In her review yesterday of Camilla Gibb’s latest novel, "The Beauty of Humanity Movement", Heather Logue (our newest lit writer) states, "part history lesson, and part social commentary on Vietnam’s past to future, [the book's] flawlessly constructed characters satisfy like a warm bowl of pho after a wicked-bad hangover...Gibb’s thoughtful and intricate writing weaves an unforgettable portrait of the past and present". more ›

Perhaps it’s not really a stretch to state that a country’s history, family values, and cuisine are irrevocably intertwined, but rarely has this relationship been so examined as in Camilla Gibb’s latest novel, The Beauty of Humanity Movement. Part history lesson, and part social commentary on Vietnam’s past to future, Movement’s flawlessly constructed characters satisfy like a warm bowl of pho after a wicked-bad hangover. more ›

Build it, and they will come. That's the advice we'd like to give to The Signature, the new Vietnamese restaurant that replaced Moxie in Lower Queen Anne. more ›

Over the weekend we walked into the cash-only Than Bros. pho restaurant on Broadway, ordered a small bowl, and were charged $5.42, a price increase as yet unreflected on their online menu. We don't remember the specific passage in Revelations where the high price of pho is called out, but we're sure it's there. A friend of ours was just reminiscing about the days of the $3.87 small bowl with tears in his eyes. At these prices, we're likely to start expecting broth instead of that watery brownish stuff we use as a base for the plum sauce. Tomorrow night we're going to hear Paul Krugman speak at Town Hall on "The Return of Depression Economics"--we'll ask what pho used to cost in '33 and report back. more ›

Well, sorta. Tuesday night, Seattlest hit West Seattle's Than Brothers (our favorite of all the branches, if only for the close-to-home location) to soothe our cold-ravaged sore throat with some tasty noodle soup. As usual, the service was insta-quick. The broth was a little bland, though we were veering toward that can't-taste-anything phase, so maybe it was us. (Did the small bowl recently become smaller? We got to the bottom and had room for more, which has never happened.) The cream puff was delicious. The cockroach crawling around on the checkout counter beside the tip tray? Not as good. more ›

Just one week left for the Jamba Juice location on Queen Anne. We loved them when we first learned about them, but it seems like a long time since we've partaken in their protein powders and Peach Pleasures. more ›

Seattlest has been obsessed with soups lately (it's not quite cold enough for stew). Today we tucked into Than Bros. chicken pho (small, $4.75). Tuesday it was Von's Three Meat Soup (a hearty, verging-on-stew bowlful, $6.95). more ›

• The Central District News is hoping the CD and ID get a streetcar out of the passage of Proposition 1. We share their hope.
• If you're heading west this weekend, West Seattle Blog reminds you there will be lane closures on the West Seattle Bridge.
• Just in time for Thanksgiving, it's the last Capitol Hill Farmer's Market of 2008 this Sunday. We'll definitely be heading to the market, rain or shine, for some local ingredients for the upcoming feast.

You may be under the impression that Seattle's numerous Than Brothers locations are equal to each other, each serving delicious pho in similarly disheveled and and unappealing dining rooms. We’re here to tell you that you are wrong. Over the past year, Seattlest David and Rachael have exhaustively toured Seattle's five Than Brothers to give you the best, the worst, and most importantly, the goldfish-iest of Seattle’s most ubiquitous of pho restaurants. Today we’ll be providing a brief overview of the distinctive features of each Seattle location. Friday we’ll be back with the first annual 2008 Seattlest Than Brothers PhO-dyssey awards! more ›

• The Magnolia Voice wonders if Nickelsville organizers will still face fines regarding the encampment, despite reaching an agreement with the city.
• MyBallard is still a reliable source for all things quirky and Scandinavian; so we trust them when they say that today is Leif Erickson Day and the appropriate way to celebrate is by donning some sort of Nordic sweater.
• Franklin High School's football team was robbed during a recent match at Rainier Beach High School. Not like robbed on the field of a win, but robbed like their personal property was stolen. The Rainier Valley Post has all the details.

While Seattlest's Katelyn has a healthy obsession for the perfect sandwich, we have similar devotion to finding the most delicious fall soup. In fact, the one saving grace of the imminent fall and rainy days is that it is soup weather. When it starts to rain in Seattle, our thoughts turn to soups of all kinds--pho, creamy butternut squash, Cafe Presse's soup of the moment, anything and everything on Hopvine's soup list, and the old delicious standard: a bowl of tomato soup and grilled cheese. We can't wait for October, when the already-mentioned beloved nectar that is Hopvine's home-made soups becomes available in the Southwest Pumpkin variety...a soup which we may be guilty of having dreamt of. more ›

more ›