2017 Year in Review: Food and Drink
The food, drinks and trends that shook up 2017.
By Chelsea Lin December 26, 2017
This article originally appeared in the December 2017 issue of Seattle magazine.
Check out dining critic Chelsea Lin’s dishes of the year before reading the rest of our 2017 Year in Review package.
BEST OF ’17 FOOD
Ube Everything
The initial local popularity of ube—a brilliant purple yam used primarily in Asian sweets—could be attributed to how fab it looks run through a filter on Instagram. But the staying power should be credited to ube’s delicious, if subtle, flavor.
Perhaps the most popular use is still in Hood Famous Bakeshop’s now famous ube cheesecake, but we liked it even better in the Ballard shop’s collaboration with Central District Ice Cream Company; the shop created a violet-hued ube flavor last August, swirling in chunks of Hood’s ube cheesecake.
BEST OF ’17 BEVERAGES
Our favorite beverages of the year ran the gamut from hippie to kitschy.
Rosé
We’ve been living #roseallday (at least through the summer months) for the past few years, but 2017’s prevalence of frosé—a rosé slushy—pushed this irresistible blush wine right over the edge.
Kombucha
Ultra–Pacific Northwest cliché, maybe, but kombucha is quickly replacing nitro cold brew as our favorite (non-beer) beverage on tap.
Tiki
Seattleites have finally found a new use for an umbrella: perched in a vintage tiki mug with plenty of rum.
New England IPA
This hazy brew lacks the bitterness some folks find unappealing in an IPA, and instead brims with tons of fruity, juicy, citrus hop character.
Follow Us
Restaurant Roundup: Pride Picks and Egypt’s National Dish
Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.
Pride is here and if you’re keen on showing a little extra support to bars and restaurants run by members of the LGBTQ+ community, you’re in luck—there are quite a few to choose from. Whether you raise a glass at WeRise Wines, enjoy a slice at A la Mode Pies, or slurp up the hand-pulled…
This Summer, Get Hitched at Town Hall
Cake & Punch brings fully planned micro weddings to one of Seattle’s best-known stages.
Almost exactly 16 years ago, over Memorial Day weekend, my husband and I left work in Fremont and boarded a seaplane to Victoria, B.C., to get married. We were both working in tech at the time, and the whole plan was wonderfully small. I wore a colorful Anthropologie dress I’d bought for $150, and my…
Restaurant Roundup: Burgermaster Opens in Issaquah and Karaoke Returns
Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.
Summer presents an interesting dilemma for parents, especially those who could really use a night off from cooking. Do you grin and bear it and stay at home? Or do you head out to eat and hope the one-two punch of tablet time and coloring books can get you at least an hour to enjoy…
Restaurant Roundup: Live-Fire Cooking and Galician Prix Fixe
Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.
Like a juicy beef patty smacked between two buns, next Thursday is National Burger Day, and one local burger joint is making sure you experience the occasion on a full stomach. From 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Uneeda Burger in Fremont is giving away one free Classic Burger — that’s romaine, tomato, pickles, and house…