blog Roundup
- Like most things we've attempted to borrow from the 70's, modern key parties just don't sound like nearly as much fun. According to the Belltowner, a "lock and key" singles party will be happening at See Sound next week.
- Capitol Hill Seattle spots a "government money pit."
- Unsurprisingly, Magnolia and Queen Anne residents aren't too pleased about the idea of a new jail being built smack dab in the middle of the hills. The Magnolia Voice covers the well-attended community meeting discussing the proposed jail locations.
Beer & BBQ @ Hale's Palladium This Weekend
After a dreary week of rain and cool weather that promises fall is right around the corner, we're stoked to be heading out to Hale's Palladium tomorrow for beer, bbq and a little bit of rock and to enjoy at least a brief return to summer weather.
Can't Miss It: Weekend Edition, July 25-27
GIRLS WITH STRONG GASTROCS: The Pacific Northwest Highland Games are up in Enumclaw this weekend! Have you ever seen a troupe of Highland dancers, or examined any of their calves? Those ladies have serious plantar flexion skillz. And the National Highland Dance Competition's not all that's going down. We're talking pub piping, Scottish sing-alongs, a full-blown ceilidgh (it's more than just a barn dance!) and of course the field games! Seattlest's Scottish blood thrills to the thought.
What's Cookin': Joule's Urban BBQ Series
Starting this Sunday, Joule restaurant is transforming its dining room into a walk-in backyard for its Urban BBQ Series. To help celebrate the summer, every Sunday through mid-August, chef/owners Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi have planned a different theme (we especially like the sound of “Food on a Stick” and “Dreaming of Pigs”) that will offer a variety of grilled dishes.
What We Did And Didn't Do This Weekend
Those ribs were great, though! And who needs live music anyway when you've got entire seasons of unwatched Lauren vs. Heidi drama?
Roy's BBQ Makes a Damn Fine Sandwich
Last month, Ron from Beacon Hill commented that he prefers Roy's BBQ to the nearby Jones BBQ. This spurred us to get off our ass and finally check Roy's out. The verdict: hot damn, that's a good sandwich.
We Ate Good Barbecue at Jones
Seattlest has long been an on-again-off-again vegetarian. Our last fall from herbivorous grace came in our New York City-living days, when our girlfriend at the time's dad cooked us up a burger and some hotdogs. We didn't have the heart to say no, and they just smelled so good. Thank God, because we wound up moving to New Orleans, where life is meaningless without a good roast beef po-boy and all the juice it produces in a steady stream up (down?) your arm.
Frito Pie And Its Discontents (Smarty Pants Edition)
Ever since we read Frito Pie 101 in the Stranger, we've been itching to try a Frito pie and last night at Georgetown's Smarty Pants we sealed the deal at last. It's not a deal we'll be renegotiating any time soon. We're far from experts, of course. All we can say is that when rating it on its "appeal," we're Russian judges. Nyetch.
Kielbasa and Cheese 42, Seahawks 20
This fall we are combining our love of the football and our dream of learning to cook. On Sunday morning, following a trip to a local farmer's market/major supermarket chain, we will be preparing a meal from the city of the Seahawks' opponent. Then at halftime we will throw our badly burned hands in the air and make hot dogs.
Belltown's Positive Sauce
Instead of focusing on what Belltown has lost, we’d like to inject some positivity in the form of BBQ sauce on an overlooked aspect of this scrutinized neighborhood.
ZOMG! The Best Brunch Ever And It Was Walkable
For some reason, though we are committed Capitol Hill brunchers, we had not discovered what wonders Monsoon has going on in their little 19th Ave E hideaway. Behold, the Monsoon brunch menu (pdf)! Last Tuesday night, Eric and Sophie Bahn, the chefs, invited a passel of foodie blogging folk over to try out the brunch menu. You had people like Matthew aka the rootsandgrubs guy, Angela from the Stranger -- and somehow we made the...
Dishin’: Eat Me
Yeah, yeah, yeah… we’ve bawled a bunch about the blahness of Queen Anne cuisine, from the "exotic" Chinoise at the top of the hill to the "exotic" Racha at the bottom of the hill. So we lowered our expectations a bit to try some good ol' American food at Floyd's Place, which reviewers consistently Yelped as, well, "decent."
News Flash - Safeco Has Bad Food?
So, the Seattle P-I restaurant critic writes that "Safeco's got some of the worst food in the major leagues." That statement struck a nerve with this Seattlest, as we tend to think that Safeco has some of the best food in MLB parks.
Chop Suey Summer BBQ Series Starts With Whimper
Yesterday Seattlest stopped by Chop Suey on the walk home to see how the inaugural edition of the Sunday Summer BBQ Series was going. It was empty. It wasn't terribly surprising, since marketing for the series was pretty minimal, but we do fully support the concept: early shows, with grilled fare available outside. We only stuck around for the first band, Bellingham's The Love Lights, who switch up the indie-pop formula with the addition of a horn section(!), but we left pretty pleased with the experience, since we'd never heard of them before (or the other bands on the bill for that matter). We hope more people show up to future editions of the BBQ series, since the early shows make a nice cap to a day out in the sun (the bands don't get going until 5pm), and this is a nice low-key way to find out about local acts on the rise.
What's On Tap: Friday, June 8
With the nice weather this morning, we were inspired to continue our profiles of summer beers. None of these are overwhelming in the taste category, but a summer beer does not have to be.
Edward with the Scissors for Hands @ 5th Ave
Ok, we're going to do the classic oddball story. He's a weirdo, he doesn't fit in. People love that shit. Everyone thinks they're the weirdo. This guy we'll give some strange skill, some kind of physical deformity. Whatever, we'll give him fucking scissors for hands or something.

