Montana may not be known for world-class barbecue, but that doesn’t mean Grant and Hannah Carter, who met in Big Sky Country in college, don’t know their ’cue. Boy, do they! Their slim restaurant—housed in Ballard’s old Acme Rubber Stamp building, its interior stripped back to expose old brick walls, with reclaimed barn wood—serves the…

Congratulations: You’ve survived the punk rock era of food. In the decade just past, we saw the demise of the entrée; instead, we’ve pieced together meals by sharing a slew of side dishes and small plates (tapas of every ilk!). We bid adieu to careful, precise service and, instead, bussed our own tables or poured…

Here in the Northwest, it’s rare to taste a perfectly ripe melon. Only during the very hottest days of summer is the fruit at its most sublime, its fragrance humid and thick in the air; tropical, seductive. For a few short weeks, farmers schlep fragile melons from their hot eastern gardens to our local farmers…

What they are: Padrón peppers are small, green peppers with a sweet, mild flavor. Occasionally, the odd rogue pepper can grow particularly hot and spicy, making eating a dish of these peppers (often fried or roasted in olive oil) almost a game of Russian roulette. The peppers that grow later in the season, in August…

Usually stuffed with zesty ingredients like crisp veggies and succulent meat and topped with zingy tzatziki sauce, gyros get a signature finish at these local restaurants. Aladdin Gyro-ceryTake a magic carpet ride to Aladdin Gyro-Cery for a lamb gyro, filled with lettuce, tomatoes and green peppers, drenched in either a fiery tahini sauce or creamy…

Since 1905, Collins Family Orchard has produced a wealth of fruit, including Rainier, lapin and Bing cherries. Now, the family-owned farm also has a science project on the side. Third-generation farmer Calvin Collins and his son, marketing manager Brian, devote three of their 63 acres in Selah to creating about 20 brand-new varieties of tree…

Ah, don’t you just love salad days? It’s summer and we cannot get enough nicely dressed greens, pickled veggies and the unexpected appearance of wild cards like fruit, not to mention exceptional salads served in unexpected places. (Yes, maybe they should rename Safeco Field…of greens.) Here are five salads that get us hot: 1. If…

Wine and chocolate? So last summer, thanks to Seattle-based Cookie Box, which is redefining the concept of “cookie” with its savory line of treats gift-boxed especially to pair with wine. Created by local baker Marcia Sisley-Berger and Anne Nisbet (who manages the judging for our annual Wine Awards), each assortment features cookies created to play…

Summertime brings to mind the frozen delights of our youth, treats hard earned by sprinting after the ice cream truck. These days, ice cream is easier to come by, thanks to the fine fleet of festive trucks cruising local streets—and the websites that help us track them down. 1. You can get creative with Street…

Bainbridge Island-based author Jonathan Evison has an uncanny knack for writing prose that roils across the page, sweeping readers up for the ride. His first novel, All About Lulu (2008), won the Washington State Book Award, and his second, West of Here (2011), earned him the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award. In his new novel, The…