We're not sure what to make of these cheese figures, "sculpted" by one Sarah Kaufmann, except that they gives a bad name to cheddar. Via The Knife. more ›

None of this stuff about "timeless" settings for Tosca: the story takes place in Rome over a specific, eventful weekend in June, 1800, as Napoleon's troops are invading Piedmont on Italy's northern border. more ›

Twas a year ago this month: a terrific lunch at Kevin Davis's Steelhead Diner that started with flash-fried cheese curds from Market neighbor Beecher's and a glass of Asian Pear from Windfall Winery. A match made in heaven, but not a universal dish. The curds have to be dead fresh or they lose their appealing squeak; a nearby cheesemaker is essential. Beecher's sells its curds by weight ($11.50 a pound), chef Davis plates them up as an appetizer for $8.95. more ›

So this gent orders the lasagna at the Capitol Hill Via Tribunali last week and LOVES it. Oh, says the waitress, we buy that from Sorrentino. more ›

Many things Black Bottle is not: karaoke lounge, pool hall, etc. Many things Black Bottle does not pretend to offer: tablecloths, strolling musicians, etc. One thing it did have: candles. Not just candles, but exposed candles. No more. more ›

What with the Internetz, the Google and the digital camera, a new generation of wine touring guides is long overdue. more ›

We remember what happened seven years ago, when poor Kristopher Kime got himself beaten to death on the street while cops stood by and did nothing. Not taking any chances tonight, those coppers. They've pulled their fearsome mobile command units up to the fire hydrants at First and Yesler, ready to do battle.
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The American steakhouse--that dimly lit, mahogany-paneled, mafia-chic hideout for fat cats and their trophy molls--you'd think it would never fly in laid-back, egalitarian Seattle. You'd be wrong. more ›

Here's something you don't see much anymore, outside of reservation smoke shops: display cases of cigars. Cohibas, Coronas, Partagas. Romeo y Julietas, Macanudos, Rocky Patels. Sure didn't expect to come upon this lineup at the Spar, a traditional lunch counter & pool room much loved in Olympia. more ›

Ah, those crazy Frenchies, at it again. This time, they're going to pull off a robbery. The gang that couldn't shoot straight, but with accents, The Band of Outsiders. The cute gal is Anna Karina, her boyfriends are Claude Brasseur and Sami Frey, and the director is the embodiment of French cinema's nouvelle vague, Jean-Luc Godard. more ›

You know how sometimes it seems like you read about the same damn thing every time you turn around? Like Britney. Or Ron Paul. Or the Sonics. It's going to happen again this week, and the name you'll be hearing is Txori. (Think "chirp," like a birdie.) It's the new Basque café (more accurately, a pintxos bar) in Belltown owned by Joseba Jimenez de Jimenez and his wife, Carolin Messier de Jimenez, the couple who own Harvest Vine in Madison Park. Well, this is their week. more ›

When we're not blogging about food, wine and opera, Seattlest works as the sommelier at Sorrentino atop Queen Anne. (Keeps us out of the bars, don't you know.) more ›

Bashing the Noo Yawk Times is just too easy. Story in today's edition that's getting lots of attention: The Frugal Traveler, Matt Gross, visits Seattle for the express purpose of sampling happy hours. Goes to Cascadia, naturally, but is disappointed to find the $1 miniburgers "bland and overcooked, they tasted like they'd been sitting under a heat lamp." more ›

In 1987, the British illustrator Martin Handford creates a cartoon character named Wally for a series of children's books. Renamed Waldo for the American edition, he becomes an icon of pop culture. more ›

Apparently the same kind of PR firm that emails proposals from a yahoo account. So says our confidential source at Coastal Kitchen, who told us that, just minutes after Ronald Holden's hilarious, pun filed Seattlest screed showed up in her RSS feed, she was immediately bombarded by PR companies offering to help her "spin" this story. more ›

EXCLUSIVE: Photos from Ballard Seafoodfest. more ›

Seattlest learned a very important lesson Saturday night: always look at your press pack before the end of the second intermission. If you wait until then, you may miss out on intermissing in the press room. more ›

Pig shit, literally, on the front page of the Post-Intelligencer. Here's the opening to Monday's page one story: more ›