A big cigar expo draws food lovers as well, plus we found someting not technically in Seattle that peaked our interest. Want to escape the "heat"? Head to Vashon for some live music and wine tasting. Who doesn't love something free right? Well then The Counter is where you'll want to be for free "fry-day!" Or, you're wine enthusiast head to Esquin to taste the very best Syrah in Washington. more ›

In the current era of chef worship, no one should expect the Executive Chef to be at the restaurant expediting service every night. With a restaurant's limited capacity and razor thin profit margins, Chef's need multiple sources of revenue. So who exactly is feeding us while our celebrities are out competing on Iron Chef? Seattlest answers this question through a series of interviews with our city's Sous Chefs. We kick off the series by talking to the pair of Sous Chefs that run Crush restaurant while Seattle's most recent James Beard award winner, Jason Wilson, is away. more ›

We'd be remiss to not mention that Seattle Restaurant Week starts Sunday. Okay, so it actually runs more than a week (April 18-29), but if you take out the exempted Friday and Saturday, that leaves ten days (eight for restaurants closed on Mondays) of good deals. more ›

You may recall the recent flap over a newsletter sent out by the folks at Crush, the one that went viral with rage (Crush Crushed by Email Glitch). Chef Jason Wilson responded by boning up on ""best practices" before sending out his latest edition this morning ("We have taken great steps to insure that our newsletter and the recipients of it enjoy our connection:..."). The full text is online here) but gmail was not impressed. The subject line of our copy: ***SPAM*** Crush March Newsletter. more ›

It started innocently enough with a note from Nicole Wilson, wife of Jason, chef of Crush. more ›

As we mentioned on Friday, we've got a dinner invitation of sorts for you tonight. more ›

The stars were out last night in Seattle. The Rising Stars, that is. more ›

Does "snout to tail" get you giddy? more ›

While we're all still reveling in the Academy Awards, the restaurant industry is honoring its finest as well. A slew of local chefs are semifinalists for James Beard Foundation restaurant and chef awards [pdf], with nominees to be announced on March 23. more ›

We’ve spoken highly (sparking some debate) of Pagliacci as our place for pizza by the slice—at least locally. But imagine our surprise while reading a recent USA Today and seeing the Queen Anne location listed as one of the country’s “10 great places for solo diners to pull up a chair.” (The article was put together in celebration of National Singles Week, which started Sunday.) more ›

We are totes crushing on Tilson from The Saturday Knights, and if you watch this video from the most recent Songs For Eating And Drinking, you'll see why. Not only is he plain ol' attractive, but he is a really, really good (genius-level) rapper; his freestyles are mesmerizing. He's been in the biz but not of the biz for a long time now, and we know he'll stay that way--just out of reach of all the bullshit, with a lyrical hand extended back to the rest of us in case we want to leave it behind too. Woof....We think he's cute! more ›

Please, God. Let Seattlest wake up to Sera Cahoone strumming her acoustic guitar and humming sweetly in our direction. Let there be hot fragrant coffee on our bedside table, and maybe some bacon waiting downstairs; we're envisioning dappled sunlight on the comforter, a drowsy golden retriever at our feet, and...well, the most important part of this morning fantasy is Sera and her guitar, both of whom we are totes crushing on this week. more ›

Note: We recently discovered that Seattlest scores a whopping "Junior High Readability Level" on this site. That got us thinking: we really are still 12 years old inside. Therefore, we occasionally sign checks with a sparkly purple gel pen and get violent crushes on characters around town for often-silly reasons. In fact, you might say that we totes crush on locals all the time, but specifically on Mondays from here on out. (Editorial Note: the crush of the week for this seminal week was delayed a day, thanks to Gmail's hours-long crap-out yesterday.) more ›

Coming up Tuesday is the second annual Seattle Hot Picks. Sponsored by Wine & Spirits Magazine, this event celebrates the June issue’s annual Critics’ Picks—the magazine’s favorite inexpensive wines from around the world. It also honors ten of Seattle’s best young sommeliers and wine experts (all under age 35), who work in area restaurants and wine shops. more ›

It’s a new month, and that means a new dining promotion around town. Returning is New Urban Eats, featuring some of the relative newbie restaurants in and around the Seattle area. For $30, you’ll enjoy three courses—a choice of appetizer, entrée, and dessert from a fixed-price menu. more ›

Just announced, the 2008 James Beard award nominations and Seattle does just fine, thank you. Tom Douglas, left, is one of five nominees for outstanding restaurateur in America; Canlis a nominee for best restaurant service, and four Seattle chefs in the running for "Best Northwest Chef:" Maria Hines, center (Tilth), Holly Smith (Cafe Juanita), Ethan Stowell, right (Union) and Jason Wilson (Crush). Winners to be announced early June. more ›