Many of you remember the difficulty with Black Butte XXII. Remember how Deschutes (wisely) chose not to bottle it due to problems with the mouth feel and body of the finished beer? They felt it wouldn’t bottle well, and chose to only serve it on draft in their brewpubs. For those of us that ventured in to their brewpub, and got to taste it, surely we wouldn’t say it was bad. It was good, albeit a bit flawed. Well, meet the new and improved version, Black Butte XXIII. This beer is an absolute beast, so let the gushing of praise begin… more ›

LIKE MOVIES FOR CHOCOLATE: Tonight is movie night at Theo Chocolate on Phinney, and--you'll never guess, we'll just tell you--they're showing Like Water for Chocolate. (Rotten Tomatoes says it's 89 percent fresh!) But it sounds a little different than a night at the megaplex: "We will be serving up hot chocolate, popcorn and other special surprises. Be sure to bring your own camping chair, or cushion to sit on, and snuggle up in front of the fire." Reservations are required: call 206-632-5100 to book your spot. more ›

First things first: Where the shit does one get something to eat in Downtown Tacoma? Seattlest spent yesterday evening wandering around the "Theater District" looking for a place to fill our bellies. We must've walked about a mile in all directions, only to find a McDonald's, a Pita Hut, a pizza-by-the-slice place, a couple sketchy pubs, lots of boarded-up storefronts, and approximately nine million coffeeshops. It was only when we got back in the car that we were able to find a half-block stretch of downtown with a few places that didn't look so bad. We settled on Meconi's for dinner and then Tacoma's version of Matador for dessert and drinks. When you don't have a row of restaurants, bars, and bistros catering to your captive audience of theater patrons, that's a problem. more ›

When we found that Gorditos was getting out of the lukewarm kitchen that is Queen Anne hill’s restaurant business, we started keeping tabs, via a biweekly stroll, on the eateries closing (and, less frequently, opening) in the neighborhood. That wasn’t often enough. more ›

Friday night, our buddy remarked that in NYC these days, you can tell how good a club is by how many people are outside smoking. Saturday night down at the Croc, we reflected that you can probably tell how good a band's going to be by how many body piercings and tattoos you can spot in the crowd. By that measure, we didn't have much to look forward to from Alexi Murdoch. more ›

Summer never ends, or so sing The Anomoanon. Seattlest knows very well that summer end, metaphors notwithstanding, and with it go a lot of our outdoor frolics. But September ain't November, folks- there's still time to get the heck out of Dodge, if you've a will. That's what we did, on a recent weekend, out Highway 2 way. more ›

Seems like everybody and their mama has been raising money for the Red Cross or other agencies helping in hurricane relief efforts. Even Seattlest's local karaoke dive bar was taking cash for the cause last Sunday night. What follows is by no means a comprehensive list, but just a smattering of upcoming events by local businesses where your money can make a difference: more ›

For the past week, we've been inundated with images of people displaced from their homes. It's all been so heart-wrenching and overwhelming that after a while we just had to turn the TV off. But now that the first season of Lost is out on DVD, Seattlest has no problem with willingly subjecting ourselves to such drama, if only because that's some damn good television. And because these stranded people surrounded by water won't make us cry...for the most part. more ›

, dammit! And breadth- strewn with more pop-culture references, adventurous music choices, and nerd-chic than any show can contain and expect to be successful- that's our O.C. more ›