Do you wish you were Mario Batali? I mean, I guess nobody really wants to be a rotund, red-haired Italian man who wears Crocs every day but cooking like him wouldn't be so bad, right? La Spiga are offering you the chance to prove you can write a recipe like the best. more ›

Only two other Seattle chefs, Tom Douglas and Tamara Murphy, have been invited to compete at Kitchen Stadium in the seven seasons that "Iron Chef America" has been on the Food Network. Tomorrow at 10, add a third name to the list: Sabrina Tinsley of Osteria La Spiga. more ›

Last night the Northwest Film Forum had a line out the door with moviegoers eager for some classic European cinema. As previously mentioned, the Italian sex comedy Divorce--Italian Style (and its follow-up, Seduced and Abandoned) are showing in the small theater through tomorrow, leaving the big one to hold the main event, the NWFF's latest film series, Duel of the Cool. more ›

Balagan Theatre burst out of the womb of the Capitol Hill Arts Center last week with the opening of their new season in the La Spiga building at the corner of Pike and 12th. "Three weeks ago this was a concrete box," someone said before the performance, "and thanks to the hard work of many people, today it's a concrete box with curtains." It's actually pretty fly for a concrete box with curtains. more ›

Substitute restaurant reviewer Leslie Kelly has reached the end of her stint at the Post-Intelligencer and Managine Editor David McCumber (among many, many others) is breathing a huge sigh of relief. How'd this kid from Spokane end up in a big-city newsroom, anyway? Hsaio-Ching Chou, who signed off on the deal for Kelly to cover Rebeka Denn's "family leave," ain't around to answer, having gone off to PR-land. But Kelly's six-month tenure leaves a mound of unhappiness. more ›

So much new stuff! Food critic Bethany over at the Slog tipped us off about Cafe Presse opening not far from our office so we sauntered over for a lunchtime look-see. We spotted it easily because of the yellow sign. It's on the west side of 12th Avenue, on the block south of Madison, forming a French triangle (un triangle français) with Licorous and Lark. Maybe they can all field a soccer team against Stellina and La Spiga. more ›

Times are good for folks with new Italian restaurants (Sorrentino, Tavolata, Barolo, La Spiga, Bèato): lively, fiercely independent, stamped with the vibrant personalities of their owners. And then there's the local outpost of Il Fornaio at Pacific Place, a chain that's been around for years, putting its own stamp on regional Italian cuisine with a monthly "culinary festivals." more ›

La Spiga is nestled next to Cafe Stellina at 12th & Pike, or it would be nestled except the new space is much larger than the old. It's a bit flashier, too, but the food is still the rustic Romagna-style, which you either love -- or find too salty or too bland, the bread too biscuit-like, freaking Italians don't even know how to make Italian food. [Citysearch, Yelp reviews] more ›