Seatac is, even as we speak, full of zombies. Nothing to be done, really, but write off the city. Meanwhile, Seattle Center gives in to its love of chocolate and we're all the better for it. And Westlake continues to welcome the public to speak its dissatisfaction, but only until 10:00 p.m. more ›

Chocolopolis, a Queen Anne store devoted to artisan chocolate, might intimidate some chocolate lovers. And when we first visited a tasting class, we weren’t sure what to expect. more ›

Let’s get one thing out of the way before talking about this beer. The name “Quilter’s Irish Death” does not have anything to do with little old ladies sewing together patchwork blankets. The name refers to founder of Iron Horse Brewery Jim Quilter. After selling his interest in Ironhorse, Mr. Quilter went on to brew at the Ram before his passing in 2009. It is in recognition of his development of the recipe for Irish Death, and his career as a renowned brewer, that the beer now bears his name. more ›

As most residents of Seattle know, we have some of the best breweries around. It'd be hard to do a comprehensive brewery tour of the NW without taking some significant vacation time. We also have some great local chocolate-makers (as the current cocoa smell permeating Fremont can attest), and so Pike Street Brewery did the natural thing and decided that if you have two amazing local specialties, there is no way that you can't combine the two and create an event out of it. Hence tomorrow marks the third year of its popular Chocofest. more ›

• Seattle Opera must have been on a high note on Friday, when they were awarded a $500,000 grant to debut the new American opera Amelia in May 2010.
• We welcome the handmade chocolates (hellooo, raspberry-wasabi dark chocolate truffle!), traditional German treats, and delicious ganache-filled confections from Madison Valley's Suess Chocolates & Pastries, the newest chocolate shop on the block. If one truffle isn't enough for you, there are truffle-making classes too.

"Happiness," by Taylor Hain, plucked from our Flickr pool more ›

Mother’s Day is in some respects a “mayday, mayday.” How do we express our appreciation to our mother on Mother’s Day, and how do we so for the mother who has, if not everything, then everything she needs? “Oh, I don’t need anything more,” she always says. “Just more things cluttering up the house.” We have never purchased flowers for our mother; as much as we love flowers (especially receiving them), we prefer to express our affection in a unique and useful manner. Brunch? “Oh, if it is a nice Sunday morning, I really need to work in the yard,” our mother says. more ›

CLASSICALLY FINE TUNED: Seattle's neighborhood-loving classical music group Simple Measure will be wrapping up their fourth chamber concert series this weekend with a melodic finale titled High Strung--the Celestial Dimension. Concerts will be held across Seattle, featuring guest artists harpist Yolanda Kondonassis and flutist Bart Feller, who will perform with the group, prompting many "This one time, at band camp..." jokes, as the evening will combine the sounds of harp, flute, cello, violin, and viola. more ›

LIKE MOVIES FOR CHOCOLATE: Tonight is movie night at Theo Chocolate on Phinney, and--you'll never guess, we'll just tell you--they're showing Like Water for Chocolate. (Rotten Tomatoes says it's 89 percent fresh!) But it sounds a little different than a night at the megaplex: "We will be serving up hot chocolate, popcorn and other special surprises. Be sure to bring your own camping chair, or cushion to sit on, and snuggle up in front of the fire." Reservations are required: call 206-632-5100 to book your spot. more ›

Topped by a ganache made with Theo Chocolate and a truffle filling made from Stumptown espresso, Cupcake Royale's limited-edition offering has a pedigree, but does it earn the name "Deathcake"? Um, we're still alive. This is not chocolate suicide, people. It's hardly a nick on the wrist. Pastry czarina Sue McKown of ill-fated and oddly-named Coco La Ti Da helped improve Cupcake Royale's product--or so we've heard. At least the Deathcake costs less (now $4.95) and is smaller than in previous years, so you don't have to share. (As if we would.) more ›

Keep going. The bottom is near. The real estate market has finally bottomed out says one agent. UW is cutting 600-800 jobs And they weren't bottom-heavy to begin with. Some of those people might consider opening an SBC franchise. We love how they put a little chocolate bar on each mocha. more ›

We've long believed that frozen custard and Seattle would dovetail nicely. Not only is frozen custard the platonic ideal of rich, creamy frozen desserts--Seattle is also chockablock full of transplanted Sconnies like us. Frozen custard has come nearby, though we've not yet made the pilgrimage, because nothing other than Old School Frozen Custard tempts us towards Bonney Lake. But it's never made it to the city. Until now. more ›

The Dilettante Mocha Cafe and Chocolate Martini Bar had its opening night yesterday, in its new location on the retail floor of the new Brix condos at the north end of Broadway. It's cozied up next to the new Vivace Roasteria. This is the pastry case, from which all good things emanate. Besides desserts, they also serve lunch and dinner. We were struck by the appearance of meatloaf on the menu. Maybe it comes with a truffle on the side. more ›

Seattlest’s already given you the scoop on the Kelly’s View Collection of chocolates, which features artwork by six children to benefit Seattle Children’s Hospital. They’re still available at Chocolate Box. (Our favorite was Cranberry Cardamom!) more ›

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Is Seattle going chocolate crazy? Theo Chocolate is doing chocolate massages, meditations and barbeques. Joule is dipping chicken liver in dark chocolate. There’s even a store called Chocolopolis. more ›

Another photo and more about chocolate we loved most, after the jump! more ›

We’re still digesting the ample fare from FareStart’s Guest Chef on the Waterfront event, but if you’re a chocoholic (and the new Chocolopolis isn’t quite enough for you), then you might just want to attend this Sunday’s Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon. more ›

Upper Queen Anne finally has a good bagel shop pho joint chocolate shop. With all the chocolate options around the city, Seattle’s becoming a bit of a chocolopolis. And now you can visit a real Chocolopolis. more ›

As if chocolate alone isn’t enough, tonight Theo Chocolate adds music, massage, and meditation to the menu. Can you believe it? Head over to Theo’s fun shop in Fremont to sample some chocolates and sip some Choice organic tea. They’ll have a string quartet playing, and if you’d like even more relaxation, you can enjoy a complementary Ayurvedic mini hand massage with Sweet Beauty chocolate lotion. Or ante up and purchase a two-person Ayurvedic warm oil massage or chocolate body scrub treatment. (Will they accept chocolate coins as payment?) more ›

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