Dishin' has been reporting on Sound (now merged with City Arts) magazine's "Dish-Off" all year long. Two of the top "Dish-Off" chefs of the year are teaming up for a dinner that will showcase the best of Spain and France. more ›

Phillies fans may be celebrating the return of Pedro Martinez, but we're celebrating the rise of Pedro Ximénez. Also known as PX, Pedro Ximénez is the name of a Spanish white grape, as well as an intensely sweet and dark dessert sherry. 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 ›

Capitol Hill's Olivar is already doing bustling business and getting great reviews, and now Chef Philippe Thomelin is adding brunch service Saturdays and Sundays. more ›

Lots going on atop Cap Hill, not the least of which is Ethan Stowell's latest, Anchovies & Olives, opening tonight. We'll get there soon enough. It's the most recent example of awkward timing: restaurants opening in the teeth of the downturn. Chew well. more ›

MONSTER MASH: Everyone's favorite non-robotic, non-dinosar body of awesome, a.k.a. the ferocious, hard-banging electronica/hiphop group Truckasaurus, is playing at Neumos with Head Like A Kite and Slender Means on Saturday. Heads up--Truckasaurus might be a band and not a car-eating machine, but they can still metaphorically smash your face in with their thumping, crunching, stomping version of music. It's beautiful, too. Imagine that! more ›

Seattlest already gave you the scoop on the opening of Olivar. So what about the food? more ›

We have no idea why there isn't an exclamation mark after new restaurant Olivar's name. It just seems natural. But there isn't, even though they must be excited to be open. We didn't go to the grand opening last night, but we could smell the kitchen and it made us very hungry. more ›