5 Things You Need to Eat and Drink in August

We’re right in the thick of it now: Festivals every weekend, farmers markets every weekday, constant restaurant openings and new menu items to try. August is a busy month. Don’t get overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of awesome eats—just add these to-dos to your summer bucket list:

Take a trip to SF without leaving Seattle.
One of my favorite San Francisco coffee roasters is Four Barrel, so you can bet I’ve paid them a visit during their residency at La Marzocco’s Seattle Center headquarters. The highlight of the menu—available for the next week, until Coffee Supreme from New Zealand takes over for the next month—is the cold coffees, which Four Barrel brews hot and then instantly cools and kegs. The Houdini they call “sweet and syrupy,” while the Limelight is “bright and floral.” On Wednesday, August 2, you can get $1 off any cold coffee drink. 

Speaking of out-of-state tastes—there’s a new hot dog to try.
Move over Seattle dog, you’ve got some competition. The brilliant duo behind Phorale—our favorite Asian-fusion food stand in a mini mart—is launching Bocado, a venture next to the taproom at Burdick Brewery in South Park. The focus is Sonoran bacon-wrapped hot dogs, a specialty of Northern Mexico by way of Arizona. Bocado’s will then be topped with garlic cilantro aioli, cream cheese, sweet red onion jam, pico de gallo and green onions. Grab yours on Thursdays from 5 p.m. until sold out.

Eat more s’mores.
And hey, don’t wait for a campfire. August 10 is National S’mores Day, and every year Theo Chocolate sells organic s’mores—with their own exceptional marshmallows and graham crackers—for $5 to benefit a local charity. Last year, they sold more than 600 s’mores for Food Lifeline; this year, the hope is to top that, with $1 from each going to Mary’s Place. (This year they’re also offering a chocolate chip cookie s’more option or peanut butter cup add-on, both of which sound amazing.) Head down to the Fremont factory on August 10-11.

Get tickets to one of the hottest chef collaborations of the summer.
Ooooh boy, am I excited for this one. Mean Sandwich owners Alex and Kevin Pemoulie seemingly know everyone in the biz—they did end up in Seattle after some major restaurant accolades in New York, after all—and now they’re bringing in nationally renowned chef Danny Bowien of Mission Chinese for a two-night fête. (If you’ve never been, Mission Chinese started in San Francisco before making a splash in NYC—Bowien and Pemoulie are planning a casual backyard all-you-can-eat buffet of sorts.) Make sure to grab tickets to either August 12 or 13 a.s.a.p., as these will surely sell out.

Bid farewell to the People’s Pub.
I’m not the only one who’s tried to preemptively combat a hangover by downing a late-night plate of fried pickles at the People’s Pub in Ballard. But those pickles (and the rest of the German menu and plentiful beers) will soon be no more, as the Ballard Avenue staple plans to shutter on August 12. Cry into your beer one last time (open until 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays!) before this surely turns into another trendy Ballard spot with an ampersand in the name.